Washington Wizards: 3 Keys to victory over the Chicago Bulls
By Ethan Smith
Crash the Boards
The Washington Wizards are a bad rebounding team. Really bad. One of the NBA’s worst. But you know who’s worse? The Chicago Bulls.
According to Basketball-Reference, the Wizards and the Bulls are neck and neck in their quest to become the least effective glass crashers in the league. The Wizards rank 27th in team rebounding. The Bulls are just a hair worse, coming in at 28th.
For once, the Wizards are finally taking the court against some equally inept rebounders. Unfortunately, the Wizards won’t have their top board man, though. Thomas Bryant, who averages a team-best 7.4 rebounds per game, more than a full rebound more than anyone else on the team, will be sidelined for this matchup.
However, that’s no different than any of the previous games against the Bulls this season. The Wizards were without both Bryant and Moritz Wagner for the first matchup between these two teams. Even though the Wizards wound up blowing a double-digit second-half lead, they did finish with a slight edge on the boards, 55-53.
Aside from missing Bryant, the Wizards have also been without Rui Hachimura for both games against the Bulls this season. The rookie, who is second on the team in rebounds per game, should have an immediate impact. On the boards and elsewhere.