Washington Wizards: What Each Player on the Roster Must Improve on for 2011-12

Let us assume that the NBA will end their silly lockout and start the season without a hitch. The Washington Wizards are in the middle of rebuilding and cannot afford a lost season, or much of any lost time, due to a labor dispute.

The team has gotten much younger in the last two seasons, and now needs to work on improving as a unit and individually.

Washington's roster shouldn't look too different from last season's iteration, though the role players and reserves may change. The returning players and newly drafted rookies will have their work cut out for them in an increasingly competitive Eastern Conference.

Here are a few things each Wizards player must do to improve for the 2011-2012 season.

Rashard Lewis, Power Forward

The elder statesman and highest paid of the Wizards roster, Rashard Lewis is beyond developing his skills. Instead, he needs to focus on adapting to the team being built around John Wall. Though he'll never live up to his contract, he was a solid player for the Wizards and could be a key veteran next season.

Lewis tallied six double-doubles with the Wizards in 32 games, proving better for Washington than he was for Orlando last season.

He isn't the same scorer he was with Seattle when he averaged 20 points per game, and his shot selection is far from ideal. He isn't going to be the secondary scorer, and may struggle consistently being the tertiary scorer with his approach on offense. Lewis needs to step inside the arc more, play closer to the basket to more effectively utilize his length and get better shots if he slumps from three-point range.

The Wizards seem content to ride out the final two years of Lewis's contract, especially if he can be a good influence on Andray Blatche without turning him into a trigger-happy shooter from deep.

JaVale McGee, Center

The Wizards need 2011 to be the breakout year for JaVale McGee. He is one of the most gifted centers in terms of pure athleticism, but his youthful exuberance often gets in the way of his focus. He is still working on proper floor spacing and positioning as well as developing a post game beyond just dunks.

With Jan Vesely bringing another athletic body to the Wizards, McGee doesn't have to be the highlight reel player.  An solid inside presence is a good place to start.

McGee is not going to be a power player in the paint, but he can be a force on the offensive end. He has length and athleticism, which should allow him to get around and over most defenders around the basket. He needs to focus less on developing his offensive repertoire all at once and finding a go-to move to open up the rest of his post game.

He could make a living out of posting up, spinning off of defenders and dunking every time he touches the ball.

Kevin Seraphin, Power Forward

Anyone who says Kevin Seraphin is anything but a project player is lying to you and themselves. He is as raw as they come, both in terms of his skills and his athleticism. He is listed at 275 lbs., and he looks every bit as strong.

He made just one start in his rookie campaign, but showed some flashes of a much better prospect.

Seraphin is still learning to play the NBA game, and spends too much time thinking instead of just doing. He's going to make mistakes along the way, but it is all part of the process. He averaged 2.7 points and 2.6 rebounds on 10.9 minutes per game.

Per 36 minutes, he averaged 8.7 points, 8.6 rebounds and 1.5 blocks. However, he averaged 7.1 personal fouls per 36 minutes, and that has to change if he is going to chip in on defense the way the Wizards would like.

He isn't going to get more than 15 minutes on a good night, but he needs to play under more control, using his body to get position instead of bullying his way under the basket.

Chris Singleton, Small Forward

Chris Singleton has the ability to guard forwards and shooting guards if necessary. The Wizards needed a versatile defender, and got one in this year's draft. Singleton is an underrated offensive player by virtue of being known for his defense in college.

Singleton, like Trevor Booker, is going to have to earn his minutes and make them count.

Though Washington's roster is forward-heavy, Singleton's versatility should earn him good minutes as a rookie. If he is, in fact, a better scorer than his college career suggested, he will have to show it early and often to get a real chance to make an impact. He is already a solid rebounder and averaged 1.4 blocks per game in college.

One of Singleton's biggest problems is his free throw shooting. He averaged only 59.2 percent from the line at Florida State.

Jordan Crawford, Shooting Guard

Jordan Crawford was a nice surprise for the Wizards after arriving via midseason trade with Atlanta. He picked up key minutes in Nick Young's injury absence, and showed that he can be a solid secondary scorer.

Crawford showed some inconsistency, which can be chalked up to rookie adjustment, but he will have to get better if he wants to make an impact as a Wizard.

The Wizards threw Crawford to the wolves, giving him 33 minutes per game and he responded by averaging 16.3 points per game. He is not a big shooting guard and he didn't show a particularly consistent stroke from three, but he made up for it by getting to the basket and scoring from mid-range.

