Washington has struggled shooting from beyond the arc early in the year!

But the encouraging thing is that the Wizards aren't building their entire offense around taking a TON of threes!

And I actually LIKE THAT APPROACH!

With players like Anthony Davis, Trae Young, and now AJ Dybantsa, Washington has ways to create offense without relying entirely on perimeter shooting!

ATTACK THE BASKET! GET INTO THE PAINT! AND MAKE DEFENSES FOUL YOU!

Which brings me to Friday night's NBA CUP MATCHUP against the Charlotte Hornets!

BECAUSE I THINK FREE THROWS COULD BE A HUGE FACTOR!

The Wizards attempted at least 25 free throws in each of their FIRST THREE GAMES!

And Washington started the season 2-1!

BUT IN THEIR LAST TWO GAMES? FEWER THAN 20 FREE-THROW ATTEMPTS IN BOTH!

AND THEY LOST BOTH GAMES!

I don't think that's a coincidence we should ignore!

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Washington has lost three games this season!

And in ALL THREE LOSSES, the Wizards have been outrebounded by at least TEN!

THAT IS UNACCEPTABLE!

Especially when you look at the SIZE on this roster!

ANTHONY DAVIS!

ALEX SARR!

DEANDRE AYTON!

How is a team with THAT MUCH SIZE getting dominated on the glass?

BUT THERE IS SOMETHING POSITIVE I WANT TO TALK ABOUT!

TRAE YOUNG'S TURNOVERS!

One of the concerns with Young has always been how often he gives the ball away!

But early in his Wizards career, he's done a better job taking care of the basketball!

AND THAT'S ENCOURAGING!

The question is: can he SUSTAIN IT??

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The No. 1 overall pick gave Wizards fans PLENTY to be excited about!

After missing Washington's first FOUR games with an ankle injury, Dybantsa scored 19 POINTS on 8-of-12 shooting against the Cleveland Cavaliers!

THAT'S AN ENCOURAGING START!

I'm not expecting perfection from a rookie, especially in his first NBA game!

But Dybantsa showed flashes of exactly why Washington made him the top pick in the draft!

His scoring ability, his confidence, and the potential he brings to this franchise!

THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING!

BUT THERE'S ANOTHER ISSUE WE NEED TO DISCUSS!

THE WIZARDS' REBOUNDING!

I genuinely don't understand how Washington continues to struggle this much on the glass!

With Anthony Davis, Alex Sarr, Deandre Ayton, and all the SIZE on this roster, the Wizards should NOT be getting dominated on the boards!

Having size means nothing if you're not boxing out, being physical, and finishing defensive possessions!

And that's something Washington needs to address IMMEDIATELY!

AJ DYBANTSA'S NBA CAREER IS OFF TO AN ENCOURAGING START!

But the Wizards still have some serious problems to fix!

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Despite these reports, Coulibaly and the Wizards didn't get a deal done!!

And here's what stands out to me.

WHY WERE THEY TALKING AT THE LAST MINUTE?

If Washington was trying to salvage an agreement right before the deadline...

That makes me wonder how much meaningful progress had been made before then!

And it raises another question.

WERE THE TWO SIDES FURTHER APART ON THE MONEY THAN WE REALIZED?

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The Washington Wizards struggled on the glass against the Charlotte Hornets.

And Moussa Diabate was a HUGE reason why!

17 REBOUNDS!

Diabate did the dirty work, attacked the glass, and helped Charlotte control the rebounding battle!

And I want to see MORE of that mentality from ALEX SARR!

Look, Sarr is going to take a backseat offensively this season.

With Anthony Davis, Trae Young, and Washington's other scoring options, he isn't going to be asked to carry the offense every night.

SO FIND OTHER WAYS TO DOMINATE!

REBOUND!

PROTECT THE RIM!

BRING ENERGY!

DO THE DIRTY WORK!

Alex Sarr has the physical tools to make a difference without scoring a ton of points.

And I think embracing that role could be HUGE for his development and for this Wizards team!

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Miller was getting whatever he wanted offensively!

And the Wizards simply couldn't figure out how to slow him down!

That's a problem!

But there's another issue that concerns me EVEN MORE!

THE REBOUNDING!

Washington has now been OUTREBOUNDED BY DOUBLE DIGITS in BOTH of its losses this season!

Against Toronto, it was a problem.

And against Charlotte?

SAME STORY!

It's becoming clear that REBOUNDING will be a KEY STAT for this Wizards team!

With Anthony Davis, Alex Sarr, and Deandre Ayton on your team... THAT CAN'T HAPPEN!!

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