Takeaway #3: Turnovers
If you follow the Washington Wizards on Twitter, you’re probably familiar with their “Advanced Stat of the Night” — a tweet that highlights a particularly impressive or important number for the Wizards. Before things tipped off vs. Houston, the Wizards were touting their assist/turnover ratio. Maybe (or maybe not) a veiled shot at their former point guard on the other bench.
📊 Advanced Stat of the Night 📊
— Washington Wizards (@WashWizards) January 26, 2021
We are tied for second in the NBA in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.98), while the Rockets rank 27th (1.46). #WizRockets | @DXCTechnology pic.twitter.com/qXFYdrgD4c
Then the Washington Wizards went out and had their most turnovers of the season. In their loss to Houston, the Wizards coughed the ball up 20 times! Bradley Beal and Russell Westbrook led the way with the sloppy play, committing five and six turnovers, respectively. And the Rockets took advantage of it, scoring 24 of their points off of Wizards turnovers. The Wizards only scored 15 points off 13 turnovers by the Rockets.
The carelessness from the backcourt is unfortunately not new this season. Both Beal and Westbrook are averaging at least 3.5 turnovers per game. Beal is currently on a career-high pace in the turnover category (3.5 per game), while Westbrook’s current mark (5.2 per game) would be the second-worst of his career. Believe it or not, the Washington Wizards tend to perform better when they actually hold onto the ball (gasp!). This season, the Wizards are averaging four fewer turnovers in wins than they are in losses.