Washington Wizards: 3 Takeaways from 119-114 preseason loss to the Brooklyn Nets

Defensive Woes Carry Over

If the Washington Wizards perform on defense the way that they did during the 2019-20 season, Wizards fans are in for another season of headaches. Ranked 29th in defensive rating last season, the Wizards’ porous defense was the main cause for many tantalizing defeats, including multiple losses in which Bradley Beal scored 40+ points.

The first half of Sunday’s game looked as though the same defense was back for an encore. The Brooklyn Nets scored 68 points in the first half. 68 points! The Wizards had absolutely zero answers for Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving and were lucky that the two Brooklyn superstars were benched for the second half of play. Otherwise, the game really could’ve gotten out of hand quickly. Granted, the Wizards were without the majority of their starting cast for the evening so it’s hard to accurately judge the state of the defense after one preseason game, but first indications aren’t looking so good for the squad. The best hope that Wizards fans have for an improved defense comes with the addition of Russell Westbrook, who has a reputation for playing with high-intensity on the defensive end.