Washington Wizards: 3 takeaways from their first loss of the season

2. Frontcourt depth takes another hit

The Washington Wizards frontcourt has taken another hit as backup big man Ian Mahinmi is nursing an ankle injury. Mahinmi exited the game after seven minutes of playing time and never returned to the game.

He had two points, two rebounds and a monster block on a Kyle Kuzma dunk attempt in his short stint. Head coach Scott Brooks used forward Mike Scott to replace Mahinimi’s presence but it didn’t quite go in a positive direction.

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Scott finished with four points and eight rebounds on 2-of-10 shooting, 0-for-2 from 3-point range in 25 minutes of play.

His plus/minus of -6 was one eyesore for the bench. They were outscored 36-21 by the Lakers bench. The Los Angeles frontcourt as a whole outscored the Wizards’ 74-40 in the end.

Jason Smith was available in the game and did play roughly seven minutes, but a majority of his playing time came in the second half. Smith’s contributions of two points and two rebounds weren’t enough in the end. Scott Brooks should look to use him more in the rotation after seeing Porter foul out last night.