Five questions ahead of Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Washington Wizards

The Cleveland Cavaliers are gearing up for a game against the Washington Wizards as a result of their premature NBA Cup elimination.

To learn more about the Cavs' upcoming opponent, we spoke with Washington Wizards On SI contributor Henry Brown.

What's been up with the Wizards so far this season?

The Wizards aren't overly interested in winning as many games as they possibly can this season, as they're keeping their eyes on their first-round pick that'll be owed to the New York Knicks if they fall out of the top-eight of the 2026 NBA Draft order.

The three wins they've accumulated in 22 tries is a league-low, and though the process hasn't been pretty, this is more or less what the front office expected out of this development-oriented roster and situation.

What's the biggest difference between the Wizards from last year and this year?

The biggest difference in the Wizards between seasons lies in the ongoing shift to Washington's younger generation of players, with Alex Sarr and Kyshawn George demanding more touches than ever before.

They still need a point guard to take some of the ball-handling pressure off of George and feed Sarr in the post and on the roll, but it's growing increasingly-clear which players are worth building around long-term.

Washington Wizards center Alex Sarr holds the ball as Atlanta Hawks forward Jacob Toppin defends | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

What's something people should know about the Wizards that cannot be found in a box score?

Sarr is already one of the best defensive anchors in the game, but the Wizards's assortment of inattentive perimeter defenders have doomed the franchise to the league's worst defensive rating even with the man in the middle.

They're even more lost without one of the best helpers and shot-blockers around as he tends to adductor soreness, and this team has very little hope of contending with a front court as active on the glass and on the block as the Cleveland Cavaliers.

If the Wizards were to win, what would be the reason why?

Besides hoping for a Sarr return, the Wizards would need to win the shooting battle. Cleveland takes a league-high 44 threes every night, and though the Wizards' offense ranks about as well as their defense, they're more accurate from outside by several percentage points.

Should wing defenders like George and Justin Champagnie force enough spirited contests while knocking down shots of their own, the Wizards have a shot at hanging around.

What's your prediction for the game?

The Wizards just don't have much of a chance in this one, as most Washington fans figured out in a 148-115 bludgeoning last month. They can be frisky for the first half, but they wouldn't have much of a chance at actually winning if they were fully-staffed and healthy, which they aren't.

I'm assuming this will be a get-right game for the unusually-rocky Cavs that'll produce a similarly-lopsided ending to their last matchup, 129-106.