For D.C basketball, it’s been nothing but mediocrity for the past eight years. Eight years ago, of course, John Wall, their franchise player, was drafted. They then selected Bradley Beal in 2012, and Otto Porter was taken in 2013, to name their most notable draft picks in recent history.

As John Wall and Bradley Beal have developed into All-Stars in the league, the Wizards have failed to: 1. Hire a coach to make this team fully function and work together 2. Draft, develop, or even sign talent (like Otto Porter) around their core of Beal and Wall to assure a competitive team in the eastern conference. This year, however, what’s happened to the Wizards has been different, and the possibility of a full on rebuild looks more possible than ever.

The 2018 season has been a rollercoaster. John Wall has dealt with injuries all year, which called for none other than Bradley Beal to step up and lead their team for a majority of this season. Some would think that would be it for this Wizards team, as losing their franchise player for as many games as they did would crush a team with little depth/talent. But no, Beal stepped up this year, averaging 22 points per game and shooting 46% from the field en route to his first ever all-star game. Not to mention Porter, and their bench stepped up in spurts for them. As the season progressed, the team regressed, and John Wall coming back from his injury looked like it was going to provide a spark to this team. Nope.

The Wizards struggled to end the year, once sitting at the upper half of the Eastern Conference, fell to the eight seed in a matter of weeks. Not only did they fall to the eight seed, but they lost crucial games to teams like the Magic, Bulls, and Hawks, all essentially “trying” to lose games.

Nonetheless, the Wizards have found themselves facing off against a good Raptors team, the number one seed in the East, that has consistently struggled in the playoffs. Two games in, things could not have gone much worse. Now down 2-0, Wall’s chemistry with the team has been an issue, has he was seen intensely arguing with Gortat on the bench last night. Otto Porter has gone from a contributing starter, to contributing nothing. Bradley Beal has failed to score twenty points in either of the first two games, and only scored nine last night, all leading to a 2-0 series deficit.

What the Wizards should do from here is a real tough question. Assuming they lose this series, which definitely looks like it is going to happen, unless the Harlem Globetrotters step in, where do they go?

Do they fire Scott Brooks? Some of the blame deserves to be put on him, as the talent they have is far better than both their seed, and their quality of play.

Do they try to get Deandre Jordan, Demarcus Cousins, or another big market player? With little cap room, these trades or signs seem very unlikely.

Do they blow the whole thing up, and get rid of John Wall, Bradley Beal, and/or all of the other dead cap space being used on players like Jason Smith and Ian Mahimi? This solution would be tough to swallow for D.C sports fans, but it’s the NBA: your team is either competing for the finals (Warriors, Rockets, Cavaliers, and now maybe the 76ers), tanking for draft picks and assets, or you’re mediocre. It is a brutal thing to be a mediocre team in the NBA, especially with a front office as clueless as the one in Washington. What’s the best option? Not sure, but I do know they need to do something different than what they are doing now.