Bullet Points: Wemby and playoff-thirsty Spurs meet league-worst Wizards

The Washington Wizards are facing the San Antonio Spurs at Capital One Arena on Monday. 

The Wizards enter as, of course, the worst team in the NBA. We all know the story by now. The Spurs, meanwhile, made a big win-now move in acquiring De’Aaron Fox at the trade deadline, and it’s time for them to start stringing together wins to prove they’re a serious outfit.

San Antonio is a much better team on paper than their record suggests. They’ve lost back-to-back games to the Charlotte Hornets and Orlando Magic by a collective margin of two points.

I personally am quite excited to watch the battle between Bilal Coulibaly and Victor Wembanyama, who played together professionally before their NBA careers and both represent France internationally. We’re in for a heartwarming jersey swap after the game.

Coming off a loss to the Hawks, the Wizards are trying not to slip into another catastrophic losing streak. The Spurs, meanwhile, have their eyes on the playoffs. I’ve got you covered before tipoff with all the storylines and stats you should be keeping an eye on.

De’Aaron Fox as a Spur

The longtime Sacramento King made his Spurs debut last week and has suited up for his new team thrice so far. He’s dishing dimes — 9.3 per game so far — but his scoring is way down. 

I’m not worried about Fox. His box score numbers of 18.3 points per game on 46% from the field and way south of 30% from deep are misleading, as he’s only played in three games, one of which was a nine-point, 3-for-11 stinker. Fox’s playmaking ability, downhill speed, and ability to score at will are all still going to make the Spurs much, much better once he’s fully acclimated.

His famed clutch factor also made the move to San Antonio with him… kind of. He nailed a game-winning three against the Hornets, but it was just barely too late for it to count.

Champagnie brother duel

I wrote a piece a few weeks ago highlighting the growth of Julian and Justin Champagnie, and the two will play against each other tonight for the first time since.

Julian is facing a bit of a slump, as he’s only even attempted four field goals across his last two games, but he’s still a valuable asset to San Antonio as a supplemental floor spacer.

Justin, meanwhile, is still balling out for the Wizards, though his two-way contract is running out. Justin has played in 33 games, meaning he can play in 17 more on his two-way contract before he’s either shut down or converted to a standard contract. The Wizards do not have an open roster spot, but they could waive a player like Colby Jones if they wish to open one up for Justin.

Conclusions

The Wizards grabbed three straight wins last week, but don’t get it twisted — they’re still the worst team in the NBA. They possess the worst offense and worst defense in the league, and their -13.7 point differential is over five points worse than the second-worst New Orleans Pelicans (-8.6).

Newly-acquired Khris Middleton and Marcus Smart will both be debuting for the Wizards after the All-Star break, so don’t be looking for them out there. I still doubt that both will play for the Wizards at all, but that remains to be seen after the All-Star break.

The Spurs are 1-4 in their last four games and are looking to make a push for the playoffs in the second half of the season. They desperately need a get-right game, and who better to stand in the way of that than the 2024-25 Washington Wizards? Is this the game we finally see the Wemby quadruple-double?

If you’re going to the game, look out for this sweet bobblehead of Bilal Coulibaly and Alex Sarr meant to celebrate the pairing’s French heritage with Wemby in the building. I’ll be at the game, and I’m hoping I can snag one.