Standing the East: 8th

Win/Loss Record: 1/1

This week…

• Weekly Recap: Results from the Wizards first 2 games of the season

• Where are they now? A new segment that tracks where former Wizards players have ended up.

• Zaz ranks of the Wizards top draft picks

• Wizards Headlines from last week

• Upcoming Schedule

Weekly Recap

^{Pacers blowout Wizards in season opener winning 143-120}

What’s probably most upsetting about this game is that the Wizards actually played alright. They shot over 45% from the field and over 37% from beyond the arc. The problem was that the Pacers couldn’t miss, especially from deep. They made 52.3% of their shots and made a total of 20 threes (3 short of their franchise record).

The Wizards started strong, winning Q1 39-34, led by Tyus Jones and Gallanari who combined for 22 in the quarter. Unfortunately it was downhill after that.

Kuzma did well, ending with 25 points with a 50% FPG. Jordan Poole looked better than his stat sheet. He ended up with 18 points and 4 assists but went 0-6 from three and committed 4 TOs.

This was probably the highlight of the game…

@jordan_tayag

JP WITH A GROWN MAN MOVE IN THE PACERS DEFENSE!🏀🔥💯#jordanpoole #nba #wizardsbasketball #washingtonwizards #WashingtonDc #fypシ #nbahighlights

^{Wizards hold off Memphis to seal first season win 113-106}

Zaz and I got to see this one in person and the team did not disappoint. The Wizards grabbed the lead in the first quarter which they were able to maintain throughout the game.

Kispert was lights out in the first two periods after making five 3s, ending with a career-high 22 points in the half. Unfortunately that was it for the Kispert show.

Poole led the way for the Wiz with 27 points but continues to struggle with turnovers committing 5 on the night. Kuzma was the second leading scorer with 21 but 11 of those points came in the 4th which really did seal the win for the Wizards.

This was the play of the night…

@espn

#nba #basketball #wizards #jordanpoole #kylekuzma

And we can’t forget about this one… 😂 

Where are they now?

We all remember the good times with our guy Jordan Goodwin from last season. Goodwin, if you remember, was part of the Beal trade earlier this summer and is now a solid fit with is new team.

Apparently, Suns Coaches and teammates have had nothing but great things to say for about Goodwin, both on and off the court.

If there was one thing I personally loved about Goodwin, it was his effort. He always gave 100% and that is definitely what is making him shine in Phoenix.

Zaz Ranks the Wizards top draft picks.

1. Rui Hachimura

The Wizard’s drafted Rui with the 9th pick in the 2019 draft. It’s tough to grade Rui’s time in Washington. His rookie year was the league shutdown COVID year. His second year was solid where he started and the Wizards made the playoffs. He missed a significant amount time in his third year due to personal reasons, and his last year was mixed with controversy that ultimately led to him getting traded to the Lakers.  His career average is 12.4 points and 5 rebounds per game. Although not much above sounds thrilling, Rui has a very high upside. We’ve seen him go for 30 plus points multiple times and saw his impact with the Lakers in last year’s playoffs. So much so that the Lakers signed him to a three-year $51 million contract in the offseason.

2. Corey Kispert

The Wizard’s drafted Kispert with the 15th pick in 2021. I know I’ll get some flack for this one, and I might not have put Corey at #2 until witnessing last night’s superb first half performance in person.  He can get hot. Corey’s 16-point second quarter pretty much was the reason the Wizard’s jumped out to a big first-half lead and never looked back. He can space the floor, averaging almost 40% from deep and 48% from the field for his career. Since opponents have to respect his outside shot, he has started to leverage driving hard to the basket on the closeouts. I expect big things from Kispert this year, if the coaches give him the minutes he deserves to develop.

3. Deni Avdija

Deni was the Wizard’s 9th pick in the 2020 draft. If you follow the Wizard’s chatter like we do, you know Deni is at the forefront of fan commentary. Some love him, some the opposite. Some regard him as a defensive savant, while others say his defense, (and overall game) is overrated. His career average is 8 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, on 43% shooting from the field and 31% from deep. What I like the most about Deni is when he grabs the rebound and initiates the fast break.  I also think he makes good cuts to the basket. I’d like to see his shooting percentage get better so his game can go to the next level. The Wizards just recently gave Deni a four-year $55 million extension.

4. Johnny Davis

The Wizards drafted Davis with the 10th pick in the 2022 draft (is anyone seeing a trend here or just me?) So far his time with the Wizards has been a disappointment, from a lottery pick context. He only played in 28 games his rookie year, spending a lot of time in the G league. Fans had high hopes for Davis and he still has time to change the script. As of now, his career average is 5.8 points and 2.3 rebounds per game on 15 minutes. We should take into account a lot of his playing time has come after games were already decided and thus, he hasn’t received the meaningful minutes as Rui, Kispert, and Deni.

Top Weekly Headlines

Upcoming Schedule

• Monday, Oct. 30th @7:00pm EST: Wizards vs Celtics (Home)

• Wednesday, Nov. 1st @ 7:30pm EST: Wizards vs Hawks (Away)

• Friday, Nov. 3rd @ 8:00pm EST: Wizards vs Heat (Away)

Have a great week!