The Wizards need this version of Pierce. His best games this season--25 points and 10 rebounds against the Milwaukee Bucks; 21 points against the Houston Rockets; 11 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists against the Los Angeles Clippers--have often resulted in big wins for the team.
Two pieces of evidence add this point. The Wizards lost back-to-back games to two of the worst teams in the league, the Philadelphia 76ers and Minnesota Timberwolves, in late February. Pierce missed both games due to injury. Since he came back in a win over the Detroit Pistons, the Wizards have gone 7-2. Pierce is having arguably his best month with the team so far in March, hitting over 50 percent of his 3-pointers despite attempting about one more per game than usual.
The latest masterpiece came against the hottest team in the league, the Utah Jazz--Pierce notched 18 points on stellar shooting, including 4-of-5 from 3-point range, and helped seal the game with two free throws and a last-second steal.
The Wizards are one of the big question marks in the East. Will they continue getting back to their early season form and get into the second round, conference finals, or even the NBA finals? Or will they fall in the first round, forcing some tough decisions in the offseason, including from Pierce who has a player option?
A deep playoff run will take best efforts from all of the Wizards, but Pierce is definitely Washington’s x-factor.
