The Wizards’ frontcourt experiment hasn’t clicked yet, and the numbers tell the story.
Through 10 games, Washington’s pairing of Anthony Davis and Alex Sarr has been a rough fit, even if the idea made sense on paper. Davis brings scoring and rebounding.
Sarr adds passing and shooting. Both have the kind of defensive instincts and tools that should help anchor the middle.
Instead, the Wizards are 4-6, and when both bigs share the floor, Washington has managed just a 106.9 offensive rating while shooting 28.8% from three.
The offense has looked much better with Davis playing without Sarr, and it has also improved, though not as dramatically, when Sarr is out there without Davis. Sarr’s best game of the season came against the Thunder, and Davis did not play in that one.
There’s also been a wrinkle that doesn’t help the case for the young big man: the offense has run better with Deandre Ayton on the floor than it has with Sarr. That said, Sarr missed part of the early season and may still be settling into a very different Wizards setup than the one he had last year.
Elsewhere in the Southeast, Desmond Bane’s run of availability with the Magic hit a snag on Saturday. He was a late scratch in Orlando’s overtime loss to the Warriors because of an illness, ending his streak of appearing in every game since the June 2025 trade that brought him to the team. Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel noted that Bane entered the night tied for 17th in minutes per game, and he’s averaging 17.5 points and 3.9 rebounds while shooting 36.8% from deep this season.
In Miami, rookie second-round pick Ryan Conwell has gone from limited minutes to a real bench role in a hurry. Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald reported that Conwell averaged just 10.3 minutes over the Heat’s first nine games, but he has already logged about 46 minutes across the last two.
He scored 13 points and added three steals in nearly 30 minutes during Thursday’s loss to the Warriors. “It’s a blessing just to be in this position,” Conwell said.
“To be on this team and then just have the opportunity just to be on the floor. I mean, I just never want to take it for granted.
And that’s really just my mindset every time I get out there. Just make the most of every minute that I can and just play as hard as I can.”
Erik Spoelstra backed up the increased responsibility with a blunt assessment. “He earned it,” Spoelstra said.
“It wasn’t something that was for any other reason. What we want from our guys right now is impact the game, impact the scoreboard, make us have to play you and stack up a bunch of positives in the rotation.
That’s what we need right now.”
The Hawks, meanwhile, have steadied themselves after a demanding opening stretch. Atlanta has won five of its last six and sits 7-4 after an 11-game start that included six road games and seven games in 11 days.
Lauren J. Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution wrote that the frontcourt was tested during that span, and the team has posted a 14th-ranked offense and 18th-ranked defense so far.
Quin Snyder said, “I love that we’ve won a couple in a row, but I’m also, it’s early in the year, and we just want to keep getting better,” coach Quin Snyder said. “We do that and win at the same time; that’s the best scenario.
So I feel like having a chance to play a really difficult schedule to learn from some of those games.”
In Other News...
Wizards Blowout Loss Revives A Frustrating Question About This Roster
The Wizards lopsided loss to the Thunder did more than add another mark in the wrong column. It revived a familiar concern about this roster: when the game tilts against Washington, too many of the same problems show up at once. Oklahoma City was shorthanded, but the Wizards still struggled to find any sort of steady offensive rhythm, and several of the younger pieces who are supposed to help shape the future had uneven nights.
There were a few bright spots worth noting, with Alex Sarr and Bub Carrington each showing signs of life, but the broader issue remains consistency. Washington cannot afford to have too many players disappear in the same game, especially when the margin for error is already thin. If the Wizards are going to turn this into something more sustainable, they need more nights where the supporting cast looks dependable, not just promising in flashes. [Read more 🡒]
Wizards Face A Real Anthony Davis Decision As Lakers Talk Builds
The Wizards are staring at one of the more consequential roster calls on their calendar, with Anthony Davis now in the final guaranteed season of his contract and the front office weighing whether to keep building around him or move him before the deadline. Any decision carries real weight for Washington, which has to balance Davis star-level impact against the risk that waiting too long could leave the team with less leverage if the market shifts.
The Lakers chatter only adds another layer, but the fit is far from simple. Salary cap rules and Los Angeles limited trade inventory make a clean deal difficult to construct, which is why Washington has to think carefully about whether there is a path to a meaningful return at all. For a team trying to stay competitive, the question is not just whether Davis is available, but whether the Wizards can actually get enough back to justify making him available. [Read more 🡒]
Wizards Suddenly Look Exposed Without Anthony Davis
Anthony Davis has been out for the last two Wizards games with a sprained ankle, and the difference has been hard to miss. Washington dropped both contests, looking far less balanced on both ends as the offense bogged down and the defense had trouble keeping pace.
The skid has left the Wizards at 4-6 and underscored how much they still lean on Davis to steady them in the Eastern Conference race. Without him, the margin for error shrinks quickly, and the team has already shown how costly that can be when the scoring dries up and the stops disappear. [Read more 🡒]