Last night was the worst of nights for a team that has already had a long season. The Wizards sit at 2-17 for the worst record in the NBA. The leading scorer was Jonas Valanciunas at 13 points, yes, Jonas Valanciunas. Nothing against Jonas but when you have a resurgent Jordan Poole and an up-and-coming Bilal Coulibaly, JV shouldn’t be your top scorer. And yes, defense was an issue and the 21 turnovers didn’t help either. Is there any chance the Wizards win another game, anytime soon? Let’s get into the good, the bad, and the ugly about last night’s game and then take a look at the schedule.
The Good - Jonas Valanciunas
JV scored 13 points and grabbed 11 rebounds as one of the few bright spots for the Wizards last night. Jordan Poole did contribute 13 points but his 5 turnovers and lack of impact as the number one scoring option tells us that he is not ready to be that guy to put the team on his back. Am I being a little unfair, maybe a little considering the Cavs are the best team in the Eastern Conference if not the whole association? For JP13 to be regarded as a top-scoring option for the Wizards for now and in the future, he has to step up and shine when the lights are the brightest.
The Bad - Defense as usual
The defense was bad as usual. The Cavs had seven players in double figures and shot 48.3 percent from the field and 34.8 from three. Talking about three-pointers, the Wizards shot 4-26 from behind the arc. The three-point line is their kryptonite.
The Ugly - Turnovers
The Wizards committed 21 turnovers which led to the Cavs scoring 25 points off of those turnovers. The two guards of the future both committed 5 turnovers and Sarr contributed 4 more. Ball security is important in all sports and should be prioritized in the nation’s cap. Next are the next 5 games and my predictions for those games.
Thursday, December 05 - Dallas Mavericks (Loss)
Saturday, December 07 - Denver Nuggets (Loss)
Sunday, December 08 - Memphis Grizzlies (Loss)
Friday, December 13 - @ Cleveland Cavaliers (Loss)
Sunday, December 15 - Boston Celtics (Loss)