Crawford needs to work on his shot selection, and try not to fall in love with the three ball. Though just a rookie, his development is ahead of where Young's was in his first year as a pro. Washington may put Crawford as the starter if he outperforms Young.

Trevor Booker, Power Forward

If the Wizards hadn't signed Andray Blatche to a long-term deal, Trevor Booker would likely be in line to be the starting power forward next season. As it stands, Booker is going to have to earn his way into a bigger role with Blatche ahead of him.

Booker is willing and able to produce at both ends of the floor, and is more mature than most second-year players.

The Wizards made a point to trade for Booker in a draft day deal last season, and his performance during the season was evidence to why they made the move. He averaged just 5.3 points and 3.9 rebounds per game, but recorded five double-doubles in limited action.

Per 36 minutes, Booker averaged 11.7 points and 8.5 rebounds, while looking like the hardest working player on the floor.

Booker needs to become more consistent, and cut down on bad fouls. He is only 6'7" but his strength is an asset and he needs to use it to finish strong around the basket more than he does.

Andray Blatche, Power Forward

Andray Blatche ran into some injury issues last season, and needs to find a way to continue developing into a complete player. He's been chock full of potential to this point, but has managed to disappoint with his recently stalled progression.

Blatche needs to get more aggressive on offense and involved on defense instead of jogging to get back on his man.

If the Wizards are set on Blatche being an integral part of the future, he needs to stop fading away on every shot he takes. He is longer than most forwards and quicker than most centers, but doesn't take advantage of either.

He needs to get back to working around the basket, instead of settling for 10-15 ft. jump shots with a hand in his face.

There were rumors that Blatche was on the trade block around the draft, possibly as means of motivation more than anything else. Trevor Booker isn't as big, but he is a feistier player and has the work ethic to steal some minutes if Blatche isn't careful.

Jan Vesely, Small Forward

Jan Vesely has the potential to be a dynamic addition to the Wizards fast break. His highlights include dunks in just about every possible situation, from alley-oops to putbacks. With John Wall at point guard you can bet the Wizards will do some running, and Vesely plays the perfect style to make Washington's fast break potent.

His athleticism allows him to play on the wing and still be a factor around the basket, but he needs a lot of work as a shooter.

Many believe Vesely is one of the most NBA-ready prospects in the draft, which either says a lot about Vesely or very little about the class. Nevertheless, Vesely has several years of Euroleague experience and made a career out of running the floor, which is not typical for European players attuned to team chemistry and passing over pure athleticism.

Vesely could stand to bulk up a bit to withstand the physicality of the NBA game, but do so in a way that doesn't affect his athleticism.

If Vesely can maintain his high-flying game and improve as a shooter, even from 15 to 20 ft., he'll be a shoo-in for the NBA All-Rookie team.

Nick Young, Shooting Guard

Though he is a restricted free agent and not technically a member of the Washington Wizards, Nick Young is an intriguing player. He spent the beginning of last season coming off the bench averaging 20 points per game and then took over as the starter and produced the best season of his career.

The current lockout means there will be a new CBA that could limit Young's earning potential, and make him less expensive to re-sign.

Young is a pretty one-dimensional player, and hasn't been particularly consistent in his career. He can score from anywhere on the floor, and isn't afraid to finish strong at the rim if he has to. He simply needs to do so more often. Young can can go 6 for 10 one night and follow it up with 2 for 13 the next. When he's on, he's on, but when he's off it's ugly.

He may be better suited coming off the bench than as the starter as evidenced by his 20 points per game stretch to start last season.

Young has already said he won't give the Wizards a hometown discount, but he may not have a choice in the matter given the status of the CBA. 

John Wall, Point Guard

John Wall was the first overall pick last season for a reason and he showed exactly why with his rookie campaign. He displayed superior quickness, vision and scoring ability while dealing with the Gilbert Arenas distraction for part of the season.

Wall is an above average defender (1.8 steals per game) but needs to work on playing under control on offense and diversifying his attack.

When running full speed not many in the NBA can keep up with Wall. Great for blowing by defenses, bad for involving teammates. Wall needs to learn that he doesn't have to go 100 mph all the time, and work on changing his speed to suit the situation. He wasn't as turnover prone late in the season as he was at the beginning, but he cannot regress next year.

If Wall intends to be a complete player he needs to find his shot. He doesn't have great accuracy from three and his mid-range game is inconsistent at best. He isn't always going to be able to blow by a defender, and needs to be able to pull up and make teams respect his shooting.

The Wizards aren't counting on Wall to be the primary scorer, but he will have to dictate the action on offense and scoring a bit himself doesn't hurt the cause.