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Thanks for filling out this week’s Washington Wizards SB Nation Reacts survey. Here are the results!
Wizards fan confidence drops to 45 percent
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This week we had about 460-470 responses, so thank you all SO MUCH for your support of these surveys! If there’s one mark I have 100 percent confidence in, it’s in each and every one of you for filling these surveys out and delivering your feedback.
In our weekly fan confidence metric, Wizards fan confidence dropped from 57 percent last week to 45 percent this week. Considering that the Wizards have gone 4-4 since the trade deadline and 1-2 in the last week despite an otherwise “easier” schedule, I’m not surprised that you aren’t feeling so great.
Why are fans confident? Besides the usual lines of “I like the KP trade,” and that “Tommy Sheppard has a plan,” here are some of those responses:
- Many people specifically mentioned Tomas Satoransky’s return as a reason why they feel better about Washington. One respondent said, “Sato’s the GOAT.” Another respondent had a more fleshed-out rationale, writing that “While we are losing a lot, this is a rebuilding phase. Adding Satoransky will help with a more fluid ball movement.” Either way, “EVERYBODY EATS!” said another.
- Several respondents wrote that they are confident despite the Wizards’ losing. Maybe these responses were snarky, but they make a good point that tanking is better than being mediocre. Some respondents like the Wizards’ unintentional tanking “because they are set up to lose and improve draft odds!” Another said, “The team needs to lose and they have been doing that well in so many facets of their game.”
- Finally, multiple respondents were confident in the Wizards’ younger players, like Rui Hachimura, Deni Avdija and Corey Kispert.
Most of you were still not confident in the performance of the team. Here’s why:
- There is a growing sense that many of you believe that Bradley Beal has to be traded, and that they missed their opportunity to do so earlier this season. “They need to let Bradley Beal go. He is overrated and dragging the whole team down. Unseld Jr. has been a disappointment so far,” one respondent wrote.
- Several of you believe that Wes Unseld, Jr. isn’t the right head coach for this team. “Coach needs to do better, never should lose a game up 35,” one wrote. Others simply had one word answers, of “Coach.”
- And some of you are not happy with Tommy Sheppard’s draft moves because the grass is greener on the other side. One respondent wrote “Besides not trading Beal, the Wizards have a lack of draft success. How can you pick Deni over Tyrese Halliburton? Corey Kispert over Alperen Sengun?”
Fans give the Satoransky signing a median grade of “B”, but the distribution of grades leaned toward a C
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Thirty-eight percent of respondents graded Satoransky’s signing a “B,” the most selected grade. Since 15 percent gave the signing an “A,” that made the median grade a “B.” The second most selected grade was a “C” where 33 percent of respondents believed this was a mediocre move.
Based on the responses to why fans were or were not confident in the Wizards, those who believed that Satoransky could re-live his “Everybody Eats” days or develop chemistry with other key players like Kyle Kuzma, Hachimura and Avdija may have been more likely to give an “A” or “B.” If a respondent wrote that Satoransky wouldn’t help the Wizards much or just don’t like the fact that President of Basketball Operations Tommy Sheppard just signed another international player whose name isn’t Giannis Antetokounmpo, then it’s possible that that respondent also gave a “C” or even a “D” or “F.”
I was not able to see any correlation because I don’t have access to every single data point. But perhaps the SB Nation NBA Reacts overlords reading this may be able to aggregate that for us. Pretty please?
We will share the national results tomorrow.
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