Kristaps Porzingis didn’t exactly seem to be looking forward to Tuesday’s flight to Denver. After he exited Monday’s loss to the Brooklyn Nets with lower back tightness, the last thing that would help the ailment is a long three-and-a-half plane ride.
But the Washington Wizards center planned to come prepared.
“I have to make sure I have proper posture,” Porzingis said, adding he’d have extra support for his back to keep him upright.
Porzingis said he was feeling alright following his third-quarter exit, though the injury was the latest misfortune for a Wizards team that has now lost seven straight. Coach Wes Unseld Jr. listed the Latvian native as day-to-day ahead of the team’s six-game West Coast road trip, which starts Wednesday in Denver against the Nuggets.
The Wizards (11-17) have already been without Bradley Beal (hamstring), forward Rui Hachimura (foot) and guards Monte Morris (groin) and Delon Wright (hamstring). And Unseld said he was unsure if any of those injured players would be cleared in time for Wednesday’s game. Beal, who has missed the last four games, was recently cleared to resume basketball activities, but Unseld said the three-time All-Star would need time to ramp up his conditioning.
Another year and another unraveling is familiar territory for the franchise.
A year ago, the Wizards went 10-3 before losing 12 of the next 17. Washington didn’t start nearly as strong this year— the Wizards were 7-6 after 13 games — but the team has yet again hit a skid that threatens to derail its season.
“We’re light on bodies, it’s tough when you don’t have a handful of your rotation players,” Unseld said. “I’m hoping at some point, in a weird way, this helps us.”
Forward Kyle Kuzma cautioned reading too much between the two seasons.
“It’s nothing like last year,” the 27-year-old said, perhaps alluding to Washington’s well-documented chemistry issues from a season ago.
Those problems caused the Wizards’ front office to dramatically shake up the roster at the trade deadline by getting rid of point guard Spencer Dinwiddie and center Montrezl Harrell. In the offseason, Washington brought in well-respected veterans like Will Barton and Taj Gibson to further strengthen the locker room. “We like each other,” Kuzma said in October. “Last year, (we) couldn’t say that at the start.”
But the results have been mostly the same. The Wizards’ defensive rating is 113.2 this season — nearly identical to last year’s 113.6. On the other side of the ball, the stats are also eerily similar: The Wizards have an offensive ranking of 110.7 to last year’s 110.2.
Ranking-wise, entering Tuesday’s action, the Wizards are only slightly better. They rank 22nd in defensive rating (up three spots from 2021-22) and 20th in offensive rating (up one spot).
The growth among Washington’s younger players has been mixed. Deni Avdija has turned into a respectable defender, though he struggles with fouls and is sometimes hesitant on offense. Corey Kispert is shooting above 40% from 3 and brings effort, but he can be a liability on defense. Hachimura has missed the last 12 games, while 2022 first-rounder Johnny Davis is stuck in the G-League — even amid all of Washington’s injuries.
Kuzma and Porzingis remain some of the few bright spots for Washington, with the duo complimenting Beal — who was shooting a career-high 52% before his injury. Each of them is a legitimate scoring threat and gives the Wizards three players who are averaging more than 20 points per game.
Still, Beal is hurt and the Wizards were uneven before his latest absence. Now, Washington’s six-game, 11-day trip includes games against the Nuggets, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, Phoenix Suns, Utah Jazz and the Sacramento Kings.
All but one of those teams — the Lakers — is above .500.
“We just have to figure it out, man,” Kuzma said. “If we don’t figure it out, it’s going to be a long trip.”
• Matthew Paras can be reached at mparas@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.