Troubles start with early lack of resistance
Wizards’ poor effort defending 3-pointers starts in first quarter
NEW ORLEANS — When the Washington Wizards take the floor for the start of games, opponents know the 3-point line is open for business. While Washington has plenty of problems to solve on the defensive end — getting back in transition and rotating and communicating better as a unit, to name a few — it’s the team’s lack of resistance around the arc, especially in the first 12 minutes of games, that stands out.
Among all NBA teams, the Wizards rank last in 3-point defensive field goal percentage, which has been largely aided by their performance in first quarters, in which they are allowing opponents to connect on 44.0 percent from the arc. The Wizards’ 3-point defense helps explain why they are often climbing out of deficits. After the first quarter, Wizards’ opponents average a lead of 3.9 points, the second-highest plus/ minus number in the league.
On Wednesday, Washington (8-12) will face a NewOrleans Pelicans team that doesn’t rely so heavily on the 3 (only 28 attempts per game), but the starters had one of their worst experiences Monday night. They couldn’t stop the Houston Rockets from making their first seven 3s at the start of the game.
The defense steadies as the game goes on. By the fourth quarter, Wizards allow 36.4 percent from the arc, which still ranks near the bottom in the league but an improvement compared to the start of games. For some reason, the Wizards’ starters — a unit that has been revamped with forward Kelly Oubre Jr. and center Thomas Bryant — play their worst when their legs should be fresh and the opponent’s scouting report should still be on their minds. Bradley Beal doesn’t have an explanation.
“Teams like to make 3-pointers in the first quarter against us, I guess,” Beal said. “I feel like teams like to make 3-pointers on us, period, but we got to do a better job of taking them away. But I can’t attest to what quarter they’re making or not making the shots in.”
Only a year ago, the Wizards defended the 3 and held opponents to 34.9 percent overall, which ranked as sixth best in the NBA.
“We want to make sure that [opponents] don’t get hot from the 3-point line,” coach Scott Brooks said. “We were great last year. Not good — we were great last year. This year we’re bad. That’s probably a softer word than I would really use.”
This season, with most of the core intact and a few new additions, the Wizards have forgotten their discipline around the perimeter. When an opponent takes any type of jump shot, Washington struggles to defend it. Considering how many teams have shifted in offensive principles to take 3s or 2s at the rim, this doesn’t bode well for the Wizards’ defense.
According to Synergy Sports, the Wizards have defended 3-pointers 67.3 percent of the time, way more than any other jump shot on the floor, and have surrendered 1.124 points per possession on the shot (29th in the NBA).
“We’ve been bad and we have to make sure that we make these guys miss,” Brooks said. “We can’t have guys taking warm-up shots.”