What are the Wizards' biggest offseason needs, as they aim to return to playoffs

What are the Wizards' biggest offseason needs? originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington

The Wizards won only 35 games this past season and fell short of the play-in tournament. They hope to be much better next year and will aim to improve the roster significantly this offseason.

Here are some areas they could address, taking into account their numbers and also what members of the team have said in recent days...

Volume 3-point shooting

The Wizards were better at shooting from 3-point range this season than last year when they ranked last in the league in threes made. They made more threes (11.3/g compared to 10.5/g) this season and also shot a higher percentage (35.6% compared to 34.2%), yet they still ranked as a below-average 3-point shooting team across the board. That is also despite having Corey Kispert, who finished the year 10th in the NBA in 3-point percentage (42.4%).

Making threes is important in the modern NBA and the Wizards have lacked in that area. The progress they made is tangible and the emergence of Kispert is an excellent sign, but they clearly need more help to turn outside shooting into a strength. When the players were asked about 3-point shooting during Monday's exit interview day, they all seemed to point to increasing volume as the best way for the team to improve their efficiency. Adding players who can make a high number of threes, and not just at a good percentage, could help that cause. More 3-point shooting depth could also help the Wizards better withstand injuries to key players by raising their floor offensively. Worth noting: the top-three playoff seeds in the East (Bucks, Celtics, Sixers) all ranked top-11 in the NBA in threes made this year.

Shot creation

Another way to make gains in 3-point shooting and overall efficiency (the Wizards were 22nd in offensive rating) would be by having more players who can make plays off the dribble. That was another theme of exit interview day as head coach Wes Unseld Jr. and his players expressed the need for shot creation, both in the halfcourt by collapsing the defense on drives and in transition by pushing the pace. The Wizards finished the year 21st in drives per game, 22nd in paint touches and 27th in wide-open three attempts created. They were also 18th in the NBA in pace and 26th in fastbreak points. Getting downhill more could also help the Wizards get to the free-throw line more often, as they ranked 22nd in attempts (22.4/g) and points generated off free throws (17.6/g).

Unseld Jr. has described in the past how he favors efficient possessions over quantity of possessions, which is how pace is measured. Still, having the option to turn up the speed would give him more flexibility as he makes adjustments throughout games. Unseld Jr. and his players have repeatedly pointed to their win over the Celtics on March 28 as a great example of the pace they would like to play. In that game, they went up against a physical, athletic team and dictated the pace in a way they would like to do more frequently moving forward.

Athleticism on perimeter

It would help the Wizards in several areas if they got faster, longer and more physical on the perimeter. Unseld Jr. said recently within the context of the Wizards ranking lowly league-wide in forcing turnovers and generating deflections, that they are not among the most athletic teams in the NBA. They closed the year 29th in defensive turnovers (12.3/g) and 26th in deflections (12.5/g). Now, it's important to note neither category perfectly correlates to elite defense, but it wouldn't hurt to be more disruptive and turnovers also lead to transition scoring chances.

The Wizards could upgrade their athleticism on the perimeter in a variety of ways. They expect to have Bradley Beal, Kyle Kuzma and Kristaps Porzingis anchoring the starting lineup but could add athleticism via the bench or even with a starter-level player at point guard or the three. The draft could be a viable route because point guard and wing are the two deepest positions in the range they are expected to select.