Across the Washington Wizards organization, there has been one common message: optimism after a lost season.
General Manager Will Dawkins spoke in the preseason about emphasizing “building towards sustained success”, in the midst of one of the worst seasons in franchise history. Anthony Davis has stressed a desire to “compete” in Washington. And Trae Young emphasized in July feelings of “super confidence” in his new team (subscription required).
There is a legitimate reason to believe the Wizards’ leaders- the addition of Young and Davis, and top draft pick AJ Dybantsa- have sparked real excitement. However, Washington will have a lot to prove after struggling mightily on both ends of the floor last season.
The good news for Washington is that their early-season schedule could set it up for success. Of the team’s first six games, four are against non-playoff teams, a relatively light start to the year.
With a less challenging early-season schedule, Washington should have time to find their identity before facing top conference foes. The Wizards could build hope early in the year by separating themselves from fellow non-playoff teams.
Wizards must find themselves on offense
Throughout the preseason, the Wizards’ offense flashed moments of greatness. But overall, it was inconsistent, highlighted by one factor: turnovers.
The Wizards led the NBA with 24.3 turnovers per game this preseason, an untenable number. Many of those came from Trae Young, who was fifth in the NBA with five turnovers per game.
This will likely always be a turnover-prone team due to the pace at which they want to play, but they can limit those mistakes by building chemistry. Too often this preseason, turnovers resulted from miscommunication between teammates.
Playing some lesser defenses in the early part of the season, the Wizards will have room to grow. Milwaukee and Chicago both ranked in the bottom half of the league in defensive rating last season. The Bulls also ranked second-to-last in transition points allowed per game, a place Washington wants to thrive.
Both matchups will allow Washington to find their form offensively against a less challenging foe. The connections needed to avoid turnovers can be established against defenses that take the ball away at a lower rate.
By improving against lesser competition, the Wizards can build the chemistry needed to take on the East's best.
The early schedule could be a test for the Wizards' defense
Similar to Washington’s offense, the defense showed flashes throughout the preseason.
The biggest fear for Wizards fans coming into the year has been the frontcourt, after a season where they were often dominated on the glass (see: Bam Adebayo).
When Anthony Davis and Alex Sarr played together, though, the frontcourt looked much improved in the preseason. The duo balanced each other’s strengths well, with Sarr able to control more athletic large wings like John Collins, and Davis serving as the last line of defense at the rim.
Early in the year, the big men Washington will face don’t exactly invoke fear.
Bulls starter Nic Claxton will miss the first two weeks of the season. The Bucks without Giannis Antetokounmpo were amongst the worst paint offenses in the NBA. And Jakob Poeltl and the Raptors ranked just 23rd in total defensive rebounds a season ago.
The first few games will be a litmus test for the Wizards’ defense and whether they’ve really improved. If they can’t control the paint in these matchups, it might be time for concern.
If Washington hopes to "return to relevancy" this season, they'll need to be a stout unit on both ends of the floor. The first two weeks will allow the defense to set the tone, establishing the standard they wish to play at this season against less talented foes.
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