The Washington Wizards’ unbeaten run was over almost as soon as it started, and the second game of the season brought a rough trip through a loss to the new-look Toronto Raptors. The final margin may have suggested a blowout, but Washington stayed in the fight for most of the night. Even so, the gap between these two teams was obvious, and the Wizards still have plenty to clean up before they can match Toronto’s level.
There were bright spots, though, starting with Trae Young carrying the offense whenever he was on the floor. The scoring touch around the rim wasn’t there, but the three-ball started to go down. He finished with 22 points on 40 percent shooting from distance and added 12 assists.
That kind of burden is a big reason the Wizards need a backup point guard to take some of the pressure off Young. A few players have flashed enough to suggest they can help, but others have shown they may never be ready for that role. Young did everything he could to pull this one out, and it still wasn’t enough.
Justin Champagnie was another clear positive. He has looked strong to open the season, and the Wizards need to hang on to him. At this point, you could hand him a blank check and tell him, "State your number."
Champagnie brought energy everywhere: hustle plays, defense, and the kind of impact that helped get Washington back within one point. He looked like a legitimate sixth man in this game and appears ready to be a real winner for the Wizards this season.
Khris Middleton, meanwhile, had a night that only made the rotation questions louder. He played 16 minutes, made just one shot, didn’t do much on the glass, and struggled to keep Scottie Barnes in check. It is getting tougher to justify that kind of workload.
There is no way around where Middleton is in his career now. He is not the player he once was, and that does not erase what he accomplished.
He had a great career and will go down as one of the best Milwaukee Bucks players ever. But at this stage, he is no longer providing the same value, and those minutes should probably go to someone else in the rotation or Will Riley.
Then there was Kyshawn George, who had the kind of game that can unravel fast. Toronto’s defense sped him up and forced mistakes that should not be happening. His entry passes were easy to read, and those turnovers turned into double-digit points for the Raptors in transition.
The scoring was missing too, and once George got stuck in a shooting slump, it seemed to snowball. He started pressing, forcing shots, and that never worked. He needs to reset, study the tape, and figure out how to handle that kind of pressure better.
In Other News...
Wizards Loss To Toronto Exposed A Problem They Still Havent Solved
The Wizards 112-102 loss to Toronto was another reminder that their offense can still get bogged down when a defense takes away the first option and forces the rest of the roster to manufacture clean looks. The Raptors made life difficult throughout, and Washington also came up short on the glass, leaving too many possessions on the table in a game that never really found a rhythm on the Wizards side.
Bub Carrington brought energy and defensive effort off the bench, continuing to carve out a more stable reserve role, but the overall scoring burden was still hard to balance. Anthony Davis also had a tough night, finishing with 9 points on 3-of-12 shooting, and for a team trying to find more reliable answers, nights like this keep exposing the same issue without providing a clear fix. [Read more 🡒]
Wizards Have A Will Riley Problem They Can't Ignore
Will Riley entered his second season with some momentum after a promising rookie year and a strong showing in Summer League, the kind of early rsum that usually earns a young forward a bigger look. Instead, the 21st overall pick from 2025 has found himself on the outside of the rotation to start the season, a wrinkle that stands out even more because Washington is already without its top draft pick.
Head coach Brian Keefe was asked about Rileys limited role after a recent game, and the situation has become hard to ignore for a player the Wizards presumably want to keep developing. When a young forward with his profile is fighting just to find minutes, it raises questions not only about the current lineup decisions, but also about how Washington plans to balance short-term results with the long-term growth of one of its more intriguing recent additions. [Read more 🡒]
Bulls Miss Out On A Debut Fans Wanted To See
The wait for AJ Dybantsas NBA debut will have to continue a little longer. The Wizards announced the No. 1 overall pick will miss their upcoming game against the Bulls because of a left ankle sprain, a setback that has kept him sidelined since Washingtons final preseason game and pushed his absence to three straight games.
For a team that already had plenty of attention on its young centerpiece, the timing is frustrating even if the injury is being treated as day-to-day. Chicago will still have to wait on the debut fans have been circling, while Washington keeps monitoring a situation that remains fluid heading into the next stretch of the schedule. [Read more 🡒]