Toughest Opposing Players For the Wizards’ Next Three Games
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The Basketball gods have not been with the Washington Wizards as of late this season. Injuries have been a factor. Bradley Beal is currently in covid health and safety protocols. Corey Kispert has missed some time. Delon Wright will miss at least the next two - three weeks as well as he is recovering froma hamstring injury. The Wizards just can’t seem to catch a break there.
Washington started the season off fairly well at 3-1. They caught some breaks throughout that duration. Myles Turner of the Indiana Pacers didn’t play as he got hurt right before tipoff. Zach LaVine of the Chicago Bulls was on a load management treatment with his knee. And Darius Garland of the Cleveland Cavalier missed the game as well as he had a laceration on the inside of his eyelid.
After a hot start, the Wizards have been on the losing end of five of their last seven games. To make matters worst, they are hitting a very tough point in their schedule. Their next three games are at home against the Mavericks, Jazz, and Grizzlies.
Of course, Luka Doncic is no easy task. But the Mavericks have acquired some other talent this offseason. Luka’s ability to get everyone involved makes the entire team a threat. Any player on this Mavs team could be in store for a big night.
Their game vs. the Jazz Saturday night should be a rather interesting one. Many people suspected the Utah Jazz would be tanking this season. Instead, they currently find themselves in 1st Place in the Western Conference.
Yes, I said that correctly. That was not a typo.
How are the Jazz doing this? They’re scoring a lot of points. The Jazz currently rank second in the NBA in points per game. Utah has six players averaging double figures in points per game. Lauri Markkanen has led the way with 22 PPG. He was acquired in the Donovan Mitchell trade and looks like an Allstar this season. Jordan Clarkson and Colin Sexton have been impressive too. Many were think the best years of Sexton were behind him but that turned out to be false. The Jazz are playing good basketball and I don’t see that changing anytime soon.
The Wizards will play the Memphis Grizzlies again this upcoming Sunday. We already know them fairly well. That backcourt of Ja Morant and Desmond Bane may be a top five backcourt in the entire NBA. The scary thing is they’re only getting better over time. Ja is shaping up to be a strong contender for this season’s MVP as he has been on a mission early on.
These next few games will be tough and are extremely critical for the Wizards to win. Washington is currently 5-6 and rank 9th in the East. The Wizards need to stay afloat and try to remain at .500 as best as they can until their schedule lightens up a bit.
Kyle Kuzma racing down court on a fastbreak - USA Today
