Wizards Among Worst Defensive Teams in NBA

As much success as D.C.'s aforementioned budding stars - see Alex Sarr, Tre Johnson and Kyshawn George, among others - have seen on offense, their inconsistency on the opposite side of the ball has cost the team dearly in almost every contest up to this point.

According to a recent set of statistics released by the BBall Index on X (Twitter) tracking steals and deflections for every team in the league, Washington finds themselves in the lowest quadrant of the graphic.

Between their rating in the passing lanes and ability (or lack thereof) to make a difference pickpocketing ball-handlers, the Wizards are, by the numbers, a bottom-tier defense.

Compared to the likes of the Oklahoma City Thunder (defending NBA Champions) and Detroit Pistons (leaders in the Eastern Conference), who are both on the opposite, higher end of the graph, the Wizards clearly have their work cut out for them.

A Path to Improvement

What's worse? As much positivity as the Trae Young trade could bring to Washington, the guard's defense is perhaps the least of his known skills. If the Wizards want defense, they'll have to look elsewhere.

Whether by the incoming trade deadline or next year's NBA Draft - which is shaping up, as usual, promisingly for Washington - adding a hearty defender may be the final step in completing their rebuilding phase and becoming competitors in the East once more.