Washington Wizards: A Deep Dive Into Clutch Time Failures

Blown leads have plagued an already struggling Washington Wizards team, here we will take a deeper look into the numbers.

Another 15-point lead blown by the Washington Wizards against the Charlotte Hornets gives them three such losses on the year.

In the midst of this nine-game losing streak the Wizards have had at least a one-point lead during the fourth quarter in six different games.

READ MORE: NBA Legend Slams Wizards Player

According to the NBA.com, clutch minutes occur when the lead is less than five points with less than five minutes remaining in the game.

Washington has an astonishing NBA worst -65.3 net rating in clutch minutes.

Taking a deeper look, the areas the Wizards are really struggling in close games are rebounding and turnovers.

They are last in the NBA in rebounding in clutch minutes with a 37.7 rebound percentage, leading to giving up second chance points and only having one shot on the offensive end.

Rebounding is bad for Washington all the way around, but that isn't the case for turnovers and it is one of the best teams in the NBA at taking care of the ball.

When it comes to turnovers the Wizards are giving up possessions 20 percent of the time in the clutch.

That is way worse from their normal 13.3 turnover percentage, which is actually sixth best in the NBA.

Washington Wizards guard Bilal Coulibaly (0) drives to the net against Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam (43) during the second half at Scotiabank Arena / Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

Looking at specific players, Washington forward Deni Avdija has an unthinkable -106.5 net rating in his 3.9 clutch minutes this season.

Meanwhile, Wizards guard Jordan Poole has a 27.3 turnover ratio and a 43.8 true shooting percentage in his 4.1 clutch minutes.

Poole is performing way below average in clutch time and for a starting guard his numbers are some of the worst in the NBA.

From unthinkable coaching decisions to  bad shot selection, mind-numbing turnovers and the inability to rebound the ball, clutch minutes have been an unmitigated disaster for Washington.

To give some reference on where this could be heading, the next worse net rating in clutch minutes was -37.1 for the 2015-2016 Philadelphia 76ers.

Yes, the 10-72 ‘Trust the Process’ historically bad 76ers. 

This doesn't mean the Wizards will only win 10 games, even though that what they're on pace for, but it is an indication on how bad it can get if they don't improve in close games.

Wizards Desperately Need To Improve In This Area

From now on it is about growth, improvement and gaining experience in all areas.

If improvements aren't made then changes will be, that is the nature of the beast in the NBA.

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