![\"Washington](\"https:\/\/platform.bulletsforever.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/52\/2026\/01\/gettyimages-2253813663.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0,0,100,100\")
<\/a><\/p>\nWashington Wizards forward Justin Champagnie scores in the team\u2019s 20-point win over the Brooklyn Nets. Getty Images<\/p>\n
The topline numbers (96 defensive rating) suggest the Wizards defended well, and they did\u2026for the most part. Brooklyn got plenty of open threes, which is normal for a Washington opponent because the Wizards prioritize protecting the paint. The Nets bricked those looks, hitting just 6-29 (20.7%) from deep.<\/p>\n
I did see some things that didn\u2019t thrill me. Nets guards were able to drive effectively, generate paint touches and kick out to shooters. Bub Carrington could not stay in front of Nolan Traore, who somehow generated five assists on a night Brooklyn shot 39.5% from the floor.<\/p>\n
Brooklyn\u2019s offensive rebounding numbers were low (just nine offensive boards and a 19.1% offensive rebounding percentage), but I didn\u2019t like how often Nets players were able to get their hands on missed shots. On several possessions, Wizards players corralled the ball after it had been tipped several times.<\/p>\n
Nits picked, the Wizards won easily and have played better in recent weeks. As Yanir Rubinstein wrote in the recap, Washington has now won four of their last five games. That feels good, especially when wins are powered by youngsters.<\/p>\n
Other players put up more impressive numbers, but I really loved the way Sarr played in this one. He scored inside, hit a three, produced four assists, and blocked five shots. The Nets struggled inside against him all night.Also, I kinda liked Sarr committing a flagrant foul when he got annoyed with Clowney.Bilal Coulibaly shot just 2-8 from the floor, but finished with a 180 PPA because of 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals, and 2 blocks. He hit 7-8 from the free throw line and committed 2 turnovers. His offensive rating was 108 (league average is 115.9 so far this season) on 21.0% usage. The Nets didn\u2019t learn key lessons regarding Coulibaly \u2014 don\u2019t try to pass over him, and don\u2019t try cross-court passes when he\u2019s on the floor. He will steal the ball.Justin Champagnie continued to make the case that he should be a full-time starter. In 25 minutes, he scored 20 points (9-12 from the floor) and grabbed 7 rebounds. One of Washington\u2019s defensive challenges is having anyone to get a rebound when Sarr is protecting the rim. Champagnie goes a long ways towards addressing that challenge.Marvin Bagley III was outstanding again, which makes sense considering the Nets were out of big men. Still, he bullied smaller Brooklyn players for 12 points (5-5 from the floor) and 8 rebounds in 16 minutes.Tre Johnson is such a deadly shooter, I\u2019m actually surprised when he misses now. Last night: 5-7 from the floor, 2-3 from deep. The Wizards need to figure out how to get him more shots. Maybe also brainwash him with video loops of Stephen Curry and Reggie Miller off-ball actions.One of my favorite Johnson moments came early \u2014 8:13 mark in the first quarter, Johnson side-stepped an aggressive closeout and drilled the wide-open three. That\u2019s quality stuff, and he did it perfectly.The Nets were terrible, but their broadcast is top 2-3 in the NBA for me. Noah Eagle does a great job on play-by-play, and Sarah Kustok is a top-shelf analyst. I still think Marques Johnson (Milwaukee Bucks) is the best in the business, and Antonio Daniels (New Orleans Pelicans) is superb too. Kustok is up there with them, though.YODA (my stat-based draft prospect analysis tool) was not a fan of Traore, but I can see why scouts like him. He\u2019s super-quick, and the Nets coaching staff is urging him to drive regularly. The Wizards could not keep him out of the lane when he did.YODA was a fan of Drake Powell (the Nets picked him about where I had him rated), and he looked excellent against Washington. He hasn\u2019t been that good this season, but his physical tools are elite. That doesn\u2019t mean he will be good, but he at least has a chance.YODA was really not a fan of Egor Demin, and he did not impress me at all last night.One item of concern from my notes: Will Riley had a difficult time dribbling anywhere near Brooklyn defenders. He coughed the ball up three times. I thought to myself he needs to be stronger with the ball. I suspect the issue is simple: he needs to get stronger \u2014 something perfectly normal for a 19-year-old.One example of the Wizards commitment to protecting the paint: in the second quarter, Champagnie left Powell alone at the weakside wing to come all the way to the restricted area and help on a cutter. Powell got a wide-open shot, but that\u2019s a trade the Wizards are willing to make.Brian Keefe\u2019s habit of not going to the bench late in a win is interesting. Brooklyn conceded the game with 3:04 remaining. Keefe stuck with rotation guys to the end \u2014 the Wizards used just 10 players in the game, and they all played at least 14 minutes.<\/p>\n
Below are the four factors that decide wins and losses in basketball \u2014 shooting (efg), rebounding (offensive rebounds), ball handling (turnovers), fouling (free throws made).<\/p>\n
The four factors are measured by:<\/p>\n
eFG% (effective field goal percentage, which accounts for the three-point shot)OREB% (offensive rebound percentage)TOV% (turnover percentage \u2014 turnovers divided by possessions)FTM\/FGA (free throws made divided by field goal attempts)FOUR FACTORSNETSWIZARDSLGAVGeFG%43.0%57.1%54.4%OREB%19.1%35.1%26.3%TOV%15.5%17.5%12.9%FTM\/FGA0.2910.1520.216PACE103100.0ORTG96116115.9<\/p>\n
PPA is my overall production metric, which credits players for things they do that help a team win (scoring, rebounding, playmaking, defending) and dings them for things that hurt (missed shots, turnovers, bad defense, fouls).<\/p>\n