Inside The Wizards

Wizards Coach Thrilled For Veterans' Return

The Washington Wizards have some veterans back in the lineup.

Jeremy Brener

Dec 19, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards forward Corey Kispert (24) drives to the basket past Charlotte Hornets forward Cody Martin (11) in the third quarter at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
Dec 19, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards forward Corey Kispert (24) drives to the basket past Charlotte Hornets forward Cody Martin (11) in the third quarter at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
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The Washington Wizards are on the winning side again after beating the Charlotte Hornets 123-114 on Thursday night inside Capital One Arena.

In the victory, the Wizards had Malcolm Brogdon (hamstring) and Corey Kispert (ankle) return to the court, and their veteran experience was much-appreciated.

Wizards head coach Brian Keefe was happy to see his veterans back on the court.

“Great to have them back,” Keefe said postgame. “Thrilled that they were back with the group. They kept the scoreboard moving. Those guys were super efficient tonight. They just kept playing the right way, making the right pass. Obviously they made some shots um for sure. Malcolm was really going in the first half and Corey had a tremendous end of the third, start of the fourth that kind of propelled us to the lead so nice to have those guys back.”

Having Brogdon and Kispert back on the court calmed the team down, preventing the Wizards from making too many turnovers or missing too many shots. Both Brogdon and Kispert have struggled with their shot at some point during the season, but they were able to find a solution to get back on track against the Hornets.

If the Wizards are going to win more games, Brogdon and Kispert playing well will have to be part of it. This could end up being a double-edged sword for the Wizards since the better the veterans play, the more likely they could be traded before the Feb. 6 deadline.

The Wizards should listen to offers on Kispert, but definitely for Brogdon considering he is a free agent at the end of the year.

The Wizards need to take advantage of having these guys while they have them so they can tack on a few more wins to boost morale before the dog days of the year begin.

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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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