October 20, 2026
October 20, 2026
2016-2017 Washington Wizards: B&W Connection
Having been together as a dynamic duo since 2013, John Wall and Bradley Beal developed the kind of chemistry that briefly reminded basketball fans of other classic duos such as Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, John Stockton and Karl Malone, and Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal. While not exactly on the same level as those other duos, Wall and Beal were quickly becoming recognized as a true threat in the Eastern Conference, much to the benefit of the Washington Wizards.
In the 2016-2017 NBA season, the 2016-2017 Washington Wizards went 49-33, according to Basketball-Reference, winning the Southeast Division by 6 games over the Atlanta Hawks. The Wizards went 30-11 on their home court at the Verizon Center while going only 19-22 on the road. They went an even 8-8 in divisional play. Through most months of the regular season, the Wizards were solid. They went 10-5 in December, 12-4 in November, 7-3 in February, 11-7 in March and 3-3 in April.
Point guard John Wall continued to impress basketball fans with his great ball-handling skills. Wall had 1,805 points, 326 rebounds, 831 assists and 157 steals, making 89 of 272 3-point shots and 422 of 527 free throws. Shooting guard Bradley Beal had 1,779 points, 267 assists and 83 steals, making 223 of 552 3-point shots and 282 of 342 free throws.
The B&W Connection of Beal and Wall often stunned the opposition, as they both averaged 23.1 points per game. Wall averaged 3.4 rebounds, 10.7 assists and 2 steals per game. Beal averaged 3.1 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game.
Small forward Otto Porter Jr. had 1,075 points, 514 rebounds and 116 steals, making 414 of 803 field goal shots, 148 of 341 3-point shots and 99 of 119 free throws. Power forward Markieff Morris had 1,063 points, 493 rebounds and 82 steals, making 71 of 196 3-point shots and 180 of 215 free throws.
Center Marcin Gortat had 883 points, 849 rebounds and 61 blocks, making 390 of 674 field goal shots and 103 of 159 free throws. Small forward Kelly Oubre Jr. had 501 points and 58 steals, making 54 of 188 3-point shots and 75 of 99 free throws. Center Jason Smith had 420 points and 54 blocks, making 174 of 329 field goal shots, 37 of 78 3-point shots and 35 of 51 free throws. Small forward Bojan Bogdanovic made 45 of 115 3-point shots and 71 of 76 free throws. Point guard Trey Burke made 31 of 70 3-point shots. Shooting guard Marcus Thornton made 28 of 80 3-point shots.
Head coach Scott Brooks was named the Eastern Conference Coach of the Month in January. The Wizards went on a 7-game winning streak that helped put the team back on track after slowly working through the regular season gauntlet in October and November. The streak began with a 109-99 win over the Charlotte Hornets on January 23 and ended with a 105-91 win over the New Orleans Pelicans on February 4. The Wizards carried this momentum throughout the month of February.
In the First Round of the Eastern Conference playoffs, the Wizards had to deal with the Atlanta Hawks right away, so there was familiarity in this matchup. The Wizards eliminated the Hawks 4 games to 2. In Game 1 on April 16 at the Verizon Center, the Wizards beat the Hawks 114-107. John Wall had 32 points, 4 rebounds and 14 assists, making 2 of 4 3-point shots. Bradley Beal had 22 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals. Markieff Morris had 21 points, 7 rebounds and 4 blocks, making 2 of 6 3-point shots.
In Game 2 on April 19, Washington held on to beat Atlanta 109-101. Wall had 32 points, 5 rebounds and 9 assists, making 2 of 2 3-point shots. Beal had 31 points, 3 assists and 3 steals, making 4 of 10 3-point shots.
The next 2 games belonged to the Hawks, as they won Game 3 by a score of 116-98 on April 22 at Philips Arena and then won Game 4 by a score of 111-101 on April 24. The only problem for Atlanta was that Washington closed out the series in the next 2 games. In Game 5 on April 26 at the Verizon Center, the Wizards beat the Hawks 103-99. Beal had 27 points, 4 rebounds, 3 steals and 3 blocks. Wall had 20 points, 6 rebounds and 14 assists. Otto Porter Jr. had 17 points and 5 rebounds, making 2 of 3 3-point shots.
The Wizards then finished off the Hawks with a 115-99 win in Game 6 on April 28 at Philips Arena. The B&W Connection went off in this game, piling up points in bunches. Wall had 42 points, 8 assists and 4 steals. Beal had 31 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals, making 2 of 3 3-point shots. Morris had 17 points, 8 rebounds and 3 blocks, making 2 of 4 3-point shots.
Riding high, the 2016-2017 Washington Wizards attempted to go even further in the playoffs as they met the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. However, the Celtics denied the Wizards from advancing, winning the series 4 games to 3.
Down 2 games to none, Washington got a much-needed victory in Game 3 on May 4 at the Verizon Center. The Wizards won 116-89. John Wall had 24 points and 8 assists. Otto Porter Jr. had 19 points, 8 rebounds and 3 steals. Bojan Bogdanovic had 19 points and 10 rebounds, making 4 of 7 3-point shots.
In Game 4 on May 7, the Wizards beat the Celtics 121-102. Bradley Beal had 29 points and 4 rebounds, making 3 of 6 3-point shots. Wall had 27 points, 3 rebounds, 12 assists and 5 steals. Porter Jr. had 18 points, 8 rebounds and 4 steals.
The Wizards then forced a deciding Game 7 by winning Game 6 on May 12 by a score of 92-91. The B&W Connection came through in a very tight game. Beal had 32 points, 3 rebounds and 5 assists. Wall had 26 points and 8 assists, making 2 of 5 3-point shots.
With this fairly deep playoff run, the 2016-2017 Washington Wizards proved that they had a core nucleus of talent that could carry the team, and that the Washington Wizards were a team any optimistic free agent would consider signing with in the future.
7th February, 2017
17th June, 2026
5th March, 2016
29th March, 2016
17th April, 2016
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