The Washington Wizards set out to lose this season, and that they accomplished, finishing with a 15-67 record, second only to the 14-68 Detroit Pistons for the worst record in the NBA.
It is the worst record in franchise history – quite an accomplishment for a franchise that has been a perennial loser for more than 50 years without trying.
So let’s raise a glass, if not a banner, to the new brain trust of the basketball franchise — president Michael Winger and general manager Will Dawkins — for a successful season.
This is supposed to be the first step toward a rebuild of the team — though the new brain trust abhors the word rebuild. But a rebuild is generally recognized as a necessary, if painful, process.
Certainly losing while you were trying to win didn’t work. So why not try losing by design?
Of course, in Wizards-like fashion, the timing isn’t great. This year’s draft is not considered the greatest. Plus, the odds ain’t what they used to be.
In the past, it pretty much was to the loser go the spoils — the worse the record, the greater the odds of getting that first pick in the draft.
But in 2017, the NBA changed it so that the teams with the three worst records have the same chance of getting the No. 1 pick in the lottery.
This was to deter tanking — the very thing Washington needed to do this year.
It appeared that the new brain trust was going to sabotage this plan when they traded with Golden State to acquire Jordan Poole — who had worn out his welcome there but was still considered a young, talented player who could perhaps lift the Wizards above the needed level of losses to reap rewards in the NBA draft.
Turns out there was nothing to worry about. They traded for the biggest punchline in the league. Poole has been a disaster, the third worst plus-minus number in the NBA this year, at minus 552.
He has company. Teammate Tyus Jones was the fifth worst at minus 497. Corey Kispert had a minus 445 number and rookie Bilal Coulibaly — who showed flashes of reasons to be optimistic about his future — posted a minus 419 number.
Plus-minus measures a team’s point differential when a player is on the court compared to when he is not. It shows more than just points. It is supposed to reveal a player’s impact on winning.
You might think this is an unfair measurement for Wizards players, given their lack of winning. But the Pistons — the team with the worst record in the league — did not have one player among the 10 worst plus-minus season performances.
Washington had five. Five? Did I mention the second-worst plus-minus number in the NBA this season — Kyle Kuzma?
He is considered the Wizards’ role model for the incoming youth movement, a veteran with an NBA championship ring (the Lakers 2020 COVID bubble ring) who averaged 21.2 points per game this season because, well, somebody has to.
Kuzma, 28, was praised this year for telling Wizards management he preferred to stay here instead of being traded to the Dallas Mavericks.
“Although I have good relationships in [the Dallas] organization, this wasn’t probably the right time for me in my career — especially just trying to build something here,” he told NBA reporter Marc Stein. “That’s something I don’t shy away from. So I think that was the biggest factor. Also there’s not too many contending teams and going to the right situation is always the most important thing in the NBA.”
Let’s break this down for a minute — Kuzma passed on a chance to play for a 50-win team with an owner who is legendary for treating his players well and instead opted to stay with a team that would go on to lose 67 games this season and may lose over 100 games the next two years.
Instead of the NBA spotlight, Kuzma decided to stay where there is no pressure, no expectations and no one watching while making $25 million a year.
By the way, Kuzma told reporters Monday that he plans on coming back next year in better shape. That would be a plus.
• You can hear Thom Loverro on The Kevin Sheehan Show podcast.
• Thom Loverro can be reached at tloverro@washingtontimes.com.
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