What’s Missing In The Wizards Starting Lineup?

When the going gets tough, people tend to see their true colors. Many begin to discover who they really are and see what they are made of. This season has been a roller coaster ride for the Washington Wizards. They have been doomed with injuries across the board. Coaching has been a bit of a question mark as well. And to put the cherry on top, their defense has been at the bottom of the league all season.

Since the All Star break, the Wizards have a record of 4-9 and the feeling in the room is that they may be tanking on the rest of the season. In this moment, they can see who they are and what pieces to add next season. They have already begin to do so as they recently signed Xavier Cooks to a contract. Due to injuries, we have seen an expanded role for Corey Kispert.

Corey Kispert post All-Star break:

11.6 ppg
2.8 rpg
56.4% FG/45% 3pt/100% FT
Career-high 25 points vs Philly

Taking a leap in year 2 📈📈📈 pic.twitter.com/JzYfWvqTQT
— Greg Finberg (@GregFinberg) March 20, 2023

Corey Kispert isn’t necessarily an All Star quality player. However, he does a lot of things that are meaningful to winning. In fact, he may be the missing piece to the Wizards starting lineup.

Corey Kispert is the third leading scorer tonight behind Bradley Beal & Kyle Kuzma. The other day I asked Coach Wes Unseld Jr. about Kispert’s consistent reliability off the bench: “He’s been big for us.” @dbltakesports #DCAboveAll #Wizards pic.twitter.com/yQSFx5GQPD
— Carita Parks (@CaritaCParks) March 19, 2023

In the NBA, you want to always put the ball in your best player’s hands. Kispert is a guy who doesn’t need the ball to be effective. As a matter of fact, he does a lot of his damage off the ball as he slashes to the basket and sets screens to free his teammates open for good looks. Despite scoring being up in today’s game, defense is still key to winning basketball games. Corey Kispert isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty. He’s willing to dive on the floor for loose balls. He’s willing to take charges. And he’s willing to do whatever it takes for the Wizards to be successful. The Wizards may want to consider making Corey Kispert a full time starter.