Standing the East: 14th

Win/Loss Record: 2 / 7

This week…

• Weekly Recap: Wizards Wizard lose second In-Season game

• The Irrational Belief in Wes Unseld Jr.

• Weekly Wizards Headlines

• Upcoming Schedule

Weekly Recap

^{Embiid blows out the Wizards 126-107}

Weirdly, it looked like the Wizards were in this one throughout most of the first quarter despite only shooting 39% from the field. It was in the 2nd quarter that Philly built a double digit lead and did not look back.

The third period was all Embiid who put together a stat line that I have never seen for a single quarter: 29 points, 100% FGP (10/10), 100% FTP (9/9) and 0 turnovers. Luckily he sat out most of the 4th quarter.

Kuzma led the way for the Wiz with 28 points, followed by Poole with 23. The landlord ended the game with 5 blocks which you can check out below.

^{Wizards beat Hornets in Charlotte 132-116}

The Wizards looked good in this one shooting over 48% from the field and over 41% from beyond the arc. Kuzma led the way with 33 points followed by Gallinari and Delon Wright who both had 18 points.

Jordan Poole struggled in this game, ending with only 11 shots after making only 25% of his shots. Landry Shamet ending up with 15 points and this awesome finish..

@espn

😳😳😳 #nba #basketball #wizards #hornets #lameloball #dunk

^{Wizards lose 2nd In-Season Tournament game to Charlotte 124-117}

The Wizards were leading by 10 points at the 7:23 minute mark of the 4th quarter. I thought we had this one sealed but the curse of blown leads has been resurrected.

The crew looked decent for the most part but the Wizards got completely out-rebounded which led to 32 second chance points for the Hornets.

Kuzma led all Wizards scorers with 17 points and 6 rebounds followed by Tyus Jones with 16 and then Corey Kispert who went 3/3 from three and ended with 15 points.

They highlight of the game came from Daniel Gafford who had this amazing sequence of 3 blocks in a row…

@officialcheckup6

Crazy defensive play!! #fyp #nba #viral #nbainseasontournament #lameloball #wizards #hornets

^{Wizards blow a late lead & lose to Nets 102-94}

The sliver lining to this game was Bilal Coulibaly who had. career high 20 and led the team in scoring and shooting percentage while on the defensive end he had 4 steals. If there is any reason to be excited about the Wizards over the next few years it is gonna be because of this guy.

The Irrational Belief in Wes Unseld Jr.

Wes Unseld Junior is in his third season as the Head Coach of the Wizards.  After going 35-47 in the first two seasons, Wizards management (or perhaps Wizards ownership) picked up his fourth-year option to remain the Wizard’s Head Coach through the 2024-2025 season.   

Many Wizards fans, myself included, were optimistic in both of Unseld’s first two years, which featured high-quality players such as Bradely Beal, Kristaps Porzingis, and Kyle Kuzma.  No one expected the Wizards to be a contender or anything like that, but having a winning record and reaching the playoffs were definitely realistic targets.  That didn’t happen and many fans and commentators alike, questioned Unseld’s strategy, lineups, and play calling (or lack thereof) in close games.

Now that the rebuild has officially begun, losing should be expected.  In fact, the Wizards are currently 2-7. Fans on social media are voicing their displeasure with Unseld, which is nothing new, but this year another block of fans are firing back at those fans claiming we are doing exactly what we’re supposed to, TANK.

If you caucus with the tankers, which looks like the only rational path forward, your party’s platform stipulates player development.  However, Unseld has been unsuccessful in developing Rui Hachimura (traded), Johnny Davis, who didn’t get any meaningful minutes in his rookie season under Unseld, and Deni Avdija, who’s in his 4^th  season, is the most tenured Wizard.  Furthermore, before the beginning of the season, the Wizards restructured their coaching staff and added several player-development coaches.  This tells me, Wizard’s management doesn’t really trust Unseld as someone who can develop players.  

If Unseld hasn’t been proven as a winner or player developer, why on earth was his fourth-year option picked up by the organization?

It’s still early, but as of now, Wizards management’s gamble on Poole is looking more like we went from a Beal contract problem to now a Poole contract problem. 

Top Weekly Headlines

Upcoming Schedule

• Monday, Nov. 13th @7:30pm EST: Wizards vs Raptors (Away)

• Wednesday, Nov. 15th @ 7:00pm EST: Wizards vs Mavericks (Home)

• Friday, Nov. 17th @ 7:00pm EST: Wizards vs Knicks (Home-In-Season Tournament Game)

Have a great week!