Now 3-1 so far in the month, the Wizards will play eight more games against teams under .500 in March. The young talent will be receiving ample time, and it’s time to grow. With the Wizards owning the worst record in the league and 12 games back of the last play-in spot, March will be the last full month to get in-game reps and figure out roles going into the offseason.
March Is A Month For Wizards To Continue To Show
Younger Guys
March will be a month of growth and development for the league’s youngest roster. Rookies Alex Sarr, Kyshawn George, Bub Carrington and second-year player Bilal Coulibaly will get a lot of minutes going into April. With the roster offensively opening up after the trade of Kyle Kuzma, these guys will be able to get more shots. The hope is they become more efficient scorers, which is something the entire team needs to improve on. The Wizards are the third-worst shooting team from the field this season. Sarr (39.4%), George (35.8%), Carrington (40.3%) and Coulibaly (42.1%) are all shooting under their positional averages this season. Receiving more playing time won’t only give them a boost in production, but also give the organization time to figure out potential moves in the offseason that need to be made.
New Additions
March won’t be just growth and development for the young guys, it will also be a time for the newer guys on the roster to mesh. Guys like Khris Middleton and Marcus Smart will need to use this time to find their roles on the squad. These two vets without a doubt have been outstanding in the locker room. Middleton and Smart both have been on competitive teams while also being cobtributing members. These vets will both need to be mentors to the younger guys and play supporting roles on the court to lift some of the weight off the younger guys as they further develop. These veterans will vastly benefit the younger guys in their early years in the league and help contribute to the team’s future success.
March Schedule
As mentioned earlier, the Wizards have started the month 3-1 and have a somewhat easy schedule for the rest of the month. Eight of the 13 games left in the month are against teams under .500. Ten of the 13 games are in-conference. Combining these two factors, the Wizards will get a nice mix of teams competing for playoff spots and teams that are trying to develop their squads. Teams like the Raptors, who the Wizards play two more times this month, Trail Blazers, and Jazz will be of those latter teams looking to see further growth. The Nuggets, Pistons and Pacers are all comfortably in a playoff position, and they will look to come out and dominate.
Wizards fans will tune in to these games hoping to see further development from their young pieces. That, along with a potential top 2025 draft pick, can give them hope entering next season. That’s a feeling Washington fans haven’t experienced in recent years.
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