The Washington Wizards got back in the win column with a 123-114 win over the Charlotte Hornets last Thursday.
Washington earned their fourth win of the season when they took down the Hornets. Since then, the Wizards have fell back into bad habits on their way to another two-game losing streak. Fortunately for Brian Keefe and his young squad, they could be in position to get back in the win column with the Hornets coming into town just one week after taking them down.
If the Wizards hope to protect home court, they'll have to prepare for Charlotte and Charles Lee to make adjustments this go around. That said, here's three adjustments the Wizards must make in order to grab their fifth win of the season.
Get Malcolm Brogdon involved early
Last matchup against the Hornets, the Wizards leading scorer was Jordan Poole who contributed 27 points. However, the second leading scorer for Washington happened to be veteran guard Malcolm Brogdon who continues to show he has plenty left in the tank as he increases his value on the trade market.
The Virginia product finished the game versus Charlotte with 25 points on an efficient shooting night. Although his shot falling was the key for his strong performance, Brogdon's experience led to him exploiting defensive lapses from the Hornets young squad.
If the Wizards make it a point to get Brogdon involved early, he could have the same impact if not more against the Hornets again.
Find a way to slow down LaMelo Ball
Ahead of the Wizards last battle against the Hornets, one of our biggest keys for them to steal a win was to limit LaMelo Ball's impact. And while Washington did indeed sneak out with a win, they did everything but slow down Ball who finished with 34 points, 13 assists and four rebounds.
Stopping the Hornets superstar is a tall task, but slowing him down will be vital if the Wizards hope to have the same outcome a week later.
Take advantage of the mismatches Alex Sarr creates
Alexandre Sarr put together one of the best games of his rookie season against Charlotte last Thursday. The reigning No. 2 overall pick ended the night with 19 points, nine rebounds and five assists. In addition the forward added on three blocks on the defensive side of the court.
The French product did an excellent job of exploiting mismatches against the Hornets and another key to a win could come down the Washington letting the 19-year-old be aggressive yet again.