Inside The Wizards

The Critical Piece Missing On Wizards Roster

Believe it or Not the Wizards miss Delon Wright
Candi Waller|
The Critical Piece Missing On Wizards Roster
The Critical Piece Missing On Wizards Roster

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Washington Wizards

Believe it or not, the Wizards do have a veteran defensive skillset on their roster. It’s Delon Wright.

You may be thinking why we are discussing Delon Wright when he’s injured and going to be out for potentially the next six weeks.

Delon Wright Expected To Miss 4-6 Weeks

Defense is an area that this team clearly struggles in without another big man center to help protect the rim. Delon Wright’s defensive capability, however, would still be extremely beneficial without the backup center the Wizards seem to need.

This season already had the makings of a tough one. The Wizards are in a rebuild and the team’s leadership has been transparent about that. However, if we take a good look at who the Wizards decided to keep around, amidst all the trades this offseason Delon Wright is still here. 

Wright was repeatedly mentioned all throughout last year as the key piece missing on defense while he was injured. Former Wizards General Manager Tommy Sheppard mentioned in his 2022-2023 end of season press conference that the 46 games the team was without Delon Wright was where the season took a turn. His defensive abilities were needed last season, and they are certainly needed now.

With a coaching staff that is focused on player development, could the Delon Wright injury be an opportunity to ignite another defensive skillset on this roster?

Could this be a prime chance to enhance Bilal Coulibaly on the defensive side of the ball? He’s already showing that the skillset is there.

Coulibaly’s keen awareness of where the ball is and fearlessness could be developed even further in the hopes that he can be that defensive support as well on the team.

Player development will be key to assess this coaching staff. While not having Delon Wright currently is a hit to the team, perhaps this is the moment for Bilal Coulibaly to further grow defensively. 

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Candi Waller
CANDI WALLER

Candi Waller also known as "CWall" is the Founder and CEO of CWall® Sports & Entertainment, President of the CWall Foundation, Inc, the Managing Publisher of the Fan Nation Inside the Wizards site, and President of Bowie Television. A native of Gorgeous Prince George's County, Maryland, Candi has been an authentic lover of all sports since her childhood. She was such a sports fan at an early age that she notes one of her favorite childhood shows as the legendary "George Michael Sports Machine". Candi holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Hampton University, Master of Arts in Human Resource Development from The George Washington University and a certificate in Sports Industry Essentials from Columbia University.  Prior to and during her work in the sports industry, Candi has established her identity as a results-driven, relationship building advocate and professional with extensive years of experience leading and implementing successful strategic change, communications, and stakeholder engagement programs across geographically dispersed organizations. She’s worked across Big Four and Government Trusted Advisor consulting firms such as IBM, Deloitte, and the MITRE Corporation. She is an active member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, Women in Sports & Events (WISE), the National Press Club (NPC), the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ), the Prince George’s County Chamber of Commerce and is an ambassador for the National Museum of African American History and Culture. In terms of what she likes to do for fun, that’s just it…anything that is considered fun, she’s all for it! She’s very close to her parents, brother, and sister, and has a host of nieces, nephews, and godchildren. 

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