Inside The Wizards

Wizards Have Optimism Amidst Poor Start

The Washington Wizards have numbers that prove that their start isn't as bad as it looks.

Jeremy Brener

Dec 15, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards guard Jordan Poole (13) shoots the ball as Boston Celtics center Luke Kornet (40) defends in the fourth quarter at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
Dec 15, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards guard Jordan Poole (13) shoots the ball as Boston Celtics center Luke Kornet (40) defends in the fourth quarter at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
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There's no sugarcoating the fact that the Washington Wizards have the league's worst record at 3-21, but there's reason to believe why the team may be better than its record suggests.

NBA.com's John Schuhmann understandably placed the Wizards at the bottom of his weekly power rankings, but there's reason to be okay about Washington's start to the season.

"The Wizards got the Cavs and Celtics for their two extra games and actually brought their season-long point differential down, losing the two games by a total of just 24 points," Schuhmann writes.

"The Wizards’ point differential (minus-15.8 points per game) is still the worst in NBA history, but only three of their 24 games have come against the other 10 teams that currently have losing records.
They’ve lost all three of those games (by 12 points or more), but they’ll play the shorthanded Hornets twice (at home) in the next two weeks, with the first meeting on Thursday."

The Wizards have played some stiff competition as of late, but they have played some of the best teams in the league better than some of their rivals.

"The Wizards have actually had the league’s best defense vs. Boston, having allowed just 110.3 points per 100 possessions over three meetings. The defensive numbers weren’t too bad in Cleveland (or in their win against Denver the week before), and the Wizards have climbed out of the basement on that end of the floor," Schuhmann writes.

If the Wizards can keep the momentum going against the other teams on their schedule, they should be able to squeak out a few wins here and there.

The Wizards return to the court on Thursday when they take on the division rival Charlotte Hornets. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.

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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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