Reviewing The Washington WIzards’ March
I decided to take a different approach for this month’s recap and focus specifically on how the Wizards played against top teams in both conferences.
Though the Wizards lost three of the four games I plan to review, there’s something to be said for their performances on an individual and a team level that speaks to the potential this roster has. The next step is for this roster taking its talents to the postseason, and while that may not happen this season, the Wizards proved this month that they can compete with top tier teams.
For the most part.
To start I want to look at the home game against the Milwaukee Bucks on March 5th, otherwise known as the Giannis stat-padding game (117-111). I also refer to this game as the Deni Avdija Iron Man game. Calling it Avdija’s “flu game” would be acceptable as well. Avdija left the previous night’s game after seven minutes due to a non-COVID illness, and despite still not feeling 100% at game time, he was a spark off the bench. He led the team in steals and free-throw attempts and scored 17 points in addition to grabbing two assists and six rebounds. Bradley Beal and Kristaps Porzingis also had solid offensive performances, scoring 33 and 24 points respectively. Porzingis also had 14 rebounds and added another double-double to his season stats. Corey Kispert, who had a perfect shooting night the previous game, held onto his momentum and added 11 points to the scoreboard. Delon Wright started at point guard in the absence of Monte Morris and scored 10 points, and Jordan Goodwin had a solid seven rebounds.
Deni Avdija (9) driving against Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) on March 5, 2023 | AP Photo/Nick Wass
While Kispert finished the game without a single foul or turnover, not everyone on the team had the same results. Avdija was called for two offensive turnovers in a short time span, and at times it seemed like there was a communication breakdown between the five on the floor and Coach Unseld. Beal also missed too many layups, and the Wizards unsuccessfully attempted to triple-team Giannis Antetokounmpo despite having a history of unsuccessfully double-teaming opponents.
In Philadelphia a week later, shooting woes continued for everyone except Kispert (112-93). Kispert tied his career high 25 points and led the Wizards in scoring while the Big Three struggled. Beal scored 13 points, Porzingis scored only nine, and Kyle Kuzma had a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Morris also scored 11 points, and Avdija went baseline for an impressive dunk but scored only four points.
The Wizards who played in this game looked nothing like the Wizards who had breakout performances against the 76ers in November and December of 2022. There was too much double-teaming, most of the team seemed to lack confidence, and there was little urgency. If anyone showed any hustle, it was Kuzma, who was playing through a presumed hand injury. Kuzma, who has been dealing with injuries and inconsistent performances since the All-Star Break, also played through an ankle injury on March 18 against Sacramento and scored a team-high 33 points.
A driving Corey Kispert (24) against the Philadelphia 76ers on March 12, 2023 | Jesse D. Garrabrant via NBAE/Getty Images
The middle of March marked a turning point for one member of the team in particular: rookie Johnny Davis. Like Kispert, Davis put up career numbers in at least three games this month, including on March 26 against Toronto when he tied his season-high 15 points. Davis had a rough start to his rookie season as a Wizard, but it’s been rewarding to see his work with the Capital City Go-Go paying off.
I firmly believe that the Wizards could have beaten the Denver Nuggets on the 22nd. The Wizards lost 104-118 but played a really solid game even without Beal and Kuzma on the floor. At times, Denver even looked intimidated (at the very least, Nikola Jokic tried to avoid Daniel Gafford putting him on a poster). In the first half of the game, the Nuggets had to adjust to dominant performances from Porzingis, who scored 25 points and started on 6/6 shooting, and Avdija, who led the team in assists, and rebounds, and forced Michael Malone to call a timeout after two impressive coast-to-coast layups on back-to-back possessions. These are the moments that inspire his nickname, Turbo.
Goodwin and Davis also made a meaningful impact on this game, getting early minutes and showing a variety of skills on both ends of the floor. Davis especially has a nice arsenal of layups.
The Wizards were leading by two points going into halftime, but a lead is seldom safe for this team and Denver used the break to identify and capitalize on the Wizards’ weaknesses. Avdija turned the ball over four times in the third quarter, and there were some questionable lineups in the latter half of the game. Most notably, Unseld was running a four-guard lineup that saw Kispert playing power forward. Overall, the quality of the game between the first and second halves decreased, and I’m still not fully certain why.
When the Wizards played the Celtics on March 28, I had no expectations for the team or any individual player. I go into every game wanting to see growth, good moments, and something interesting. This is especially true when the Wizards are playing teams that they’ve lost to in the past, or teams that I imagine can easily outplay the Wizards, like the Nuggets, or the Celtics.
And yet, the Wizards took down the Celtics with a final score of 130-111 in one of the most interesting games this season (also one of my favorites). It was the first time this season that two point guards, Morris and Wright, were in the starting lineup at the same time, and Morris had an impressive scoring night with 19 points. Kispert contributed 15, Porzingis had 32 points and 13 rebounds, and Avdija had a career game with 25 points (tying his career high) and 10 rebounds.
Kendrick Nunn also had a productive game from the bench, and the newest Wizard, Xavier Cooks, scored his first NBA points, and the Wizards played intelligent defense.
Would I consider this a fluke game? Maybe. But It’s hard not to be happy about how well the young core has been playing this month. Going into the end of the regular season, my expectations are simple: let the young core play.
If Avdija, Kispert, Gafford, and/or Davis could have one more career game before the season ends, like Kispert setting a new career high on the last day of March, that’d be a good enough ending to the season for me.
