SB Nation NBA Reacts Weeks 11-12 Part 1: Wizards fan confidence rebounds, Deni Avdija named fans’ December MVP

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Wizards fan confidence rebounds to 69 percent after the team stays above .500

SB Nation

After a poor start to December, the Wizards seemed destined to finish the month and the 2021 calendar year below .500. But here we are in January with the Wizards still staying above the fray. In our last survey, only 46 percent of fans were confident that the team was headed in the right direction. 119 people responded to this survey.

Here is why fans were confident.

• “I’m glad that Bradley Beal was moved to point guard, and the players having more fun out in recent games.”
• “Beal’s vaxxed and playing well, Deni, Gaff and Kispert are playing well enough.”
• “I’m not as confident as I was, the Wizards lost a few games I think theyshould have won… but the team has moved in a better place than it would have if they kept Wall or Westbrook.”

And why fans are still not confident.

• “The Bradley Beal and Spencer Dinwiddie backcourt isn’t a long term solution.”
• “Sheppard is on track to offer Beal a $235 million supermax contract extension which is obviously a huge mistake. Handicapping your salary cap for 5 years immediately after shedding Wall and Westbrook’s contract is plain ludicrous. If Sheppard follows through with this ridiculous contract offer, he should be immediately fired.”

Deni Avdija is December’s MVP!

Photo by Zach Beeker/NBAE via Getty Images

Congratulations to Deni Avdija, who averaged 9.1 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 14 games last month. He also shot 49 percent from the field and 35.7 percent from the three point line. He won 58 percent of the votes, followed by Kyle Kuzma with 26 percent and Bradley Beal with 14 percent.

While Avdija’s offensive production isn’t that high (especially since Beal and Kuzma were the leading scorers last month), his defensive impact has been felt where opponents just aren’t getting their shots off as well as they otherwise would.

Matt Modderno hosted Evan Soroka of Sport5 in Israel to discuss Avdija’s rise, especially defensively, and why his playing time has at times been a bit inconsistent in a recent episode of the Bleav in Wizards podcast.

Brad Wanamaker has the best chance of sticking in the NBA among the Wizards’ 10-day contract players

SB Nation

The Wizards, like other NBA teams, have signed multiple players to 10-day hardship contracts due to the fact that many players are getting sidelined due to positive coronavirus tests. Of the six players listed, 62 percent of you believe that Brad Wanamaker has the best chance of sticking in the NBA beyond his current contract. Wanamaker played one game as the starting point guard, but was put into the NBA’s health and safety protocols just a day later. Wanamaker has also played in the NBA for multiple teams since the 2018-19 season, so he’ll be a candidate for more 10-day contracts by NBA teams given his solid performance for the Wizards, though it was just for one game.

Jaime Echenique was second with 12 percent of the vote.

Our survey came before the Wizards signed Greg Monroe. If he were a choice, it’s possible that he may have won this question because he has a decade of NBA playing experience.

The second part of our survey will focus on our national survey results. That will come out tomorrow!

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