Inside The Wizards

Wizards Coach Emphasizes Defensive Improvements

The Washington Wizards hope to play better on defense.

Jeremy Brener

Dec 26, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards had coach Brian Keefe yells to his team from the bench against the Charlotte Hornets in the second quarter at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
Dec 26, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards had coach Brian Keefe yells to his team from the bench against the Charlotte Hornets in the second quarter at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
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The Washington Wizards are in the early parts of the process towards building an identity for themselves.

If it was up to head coach Brian Keefe, the Wizards would be primarily a defensive-minded team.

“It starts with our defensive end,” Keefe said. “I thought our defense, that's the stuff that carries. You're not always going to make shots. Getting ourselves organized on offense, playing with pace and then making the right play, those are the things that are going to carry us going forward."

The Wizards once had the league's worst defense, but they have improved over the last few weeks to get out of the basement. Now. they sit at No. 27 in defensive rating behind the Portland Trail Blazers, New Orleans Pelicans and Utah Jazz.

On offense, it's hard to control which shots go in and sometimes teams just have poor shooting nights. However, a good chunk of defense is effort and strategy that is in the team's control, so the Wizards should look to take advantage of that as much as possible.

Contending teams can have good offenses, but they have to have a top-tier defense in order to be considered as one of the best teams in the league.

The Wizards are working towards that, but it can take a little bit of time to accomplish that goal. As the Wizards go through the motions, they can work towards building that defense that will help them become a better team in the long run.

The Wizards are back in action tomorrow night as they head back to the nation's capital for a rematch with Dejounte Murray and the New Orleans Pelicans. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET inside Capital One Arena.

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.

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