Decided to dig into the recent Washington Wizards vs Detroit Pistons matchup since folks been askin’ about rebuilding teams. Pulled up League Pass yesterday, brewed some coffee, and just sat down ready to break it down myself. Not expecting a masterpiece, just curious about how these young squads were moving.
Setting Up the Watch & Initial Thoughts
Loaded up the replay from their latest game – the one at Capital One Arena. Skipped the pre-show stuff, ain’t got time for that. First thing that hits me right away: both teams playin’ fast. Like, nobody walking the ball up. Washington pushing after every Pistons miss, Detroit doing the same. Felt chaotic right out the gate. Made some quick notes:
- Corey Kispert sprintin’ lanes hard for Washington on every break.
- Cade Cunningham trying to orchestrate everything for Detroit.
- So. Many. Youthful. Mistakes. Turnovers galore early on from both sides.
Seriously, felt like watching AAU for stretches. Guys tryin’ fancy passes that got picked off, defensive rotations arriving late, some rough shot selections. Took a sip of coffee and muttered, “Alright, patience… it’s a process.”
Trying to Spot Improvement (Any Improvement!)
Switched focus to see if I could find growth. Been watchin’ both teams all season, honestly feeling frustrated for their fans sometimes. Decided to specifically watch how Detroit handled Washington’s Jordan Poole bursts. Last time, Poole cooked ’em. This time? Saw a tiny adjustment: Pistons started sendin’ an extra guy towards Poole whenever he drove left. Didn’t always work, but hey, they recognized the problem! Gotta credit effort there.
Then focused on Washington’s bigs – specifically Gafford and Bagley. Wizards seemed determined to set way more early screens to get their guards downhill. Bagley actually rolled hard a few times instead of just poppin’ aimlessly. It wasn’t smooth, but I saw the intention. Made me nod. Baby steps.
The Ugly Stuff & Shaky Defense
Man, the middle quarters were rough to watch defensively. Washington played about 3 minutes of legit zone, and Detroit looked totally lost. Just passed it around the perimeter until someone chucked a contested three. On the flip side, Detroit’s man-to-man coverage kept breakin’ down when Washington ran simple pick-and-rolls. Guards couldn’t fight over screens, bigs dropped too far. Led to easy floaters all day. Wrote down:
- Pistons P&R Defense: Soft. Guards getting swallowed by screens.
- Wizards Weak-Side Help: Late. Or nonexistent.
Frustrating to see repeated stuff like Jaden Ivey driving baseline uncontested three times in a row because nobody rotated. Yelled at my screen: “Help side! Where’s the help?!”. Coffee was gettin’ cold, my notes filled with question marks.
Finding Bright Spots & Final Push
Despite the mess, forced myself to look for positives deep in the fourth. Deni Avdija battled hard for boards for Washington. Ausar Thompson’s energy for Detroit – kid’s everywhere! Then Cunningham took over late. Saw him draw two defenders on a drive and kick perfectly to Killian Hayes for an open corner three (which he actually made!). That’s the vision right there. Wizards answered with Poole hitting a ridiculous step-back. Typical Poole. Game stayed scrappy until the buzzer. Pistons squeezed out the win, but honestly? Felt more like Washington lost it down the stretch with some boneheaded plays.
What Actually Changed For Me?
Finished the replay kinda drained. These teams are rough. Talent flashes everywhere, but consistency? Nah. Learned it’s harder to stay patient watching these rebuilds than I thought. Gotta actively look for those tiny improvements – like Detroit’s adjustment on Poole or Bagley rolling harder – otherwise it’s just frustration. Also confirmed my gut feeling: both squads desperately need veteran stability on the floor to calm things down. Young guys need anchors. Might check back in after the trade deadline, see if either team makes any moves to address that gap. Until then… more coffee needed.
