Knicks rout highlights glaring defensive gaps. Young Wizards struggle to contain top offenses, revealing extensive team defense work ahead for competitive play.
The Washington Wizards have struggled on defense throughout their rebuild. It's not a coincidence. Young players are typically not advanced enough in their careers to excel on that end of the floor. With losses paramount for the Wizards to keep their first-round pick this year, poor defense is an easy way to get there.
In Washington's 132-101 loss to the New York Knicks, it revealed plenty of work to do on defense before they're ready to compete with the league's top offenses. The Wizards trailed by as much as 41 in one of their more non-competitive losses of the year.
"We didn't play to our standard," Wizards head coach Brian Keefe said. "We've been playing good basketball here for a long time. We didn't have the necessary execution on our defensive end."
Keefe has said many times throughout the year that he wants his young players to be able to hang their hats on defense on nights where the offense struggles. Some nights reveal some progress on defense, many look similar to last night.
Washington's 120 defensive rating is second-worst in the NBA, just behind the Utah Jazz. Recently, they've been slightly better, but not by a substantial amount. Its 117.1 defensive rating is sixth-worst in the league.
In Washington's 13 wins this season, its average defensive rating is 107.7, tied for 14th best in the league. In losses, the rating drops to 124.5, a substantial difference.
"We didn't impact the game with the level of force we've been showing," Keefe said.
The Wizards had a 12-game stretch where they won seven games. In that span, they were a top-15 team in the league in defensive rating. Although the team defense struggles are apparent, the Wizards have some individual bright spots.
The Wizards average 6 blocks a night, good for second-best in the entire league. Additionally, the Wizards are second in the NBA in isolation defense, allowing 0.81 points per possession. Bilal Coulibaly, Kyshawn George, and even Alex Sarr, stand out as defenders who have flashed on-ball.
One area Washington's struggles have revealed itself all season is in transition. The Knicks shot 45% from three on Tuesday, with many of the looks on odd-man breaks.
The Wizards have reached a point in the NBA season where they'll likely prioritize playing their young players. With that, defensive struggles might continue. It goes without saying they'll need to make plenty of progress in team defense to see a jump in wins next season.