Three Takeaways from Wizards' Win Over Kings

After last night's win over the Kings, the Wizards earned their 17th win. Most people wouldn't celebrate that, but when you look at the fact that the Wizards only won 15 games last season, you see progress. There are three main reasons why the Wiz-Kidz beat a good Kings team:

Team basketball

When the Wizards play as a team, they win as a team. The team had great energy and competed for all four quarters. The key was the ball movement. Yes, there were still Isolation moments, but overall, the team did a great job finding each other for high-percentage looks, and they capitalized. Defensively, they were faster on switches and did a great job communicating, culminating in a great team win.

Leadership moments

Last night, the veterans were on their teaching game. There were moments where you could see Jordan Poole, Khris Middleton, and Marcus Smart talking to young guys and instructing them. That's a good sign for the future. The veterans want to teach, and the young guys want to learn and get better. Being coachable is a trait that Will Dawkins looks for in young prospects. If they aren't coachable or want to get better, what's the point? The Wizards have a young core that is not only talented, but they're high-character players.

They know where they need to add talent

When you look at two position groups from last night, it gives you an indication of where the Wizards need to add talent. Looking at guard, the Wizards have a three-headed monster in Jordan Poole, Bub Carrington, and AJ Johnson. All three were key contributors last night. Centers Alex Sarr and Tristan Vukcevic also thrived last night on both ends of the court. What does that tell you? It tells you that the Wizards should focus on both forward positions.

With the departure of Kyle Kuzma, the Wizards need a long-term option at power forward. Cooper Flagg is the obvious choice, but Derik Queen and Asa Newell are also solid options. When you look at small forward, yes, Bilal slots better at that position, but he could also switch to shooting guard, even though that wouldn't be ideal due to his developing offense. Even if you wanted to add depth to small forward, you already have Corey Kispert, Saddiq Bey, and Justin Champagnie on the team. So it appears the Wizards will need to find their power forward of the future in the upcoming draft.