Washington Wizards 1st Quarter Grades For Team Leaders Kyle Kuzma and Jordan Poole

As leaders of the team forward Kyle Kuzma and guard Jordan Poole are supposed to take the lead in this phase of the Washington Wizards' rebuild. How have they done?

David Harrison | Dec 23, 2023

Washington Wizards 1st Quarter Grades For Team Leaders Kyle Kuzma and Jordan Poole /

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Washington Wizards

The Washington Wizards are going to be an interesting case study on how to build an NBA franchise in the years to come.

This season, however, the Wizards study is all about how the current pieces figure into that future and what will eventually become basketball in the DMV.

Ahead of a Washington win over the Portland Trailblazers on Thursday night, Locked On Wizards hosts Ed Oliver and Brandon Scott got together to drop some first-quarter grades for the team.

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FORWARD, KYLE KUZMA

Following the team's loss to the Golden State Warriors on Friday, Kuzma is averaging 23 points per game to lead the team and is also second in assists and third in blocks with 118 and 17 respectively.

"The only reason I don't give him an 'A' is because efficiency is often an issue," Scott said of Kuzma. "Some nights it takes a lot of shots to get those 20-plus points. So efficiency is really the only knock because I feel like, you know, he has been that leader that we want him to be and he's been working with [Wizards Forward] Deni [Avdija], helping him out and talking to Jordan Poole...so leadership wise, especially for a rebuilding team has been fluid."

GRADE: B+

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GUARD, JORDAN POOLE

Poole has been a polarizing player since before he came to Washington with some fans of the Golden State Warriors celebrating his departure from the franchise this off-season and others wishing his return Friday was permanent.

Likewise, if you ask enough Wizards fans you'll find a good amount who are excited about Poole, and an equally solid grouping of those who want to see the guard used as trade bait to bring in picks or other talent - like another big man for example.

Brought in to help Kuzma lead the team through the first stages of a rebuild, right now the guard only leads the team in fouls drawn in a single game (7), personal fouls committed in a single game (6), three-pointers made and attempted (3-for-18 against the Sacramento Kings), and trueshooting attempts in a single game (28.2).

While Poole has put up north of 400 shots this season, second on the team to Kuzma, his field goal percentage is sitting at just .408 and his three-point shot is falling just 31 percent of the time. Neither number is even top 12 on the team.

GRADE: C/B-

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Published Dec 23, 2023

DAVID HARRISON