Turnovers cripple the Wizards' offense post-McCollum. Watch how their backcourt struggles, fueling questions about their future.
Turnovers have been an issue all year for the Washington Wizards. Their 15.9 per night mark is the second-worst in the NBA right behind the Trail Blazers. The Suns' 112-93 drubbing of the Wizards is the latest example of Washington's struggles since CJ McCollum was traded.
Trae Young currently sits with an MCL sprain and a quad contusion, so Washington chooses to remain cautious with its new point guard.
Washington turned it over 22 times against Phoenix, leading to an easy 20 points off turnovers. McCollum was by no means a true point guard for Washington, but he provided some much-needed stability.
Washington's starting backcourt the last three nights consists of Tre Johnson and Bilal Coulibaly. Neither of which are viable options to run an offense at this point in their career. Kyshawn George serves as the team's de-facto point guard ---like he has all year -- but he's struggled mightily to limit turnovers. George turned it over 6 times in the loss.
Despite the struggles to initiate offensively for Washington, Alex Sarr has found ways to carry some weight on both ends. Sarr finished with 19 points on 7-15 from the field. It's easy to understand why Washington sounds enthralled with a future Young and Sarr connection.
In the meantime, the Wizards' last three games have seen the boast an NBA-worst 1.17 Ast/TO ratio. Additionally, their offensive rating dips to 98.7 over that span, 11 points worse than their season average.
Washington averages 21.3 turnovers per game in the same span. With the offense discombobulated, it's made it more difficult for Washington's wings to get it going. Bub Carrington has come off the bench, but he ended up playing the most minutes last night.
The need for a point guard has been the theme of the season, and with Washington operating like a team that needs to protect its first-round pick, it makes sense. During this process, Washington can continue to give Carrington as many opportunities as possible.
Carrington dished out seven assist compared to just one turnover last night, so that's something the Wizards can build on. As Young recovers from injury, Washington's offensive production becomes an interesting story to follow.
The Wizards are back on the court on Wednesday when they continue their four-game road trip against the Los Angeles Clippers.