- The Washington Times - Monday, December 2, 2024

To say the Washington Wizards are having a bad season may be an understatement. The struggling squad has lost 14 consecutive games, including every game they played in November as they became just the 16th team in NBA history to record a complete winless month.

But losing is nothing new for the Wizards. They didn’t record a win last February either, making the young team the first in league history to accomplish the lamentable feat in consecutive seasons and twice in the same calendar year.

Even though the Wizards weren’t supposed to be good — general manager Will Dawkins has openly embraced the “rebuild” tag for this project — the losing has started to grate on players and fans alike.

“It’s still really, really early, but to run into this much adversity early stinks — and stings,” small forward Corey Kispert told The Athletic. “It’s testing the culture that we put in, the deposits that we’ve implemented.”

The 25-year-old is one of the longest-tenured players on a roster that lacks the star power to be competitive. Forward Kyle Kuzma and guard Jordan Poole shoulder the scoring load, but it hasn’t been enough.

The Wizards aren’t just losing — they’re getting blown out. Washington’s smallest margin of defeat last month was a nine-point loss to the San Antonio Spurs, who are led by second-year superstar Victor Wembanyama. There were six losses of 20 points or more as opposing squads ran up the score.

“It definitely tests your character,” Poole told The Athletic. “But we’ve got really good guys in that locker room.”

Those “guys in that locker room” include a blend of veterans — Poole, Kuzma and offseason acquisitions Malcolm Brogdon and Jonas Valanciunas — and promising rookies Alex Sarr, Bub Carrington and Kyshawn George.

Those rookies, with second-year forward Bilal Coulibaly, have been thrown into the fire this season. The trio ranks first, second and fourth in minutes played per game among first-year players.

The live game experience is typically seen as a clear positive for young players adapting to the speed of NBA action. But with the onslaught of losses piling up, some analysts have started to question whether this season could stunt the youngsters’ development. Can they improve as players while the team struggles?

“To me, we don’t really have a choice,” George told reporters on Wednesday. “It’s too easy to just give up … to just say, ’OK, this is what it is, and we’re not going to get better.’”

This season’s losses are all part of a process made famous by the Philadelphia 76ers more than 10 years ago. Washington’s front office has said it’ll accept the losses if it means fielding a more competitive roster, led by a top draft pick, in the future.

“There’s going to be setbacks. There’s going to be losing streaks. It’s basketball,” Dawkins said before the season. “And even in games that we win, we’re going to be like, ’Hey, we should’ve done this better.’

Some call it “tanking,” knowingly fielding an uncompetitive team in hopes of securing a top selection in the draft. It has become an unavoidable facet of life in the modern NBA, where star power drives ticket sales and on-court success.

For the Wizards, this year’s misery could all be washed away if they add the next Wembanyama in the draft. Duke guard Cooper Flagg, 17, has looked like a generational draft prospect and will likely be the top pick next year. Rutgers stars Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper are widely considered strong second options.

No matter how many losses the Wizards add this season, the NBA’s lottery system will only give them a maximum 14% chance of landing the top pick. Finishing with the worst record in the league, which seems likely, would guarantee the rebuilding franchise a top-five pick, though.

The Wizards could stop the losing skid — or boost their lottery odds – Tuesday night against the league-leading Cleveland Cavaliers.

• Liam Griffin can be reached at lgriffin@washingtontimes.com.

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