#washington-wizards

#washington-wizards

Between the sophomore slump for Bub Carrington, lackluster play from veterans and the inconsistent start to Cam Whitmore's tenure in the DMV, the Wizards woes have come at the hands of several factors. However, arguably the biggest reason for the team's struggles can be linked to the fact that Washington has been plagued by an injury bug that simply just won't go away.

When the Wizards made the decision to move on from Jordan Poole this offseason in exchange for CJ McCollum and Kelly Olynyk from the New Orleans Pelicans, many wondered how this move made sense for Washington. The Wizards were ultimately getting much older at their most concerning roster position and were set to lose the player that served as the team's primary ball handler last season.

The Washington Wizards injuries have managed to make an already bizarre start to the season take a turn for the worse. Washington's injury woes have forced head coach Brian Keefe to search for answers deep on the team's bench and after declaring that no minutes would be given, but instead earned this offseason, Washington found themselves turning to a second-round pick on Thursday night.

The Washington Wizards struggles have been hard to overlook this season and in large part due to the extra eyes the team's busy offseason brought to the team's rebuilding process. Sitting at the bottom of the NBA standings, not much has changed for the Wizards looking back to last season. In fact, instead of taking a step forward, Washington looks like they've regressed up to this point of the season; at least in terms of the team as a whole.

When Washington opted to land Middleton, the expectation was that the forward would use the fresh start to his advantage proving he had plenty left in the tank. Obviously, the main motive behind the Wizards decision to acquire the veteran was to move on from Kyle Kuzma, who had increasingly become a distraction for the struggling team with his growing frustration throughout the Wizards struggles.

Washington has assembled one of the most talented young cores in the NBA, and although they're not close to competing in the Eastern Conference yet, it's clear the team has made strides in the right direction. However, it's becoming abundantly clear throughout this season that the team is still one player away from truly being a force to be reckoned with in the East.

The Washington Wizards struggles to start the season have been difficult to watch not only for the fanbase, but the coaching staff too. Washington's roster is better built than what their record shows, and considering the leaps from players like Alex Sarr and Kyshawn George, you'd expect the Wizards would have shown some type of progress when comparing their start to the season to last year's bizarre 82-game campaign.