Wizards Hunting Third Straight Win Against Timberwolves

At 9-24, an outside-looking-in perspective to the Washington Wizards situation suggests a franchise beyond immediate help. For fans, the brutal beginning to the team’s current campaign certainly felt that way.

Yet, having won back-to-back games, finally returning to full health and playing to complete potential (at least to some extent), the Wizards’ outlook has quickly turned heel in the eyes of fans and critics alike. In their next match against the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Wizards will work to secure their third straight win and tip their victory total into the double-digit category.

Though the Wolves, at 22-13 in a spot to compete in the hyper-difficult Western Conference, promise the opposite sort of challenge as the one Washington overcame in their last win over the Nets.

If the Wizards are to pull this one out, it’ll be a result of a real corner being turned by the team; legitimate change, as opposed to a temporary, fleeting winning streak.

Dubssss in The District 😤 pic.twitter.com/xVWUy9FseY
— Washington Wizards (@WashWizards) January 3, 2026

Turning a Corner, For Good

Having at one point posted just three wins to 20+ losses, the Wizards’ current momentum still appears like a potential mirage in the wake of what they had been all season prior to this point. A team perennially stuck in the mud, lost under a second-year head coach and without any answers.

As freshman and sophomore assets develop speedily behind aging veteran pieces sure to be moved in due time, what the aforementioned Coach Keefe had originally envisioned for his current roster seems to be taking full form.

Jan 2, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards guard Tre Johnson (12) takes a shot over Brooklyn Nets forward Jalen Wilson (22) and Brooklyn Nets guard Nolan Traore (88) during the second half at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images | Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

As the year approaches a midway point, it’s time for Keefe and the Wizards to either submit to the rebuild, aim for a draft pick and doze off once more, or, inversely, commit to fighting back and go “all in” on the team as they are now.

Making a Choice

Their incoming battle with the Wolves feels like a nexus for this choice.

Having won six of their last 10 contests, the Wizards are steadily climbing in the Eastern Conference scene. A playoff team? Far from it, but earning more respect than their bottom-of-the-barrel counterparts is enough to set them apart.

One way or another, fans should have their worries quelled. Either the team, as it is now, can be good enough to compete on a regular basis, or, given another offseason and a high draft pick, they’ll take another step in that direction.

A win-win scenario, regardless of whether or not Washington actually manages to win.

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