10-game checkup: Wizards are better but the numbers contain some warnings

This season’s Washington Wizards are better than the previous editions. They’re 4-6, the vets have been good, a couple young guys look close to being good-to-really-good, and with the exception of the absolute dud against Oklahoma City, they’ve been fun to watch this season.

“The vets” in this case refers to Anthony Davis and Trae Young. While I have quibbles with how each of them are playing, it’s more in the realm of nitpicking than major critiques. They’ve both been about as good as the Wizards could have reasonably expected.

Anthony Davis has anchored the Wizards’ improved defense this season. | NBAE via Getty Images

Davis has anchored an improved defense — upgraded as much by his stellar communication as his rim protection capabilities. When he’s on the floor, the team seems well organized and solid on the defensive end. In the two games he’s missed, the Wizards defense essentially collapsed. That could partly be due to a step up in opponent quality, but I suspect not having Davis on the back line calling out actions is a big reason why.

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Note: this is not a criticism directed at Alex Sarr, who has at times reminded me of Davis — in terms of positioning and movement — or even of Deandre Ayton. To say they’re not as good as Davis at communicating on defense feels the stuff of Captain Obvious. Davis is an all-time defender, who has excelled at that aspect of a big man’s defensive chores. In the case of Sarr, he’s getting a crash course in being great on defense, and he has appeared more vocal than he was in previous seasons when Davis has been off the floor.

With Davis, my chief concern (aside from health) is on the offensive end, and it’s really more about how they’re using him than it is about Davis himself. Specifically, Davis leads the NBA in post-ups, and a hot game on the block got him all the way to 47th percentile in efficiency. The last time Davis was above average in post-up efficiency was 2023-24.

While I think it’s possible to have a high-efficiency offense that leans heavily on a big man posting up — yes, even in this economy — I think that big man needs to be both efficient at…

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Publish date : 2026-11-09 12:00:00

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