00:00A.J. DeBonson, his third game, 21 points on 7 of 17 from the field, 1 of 4 from behind
00:06the arc.
00:07He had 5 rebounds, 2 assists, and 3 steals.
00:10The Wizards, as a team last night, had 10 steals.
00:15They beat the Orlando Magic 103-94 to move their record to 4-3 on the season right now,
00:23the fourth best record in the Eastern Conference.
00:26So a couple of things real quickly about the game last night.
00:30Anthony Davis, I mean, just keep your fingers crossed, okay?
00:367-for-7 games so far.
00:39He is outstanding.
00:42He is so good, and he is a major league closer for them.
00:48So is Keyshawn George, by the way.
00:50Keyshawn George and Anthony Davis are the two go-tos down the stretch.
00:56We've seen that in the first seven games.
00:58I feel comfortable with either one of them.
01:00I also feel comfortable when they go just high pick and roll with Trey Young trying to make a play.
01:06DeBonson can get his own as well.
01:09Last night, by the way, they played without Alex Sarri.
01:12He had knee soreness and was held out.
01:15No Paulo Banqueiro for Orlando.
01:18The Magic are probably not a good basketball team this year.
01:21We'll see when they are fully healthy.
01:23They've got good players.
01:24Banqueiro is a legitimate superstar.
01:27The Wizards held Orlando to nine points in the third quarter.
01:34They outscored them 19-9 in the third quarter.
01:38A decisive third quarter.
01:40They led at halftime 60-59 by one point.
01:46And they ended up holding Orlando to nine points.
01:49Then in the fourth quarter, 26.
01:52So 35 second-half points.
01:54What really looks like it is sustainable so far.
01:58And I recognize that they have not played some of the best offensive opponents in the league.
02:04And some of those are coming up.
02:05You know, they play the Hawks a couple of times.
02:07They play OKC coming up.
02:09The Wizards, through seven games, lead the NBA in three-point defense.
02:16Teams averaging 28.6% from behind the arc against them.
02:23This, to me right now, appears to be a focal point and something that is sustainable.
02:31They're going to have some nights.
02:33But let me just give you some numbers.
02:35They held consecutive opponents.
02:38If you missed it the other night, they beat Charlotte, holding Charlotte, to 79 points in the game.
02:45Last night, they held the Magic to 94.
02:49So back-to-back games of holding opponents, not only to under 100.
02:52In the case of Charlotte the other night, 95-79 the final, well under 100.
02:58But it is the first time for the Wizards in nearly four years that they've held teams back-to-back
03:06consecutive games to less than 100 points.
03:10The 79 that they held Charlotte to the other night was the first time since 2017 that they had held
03:17a team to under 80.
03:21Currently, it's early, and I understand there are better offensive opponents coming, but they are third in the Eastern Conference
03:29and seventh overall in the league in defensive rating.
03:35Number one in the league, as I mentioned, in three-point defense.
03:40What's apparent so far is they actually have some really good individual defenders.
03:45It sounds crazy because they haven't been a good defensive team for a while now, but they haven't been a
03:51good team at all for a while now.
03:54But especially putting Trey Young out onto the court, you wonder about that.
04:00Bilal Koulibaly is a legitimate lockdown defender at the NBA level.
04:07He is an outstanding defender.
04:11Anthony Davis, obviously, DeAndre Ayton at the glass, are guys that can certainly be shot impactors, influencers.
04:23A.J. DeBonsa has the length and the athleticism and the feet to defend at a high level, as does
04:30Keyshawn George.
04:32So this is a team that has some really solid individual defenders.
04:38Now, individual defenders don't make a great defense.
04:41You have to play great team defense.
04:44The one flaw that they have so far in these games is they've been giving up too many offensive rebounds.
04:51Too many.
04:52Last night, they did a much better job overall on the glass and a much better job defensively on the
04:59glass.
04:59But they are one of the league leaders and the allowance of offensive rebounds, second chance, third chance opportunities.
05:09That's something they have to become better at because you can play great defense for 20 seconds of a possession.
05:17Shot goes up.
05:18You have to secure the rebound to make that a successful defensive possession.
05:27But I do think that the way they have defended is something that will hold up.
05:33Their overall length and size is a problem for teams on the perimeter.
05:40The same time, I have noticed that when they get defended hard on the other end, their offense bogs down
05:48a bit.
05:49But it's, you know, it's a regular season.
05:52Sometimes you don't see it for four quarters intense defense like you do once the postseason begins.
05:58But I do think like projecting forward, if this team were to win enough games to get into a postseason
06:03series, I do wonder about what they would be offensively.
06:07But they have outs.
