How historic is Washington Wizards’ 1-8 record when Beal scores 40+?
By Keith Cork
9. Earl Monroe 1967-68
The great Earl Monroe is a Washington Wizards legend, and unfortunately the second Washington Wizard on this list. Earl “The Pearl” is a Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer, four-time NBA all-star, NBA champion (1973), and has his jersey retired by our very own Washington Wizards as well as the New York Knicks.
But even this legend has had his trials and tribulations. and in the 1967-68 season his team managed to lose five of the six games in which he scored 40 or more points. It was his rookie season and he averaged 24.3 points per game, appearing in all 82 games for the Baltimore Bullets.
Losing a ton of games the season before helped them land Earl the Pearl at second overall in the draft, and even while they only managed a 36-46 season, his flashy play helped get the D.C. area interested in Bullets basketball again. Jimmy Walker was selected over him.
He took home Rookie of the Year honors that season, and lead the team in scoring, but the Bullets would still wind up in last place. They would eventually be come to known as the Washington Bullets and then, finally, the Washington Wizards.
Of the many impressive performances by Earl Monroe that season, his 56-point effort against the Los Angeles Lakers was the highest scoring one. The team lost by three in the effort.
Number of games with 40+: 6
Record: 1-5 (.167)