Washington Wizards: 4 goals for the second half of the season
By Ethan Smith
Goal #2: Chase opponents off of the three-point line
One reason to have hope in the Wizards during the second half of the season is their defense has been better since the end of January. Not great, but better. Tightening up their three-point defense would help the Wizards take their defense from passable to actually good. The three-pointer is the most valuable shot in the game, and the Wizards can’t stop it.
As the Wizards head into the second half of the season, they rank towards the bottom of the NBA in opponent three-point attempts, makes, and percentage. Here’s how they stack up:
- Opponent three-point attempts per game: 35.1 (19th)
- Opponent three-point makes per game: 13.5 (24th)
- Opponent three-point percentage: 38.5 (27th)
The Wizards are losing the battle beyond the arc more nights than not. It certainly has not helped that Davis Bertans hasn’t been his flamethrowing self this season, although he is working his way back. It also doesn’t help when teams are seemingly shooting season-highs from outside whenever they play the Wizards. It’s tough to catch up or pull away from your opponent when they’re getting open in three-point territory.