06:08You know, they have Anthony Davis, assuming he would be there at that point.
06:13Anthony Davis is a guy that can calm down a possession.
06:18If you don't have something that's working against great perimeter defense, you can find a way to get him the
06:26ball on the block.
06:27And he is a shot maker and a really good decision maker.
06:32And so poised.
06:33You know, when watching Anthony Davis through these first seven games, you just forget there is a calmness about him.
06:40There is a feel for the game that he has.
06:43That is elite level.
06:45His issue, of course, has always been, you know, availability.
06:51If he's available for this team, this team's winning more games than it loses.
06:56I don't know if that'll be good enough for a top six spot, which is a playoff spot, or a
07:01play-in spot, which is seven through ten.
07:04But it'll qualify for one of the other, one of those two.
07:11Love the way DeBonce has started off.
07:13I am such a big Keyshawn George fan.
07:16Another guy who really has a calmness and a poise, by the way, and a physical way of playing both
07:25ends of the court.
07:26He is the guy.
07:28I mean, he's the guy out of all of the young guys that they've drafted.
07:32He's the one that has a chance to be a perennial NBA all-star.
07:40I shouldn't say he's the one.
07:42Of the ones before DeBonce.
07:45Before DeBonce.
07:46Because A.J. DeBonce is already proving that he's got some juice.
07:50I don't know if you guys have been paying attention.
07:51I'm assuming most of you have not.
07:54It's NBA regular season, after all.
07:56But, the top seven draft picks from this past June draft are all averaging in double figures, points-wise.
08:07Darius Acuff Jr., by far and away the leader.
08:10He's averaging 26.1 points per game.
08:13On a bad team in Sacramento.
08:16With a green light like I've never seen a rookie have before.
08:20He shoots a lot.
08:22But, you know, it's not that he's shooting super poorly.
08:24He's had a couple of decent games.
08:26He was the guy coming into the draft that I said,
08:29this guy's going to average 28 to 30 plus a game within a few years of being in the league.
08:35I did not expect it to be his rookie year.
08:39It's a bad team.
08:40They're giving him the green light, and he's going to average in the mid to upper 20s this year.
08:45Because he's just a dude that is already a grown man, physically, at the position.
08:52And he can really score.
08:55So, he's averaging 26.1.
08:57Yaxel Lendenberg, if you haven't been following his start in Golden State, what a start for him.
09:03He's not, he was the 11th overall selection.
09:05He's averaging 21.5 points per game.
09:08Caleb Williams in Chicago, the fourth pick overall, loved him.
09:1321 points, 21.6 points per game, 6.7 rebounds per game to start his NBA career.
09:24Cam Boozer's playing solid.
09:26What do we always say about him?
09:27He looks like a, you know, a 20 and 10 guy.
09:30He's averaging 17.7 and 10 a game.
09:33And DeBonson now has played fewer games than the rest of them, averaging 19 a game.
09:40This rookie class looks like it's going to be a special class.
09:45And there are a couple of players, you know, further down the list that we haven't even mentioned.
09:52Like Ade Mara, the big center from Michigan playing for Oklahoma City right now.
09:57He is a defensive force and a closer on the offensive end on lobs and offensive rebounds.
10:05But really good start for the Wizards.
10:08Here's where it gets, you know, a little bit more difficult because they've played some bad teams.
10:14Milwaukee, Chicago, Charlotte, twice Orlando.
10:18Look, they were in that game against Cleveland.
10:20They were in that game in the fourth quarter.
10:23But they've got Atlanta, back-to-back games.
10:26The Hawks so far, 4-4.
10:28They can really score.
10:30They beat the Magic the other night.
10:32Lost back-to-back games to Houston, but both of them were pretty close games.
10:37So Atlanta back-to-back Wednesday and Friday.
10:40Wednesday here, tomorrow night here, Friday night in Atlanta.
10:44And then it is a three-game road trip, which starts Oklahoma City on the road, followed by Detroit on
10:52the road.
10:52In fact, they've got Detroit twice in the three games that follow.
10:55So much tougher tests coming, but still a 4-3 start for the Wizards.
11:02Currently good for fourth in the Eastern Conference, tied for fourth, if you're wondering.
11:07Long way to go.
11:08Seven games in, another 75 left.
11:12But I think defensively, the way they have played, I think they are going to be a good defensive team
11:18this year.
11:18Now, the numbers won't be where they are now after they play better offensive teams.
11:23But they have really good individual defenders, led by Bilal Koulibaly, who is easily not only their best defender,
11:31but he is a very good defender compared to the best defenders in the league.
11:35I think he is outstanding and relentless.
11:39What a motor he has.
11:41Love watching him play.
