Wizards

Three key takeaways from Wizards preseason loss to Knicks

In their second preseason game, the Washington Wizards fell to the New York Knicks, 117-94. The Wizards showed no improvement in the off-season or tonight’s game as they struggled to rotate on defense and get off good shots. But when there are negatives, there are positives.

Number two overall pick Alexandre Sarr had another excellent game, silencing any doubts that surfaced in the Summer League. The rookie had 12 points, nine rebounds, and three blocks.

On the other hand, stars like Jordan Poole and Kyle Kuzma did not have a good night shooting the ball.

Kuzma took four shots and only made one. If Wednesday’s game against the Knicks is any indication, the veteran needs to get more involved in the offense and put up better quality shots to be the star he needs to be.

Poole, who started at point guard tonight with Malcolm Brogdon being out due to a hand injury, did okay distributing the ball. There are areas of improvement needed for Poole to be a point guard, but he did step up tonight. The main issue was that he missed many shots. He also took some nasty looks, shooting 4-for-13 from the field.

The bench did have a good game with the likes of rookie Kyshawn George and sharpshooter Corey Kispert. They both were consistent with their shot-making and tried to boost the Wizards before the Knicks gave them a huge run.

Without further ado, here are some takeaways from the Wizard’s second preseason games.

Wizards rookie Alex Sarr improving from Summer League play

Sarr is a good facilitator for the Wizards offense. When he drives and doesn’t have a shot in the paint, he consistently finds the open man to attempt a more straightforward shot.

What makes Sarr so good offensively is his ability to move off the ball. The rookie got his first points of the contest on a backdoor cut for an easy dunk. Half of Sarr’s 12 points came from him cutting behind his defender to the basket.

Sarr can be shakey from three, but he’s improving from his dreadful Summer League. Also, his jump shots look smoother, and his shots have more arch. Sarr shot 2-of-6 from three against the Knicks. He’s 4-of-10 through two preseason games.

But on the defensive side of his game, he needs to be a better one-on-one defender outside the paint. His feet look slow. In the second quarter, he was guarding Knicks guard Jalen Brunson, who drove past Sarr to find Karl-Anthony Towns. Sarr proceeded to get scored on in three other one-on-one situations. He cements his feet too much and can’t recover for the contest.

However, Sarr is still a good shot blocker, finishing the game with four blocks. He does a good job recovering and using his height and reach.

Jordan Poole has improved at point guard

The Wizards need a veteran point guard outside of Malcolm Brogdon. Poole filled in as the starting point guard with Brogdon out.

Poole showed improvement in moving the ball to get better shots for the team. He finished with four assists. However, he had the potential to finish with more, and he did have some good dishes for his teammates; the shots didn’t fall.

Regarding his shot, Poole had an off night from the field. Poole did have some good looks but started forcing it towards the end of his playing time in the game. In transition, he settled for deep threes that didn’t fall. He shot dismal 1-of-7 from three.

Poole is more of a two than he is a one. That raises the question of whether Bub Carrington will get more involved in the rotation at point guard. The Wizards may need Carrington to offset Poole’s minutes between point and shooting guard.

The bench rejuvenated the game for the Wizards

The Wizards bench looked better than the starting five. Keep in mind that neither team’s rotations are set in stone. The bench had better ball movement and chemistry and forced many missed shots and turnovers. The ball movement looked crispier as they erased a 16-4 deficit.

At the start of the second quarter, the bench battled back and forth with the Knicks bench. But after a Carrington three, the Knicks went on an 11-0 run. That set the tone, and the Wizards never recovered.

Kispert scored seven points off the bench in the first quarter. He finished with 14 points off 5-of-9 shooting from the field.

George, who the Knicks originally drafted before getting traded to the Wizards, finished the night with 14, only missing one out of his six shots.

This season is more about development for the future. Hopefully, the Wizards continue to build a young core. George and Sarr flashed their potential in the Garden. Carrington will come around.

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