Inside The Wizards

Wizards Closer to Basement in NBA Power Rankings

The Washington Wizards are falling in the latest NBA power rankings.

Jeremy Brener

Jan 5, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; New Orleans Pelicans guard CJ McCollum (3) shoots the ball as Washington Wizards center Jonas Valanciunas (17) defends in the fourth quarter at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
Jan 5, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; New Orleans Pelicans guard CJ McCollum (3) shoots the ball as Washington Wizards center Jonas Valanciunas (17) defends in the fourth quarter at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
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The Washington Wizards are dealing with a mixed bag to start the new year after a win against the Chicago Bulls before two losses against the New Orleans Pelicans over the weekend.

The Wizards have shown signs of progress, but their back-to-back losses against the Pelicans have given them the worst record in the NBA.

However, NBA.com writer John Schuhmann doesn't have them at the bottom of his first power rankings of 2025. Instead, the Wizards are at No. 29, two spots lower than the previous week.

"The Wizards’ first game of 2025 was their most comfortable win of the season, an 18-point victory over the Bulls. But they lost both games of the home-and-home set between the last-place teams in each conference," Schuhmann writes.

"The Wizards’ first stretch of five games in seven days begins with a visit from the Rockets on Tuesday. Washington will be at a rest disadvantage in Philadelphia the following night when it will try to end a 22-game losing streak in the second game of back-to-backs. That includes an 0-4 mark this season, having lost those four games by an average of 24 points."

The only team that the Wizards ranked ahead of in the power rankings was the Charlotte Hornets, who lost to Washington twice before the new year began and are in the midst of a 10-game losing streak.

The other teams in the bottom five are the aforementioned Pelicans, Toronto Raptors and Utah Jazz.

The Wizards face a tough week ahead with a back-to-back beginning tomorrow against the Houston Rockets and ending on Wednesday against the Philadelphia 76ers. Then, they head to the Windy City to face the Bulls again before returning home to host the Oklahoma City Thunder, who took the No. 1 spot in the power rankings this week.

Make sure you bookmark Washington Wizards on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!

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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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