The declining Wizards are a pity

This season in the NBA, the polarization is a little serious. Teams that are bent on winning the championship have occupied the top rankings early; while teams that are bent on failing are no longer performing, and they will lose faster and more miserably than anyone else. There are currently 7 teams with a winning rate below 30%. Among them, the Mavericks and Kings have a chance to turn around. After all, the team's paper strength is not bad, and they did not want to go down the road of failure at the beginning. However, the Mavericks were affected by injuries, and their core has been absent. The Kings encountered a wave of devilish schedule when they came up, and almost defeated teams with a winning rate of more than 50%. After playing many times, it is understandable that the current record is bad.

Several other teams with a winning rate below 30% have basically no chance of turning around and can declare in advance that they will miss the playoffs, namely the Pelicans, Hornets, Nets, Pacers and Wizards.

What is more gratifying is the Hornets. Although there is no competitiveness, Knippel, whom they selected with the No. 4 pick this summer, has impressed people this season. He averaged 18.8 points and 5.8 rebounds per game and shot 42.1% from three-point range. He beat Flagg and is firmly ranked first in the current rookie rankings. Knipur has a popular face, but he is really good at what he looks like, and he doesn't look like a rookie at all; then the Hornets can rest assured and develop young players. What is more embarrassing is that the Pelicans have suffered a 9-game losing streak and are firmly ranked last in the Western Conference. The Pelicans even have three All-Stars, Zion, DeAndre Jordan and Murray; but Zion has been in and out, and his form has declined seriously this year, DeAndre Jordan is too old, and Murray was seriously injured last season and has not returned yet.

Including Poole, who was traded, it is difficult to fulfill the core responsibilities of the team, and the Pelicans' prospects are a bit annoyed.

The most embarrassing Wizards, with a current record of 1 win and 15 losses, are ranked last in the league; recently they suffered a 14-game losing streak, and they are simply in darkness. They and the Nets are the only two teams that have yet to win at home.

In addition, the Wizards also maintain an embarrassing record. They have lost more than 100 points in 69 consecutive away games, the longest in the league. Among the 14 games they lost, 7 of them lost by more than 20 points; in terms of team statistics, the Wizards almost always ranked last in the league, ranking seventh from the bottom in points per game at 112.5, second from the bottom in steals per game at 6.7, third from the bottom in offensive efficiency at 107.6, second from last in defensive efficiency at 123.4, and last in turnover points per game at 13.8, which is almost half of the Thunder.

The Wizards really have no desires and desires, a breath of fresh air. Judging from the lineup, they don't seem to be bad. Not only do they have some high-ranking young players, but they also have star veterans like McCollum and Middleton. Both of them were at All-Star level in the past few years. But on the Wizards, they have become key factors in the team's failure, especially McCollum, a veteran actor. The Wizards' games are either defeated by a huge score, or the game is ruined at critical moments, and CJ McCollum is often the initiator of ruining the game. Every time he starts to control the field in the final stage, making various outrageous mistakes and wasteful shots, causing the team to be overturned; we can lose every game that can be won, and we just want to lose in a row.

If they were all young players, the Wizards might be able to win a few games. After all, young players just do what they want to do, and they have no desire to perform poorly, which is inconsistent with the team's goals.

I always feel that the Wizards have been bad for a long time, but there has been no improvement, and they have never been selected for the No. 1 pick; the only time they were selected for the No. 2 pick was last year, a small year in the ultimate draft. There was Bunyama a year earlier, and Flagg a year later, but last year there were not many rookies who could be named. In fact, 4 years ago, the season when Westbrook joined the Wizards, the team was still somewhat passionate, at least to the edge of the playoffs; relying on the enthusiasm of Westbrook and Beal, the team led the team into the playoffs at the buzzer.

That year was basically Westbrook's final peak, averaging a massive triple-double of 22.2 points, 11.5 rebounds and 11.7 assists per game. In May of 2021, Westbrook was also elected Player of the Month, averaging 26.3 points, 13.8 rebounds, 16.1 assists and 1.7 steals per game, super explosive statistics.

It's a pity that Westbrook did not choose to stay with the Wizards, but came to the Lakers through a trade to join Lao Zhan and Big Eyebrow. This transaction can be said to be one of the most failed operations in the league in recent years. The Lakers dismantled their championship lineup and introduced Westbrook; the Big Three were not suitable and did not even make the playoffs. After Westbrook came to the Lakers, he suffered a cliff-like decline. His data plummeted, and his worth changed from a maximum salary to a minimum salary. He never returned to his peak period, which is really sad. If Westbrook stays with the Wizards and joins forces with Beal for a few more seasons, he may be able to extend his peak period by a few more years; and the Wizards will definitely remain competitive in the Eastern Division for a longer period of time.

The current Wizards team is relatively awkward and does not have any particularly promising young stars. We can look forward to the second place Sal, who knows how high his upper limit will be?