Entering this season, there weren't high expectations set on the Washington Wizards. Nobody had high hopes for the team considering the state of the roster and the direction in which it was going.
Obviously, the Wizards talent level on the roster not the same of teams across the league who are poised to make a playoff run come April and May. However, nobody expected Washington to start the season this poorly, especially after a 2-2 start to the season.
Fast forward to now, the Wizards sit with a league-worst 3-19 record after suffering a 16 game losing streak following their .500 start to the year. And while they are in the driving seat to win the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes as of now, their historically bad start to the season is raising eyebrows within the organization.
Wizards internally addressing 3-19 start to the season
Ahead of the season, the Wizards hired Brian Keefe to lead this squad into battle after serving as the team's interim head coach last season. With his prior connections to the team and the players on the roster, general manager Will Dawkins viewed his fit as a no brainer hoping he could get the best out of the young squad.
Keefe's first order of business seemed to be handing Jordan Poole the keys to the team as the primary ball handler and starting point guard before the start of the season.
With Poole leading the way, the idea that veteran Kyle Kuzma returning mixed with the additions of Jonas Valanciunas and Malcolm Brogdon alongside their impressive draft class could be enough to shock some people this season. However, the lack of production from their core veterans along with the growing pains of a young rookie class has been one of the key issues to their slow start.
Nonetheless, fans of the Wizards can count on the fact that they aren't the only people disappointed in the performances that the team is puttng forth on a nightly basis. As higher ups within the organization have acknowledged the team's lack of competitiveness and drive to win behind closed doors, the team's issues are reportedly being addressed.
The Wizards brass understands that the team can't change their level of talent over night, but one thing the team lacks that you can't teach is heart and through the start of the season, there haven't been many performances on display where the players for Washington show their will to win.