MILWAUKEE -- After the Washington Wizards lost John Wall for 6-8 weeks in late January, they were expected to struggle, if not fall apart. But in the first month of Wall's absence, the team has not only held it together, they've thrived, going 10-3 without him. Everyone, as they're fond of saying, is eating.

But one player, in particular, has stepped up in a way few could have expected. Tasked with the heavy responsibility of running the point with the starting unit, Tomas Satoransky has more than handled the job. The 26-year-old Czech point guard -- originally drafted by the Wizards in the second round way back in 2012 -- has taken control of the offense, and has his teammates raving about his play.

"He goes out there each and every night knowing that he has a tough point guard he has to guard, a tough assignment, and he accepts it," Bradley Beal said while lounging in front of his locker following the Wizards' dramatic 107-104 road win over the Bucks. "He goes out there with heart and passion, and he gets in his stance, and gets after it. And he attacks them on the offensive end. I just love his approach to the game, man."

In the 13 games since he's moved into the starting lineup, Satoransky is averaging 11.2 points, 6.1 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game. He's been mighty efficient as well, shooting 57.4 percent from the field overall, 56.7 percent from behind the arc, and 100 percent from the free-throw line. Oh, and the Wizards' net-rating with him on the floor is plus-12.5 points per 100 possessions, the best mark on the team over this stretch. 

The man himself has been quite pleased with the success, both on a team and personal level. "That's a great feeling, playing in the NBA and being a big part of a team. When a team is winning it's a great feeling," Satoransky told CBS Sports before Tuesday night's game. "The guys already knew me for a year, they have the confidence in me. They know what I can do. I think that helped me, knowing my team after a year, and having the confidence. I've been having a lot of good games, which helps me leading the team too. I've been shooting it well too. Hopefully I can keep it going."

The Wizards will certainly hope Satoransky can keep it going, because with him in the starting lineup, they've been playing some of their best basketball of the season. That isn't to say that Satoransky is better than Wall, but it's a testament to how well he's done filling in for the All-Star.

He's a much different player than Wall, as head coach Scott Brooks alluded to before taking on the Bucks. "We can't expect Tomas to play like John," he said. Satoransky isn't going to take a rebound and blow past everyone on the court for a fast break layup, or break off an ankle breaker into a mid-range jumper.

However, he keeps everyone involved, gets after it on the defensive end and rarely makes mistakes -- he's averaging just 1.5 turnovers in over 28 minutes per game since he moved into the starting lineup. As for the team, the Wizards are first in the league in assists in this stretch, averaging over 30 per game.

"Man, he's been playing great," Tim Frazier told CBS Sports after Tuesday's win. "He's been playing under control, he's doing everything we could ask for. He's doing a phenomenal job."

That Satoransky has been able to play so well lately has been huge for the Wizards' playoff hopes. In the jumbled Eastern Conference standings, even playing slightly under .500 in Wall's absence could have seen the Wizards in a fight just to make the postseason. Instead, they've actually gained ground since Wall went down, moving from sixth on Jan. 26, to fourth following the win over the Bucks.

And Satoransky doesn't plan on slowing down anytime soon. He knows the importance of continuing to play well down the stretch.

"We're going for game to game, fighting for the best position in the playoffs," Satoransky reflected. "We have one of the worst schedules now -- toughest schedules -- so it depends on every play, every game."