![\"Will](\"https:\/\/platform.bulletsforever.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/52\/2026\/03\/gettyimages-2264091091.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0,0,100,100\")
<\/a><\/p>\nWill Riley goes for a layup in the team\u2019s loss to the Orlando Magic. Getty Images<\/p>\n
That happened in the third quarter, which the Magic \u201cwon\u201d by 13.<\/p>\n
Although I\u2019ve written variations of this next point many times the past couple years, it bears repeating: this kind of loss is by design. I mean, they gave 33 minutes to JuJu Reese, 31 to Leaky Black, and 20 to Sharife Cooper. This is not to slander any of them \u2014 if they work very hard and smart, each of them has the ability to be on NBA rosters and maybe in a team\u2019s rotation for the next several years.<\/p>\n
At this point, they\u2019re G-Leaguers, 10-day, and two-way guys. Which is to say, not ready to offer serious competition to a professional team making a push to get their collective stuff together in time for the playoffs. Maybe that will be the Wizards in the future.<\/p>\n
Trae Young will make his Wizards debut on Thursday against the Utah Jazz. Expect a tight minutes restriction, especially if he\u2019s playing well. This one \u2014 and Sunday\u2019s game at the New Orleans Pelicans are must lose for the Wizards.After deploying a tiny lineup that got bludgeoned inside by the Houston Rockets, Washington opened even smaller. Kyshawn George was out with a \u201csprained elbow,\u201d so head coach Brian Keefe started Will Riley, who\u2019s\u2026yet to develop muscles. Somehow, the Wizards (slightly) out-rebounded the Magic.Coulibaly picked up two fouls in the first two minutes of the game. Keefe left him in, and he committed his third foul with five minutes left in the period. Given the team\u2019s goals, and the reality that he wasn\u2019t going to play more than 24 minutes, I thought Keefe should have let him continue playing \u2014 even with three fouls in the first quarter. Let him get the experience of defending through foul trouble.The Wizards struggled frequently to get shots in the halfcourt. They had back-to-back shot clock violations in the first quarter. In the second, they committed consecutive backcourt violations.Related: a recurring entry in my game notes was something along the lines of \u201cnice move (or shot), but\u2026\u201d and the \u201cbut\u201d would be followed by something about how hard the Wizards had to get a difficult shot. I made that note about Coulibaly, Tre Johnson, Will Riley, Bub Carrington, and Jaden Hardy.Related-related: Difficult shot-making is valuable and necessary. But it cannot be the foundation of an efficient NBA offense. Much more valuable is the ability to generate easy shots. The Wizards aren\u2019t there right now. It\u2019s something that may come \u2014 they\u2019re gaining experience, and they can improve with work on their bodies, skills, and decision-making.From what I\u2019ve seen so far, Reese has a very long ways to go to have an NBA career. He\u2019s an undersized center whose best skill seems to be passing. He\u2019s not a rim protector (by aptitude or athleticism). He was ineffective as a switch defender. He\u2019s not nearly strong enough to bring high-level physicality.Riley scored on a first-quarter possession that involved some fine moves and aggression. And it drove me nuts because it should have been illegal. On the move, I thought he double-dribbled once and committed at least three carries. Good move based on the way the NBA is currently officiated. It should have been a turnover.From the notebook: Orlando\u2019s offense is an incoherent mess.Jaden Hardy is very confident in his ability to make shots.Orlando shot 1-12 from three in the first half. They finished the game 10-25, which means they hit 9-13 in the second half. The quality of looks didn\u2019t seem to change \u2014 just the result.Coulibaly has been more aggressive offensively the past few weeks. One possession last night was a bit worrisome \u2014 he tried to post up on Tristan da Silva, got forced into a weirdly contorted fling, and got his shot blocked.Every time I see Orlando play, I\u2019m a bit underwhelmed by Paolo Banchero. That was true even last night when he had 37 points and 6 assists with very good efficiency. He seems heavily reliant on difficult shots and inefficient mid-rangers. Last night, he took mid-range faders when being defended by Riley \u2014 where Banchero has big size and strength advantages. I think center is the best position for Banchero and the Magic, except that his lack of rim protection might undermine their defense more than he\u2019d benefit their offense.Going by the Game Score metric on basketball-reference, this was the fifth best game of Jett Howard\u2019s career. He scored 12 points on six shots.<\/p>\n
Below are the four factors that decide wins and losses in basketball \u2014 shooting (efg), rebounding (offensive rebounds), ball handling (turnovers), fouling (free throws made).<\/p>\n
The four factors are measured by:<\/p>\n
eFG% (effective field goal percentage, which accounts for the three-point shot)OREB% (offensive rebound percentage)TOV% (turnover percentage \u2014 turnovers divided by possessions)FTM\/FGA (free throws made divided by field goal attempts)FOUR FACTORSWIZARDSMAGICLGAVGeFG%50.5%61.8%54.3%OREB%27.1%9.4%26.1%TOV%12.2%8.2%12.8%FTM\/FGA0.1740.4210.207PACE9899.4ORTG111129115.3<\/p>\n
PPA is my overall production metric, which credits players for things they do that help a team win (scoring, rebounding, playmaking, defending) and dings them for things that hurt (missed shots, turnovers, bad defense, fouls).<\/p>\n