Wizards Veteran Takes Responsibility For Bad Losses

The Washington Wizards have not been good as of late.

Jan 8, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Washington Wizards forward Corey Kispert (24) drives for a shot past Philadelphia 76ers forward Guerschon Yabusele (28)during the second quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

The Washington Wizards have been on the wrong end of some bad losses as of late, and head coach Brian Keefe is beginning to point the finger at the players.

While that sounds a little bit harsh, veteran guard Corey Kispert actually agrees with his coach.

“We deserve to be criticized by [Keefe],” Kispert said h/t Hoops Wire insider Sam Amico. “This one is definitely on us as players. Credit to him. He takes a lot of criticism and deflects a lot of praise. And oftentimes that’s not fair because we play and he doesn’t, and it’s our job to be way, way better than we were tonight.”

The comments came after the Wizards' 41-point loss against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday. In the game before, the Wizards lost by 33.

Losses are to be expected from the Wizards, especially considering their 6-32 mark in the middle of January. However, there's a difference between losing competitively and getting blown out, and that has been the case in some of the more recent games for the Wizards.

The Wizards have proven that they are capable of playing competitive games against some of the best teams in the NBA. When the Wizards lose close, it's because they may have lost on a talent disparity or a couple shots just didn't go their way. However, when they lose by such a wide margin, it's a sign that the talent levels are imbalanced and the effort levels are too.

The Wizards know that they are underdogs in every game they play, so they need to bring as much effort as possible just to have a shot at maybe beating their opponent.

The Wizards will look to get things back on track on Thursday when the Phoenix Suns come to the nation's capital.

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