Washington Wizards: 3 takeaways from 107-88 loss to the Houston Rockets

Takeaway #1: New Guys Can Rebound

The Washington Wizards have a lot of problems. You don’t descend to the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings because you’re doing things well. Among their chief weaknesses: rebounding. The Wizards currently rank 21st in NBA in that department. Per game, they average 43.8 team rebounds. They’re a touch better if you just look at the offensive boards, where they rank 20th with 9.5 per game. However, the Wizards have seen a recent uptick in their rebounding numbers despite playing without their usual contributors.

While Rui Hachimura, Davis Bertans, Moritz Wagner, Troy Brown Jr, and Deni Avdija have been in COVID-19 health and safety protocols, and while Thomas Bryant has been sidelined with an ACL injury, the Wizards have put up some of their biggest rebounding totals this season.

In their loss to the Spurs, the Wizards grabbed 60 rebounds, 11 of which were offensive. Against the Rockets, they grabbed 49 rebounds, 11 of which were offensive. In both games, the Wizards were able to win the battle of the boards, and coral significantly more rebounds than they usually do.

A lot of variables go into determining the rebounding result, but a few new faces could be contributing to the recent uptick for the Wizards. Anthony Gill has shown good rebounding energy over the past two games. Through the first 11 games, Gill saw just 14 total minutes of action in four appearances. However, he’s been thrust into a larger role while the Wizards are shorthanded, and got the first start of his NBA career vs. the Rockets. Gill ended up with eight rebounds in 20 minutes, which was second-most among Wizards.

Jordan Bell also looked solid grabbing boards and finished with four in 15 minutes. The effort and intensity is a welcome sign from two guys who need to make the most of every opportunity. Bell was signed to a 10-day deal to help the Wizards stay afloat, and Gill is on a one-year deal after spending the past few seasons overseas. Both are trying to make a case for more minutes.

Unfortunately, we didn’t get to see much of Alex Len, who had a strong debut for the Wizards vs. the San Antonio Spurs. Against the Spurs, Len had five rebounds in 20 minutes off the bench. However, he got only six minutes of action vs. the Rockets and finished with just two rebounds.

The Rockets were pretty small whenever DeMarcus Cousins was off the floor. So maybe Len’s absence was more of a response to that than a reflection on Len. But who knows how Scott Brooks is justifying these lineup decisions anymore.