The Washington Wizards (9-49) are approaching an interesting record. Washington is currently riding a 12-game losing streak that began back on January 31st. The Wizards are fresh off a home loss to the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night that further cemented their place at the bottom of the eastern conference. What mind-blowing record could Washington be nearing?
The Wizards Are Approaching An Interesting Record
The 2009-2010 Wizards Lost 16 Consecutive Games, the Longest Losing Streak in Franchise History
Washington has dropped the last 12 games and has given up 110-plus points in each matchup, which shows how inept the unit is on defense. The Wizards longest losing streak in a single season currently belongs to the 2009-2010 team, when it went 16 consecutive games without a victory, respectively.
The 2009-2010 Wizards team featured Gilbert Arenas (22.6 PPG), Caron Butler (16.9 PPG), and Antawn Jamison (20.5 PPG) just to name a few. Similar to this year’s Wizards team, the 2009 Wizards were below average defensively as it ranked 26th in team defense that season. In fact, the 2009 Wizards unit allowed opponents to shoot 50% from the field, which was the highest in the league, respectively.
Washington finished the 2009-2010 season with a record of 26-56 and was nowhere near sniffing the postseason. The 2023-2024 Wizards currently sit at 9 wins, which at this juncture seems unlikely they match the 2009 team win total with recent injuries on the roster. The Detroit Pistons (9-49) and the Wizards are the only two franchises that haven’t reached double-digit victories this season.
Can Washington Avoid Tying and/or Eclipsing Its Own Record?
Unfortunately, Washington is one of the league’s worst defensive and rebounding teams, which is a recipe for an underwhelming campaign. The Wizards’ defensive rating of 119.6 ranks dead-last in the league and their 40.6 rebounds per game also ranks last in the association, respectively.
Since the all-star break, Washington has allowed its opponents (Denver, Cleveland, Golden State, and Oklahoma City) to collectively shoot 53.9 percent from the field, respectively. In addition to their poor defense and rebounding performances, the injuries to their prominent players have been noteworthy, to say the least.
Rookie forward Bilal Coulibaly suffered a right pelvis contusion against the Cavaliers this past Sunday which caused him to miss the game against Golden State. Outlets reported that the rookie will miss Thursday night’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers which will be his second consecutive game missed. The 2023 first-round pick averages lengthy minutes (26.2 per game) while also contributing 8.2 points, 4 rebounds, and shoots 44.2 percent from the field, respectively. Coulibaly’s development (started for Poole when benched) is essential during Brian Keefe’s tenure as interim head coach as the season wanes.
Upstart forward Deni Avdija missed three consecutive games by having suffered a heel injury and is in danger of missing the matchup against the Lakers. In the month of February, Avdija averages 20.8 points and 8.6 rebounds while shooting 56.5 percent from the field, respectively. Avdija’s rise as a scorer and rebounder is eye-popping as well as his overall confidence. Washington certainly misses what he brings to the table nightly.
Landry Shamet and Corey Kispert have occupied the vacancies of Coulibaly and Advija since they were sidelined with injuries. Unfortunately, the Wizards’ upcoming schedule doesn’t bode well as it tries to snap the longest active losing streak in the league.
The Last Word
The Wizards have upcoming matchups against the Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, Utah Jazz, and the Orlando Magic which are all tall tasks, to say the least. Three out of the four teams rank in the top 15 in points per game (Lakers, Jazz, and Clippers) and three out of the four squads (Lakers, Jazz, and Magic rank in the top 9 in points in paint per game, respectively.
Can Washington avoid making franchise history in a bad way?
