Washington Wizards Forward To Miss Start Of 2022-23 NBA Season

The Washington Wizards announced on Wednesday that forward Corey Kispert will miss four to six weeks due to a sprained left ankle.

Injuries at any point in the season are tough to see for any NBA team, but they are especially tough to deal with at the start of a season. This is exactly what the Washington Wizards are dealing with right now with exactly two weeks until the 2022-23 NBA season begins for them.

On Wednesday, the Wizards announced that forward Corey Kispert suffered a sprained left ankle after stepping on an opponent’s foot during the first quarter of Sunday’s preseason game in Japan and that he will miss approximately four-to-six weeks, meaning that he will miss the start of the season.

Injury update: Corey Kispert (sprained left ankle) will miss approximately 4-6 weeks.

The injury occurred after stepping on an opponent’s foot during the first quarter of Sunday’s preseason game. pic.twitter.com/2CuZjsgYlH

— Washington Wizards (@WashWizards) October 5, 2022

Kispert, 23, is heading into his second season in the league with the Wizards and was competing for the starting small forward position in training camp. With how competitive the Eastern Conference is shaping up to be, every game that Kispert misses could wind up having a negative impact on this team.

Playing in a total of 77 games during his rookie season, Corey Kispert ended up averaging 8.2 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.1 assists while shooting 35.0 percent from three-point range.

As a team, the Wizards ranked 26th in the league a season ago in three-point shooting and they really did not add many perimeter shooting threats to their roster this offseason. Kispert’s absence will present a challenge to this team, especially since they do not have other capable three-point shooting threats to replace his production with either in the starting unit or coming off-the-bench.

Coming off of a 35-47 season, missing the playoffs for the third time in the last four seasons, the Washington Wizards are looking to change their fortune heading into the new year.

Bradley Beal is healthy following a wrist injury that only allowed him to play in a total of 40 games a season ago and Washington is hopeful that the additions of Monte Morris, Will Barton and Delon Wright will give them the depth that they have been lacking.

The Washington Wizards are set to begin the 2022-23 season on October 19 when they go on the road to take on the Indiana Pacers.