The Wizards’ loss to the Warriors shows why they miss John Wall

The Warriors crashed the Wizards’ party late Wednesday night, dealing Washington one of very few losses since John Wall’s knee surgery. Golden State held Bradley Beal scoreless in the first half, and when Otto Porter caught fire with 11 points in the first quarter (and 18 in the first half altogether), they shut him down, too.

Golden State held Washington to 40-percent shooting for the game. It was a reminder that the Warriors will always have one of the league’s best defenses. But it was also a reminder that no matter how many wins the Wizards have racked up in the past few weeks, they are not a better team without their all-star point guard.

The 5:19 mark in the third quarter: That’s when Bradley Beal recorded his first field goal of the night.

Beal went 0-of-9 from the field in the first half, then missed two more shots before hitting his first triple of the night. All told, he shot 3-of-15 from the field and 2-of-8 from downtown with five assists and five turnovers. It was a nightmarish showing for Beal, who was hounded by Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, and Stephen Curry on the perimeter from buzzer to buzzer.

Good defensive teams know how to take away an opponent’s primary scorer. The Warriors did that to the Wizards; and when others stepped up, they shut them down, too.

Porter finished with 29 points and scored 18 of them in the first half. But after getting 10 attempts up in the first two quarters, he only shot seven times in the second half. Markieff Morris was consistent for the Wizards with 16 timely points. But even though Kelly Oubre Jr. brought 17 points off the bench, he shot 4-of-16 from the field and earned most of his points at the foul line.

We can save John Wall’s accolades for another time. If you’re reading this story, you already know he’s one of the best point guards walking planet Earth.

But his importance to the Wizards was skewed when the team went on an incredible run after his injury. Before losing to Golden State, Washington won 10 of the 13 games that followed Wall’s injury. They moved the ball better than any team without their floor general on the court, leading the league in assists with Wall rehabbing from knee surgery.

Could it be this Wizards team is indeed better without their all-star point guard? The answer is no.

Wall does way too many things on both ends of the floor. He’s one of the best facilitators the NBA has to offer. He’s lightning quick in the open court and has worked on his perimeter jump shot. Washington will welcome him back with open arms, especially after getting shut down by the Warriors on Wednesday.

Yes, there will have to be an adjustment period. Wall will need to be better at moving his body when the ball isn’t in his hands. But make no mistake: against tough defensive opponents, much like ones the Wizards will see in the playoffs, Washington will need all of its offensive options if it hopes to make a deep run.

Those options start with John Wall.