After getting blown out by 23 in Sac-Town and contributing to “lighting the beam”, the Wiz-Kidz head to Los Angeles, the city of angels, to face the Lake Show and the Clippers. They’ve started their West Coast trip with two straight losses and have lost 10 in a row overall, but can the Wizards get any rest during this road trip? Are they just waiting to arrive back at Dulles, or can the Wizards find a way to gather momentum before heading back to the confines of Chocolate City?
Before we get into my predictions for the rest of the road trip, what was the good, the bad, and the ugly from the Wizards loss to the Sacramento Kings?
The Good - Jonas Valanciunas
Jonas Valaciunas has continued to be a great mentor to Rookie Alex Sarr, productive, and raising his trade value, especially to teams like the Lakers, whom they face next. Last night against the Kings, he dropped 23 points and 12 rebounds. He has made it known that he likes DC but the current state of the franchise could put him in another uniform within the next couple of weeks. Stay tuned.
The Bad - Jordan Poole and Kyle Kuzma
JP13 and Clutch Kuz should be the scoring duo that the Wizards should lean on while Bilal Coulibaly and Alex Sarr develop into more consistent offensive threats. Last night was not their best night. They combined for 24 points but shot 7-26 from the field and 4-16 from three-point range. Again, not their best night.
The Ugly - Alex Sarr
Alex Sarr has the potential to be an All-Star in this league one day but today ain’t that day. Coming out of the Draft, he was considered to be a defensive player who had raw offensive skills but he has gotten better every week and his three-point and mid-range game continues to impress. He needs muscle though, and can struggle with bigger and stronger Centers. Last night, Sabonis did whatever he wanted to the tune of 29 points and 18 rebounds. While he can play Power Forward, he has struggled against faster and more athletic Forwards and seems to fit the center position better long-term. Someone get this brother a protein shake. Let’s predict the rest of the road trip.
The rest of the road trip is as follows-
@ Lakers = L
@ Clippers = L
@ Suns = L
@ Mavs = L
