Jordan Poole 0 points, Wizards With Nine Turnovers At The Half
There are plenty of critiques early on for the Wizards this game. However, first let’s focus on the bright spot that is Bilal Coulibaly.
Coulibaly continues to impress and show the flashes of exactly why this team’s leadership drafted him. His defensive savvy, if continued to be developed and enhanced will be a force to reckoned with. See example below.
Coulibaly displays a fearlessness defending some of the top players in the NBA. Hopefully the team continues to cultivate that energy.
Now onto the challenges with the first half.
The New York Knicks have been in the lead for the entire half; leading by as much as 21 It still feels like the Wizards are down by 21 but they’ve been able to get within 11 points of the Knicks.
Both teams are about even with their field goal percentages, however the Knicks are shooting 56% from three-point range while the Wizards are at 36%.
The Wizards have been careless with the basketball which have resulted in nine turnovers. The mental lapses before the play can even develop is on full display.
Deni Avdija leads all scorers with 14. Kyle Kuzma has 12 points. Jordan Poole hasn’t been able to get going as some of the turnovers were on him. If he can get things started up, his contributions will be beneficial to getting the Wizards into this game.
If the Wizards can get going offensively and keep the Knicks from shooting the three pointers, they could make the game interesting. It’s not completely out of reach, but keeping the turnover ratio down and rebounding numbers up will be key.
