As the 2-7 Wizards lost their fifth straight game, this time at the hands of the Houston Rockets in a 107-92 runaway loss, the same demons came back to haunt them. It may not get better anytime soon as they head to San Antonio to face the Spurs and Wemby. Let’s talk about these demons.
The first issue that the Wizards have is rebounding. At Media Day, Kyle Kuzma showed visible optimism at the signing of Jonas Valanciunas because of the help he was supposed to provide when it came to rebounding. While he has been solid in the paint, the Wizards are 25th in the NBA in rebounding. In Houston, they lost the rebound battle 63-43, including giving up 17 offensive rebounds. They in turn gave up 19 2nd chance points and 60 points in the paint overall. Sengun scored 27 points and 17 rebounds and did it with ease. The Wizards have to do better.
Next is transition defense. Team defense has been better this season but it’s inconsistent and they continue to struggle with one aspect of their defense, transition. The Wizards struggled to defend the Rockets in transition, allowing them to 23 score fast break points. They have to get back on defense or teams are just going to run them off the floor each night. Let’s get into the keys to development for tomorrow night’s game vs the Spurs.
Keys to Development-
1. Attack in transition - Spurs are 4th in points given up, the Wizards should push the pace.
2. Rebounding - The Spurs are 10th in rebounding which means the Wizards must box out and win the paint.
3. Defense - If the Wizards want to slow down the 11th-best team in the NBA when it comes to assists, they have to be on the same page defensively or it could be a long night.
Prediction- Wizards loss
