Ten Games In, Wizards Three-Point Woes Have Plagued Its Offense

Ten games isn't enough to say things can't improve for the Washington Wizards. However, they have a very serious flaw: they aren't knocking down threes.

It's not just about missing shots. Washington is struggling with both three-point volume and efficiency, a combination that makes it increasingly difficult to keep up with modern NBA offenses.

Saturday's drubbing at the hands of the OKC Thunder saw increased volume from three for Washington, but it only made the efficiency worse. The Wizards shot an abysmal 7-for-43 from three, with Bub Carrington and Kyshawn George accounting for five of the seven makes.

The Thunder had a clear game plan to clog the paint and force the Wizards into looks from the outside. They surely executed that plan, and Washington never found a way to adjust. Alex Sarr's first half may have been his best, as he scored 13 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. However, his second half forced him to take four more threes, and he missed them all. He finished the game 1-for-9 from behind the arc.

"I feel like we were getting in the paint and kicking it out because they're a team that obviously tries to pack the paint," head coach Brian Keefe said. "Sometimes you just don't have nights [when] you make them, and tonight was one of those nights."

The issue extends across the entire team. The Wizards are shooting 30.2% from three, which is the third-worst mark in the league. Friday's game against Atlanta was much better from distance, as they shot 52.9% from three, but that's an outlier to this point.

Why are they struggling so much? A big reason is that their top options from three haven't shot well.

Tre Johnson, who was a 40% three-point shooter in college, is shooting 27% from deep through nine games. Saturday was an especially bad showing, as he went 2-for-15 from the field and missed all seven of his threes.

Perhaps he's due for positive regression, but his shot hasn't fallen yet this season.

Washington's point guard has been part of the struggles. Trae Young is shooting 28% from deep to begin his first full season in Washington, which hasn't helped as defenses begin to adjust to how they play him. Young is a career 35% three-point shooter, but he's on pace for the worst statistical shooting season of his career. The Wizards paid a premium for Young to run their offense and provide scoring when they need it. They'll have to hope his shot improves as the season progresses.

Also, one of the main offseason focuses for Bilal Coulilbaly was his re-worked jumper. So far, the results haven't shown. He shot 0-for-4 from deep last night and his percentage from three sits at 16.7%.

The lack of shooting directly correlates with the ways they've been outscored. Washington is being outscored by 9.9 points per game from beyond the arc. Over ten games, that's a 99-point disadvantage.

Interestingly enough, the Wizards' defense has done a mostly solid job of holding opponents to lower percentages from three, but shooting variance from night to night becomes a factor.

Washington has a chance to improve its shooting on Monday when it takes on the Detroit Pistons.