The Wizards gave a valiant effort tonight before falling just a tad short in Milwaukee. Trevor Booker (20 points, 11 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 blocked shot) and John Wall (19 points, 5 rebounds, 15 assists and 1 steal) led the way for the Wizards tonight. Jordan Crawford (19 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal) and Chris Singleton (16 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal and 2 blocked shots in 40 minutes) also had solid games tonight. Maurice Evans (15 points in 20 minutes) and Roger Mason (14 points and 17 minutes) also pitched in off the bench with solid games tonight. The Wizards are now 7-27 on the season.

The Washington Wizards finished up the first half of the 2011-12 season with a 7-26 record, which has them in fourth place in the Southeast Division, 19.5 games behind the Miami Heat. The Wizards are #14 in the Eastern Conference, 8.5 games behind the Celtics for the 8th spot in the playoffs. Here is the players that made the biggest impact in the first half of the season in my own opinion:

Team MVP: John Wall: 21-year old point guard John Wall has been rock solid for the Wizards in the first half of the 2011-12 season. Wall has played in 33 games (all starts) for the Wizards so far this year and he is averaging 36.7 minutes, 16.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, 7.6 assists and 1.3 steals per game. Wall’s overall game is better this year than it was his rookie season and that has to have the Wizards excited about his future.

Biggest Surprise: Trevor Booker: 25-year old forward Trevor Booker started to get more P.T. as the first half of the year went on and he responded well. Booker has played in 33 games (15 starts) for the Wizards so far this year and he is averaging 22.1 minutes, 7.3 points, 5.4 rebounds, 0.6 assists and 1.1 blocked shots per game. Booker shot 56.1% from the floor in the first half of the season as he only takes high % shots.

Biggest Disappointment: Rashard Lewis: 32-year old forward Rashard Lewis just doesn’t look too inspired this year. He has played in 28 games (15 starts) for the Wizards so far this year and he is averaging 26.0 minutes, 7.8 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.0 assist per game. The Wizards might be better off letting Lewis go soon.

The Wizards were outscored 27-18 in the 4th quarter and it did them in last night. Jordan Crawford led the way for the Wizards in this game with 32 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 steal in 34 minutes off the bench. John Wall also had an outstanding game with 21 points, 9 rebounds, 11 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocked shots. Nick Young pitched in with 17 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal in this game. The Wizards are now 7-26 on the year.

The Wizards were overwhelmed last night in Phoenix by the Suns. Jordan Crawford led the way for the Wizards in this game with 20 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal. Trevor Booker also had a solid game with 16 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and 1 blocked shot. JaVale McGee, John Wall and Roger Mason pitched in with 10 points apiece in this game. The Wizards are now 7-25 on the year.

The Wizards were down 100-78 after the first three quarters before the Jazz called off the dogs. John Wall (24 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals) and Jordan Crawford (21 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists) led the way for the Wizards in this game. JaVale McGee had a decent offensive game with 15 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist and 3 blocked shots. Nick Young and Jan Vesely each scored 10 points apiece in this game. The Wizards are now 7-24 on the year.

The Wizards were outscored 52-37 in the second half last night and it did them in. JaVale McGee led the way for the Wizards in this game with 18 points, 5 rebounds and 2 blocked shots. John Wall only shot 4 of 13 from the floor but he still finished up with 18 points, 6 rebounds, 12 assists, 1 steal and 1 blocked shot last night. Nick Young (14 points, 1 rebound and 1 assist) and Jordan Crawford (12 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists) combined to only shoot 10 of 33 from the floor last night. The Wizards are now 7-23 on the season.

Starting shooting guard Nick Young has been red hot for the Wizards so far in February. Young has played in 8 games (all starts) for the Wizards so far this month and he is averaging 33.4 minutes, 21.8 points, 3.3 rebounds, 0.8 assists and 1.0 steal per game. He is shooting 46.8% from the floor, 47.8% from three point range and 85% from the free throw line so far this month, as he is lighting it up. Young has now played in 29 games (27 starts) so far this year for the Wizards and he is averaging 31.3 minutes, 17.9 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.0 assist per game. Young has to stay hot shooting the ball, because he only helps the Wizards when he is scoring.

The Wizards shot 60% from the floor and they outrebounded the Blazers 43-31, which helped them get a shocking win on the road last night against a good Trailblazers’ team. Nick Young was on fire as he shot 7 of 8 from three point range last night! He led the way for the Wizards with 35 points, 3 rebounds and 2 steals in this game. John Wall also had an outstanding game as he finished up with 29 points, 3 rebounds, 9 assists, 1 steal and 2 blocked shots last night. Jordan Crawford (21 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals in 30 minutes) and JaVale McGee (18 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 blocked shot) also had outstanding games for the Wizards in this game. The Wizards are now 7-22 on the year.

The Wizards outscored the Pistons 53-32 in the second half today and they held them to 32.6% shooting from the floor, which explains the beating they laid on them in Detroit! JaVale McGee (22 points, 11 rebounds and 2 blocked shots) and Nick Young (22 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist and 2 steals) led the way for the Wizards in this game. Jan Vesely really filled up the stat sheet today for the Wizards as he finished up with 10 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 3 blocked shots in 28 minutes on the floor. Rashard Lewis pitched in with 10 points and 3 rebounds in 12 minutes. The Wizards are now 6-22 on the year.

The Washington Wizards have playing time to offer their rookies, but they have not done much to earn it. 22-year old forward Chris Singleton has gotten the most work out of the Wizards’ rookies so far this year. He has played in 27 games (12 starts) for the Wizards so far this year and he is averaging 18.9 minutes, 3.9 points, 2.9 rebounds, 0.7 assists and 1.1 steals per game. But, he is only shooting 39.3% from the floor and that just isn’t going to cut if from a forward. 21-year old Jan Vesely has not backed up his talk on draft day. He has played in 20 games (5 starts) for the Wizards so far this year and he is averaging 14.7 minutes, 2.5 points, 2.6 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game. 22-year old guard Shelvin Mack has played in 25 games (0 starts) for the Wizards so far this year and he is averaging 11.1 minutes, 3.4 points, 1.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. The Wizards have the minutes to give Singleton, Vesely and Mack…..but they need to step up and earn them.