5 essential keys to the Wizards' West Coast road trip

Controlling the glass

As the Wizards navigate their rebuild, they lack a true center. While this may seem like a small detail, they are headed into enemy territory to face Lakers center Anthony Davis, who grabs on average 12.3 rebounds per game, the fourth-best mark in the league. Not to mention the Clippers' Ivica Zubac, who pulls down 9.5 rebounds of his own per night.

The Lakers sit top five in defensive rebounds and allow a bottom 20 total rebounds per game to their opponents. This will pose a true issue with the Wizards' high-energy offensive scheme, averaging 24 points per game on the fastbreak over the last 3 games. While on average the Clippers have not snagged as many boards as the Lakers, they are still a force to be reckoned with and should not be overlooked when the Wizards are drawing up their game plan.

All this to mention, the Wizards sit at a league-worst in total rebounds per game. To maintain their fast playstyle and control the pace of the game, they must crash the boards and remain dominant in the restricted area. Losing the rebound battle could spell disaster for the struggling Washington Wizards.