Randy Wittman Not To Blame For Wizards’ Skid
Washington Wizards players must be able to motivate themselves, and not put the blame solely on Randy Wittman’s shoulders.
The Washington Wizards are starting to see their chances at a playoff berth take a significant turn for the worse. Turnovers are piling up, they are not playing defense and the have no identity in their half-court offense. Usually during times like this, the coach would be the one getting all of the blame for the problems going on with the team.
But I’m here to defend Randy Wittman and say that he is not the root of the Wizards’ problems.
Another loss was handed to the Wizards Thursday as they failed to close out against the Denver Nuggets 117-113. It was their fourth loss in five games at the Verizon Center. This prompted the players to have a players-only meeting to discuss why they have been struggling as of late.
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The trend of this season seems to be to deflect blame on a coach when their recent playoff team doesn’t meet or exceed the expectations they’ve reached a season ago. Kevin McHale and David Blatt were recent coaches to get the axe for not being able to inspire their respective teams.
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The Wizards are 11th in the Eastern Conference with a 20-24 record. Players need to start looking in the mirror to find answers for their woes. According to Joseph Casciaro of The Score, the Wizards can’t make excuses because of injuries either.
“All these guys are here for a reason. Opportunities arise through injuries,” Wittman said.
Turnovers have plagued the team during their losses. According to NBA.com, the Wizards are averaging 16.3 turnovers during their last three games. Taking care of the ball is crucial, especially during a playoff run, because that will create easy points for the other team. They are also allowing teams to average 113 points per game during their losing streak.
They must be able to stop teams in a half-court set in order to have a chance at winning again. They also can’t continue to put the load on All-Star John Wall. However, if there is one silver lining to their play, it is their ability to turn their opponents’ turnovers into instant offense.
The Wizards have averaged 23 fast-break points in their last three games, showing that they can run the break as well as teams like the Golden State Warriors.
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Wittman can only do so much to instill confidence and inspire his team to play better for the second half of the season. If the Wizards want to get out of this funk, each player must look at themselves and bring a greater effort to the court.