The Washington Wizards have played two games since the blockbuster trade for an injured Trae Young, leaving the team without a primary guard after giving up CJ McCollum. While the trade could be considered a win in the long run for Washington, their recent outings prove their offense may be a tough watch for the rest of the year.
Wizards Have An Obvious Offensive Issue Without CJ McCollum
McCollum was not only the Wizards’ primary ball handler, but the “guy” for Washington. Playing the second-most minutes per contest, he averaged the most points (18.8), third-most assists, and had one of the lowest turnover percentages on the team (9.2). Without him, Washington’s offense has looked bad to say the least. Two things have stood out immensely with McCollum’s exit: turnovers and scoring.
Turnover Plague
With McCollum, Washington had a great ball-handler and decent playmaker out of the backcourt. Keeping Bub Carrington and Tre Johnson was great, but the team lost their best scorer and primary playmaker. To say the team has struggled in keeping the ball is an understatement.
Now, understand one thing. The Wizards aren’t a great club at keeping position. They ranked 23rd in turovers a game, even with McCollum; however, the last two games have been even worse. Washington had a combined for 41 turnovers across the pair of contests.
Against the Suns, who rank fifth in defensive rating this season, it’s expected to see some unorganized play; teams all around the league have struggled against them. The 22 turnovers are a surprise, but the team is trying to find its identity without McCollum. Against the Pelicans, again, there should be some slack. They rank seventh in steals per game, but 19 turnovers against a team with a bottom-five defensive rating should turn some heads.
It’s understandable to a certain extent. The team lost its go-to player and is trying to figure things out. However, while the tank stands to benefit from bad outings, can the young players figure it out?
Scoring Problems
Understandably, when teams turn the ball over consistently, scoring will be an issue. Additionally, without McCollum last season, Washington was a bottom-five offense in almost every category. Now, through two games, the Wizards may be trending toward last season’s form.
The Pelicans game wasn’t too bad, scoring 107 points with team percentages near average, albeit against a weaker opponent. Diving into the Suns’ game, other problems emerge. The Wizards scored under 100 points for the first time in 12 games and only the fourth time all season. Washington shot 39.5% from the field, under their season average of 46.1%, with an abysmal 7-30 from three.
In their first game against the Suns with McCollum, the Wizards still lost, but played a decent game. They kept the contest close throughout the fourth until Phoenix broke away. They scored 101, shooting 46% from the field and 41% from three.
The Last Word
With the Pelicans and Suns being on opposite ends of the league defensively, the scoring could even out. The Wizards played alright against New Orleans if you take out their horrid ball management. That being said, the turnovers must be addressed if Washington wants to keep the hype they’ve surrounded themselves with after the trade. It’s not about winning games right now; it’s about keeping the league on notice until next season and attracting another big name.
© Geoff Burke-Imagn Images