Washington Wizards Defense Runner Up For NBA’s Worst

Yeah, so the Washington Wizards have the NBA’s second-worst defense.

If you’ve watched the Washington Wizards this year, you know it hasn’t been pretty. The team is currently 2-8 and looking worse and worse every time I flip on NBC Sports Washington. After their latest loss, a near 20-point blowout against Dallas, I decided to look into their defense because it’s been horrific. What did I find? Well, exactly what I thought I would: the Washington Wizards are allowing more points than all but one team.

The very best teams in the NBA allow about 100 points per game — the Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers of the world. We know the Wizards aren’t designed that way, but you’d figure they should be right in the middle of the pack. Instead, the Wiz are one of three NBA teams allowing over 120 points per game. They sit right behind the Lakers (120 ppg) with 120.5 points allowed, putting them a smidge ahead of the NBA’s worst defense, the New Orleans Pelicans (120.7).

Among those three teams, however, they score a lot fewer points and have a minus-10.3 point differential — more than eight points worse than the Lakers and Pelicans.

After the Dallas game, Wizards Outsiders host Nick Ashooh ripped the Wizards for allowing three-balls at an alarming clip. He was right, of course, as the Wiz rank No. 28 in the NBA in Opponent Three-Point Shooting Percentage at 39 percent. How that’s possible, I don’t even know but the Wizards are making it happen.

I don’t know where we go from here but it’s going to be a long season…brace yourselves.