Wizards Barely Pass Midseason Report Card

The Washington Wizards have just moved into the second half of their season, falling to the Los Angeles Lakers 111-88 on Tuesday night in Tinseltown.

The loss brought the Wizards to 6-36 on the season, which is easily the worst record in the NBA.

However, the first half of the season hasn't been a complete failure. According to CBS Sports writer James Herbert, the Wizards should get a "D" on their midseason report card.

"I can't completely crush the Washington Wizards for being this bad," Herbert writes.

"They were built to be bad, and, given the era that preceded this one, that was the right call. I totally get why they drafted Sarr No. 2 overall -- his playmaking is kind of crazy for a 7-footer, and I have to assume that his poor finishing will improve when he gets physically stronger. Imagine the defensive upside of a Sarr-Coulibaly-Flagg frontcourt!"

The Wizards were meant to be bad, so they might as well bottom out for the chance at getting Cooper Flagg, the consensus No. 1 pick in the upcoming NBA Draft.

The Wizards also have a chance to transform their team and get better ahead of the Feb. 6 trade deadline.

"With the trade deadline coming up, though, Washington has to deal with one of the nasty short-term effects of chasing lottery balls: Losing all the time is bad for trade value," Herbert writes.

"Sure, Jordan Poole has been more efficient than last season, but who's trying to trade for the guy who gets the most touches on the team that has the league's worst offense? Kyle Kuzma has taken some heat for turning down a chance to be traded to Dallas last February, but that non-trade doesn't reflect any better on the Wizards' front office, who will likely find a much worse market for Kuzma now that he has .425/.257/.606 shooting splits. Let's see what they can get for Jonas Valanciunas, I guess," he continued.

The Wizards are back in action tomorrow night as they take on the Los Angeles Clippers. Tipoff is scheduled for 10:30 p.m. ET.

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