The Washington Wizards are off to one of their best starts in franchise history after climbing to the top of the Eastern Conference at 5-1. While it is still early, not many people thought the Wizards would be off to such a hot start. But this team has a different vibe and it’s not just because they’re stacking up dubs.
In the offseason, they hired a new coach and traded Russell Westbrook for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Montrezl Harrell, and Kyle Kuzma. They also picked up Aaron Holiday and drafted Corey Kispert and Isaiah Todd. With all these new pieces in place, there was an expectation that it would take time for the team to build chemistry.
Kuzma acknowledged during the preseason when the Wizards went 0-4 that it could take them up to 20 games to gel together. That has been far from the situation. As Bradley Beal expressed, “something just clicked when the season started.”
It began with the Wizards winning their first season opener since 2017. Although this was an exciting accomplishment, Coach Unseld, Jr. encouraged his guys not to be satisfied.
The Wizards won their first season opener since 2017 with a dub vs. the Raptors so I asked Coach Wes Unseld, Jr. what his overall message to the team was after the game: “It’s great to get that first win under our belt but lets not be satisfied.” #DCAboveAll pic.twitter.com/z3wnxCYHFV
— Carita Parks (@CaritaCParks) October 21, 2021
Now five games later, Washington is still on the upward trejectory. In fact this is their best start in 16 years when Coach Unseld, Jr. was an assistant coach on the Wizards staff.
“That’s great. Hopefully there’s a lot of firsts this year,” Unseld, Jr. said in response to that information. “There’s certainly a lot of firsts for me. It shows our resilience. I keep using that word but it’s who we are, who we have to be. Every night someone steps up and makes a play for us.”
The Wizards team dynamic is standing out and seems to be the best it has been in years. The team is playing for each other and having fun while doing it. Beal and Harrell have particularly developed a quick bond.
.@RealDealBeal23 popped in to see @MONSTATREZZ's press conference and it only got more entertaining from there 🎤
These two are straight comedy together 😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/d1S26MmvpA
— Washington Wizards (@WashWizards) October 29, 2021
When it come to on the court, several players have called their mentality “humble and hungry.” They’re also not letting the success go to their head. As good as they are now, the Wizards believe they are just scratching the surface.
“We have that hungry and humble mentality.” #DCAboveAll pic.twitter.com/yTd68RSUhB
— Carita Parks (@CaritaCParks) October 31, 2021
That’s not a stretch. With the team expecting Thomas Bryant to return from his ACL injury and Rui Hachimura to eventually re-join the team, the Wizards still have a lot of upside. Prior to the quad contusion that has sidelined Daniel Gafford indefinitely, he was averaging 8 points and 4 rebounds per game, not to mention his skills protecting the rim. As their chemistry continues to grow and other players return to the lineup, the Wizards could get scarier as the season progresses.
Another highlight has been the team’s depth. At times when Beal wasn’t playing well, the bench stepped up big. The Wizards finally have viable options and it has paid off. Beal can be injured or have a bad game and the team is still finding a way to pull off a win.
The season is long but record aside, the Wizards have a swag that hasn’t been there in awhile. The energy hits different. If they keep it up, Washington may surprise the entire Eastern Conference. Only time will tell.