Reason #1: Key role players are stepping up at the right time

The Wizards do not have much overall talent on their roster, but some key role players have been stepping up into bigger roles as the regular season is coming to an end. Guys like Davis Bertans, Daniel Gafford and Raul Neto have been key role players for Washington over the course of the last few weeks and will have to continue to be impactful down the stretch-run of the season. 

Bertans has always been known to be a sharpshooting forward and over his last nine games, the Latvian forward is shooting 47.8% from three-point range. The Wizards will need him to continue being a factor from the perimeter moving forward if they are to have any shot at making the playoff field this year. 

Daniel Gafford came to the Wizards at the NBA trade deadline and he has been an extremely effective center for them off-the-bench. He is only averaging about 17.6 minutes per game with Washington, but in his short bursts on the court, Gafford is averaging 10.8 points, 6.0 rebounds and is a high-energy player that has improved Washington’s frontcourt greatly. 

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Lastly, Raul Neto is a veterna guard that has been able to do a little bit of everything for Washignton. He has been in and out of the starting rotation, but plays his role with the Wizards perfectly. 

He is not much of a big-time scoring threat and is not going to fill out stat sheets most nights, but the veteran guard knows his role with the Wizards and is definitely an impactful player on both ends of the court. 

Washington does not have much depth, which is why these three role players will have to continue playing at a high-level the rest of the season in order for the Wizards to make a late playoff push.