The Washington Wizards had a rough weekend but there were plenty of small victories. Jordan Poole was a microwave scorer and continues to have a career season. The young core stepped up, too; Alex Sarr gets better and better every week and Kyshawn George continues to showcase why he was one of the best steals in the 2024 draft. The future is bright for this team, but it’s all about the journey, and the journey calls for more development before the team is ready to compete.
The Toronto Raptors are where the Wizards used to be. They no doubt have a lot of talent, but are they good enough to make any noise in the east and is their foundation just a move or two away or what do they need? Tonight they head into Washington D.C. and the question is, can the Wizards take advantage of a team that’s dealing with a lot of injuries, or will bad habits come back to bite them?
Dominate the paint
With Jakob Poeltl out, the Wizards have a prime opportunity to control the paint on both ends. Offensively, look for Alex Sarr and Tristan Vukcevic to have balanced inside-outside attacks by showing touch and aggression in the paint and stretching the floor from the outside. Richaun Holmes could also get very busy grabbing rebounds and humbling Orlando Robinson with his infectious energy. Energy is the key word here, they must have more energy because the Raptors are also a very young team.
Defensive communication
The Wizards have had a lot of issues this season on the defensive end but the biggest is the lack of communication. Not knowing assignments and getting caught sleeping with slow switches are hurting the Wizards but they have been getting better. A lot of that is due to the addition of veterans Khris Middleton and Marcus Smart. It is also due to the young guys continuing to build chemistry and learning how to play with each other.
Limit turnovers
The Raptors are the 26th-ranked team in turnovers, and the Wizards are the 28th. He who limits turnovers wins the battle says Lao Tzu but seriously, this game will be tight. The team that commits the least amount of turnovers will be in a position to win the game. Protect the rock!
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