Keys to the game as the Washington Wizards host the Brooklyn Nets

Tonight’s game against the Brooklyn Nets is set to be an interesting one for the Washington Wizards as the entire Nets roster seems to be on the injury report going into the game. Not only that, but the Wizards also have quite a few players on there as well.

Most of these players are listed as day-to-day, especially with the Nets, making it likely that some if not most of the players listed will play tonight. Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and Ben Simmons are among the players who will likely play tonight.

Either way, knowing how the Wizards like to close out games, it will probably still be a tough game to win. Here are the keys to tonight’s game.

The Washington Wizards need to pass the ball.

The Brooklyn Nets have numerous good one on one defenders who will make it difficult for the Washington Wizards to run isolation plays. Even if they absolutely love to do so. The best way to counter this is by passing the ball.

This is probably a staple of the Wizards issues on offense to start the season. They don’t move the ball enough to have a truly great offense and it becomes predictable. An issue that defenders have caught on to and have gained the ability to stop the offense almost completely in the fourth quarter at times.

They will need this to change if they want to keep up with the Nets.

The Washington Wizards need to close out well on shooters and communicate on defense.

Another staple of the struggles of the Wizards as they just recently lost a game to the Los Angeles Clippers because they did not do this. No close outs on Nicolas Batum and a bad double team on Kawhi Leonard cost them a winnable game.

This lack of communication and closing out has cost them numerous games on the season as they have a tendency to get into shoot outs against better teams. This costs them as they only really have two great shooters on the roster, and one has been hurt for a few games now.

The Washington Wizards need to finish defensive possessions by getting the rebound.

This seems self-explanatory, but the Washington Wizards have been struggling with to finish defensive possessions so far this season. Even with players like Kristaps Porzingis, Kyle Kuzma, and Daniel Gafford, the Wizards don’t rebound at a great clip.

Second chance points add up over the course of a game, if they let Ben Simmons or Nic Claxton start getting offensive rebounds, the Nets offense will catch fire and the Wizards won’t have a chance.

This is a key game for the Washington Wizards as they head on a tough road trip after tonight. This is a key win for preserving their season, and their hopes of keeping their star forward Kyle Kuzma.