Washington Wizards guard CJ McCollum Dustin Satloff/GettyImages

Wizards Latest Blowout Loss Demands a Change

Originally posted on Washington Wizards on SI
By Lane Mills | Last updated Nov 6, 2025 3:00 PM ET

Another game, another embarrassing loss for the Washington Wizards. This time, on the road against a below .500 Boston Celtics team without their best player, the Wizards gave up a free-flowing 136 to the home team, only offering 107 of their own points in return. After outscoring Boston by 11 in the first quarter, Washington wouldn't find themselves in plus territory again for the rest of the game.

The underwhelming effort was comprised of scattered efforts across the board; aside from yet another breakout game for Alex Sarr - who has come into his own as the team's star, and then some - multiple Wizards found themselves well below par in the defeat.

An Overwhelming Lowlight

Though of the myriad of disappointments, one stood out as an extension of a noticeably worrying trend within the team as of late. Veteran guard CJ McCollum, who was brought in this offseason to be a seasoned scoring threat carrying the boats whilst the younger players found their way, scored just three points on of Washington's aforementioned total.

Having played 18 minutes, that's not exactly the kind of efficiency you're looking for from someone who ws brought in almost solely to score and score in abundance. It wasn't long before noise of McCollum's struggles hit the internet, with Ben Strober (of Locked on Wizards) highlighting the guard's abysmal shooting percentage in a frustrated post on X (Twitter).

CJ McCollum is 1/10. Something has to change.
— Ben Strober (@strobersports) November 6, 2025

One Singular Make

On 10 attempts, McCollum managed only to make one shot. Everyone has an off game, sure, but for McCollum, these sorts of unplayable performances have become a trend.

His last game out in Washington's road loss to the New York Knicks yielded little difference. Shooting a 22.2%/16.7% split from the field and long range respectively, McCollum posted only five points in a patterned poor effort. These back-to-back slumps have made one thing clear to a tumbling Wizards franchise: McCollum should be moved.

To boot, McCollum is currently on a two year, nearly $64 million dollar deal; a leftover from his time as a New Orleans Pelican, to be fair, but the contract is now Washington's problem either way. When you've got four, maybe five players doing more on a consistent basis - none of whom are being paid in remotely the same ballpark - the issue is self-evident.

So long as McCollum continues to stake a majority share in the offense, Washington will undoubtedly continue to struggle.

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

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