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Washington Wizards must improve all around with 3-game home stretch

By Randy Porga

TORONTO, ON - NOVEMBER 05: Head Coach Scott Brooks of the the Washington Wizards shouts during the second half of an NBA game against the Toronto Raptors at Air Canada Centre on November 5, 2017 in Toronto, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - NOVEMBER 05: Head Coach Scott Brooks of the the Washington Wizards shouts during the second half of an NBA game against the Toronto Raptors at Air Canada Centre on November 5, 2017 in Toronto, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images) /
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While the Washington Wizards got a crucial win against the Toronto Raptors and currently stand at 5-4, they must find all around improvement in their upcoming three-game home stretch.

The Washington Wizards are giving fans very mixed results coming off of their most successful season in decades in 2016-17.

Last season, the Wizards got off to a much worse start in their first nine games, going 2-7. This time around they’re 5-4, and it may very well be due to an improved bench and Otto Porter Jr. and Bradley Beal putting up some great performances to start the season.

The Wizards were also without Markieff Morris for the first seven games this season and he is still getting back into the pace of his starter minutes. But now the Wizards find themselves in a tough spot very early in the season. The Orlando Magic are making a very surprising and impressive start and at least for now, sit on top of the Southeast Division above Washington.

Here are the Southeast Division standings just nine games into the season:

  1. Orlando Magic: 6-4
  2. Washington Wizards: 5-4
  3. Charlotte Hornets: 5-5
  4. Miami Heat: 4-5
  5. Atlanta Hawks: 2-8

It will likely be repeated a thousand times today and for a few upcoming weeks until we get deeper in the season, but nobody forecasted the Orlando Magic getting off to such a hot start, and the same can be said for the Hornets and Miami Heat.

On paper the Washington Wizards were sure frontrunners to run away with the division for pretty much all season. But now, it appears four of the five teams may jockey back and forth for first place numerous times throughout the 2017-18 season.

Whats the problem with the Washington Wizards?

The Washington Wizards have lost a number of games so far that were blown, or taken lightly. Among those games was an outing against the Los Angeles Lakers at their house, a blown lead to the Golden State Warriors, and an absolutely embarrassing blown lead to the Phoenix Suns who were on the second night of a back-to-back.

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The issue with the Washington Wizards is they haven’t done well in many areas overall as a team while they have been on the road. With the next three games on the Wizards schedule coming at home, this is a perfect time for them to build their confidence and go on a nice winning streak.

For starters, it was important and clutch on its own for the Wizards to come away with a win, snapping a two-game skid and doing so without John Wall for the night.

The next three games should be fairly easy for the Wizards to come out on top, although that seemed to be the case the last time they played the Lakers. They will be hosting first the 1-10 Dallas Mavericks, the 5-5 Los Angeles Lakers (without Larry Nance Jr.) and the 2-8 Atlanta Hawks at the bottom of the Southeast Division.

The problem is the Washington Wizards statistically as a team rank among some of the worst teams in the league.

  • 24th in opponents points per game
  • 24th in 3-point attempts but ninth in 3-point percentage
  • 25th in rebounds and 27th in defensive rebounds
  • 19th in points per game (112.8), 16th in blocks, 13th in steals and 16th in assists.

With the above sample, the Washington Wizards rank in the bottom half of the league in just about every metric despite their stars performing quite well. Their offensive rating of 108.2 ranking them fourth in the league is essentially what has carried them to their 5-4 record, but their 105.5 defensive rating (18th) is the reason for their blown leads and close losses.

Next: 2017-18 Week 4 NBA Power Rankings

A solid home stretch for the Washington Wizards has come at the right time to hopefully give them a boost to their overall record as well as their team metrics across the board.

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