The Washington Wizards have struggled throughout the start of the season as they continue to look ahead to the NBA Draft as the offseason seems to be the only thing fans can look forward to at the moment,
Over the last few weeks, Brian Keefe's young squad seemingly turned a corner to be more competitive on a nightly basis after the team reportedly had a meeting behind closed doors to address the team's lackluster effort that led to a historically bad start to the year.
Nonetheless, while Washington may be keeping games closer, they have still struggled to stack wins. And while winning is the least of the team's worries this season, Wizards players still suit up with something to prove on a nightly basis.
That said, here's a look at the top performers from the Wizards 109-103 los to Philadelphia on Wednesday night.
Jared Butler continues to open eyes
Jared Butler has been one player on the Wizards bench that has continuously stepped up over the last couple of weeks. The former Baylor star has bounced around the league as a reserve since being drafted in 2021. And while the former second-round pick has yet to find a prominent role for a team yet, he continues to seize every opportunity that he gets.
Butler put together a monster night against the 76ers finishing with 26 points, 7 assists and 4 rebounds, while shooting 57.9% from field goal range (11/19 FG) and 100% from beyond the arc (3/3 3PT). Following last night's outing, that makes it three-straight games that Butler has finished with double digits and 20+ minutes since first-year head coach Brian Keefe began to lean on the guard.
If he can continue to stack outings like he has over the last few games, he could be in line for a larger role as the season unwinds.
Corey Kispert stays hot in loss
Corey Kispert was one of the main reasons that the Wizards managed to keep pace with the Houston Rockets in the team's previous matchup before their battle with the 76ers. The Gonzaga product managed to continue his hot shooting against Philly on Wednesday despite the loss.
The forward ended the game with 23 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists, while shooting 8/14 from field goal range and 4/8 from three. Kispert continues to show why the Wizards were eager to extend him to a long term deal in the offseason.