Inside The Wizards

Wizards Coach Takes Blame After Blowout Loss

In a press conference, the Washington Wizards head coach took the blame for a 28 point loss.

Ari Mayer

Nov 18, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Washington Wizards head coach Brian Keefe reacts during the second quarter against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Nov 18, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Washington Wizards head coach Brian Keefe reacts during the second quarter against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images
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The Washington Wizards are struggling this season, losing 9 games in a row. The latest loss came against the New York Knicks, where the Wizards fell by 28 in a 134-106 loss. The night before, the Wizards lost by 20 to the Detroit Pistons, 124-104.

Through 13 games, the Wizards defense ranks in last place across the league, allowing 124.7 points per game. Following back to back blowout losses, head coach Brian Keefe gave a press conference expressing his discontent with how they had played and taking responsibility for the lackluster performances.

"I'm the leader of this team. I'm the head coach of this team." Keefe said. "So I'll take the responsibility for the last two nights, not playing up to the competitive disposition that we should be playing with, especially defensively. That will be addressed as a group and we will get better. But that wasn't what we need to be, what our standards were. And we have to own that. And we have to look at ourselves and we have to get better."

While the performances on the court have been unsatisfactory, the fact that Keefe is able to take responsibility for their play and put emphasize change is encouraging.

The Wizards seem primed to spend another season towards the bottom of the league. That being said, the performances by their young players have been a positive.

In their loss to the Knicks, Bub Carrington set a career high with 18 points and Bilal Coulibaly had 15 vs. Pistons. With Alexandre Sarr and Kyshawn George both getting significant minutes in the lineup, the future looks much brighter than the present for the Wizards.

With the Wizards next matchup coming up against the 2024 NBA Champion Boston Celtics, the Wizards will have another tough game as they look to compete in this season's NBA Cup.

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Ari Mayer
ARI MAYER

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