Washington Wizards Will Go As Far as Their Defense Takes Them

The Washington Wizards' defense has essentially been nonexistent, to say the least, for the past 3 years. The Wizards were tanking, the goal was to lose and gain better draft positioning, and one of their primary routes they deployed to get there was to be cones on defense. Last year, the Wizards ranked 30th in defensive rating at 121.5 and 29th in points allowed, surrendering 124.9 points per game.

No matter how much offensive talent the Wizards possess, they will not take a meaningful step toward playoff contention unless those numbers improve. The Wizards don’t need to suddenly transform into the Bad Boy Pistons overnight, but it cannot remain near the bottom of the league.

Simply put, the Wizards will go as far as their defense takes them.

The biggest reason for optimism is obvious, the Wizards now have one of the greatest defensive players of his generation on their squad. Boom, I told you it would be obvious.

Anthony Davis averaged 1.6 blocks per game last season and remains an elite defensive presence when healthy. Davis protects the rim, controls the defensive glass, switches onto smaller players and serves as another back line defensive anchor Washington desperately lacked last season.

He can also erase some of the mistakes that inevitably come with playing young guards and wings, like the Wizards will next season. The Wizards perimeter defenders can afford to be more aggressive when they know Davis is positioned behind them to challenge drives.

Davis also brings intelligence and communication. His presence alone should demand defensive effort from the young Wizards core who haven’t been accustomed to playing consistent quality defense in the NBA. Those qualities are especially important for one of the NBA’s youngest rosters. A healthy Davis is the single biggest reason to expect the Wizards defense to improve.

The addition of Steve Clifford as a coaching advisor could be almost as important. Clifford has had multiple dramatic defensive turnarounds throughout his coaching career. Before he took over Charlotte in 2013, the Bobcats ranked 30th in defensive rating. During his first season, Charlotte jumped into the top five defensively, improved by 22 wins and reached the playoffs.

He accomplished something similar in Orlando. The Magic ranked 18th defensively during the season before Clifford arrived. In 2018–19, his first season as head coach, Orlando improved to the eighth best defensive team in the NBA.

Clifford’s defensive philosophy is built around discipline, something that the Wizards desperately need. His teams prioritize protecting the paint, limiting transition opportunities, and finishing possessions with rebounds. He is even willing to sacrifice offensive rebounding opportunities to ensure that enough defenders remain behind the ball. This was especially evident during Clifford’s first season in Charlotte in 2013, as the Bobcats allowed the fewest fast break points in the NBA that year.

Lastly, Phoenix last year had another defensive turnaround partly due in part to Clifford who served as a coaching advisor (same position that he will have with the Wizards) for them. The Suns finished 10th in defensive rating in 2025–26 and dramatically improved their playoff aspirations. He obviously shouldn’t receive all the credit for that improvement, but his presence added another positive result to his defensive resume.

Alex Sarr’s development provides another major reason for optimism. Sarr recorded 95 blocks in only 48 games, averaging approximately two blocks per game. He has already established himself as an elite rim protector, and his combination of length and mobility gives him the potential to become one of the NBA’s most versatile defensive big men.

Playing Sarr alongside Davis could create one of the league’s most intriguing defensive frontcourts. They both offer different types of rim protection. Davis supplies physicality, experience and elite defensive instincts. Sarr brings length, mobility and the ability to recover quickly after helping away from his assignment.

Sarr can step higher up the floor, switch onto forwards and occasionally contain guards on the perimeter. That would allow Davis to operate as a roamer and provide help around the basket. On other possessions, Davis can defend the opposing center while Sarr becomes the secondary shot blocker coming from the weak side. The opposing team might beat the initial defender, but scoring over both Davis and Sarr would be an entirely different challenge. Good luck.

The Wizards can also trot out some enormous lineups. A potential group featuring Will Riley, Bilal Coulibaly, Kyshawn George, Davis and Sarr would have no traditional small guard on the floor. Nearly every player would stand at least 6-foot-7, giving Washington the length to switch, contest passing lanes and challenge shots from multiple positions.

Coulibaly already possesses the physical tools and ability to guard opposing primary ball handlers, while George’s size and versatility allow him to defend several positions. Not every tall lineup is automatically a good defensive lineup. Those players must still communicate, navigate screens and understand their rotations. However, Washington now possesses the physical tools to deploy a tall lineup that should pester the opposing due to their length and size.

Washington’s defense will not truly improve unless it starts finishing possessions. The Wizards ranked 26th in total rebounding and 27th in defensive rebounding last season. They also finished with a 47.1 percent overall rebound rate. Those numbers repeatedly allowed opponents to grab offensive rebounds and generate second chance points, over and over again. It was a consistent repeating cycle that has plagued the Wizards the previous 3 years. 

Every defensive rebound ends a possession. Washington does not necessarily have to force more turnovers to improve defensively if it can simply prevent opponents from getting multiple opportunities.

That is another area where Davis should immediately help. He remains one of the NBA’s best defensive rebounders, while Sarr averaged 7.4 rebounds per game despite still needing to add strength. The Deandre Ayton acquisition should also help improve the Wizards defensive rebounding capabilities as he has consistently ranked in the 87th percentile or higher in defensive rebounds per game.  

The Wizards are unlikely to jump from 30th to first in defensive rating in a single season. The realistic goal should be climbing toward the middle of the league. If Washington can move from 30th into the 15th to 20th range, that alone could completely change the direction of its season, considering the offense will be engineered by one of the best floor generals in Trae Young along with one of the best shot creators to come out the draft in recent memory in AJ Dybantsa.

Their playoff hopes will ultimately depend on whether those defensive pieces come together, becaåuse this Wizards team will go as far as their improved defense takes it.