Much of the Washington Wizards’ woes the last three seasons under head coach Brian Keefe can be attributed to dreadful defense.
Washington will look to prove that its early-season success on the defensive end isn’t a fluke when it visits the Orlando Magic on Monday.
Since Keefe took over in the middle of the 2023-24 campaign, Washington has finished either last or second-to-last in scoring defense in each of the last three seasons.
Hoping to turn the corner, Keefe’s team is coming off its best single-game defensive performance in 12 seasons. The Wizards allowed just 79 points against the Charlotte Hornets on Friday, the fewest surrendered by the franchise since March 2015.
“I think we just have a great mindset defensively,” said Keefe, whose team has allowed 109.7 points per game through six outings. “We really battled (on Friday). We made everything contested. It was really a terrific all-around defensive effort.”
The arrival of five-time All-Defensive team member and 10-time All-Star Anthony Davis already has paid dividends for a franchise marred by recent futility. Leading the team with 22.3 and 9.2 rebounds per game, Davis has joined forces with point guard Trae Young to help breathe life into a group that didn’t pick up its third victory of the season until December in each of the two last years.
Young has compiled 20.7 points and a league-best 10.2 assists in six games. The 28-year-old played in just five contests with Washington last season after being traded by the Atlanta Hawks in January.
“I’m definitely comfortable with these guys already,” Young said. “We built a lot of chemistry and a great connection in the offseason over the summertime, just hanging out with each other and being around each other in the gym. The connection off the court is there and I think we’re starting to gel and our offense is starting to pick up a little bit.”
Rookie first overall draft pick AJ Dybantsa is averaging 18.0 points in the first two games of his pro career after beginning the season on the shelf with an ankle injury.
Washington’s newfound defensive confidence could present an issue for an Orlando team that’s failed to reach 100 points in three of its six games.
The Magic fell 108-97 to the Boston Celtics in the first game of a home back-to-back on Sunday. First-year head coach Sean Sweeney is still seeking his first victory at the Kia Center as the team has dropped each of its three home games.
Orlando is trying to account for the loss of Paolo Banchero, who suffered a high-ankle sprain on Oct. 23 and will be sidelined for multiple weeks.
Anthony Black, who is averaging 16.5 points per game since making his season debut on Oct. 25, already is imploring the team to avoid another early loss.
“We’ve got to win. We can’t lose two in a row, especially at home,” Black said. “We know we’ve got to come out and play a better game. Just continuing to play hard, we know we’re going to have to dig in because it’s a back-to-back.”
The Magic have won 13 of the last 14 games against Washington and haven’t lost at home to the Wizards since Dec. 30, 2022.
