Washington Wizards forward Alex Sarr Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | David Butler II-Imagn Images

Wizards' Latest Win Can't Distract From Shortcomings

Originally posted on Washington Wizards on SI
By Lane Mills | Last updated Nov 27, 2025 1:00 PM ET

The Washington Wizards (2-15) winning a basketball game feels like an alien result, given their historically bad start to the 2025-26 NBA season so far. Yet, against the Atlanta Hawks (11-8) in their most recent bout, the Wizards managed just that - and in blowout fashion, to boot. With a final score of 132-113, Washington had Atlanta's number from the tip, leading by 22 points already by the end of the first quarter and, from there, never once looking back.

Identity in Scoring Alone

If any reason can be primarily identified for the Wizards' win, it is in their (apparently newfound) ability to force the Hawks to play their own game. For a team with little to no identity this year, Washington seems only able to claim fact-paced scoring as their calling card. The problem has been, and still is, that a number of teams also score the ball at a high rate. Even still, when the Wizards are getting 46-point performances from CJ McCollum, as they did against Atlanta, little else will subsequently matter.

Yet what can't be forgotten about the Wizards as a collective unit lies in a few particularly dire statistics that came to light as a natural consequence of their win, as was pointed out by Greg Finberg of The Daily Collegian on X (Twitter):

The Washington Wizards have won a basketball game for the first time since Oct. 24.

It’s their first home win since April 2 and first NBA Cup win in franchise history. pic.twitter.com/7S8WcG5S9p
— Greg Finberg (@GregFinberg) November 26, 2025

Inherent Issues

Washington's win over the Hawks, while undoubtedly encouraging, was their first of any kind since October 24; that's an entire month of basketball without a victory, and arguably, it isn't even the worst footnote to come from the matchup.

Given that their duel against the Hawks was a part of the still-new NBA Cup, Washington secured their first win in the history of the in-season competition. The Cup was first played in Novemeber of 2023. The Wizards' problems unfortunately still remain, even in the soft light of a long-needed win.

Beyond their aforementioned penchant for putting the ball in the bucket, Washington has little else to hang their hats on as a team. From some of the league's worst score-stopping metrics - their defensive rating is currently 30th in the NBA, at 123.9 - to a roster that often suffocates young players under inconsistent veteran assets, head coach Brian Keefe appears to have outlined little direction for a team that is only good in spurts.

Fans should certainly revel in the team's win over Atlanta, though if not only for the painful reality that it could be another month before the next one.

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

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