Basketball has started to feel lively again in Washington, and the Wizards are trying to ride that wave into a playoff push. The energy around the team is real. The results, though, are being dragged down by two problems that have already shown up in the early going: rebounding and shooting.
The rebound issue is the one that jumps off the page first. Washington has not finished in the top half of the league in rebounds per game since the rebuild began in 2023, and that history is showing up again.
Through four games, the Wizards are pulling down 43.3 rebounds a night, which places them 18th overall. But the deeper numbers paint a rougher picture.
They are giving up 15.3 offensive rebounds per game, third-worst in the league, and that’s leading directly to easy extra chances for opponents.
That’s a big reason the Wizards recently fell to the Charlotte Hornets. Washington is allowing 20.8 second-chance points per game, the fifth-worst mark in the league, and that kind of damage is hard to survive no matter how solid the rest of the defense looks.
The frustrating part is that rebounding should be fixable. It comes down to effort and physicality, and this roster is big enough to be better than this.
Justin Champagnie has been Washington’s best rebounder, and he’s also one of the shorter players on the team. He gets it done because he brings physicality every time the ball goes up.
The rest of the roster needs to match that approach.
The other issue has been the three-point line, where Washington has opened the season at just 29.4 percent, fourth-worst in the league. That’s a sharp drop from last season, when the Wizards hit nearly 36 percent of their threes and were average in that area.
What makes the shooting slump more alarming is that it’s not coming from forced looks. Some of the team’s better shooters are simply missing shots they normally make.
Kyshawn George has struggled badly from distance, shooting below 25 percent on nearly five attempts per game. Tre Johnson has also had a rough start, connecting on just 33.3 percent of his threes.
Johnson was expected to be one of the team’s best long-range threats, the kind of player who could shoot from anywhere. That has shown up only once so far this season. He posted 20 points off the bench against the Raptors, going 7-for-14 from the field and 4-for-8 from three.
There’s enough there to see why Washington has only two wins instead of four. The defense has been good enough to keep the Wizards in games, but the missed threes and the lost rebounds have been the difference between hanging around and breaking through. If those two areas tighten up, the start of this season could look a lot different.
In Other News...
Wizards Get A First Real Glimpse Of Their Future In Cleveland
The Wizards head into Cleveland at 2-2, still early enough in the season that every rotation tweak feels like part of the evaluation process. One of those tweaks comes with Justin Champagnie sidelined by a right foot injury, leaving Washington a little thinner as it continues sorting out roles and looking for a steadier rhythm.
More importantly for the franchises bigger picture, AJ Dybantsa is expected to take the floor and give Washington its first real in-game look at the top pick from the recent draft. After sitting out the first four games, his debut adds another layer of intrigue to a trip that already carries some weight for a young roster trying to establish what comes next. [Read more 🡒]
AJ Dybantsa Puts Wizards Spotlight Squarely On Cavs Game
AJ Dybantsas next step is at least on the board for Washington, even if it is far from certain. The Wizards rookie is listed as questionable for the upcoming matchup with the Cavaliers after sitting out the first four games of the season, leaving the club to keep one eye on his status as tipoff gets closer.
The injury traces back to the preseason, when Dybantsa went down with a left ankle sprain and has yet to make his regular-season debut. Washington has not said whether he will be available against Cleveland, so his condition will be monitored closely before the game. [Read more 🡒]
Cavs Face Two Pressure Points In A Big Rocket Arena Test
The Cavaliers and Wizards are set for a 7:00 p.m. ET meeting at Rocket Arena, and the matchup brings a familiar layer of intrigue for Washington beyond the standings. Cleveland has been leaning on Donovan Mitchell and trying to sort through a couple of pressure points, while the Wizards come in with a chance to measure themselves against one of the leagues more complete teams in a building where the margin for error tends to shrink quickly.
For Washington, the frontcourt piece is especially worth watching because Anthony Davis is available and still settling into his role after the deadline deal that brought him to the Wizards last season. Cleveland has its own interior test waiting in Evan Mobley, who has been productive early and has the kind of game that can tilt the night if he gets rolling again. Pair that with Trae Youngs strong start to the season in the broader conversation around the East, and this one has enough star power to feel bigger than a midweek stop on the schedule. [Read more 🡒]