Washington Wizards display fast pace in opener; 3 takeaways
By Leo Versel
2. Relying less on 3-point shooting
In the 2018-19 regular season, the Washington Wizards players averaged 41 3-point attempts per game, ranking fourth in the league. However, the Wizards only made 11 3-point shots per game, placing them 12th in league.
The reason I refer to the Wizards’ performance last season is because their team 3-point shooting against Dallas closely mirrored these statistics. The new Wizards group converted exactly 11 3s on a total of 41 attempts during their matchup with the Mavericks.
A long-standing basketball adage is that teams capable of making multiple 3-pointers will “live and die by the 3” if they decide to take too many during a game. The Wizards lived up to the second verb in this saying, unfortunately, as they scored less than 27 percent of their 3-point attempts.
It’s important to note that the Mavericks did not fare better beyond the arc, combining for 11 made 3-point shots as well. The differences between both teams were the Mavericks attempting 33 free throws compared to the Wizards’ 18 and Dallas driving through the lane more effectively than Washington.
Withstanding the Wizards’ challenges with 3-point shooting overall, two players showed skill in this area: Moritz Wagner and Chris Chiozza.
Wagner, beginning his second NBA season, scored three of his four attempts from 3-point range and was a bright spot for Washington. He had the highest plus-minus rating of any Wizard for the game, plus-5. However, Wagner also fouled out before the game ended and committed a team-high of five turnovers, some on hasty traveling violations.
Chiozza, who signed a two-way contract with the Wizards on Oct. 21, went 2-for-3 from beyond the arc. He had the second-best 3-point efficiency for any Washington player. The former Houston Rocket also contributed three rebounds, three assists, one steal and a block to the team.
If the Wizards seek to win moving forward, they will need to sharpen their 3-point shooting accuracy or decide to take more shots in the paint and at the rim. With Beal going 1-for-11 from 3 against Dallas, it’s clear there’s an issue for the team in this department.