The Wizards were playing from behind for most of this game. But they did show life toward the end!
The Washington Wizards lost to the Miami Heat, 110-102 on Friday night.
Like most Wizards losses this season, the team was outmatched in the paint. They were out rebounded by the Heat, 66-49. That’s not a recipe for win when a team is undersized every night.
I do want to start with some positives. Daniel Gafford had a double double with 11 points and 14 rebounds. Corey Kispert led the Wizards in scoring with 26 tonight. And Deni Avdija had a strong game too, scoring 15 points and grabbing 8 rebounds.
Washington was actually leading the game throughout the first half, leading by as many as 11. However, talent eventually won out and the Heat were ultimately able to get a 16 point lead halfway through the fourth quarter. Thankfully, the Wizards made a valiant effort to get a win, though again, Washington just doesn’t have the talent that Miami does.
And now, a rant on two shooting guards
I’m getting impatient with Jordan Poole’s struggles in D.C. He is not the mega scorer that Kevin Garnett thought he could be in the preseason. To be fair, Garnett retracted his optimism and said in Nov. 2023 that he doesn’t belong in the NBA. I didn’t post anything about it at the time, but for your reference, here’s Garnett’s statement (NSFW language).
Kevin Garnett says Jordan Poole doesn’t belong in the league
(via @shobasketball, https://t.co/aXJx5toLNH) pic.twitter.com/jjETPKIGCs
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) November 23, 2023
Anyway, Poole scored 16 points while shooting a pathetic 2-of-14 from three. After some horrible performances from him against contending teams like the Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves, we get to see another dud. I get that a fair number of you want Poole on the bench or out of D.C.
Thankfully, Kispert is holding his end of the deal. But let’s say the Wizards trade Poole next week, though I find that unlikely. Kispert should be starting at this point. Sure, I get that Bilal Coulibaly is the future cornerstone, but I’m fine with him coming off the bench for this season, as long as the rookie gets a healthy share of minutes,
But back to Kispert in this case. Who would be HIS backup at some point if Poole goes? It’s likely Johnny Davis, an even worse option for a backup.
So let’s get to Davis for a second. He is in his second game back after another G-League stint where he averaged …. 5.3 points per game on 25.4 percent shooting in four appearances, WHILE ALSO PLAYING 23.4 MINUTES PER GAME!
So using Garnett’s logic, if Poole isn’t an NBA level player, then Davis shouldn’t be in the G League.
Jimmy Butler led the Heat with 24 points.
I’m just not happy with the product the Wizards put out at shooting guard unless the man at the position is Kispert. This is yet another one of those nights.
The Wizards’ next game is against the Phoenix Suns. Yeah, the same team whose ownership owns the same team that got Natasha Cloud to head there AND possibly Elena Delle Donne too. Tip off is at 3:30 p.m. ET. See you then.