Not Washington Wizards 'Best Effort' says Coach Wes Unseld Jr.

Observations following the Washington Wizards 142-120 loss to the Indiana Pacers.

The new-look Washington Wizards took the floor for the first time in the new season against the Indiana Pacers with 11 new faces, and it showed, losing 142-120.

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Even though the loss was disappointing and not the way you want to start the year, it's important to highlight how unfamiliar this Wizards team still is with each other.

For starters, this is the first time this new Washington roster took the floor together in a meaningful game and it is going to take time for the defense to gel.

In the first quarter, the defense looked like it might be up to the challenge but as Wizards center Daniel Gafford got into foul trouble the whole defense crumbled.

"Clearly not our best effort," coach Wes Unseld Jr. said after the game. "Defensively probably wasn't where it should be, obviously the transition piece was an issue and we knew that going in, that was the strength of this team."

Washington Wizards center Daniel Gafford (21) shoots the ball as Charlotte Hornets center Mark Williams (5) defends in the fourth quarter at Capital One Arena / Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

It is evident using every stat and metric Washington is not going to have any trouble scoring the ball.

Putting up 120 points in an NBA game is nothing to sneeze at and Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma had an efficient game scoring 25 points on 50 percent shooting from the field. 

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As much fun as the scoring is if the Wizards keep giving up 20 three-pointers a game and 32 fast break points it is going to be tough to beat anyone.

The main issue all night was the transition defense despite the fact coach Unseld and his squad knew that's how the Pacers would look to do the most damage against them.

There could be a lot of different excuses for why the transition defense wasn't good, but it mostly comes down to a better effort getting back, more communication, and the team showing more urgency on both sides of the court throughout the game.

Game 1 of 82 didn't go the way anyone wanted, but as this team continues to gel and play more games together the defense should improve.

If it doesn't, well, it may be a long season in Washington.

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You can follow Gage Sheets on Twitter @SheetsG23

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