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The Wizards’ defense is bad. You know this. I know this. It’s hard to find new ways to talk about how bad the defense has been this season, but I’m going to try to give it one last shot to drive home just how much of a problem it has been this season.
The goal of every defense is to keep teams from scoring, and the best way to keep them from scoring is to limit their effectiveness at the most efficient areas on the floor: In the paint, at the free throw line, and behind the arc. Every team has different ways to keep opponents from scoring in those areas, but if you can’t defend those areas, you’re not going to go very far defensively.
So how do the Wizards stack up in those spots? Not well at all.
Points given up at worst spots per 100 possessions
| TEAM | PAINT | FREE THROWS | THREE POINTERS | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TEAM | PAINT | FREE THROWS | THREE POINTERS | TOTAL |
| Cleveland Cavaliers | 51.5 | 16.5 | 36 | 104 |
| Phoenix Suns | 52 | 20.4 | 31.5 | 103.9 |
| New York Knicks | 50.8 | 18.1 | 34.5 | 103.4 |
| Washington Wizards | 49.8 | 17.8 | 35.1 | 102.7 |
| Minnesota Timberwolves | 47.5 | 17.1 | 37.5 | 102.1 |
| Houston Rockets | 52.3 | 18.8 | 30.9 | 102 |
| Atlanta Hawks | 46.2 | 20.1 | 35.4 | 101.7 |
| Chicago Bulls | 48.6 | 16.9 | 36 | 101.5 |
| New Orleans Pelicans | 49.5 | 17.4 | 34.5 | 101.4 |
| Sacramento Kings | 49.2 | 18.4 | 33.3 | 100.9 |
| Charlotte Hornets | 48.8 | 16.3 | 35.4 | 100.5 |
| Los Angeles Lakers | 48.4 | 17.1 | 33.9 | 99.4 |
| Golden State Warriors | 46.2 | 18.5 | 34.5 | 99.2 |
| Denver Nuggets | 48.6 | 17.2 | 33.3 | 99.1 |
| LA Clippers | 49.3 | 19.9 | 29.7 | 98.9 |
| Memphis Grizzlies | 42.9 | 20 | 35.1 | 98 |
| Detroit Pistons | 50.1 | 18.3 | 29.4 | 97.8 |
| Dallas Mavericks | 47.5 | 16.7 | 33.6 | 97.8 |
| San Antonio Spurs | 46.8 | 15.2 | 35.4 | 97.4 |
| Brooklyn Nets | 49.7 | 17.2 | 30 | 96.9 |
| Philadelphia 76ers | 48.9 | 18.4 | 29.4 | 96.7 |
| Boston Celtics | 45.3 | 17.1 | 34.2 | 96.6 |
| Portland Trail Blazers | 46.9 | 17.4 | 31.8 | 96.1 |
| Miami Heat | 42.6 | 17.8 | 35.4 | 95.8 |
| Oklahoma City Thunder | 47.1 | 17.8 | 30.9 | 95.8 |
| Indiana Pacers | 45.2 | 16 | 34.5 | 95.7 |
| Orlando Magic | 47.4 | 16.6 | 31.5 | 95.5 |
| Toronto Raptors | 46.6 | 17.2 | 30.9 | 94.7 |
| Utah Jazz | 46.7 | 16.6 | 29.4 | 92.7 |
| Milwaukee Bucks | 40.9 | 14.8 | 36.3 | 92 |
The Wizards aren’t the worst in any of the three categories—they aren’t even bottom-five in any of those spots—but they’re below-average in all three areas. The mix of all three puts them near the bottom of the league. Only the Cavaliers, Knicks, and Suns—the three worst teams in the league—give up more combined points per 100 possessions from those spots.
No matter how you want to spread out the blame, the point is the Wizards’ defense isn’t just bad, it’s structurally unsound. There isn’t one area where the team excels other than some vanity hustle metrics that only tell a small sliver of the story. Washington needs to re-think how to put together an effective defense at every level if they have any chance of getting better next season.