Standing the East: TBC

Win/Loss Record: 0/0

Opening Night: Wizards Newswire Happy Hour!

As loyal readers of the Wizards Newswire we would like to invite all of you to our first official in-person event to celebrate the start of the 2023-2024 Season.

Please join us, Zaz & Mike, on Saturday October 28th from 5:00-6:30pm at Penn Quarter Sports Tavern (less than a 10 minute walk to Capitol One Arena)

We’ll have a few special give-aways for the first 5 people to arrive including a Kristaps Porzingzis bobble head.

If you are interested in attending please let us know below. We looking forward to meeting as many of you as possible.

This Week…

• Weekly Recap: Wizards go 1-1 in second week of pre-season

• Top Weekly Headlines: Deni’s extension and beef with Poole

• Zaz’s Asks: What should success this year look like for the Wizards?

• New Hennessy Loft area at Capitol One for all home games

• Upcoming Schedule

Weekly Recap

^{Poole leads Wizards to victory over the Knicks 131-106}

This is the Jordan Poole that we all want to see this year (I know, big words). JP shot 52% from the field with six 3-pointers and 15/16 made free throws. Some teammates were not very pleased with Poole’s shot selection but we’ll have a lot more on that later.

Overall, the Wizards had a great offensive stat line across the board, hitting over 50% of their shots, going 44% from the three point line, 12 steals and only 13 turnovers.

Our new addition from the Warriors Ryan Rollins also had good game which included 13 points, 4 rebounds and this amazing poster over Miles McBride…

@the_bucket_doctor

Ryan Rollins Washington Wizards dunk vs New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden Arena #fyp #tiktok #wizards

^{Raptors blow out the Wizards 134-98}

A very different story in this game. The Wizards shot 37% from the field and only 25% from beyond the arc. In contrast, the Raptors were rolling, making over 50% of their shots and dominating the paint with 25 second chance points.

Deni led the way for the Wizards, shooting 7/14 from the field including four 3-pointers and 7 rebounds. Newcomer Eugene Omoruyi contributed 16 points including two 3s.

The highlight of the game came from our boy Corey Kispert, who has not looked great so far but let’s give him a bit more time to adjust.

@nba

Kispert throws down the BIG one handed jam‼️ #NBA #basketball #sports #coreykispert #dunk #nbapreseason

Zaz Asks: What should success this year look like?

One thing we do differently at the Wizards Newswire is monitor what all the fans are talking about on the various Wizards social media pages. 

On Friday’s game against the Knicks, Jordan Poole put up 19 shots in 25 minutes and scored 41 points. However, the main thing fans were buzzing about was not Poole’s performance, but the play when he didn’t pass to an open Deni. 

Poole instead took the shot, nailed it, and everyone couldn’t help but notice Deni throwing up his arms with his body language clearly expressing disappointment. 

Another clip showed them beefing on the bench with Kuzma laughing. It’s not clear what they were talking about, but I think we can all expect Jordan Poole to be taking shots with a green light just like his former teammate, Steph Curry. But…Poole isn’t Steph Curry. 

I also wonder if Kuzma was laughing because he plans on doing the same when he’s in the game? If this is a rebuilding season, should we even care?Well, that depends on what the goal is? Do we want to tank and get a high draft pick? Do we want make a play-in run? Do we want to develop players for the future? Can players even develop when you have two high volume shooters like Poole and Kuzma in the lineup?

The fan (and season ticket holder) in me wants to see them compete, but what good is it if we have another 35-47 season without a top five pick? I know don’t want that. All I can say for now is I’d like to see our young players grow. I also wouldn’t mind if both Kuzma and Poole shine enough to drive up their values. On that note however, I’d think we should pose the quesiton back to you!

Top Weekly Headlines

New Hennessy Lofts area for Wizard Home games @ Capitol One

Monumental Sports & Entertainment and Hennessy are bringing in new enhancements of the Courtside Lofts for Wizards games at Capital One Arena.

The new Hennessy Lofts area will be redesigned with the Hennessy brand at the forefront for every home game.

There are three elevated tiers of lofts, accommodating fourteen reserved loft spaces, for a total capacity of 60 guests each night.

The lofts are available for purchase beginning with the upcoming 2023-24 season. More information is available at www.nba.com/wizards/hennessylofts

Upcoming Schedule

• Wednesday, Oct. 25th @7:00pm EST: Wizards vs Pacers (Away)

• Saturday, Oct. 28th @ 7:00pm EST: Wizards vs Grizzlies (Home)

Have a great week. Go Wizards!