Washington Wizards guard Tre Johnson Patrick McDermott/GettyImages

Turnovers Becoming Problem for Wizards

Originally posted on Washington Wizards on SI
By Lane Mills | Last updated Oct 31, 2025 11:00 AM ET

The Washington Wizards 1-4 start to the 2025 season represents a less than ideal start to a new campaign for a team that had put much stock on their extensive rebuild this past offseason. From the addition of rookie guard and prolific scorer Tre Johnson - who, admittedly, has impressed thus far - to the return of forward Bilal Coulibaly from injury, the Wizards were looking to mark a serious change from their last two sub-20 win seasons.

While that goal isn't necessarily out of the question just yet, one win through five games is exactly the sort of indicator that will drain the hope from your fanbase rather fast.

(A Lack of) Ball Security

Among many fixable issues for Washington as they try and save their season early, one specific shortcoming stands out among the rest as one desperate to be reckoned with, especially so in the team's latest loss on the road against the Oklahoma City Thunder: the turnover margin.

Against the defending NBA Champions — a factor that may be fairly brought up to lessen Washington's blow of blame — the Wizards posed as, for the most part, a statistical counterpart to the Thunder. They shot the ball well and rebounded in excess.

Stacy Revere/GettyImages

The difference? Washington turned the ball over a brutal 22 times. OKC, on the other hand, only gave it up six times. A further look reveals that the vast majority of the Thunder's takeaways (16) were steals, revealing a gaping problem in a Wizards offense that is otherwise an efficient unit.

Speed Bumps

Washington's inability to take care of the basketball appears to come down largely to the way their roster is constructed and, by way of that, their style of play. Driven by a band of rookies who shoot the long ball in the extreme, much of the Wizards' attempted schemes come down to coming off a high-set screen and getting a shot up.

But when a defender comes out to meet that shooter? Oftentimes, the system falls apart as a result. Bad passes are forced, opponents break the other way, and the Wizards' turnover numbers stack up play after play after play.

It's a learning matter for a young team still learning to play together and, more so, to play against teams with more experience and time to develop under their belts.

The season is long from over for Washington, and while these issues are worrying, the team would rather get them over with early than lose crucial games down the stretch. For the time, hope is not yet lost on this revamped Wizards roster.

This article first appeared on Washington Wizards on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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