3 Studs, 2 Duds from Wizards matchup against Knicks (and why it’s not surprising)

The Washington Wizards entered their Monday night matchup against the New York Knicks riding an eight game losing streak.

Washington has struggled over the last couple of weeks, and their young squad’s season continues to slip away as any postseason hopes fade with them. The offseason likely couldn’t come soon enough for Wizards fans who have their sights set on the draft. However, the team can still salvage this season just by prioritizing the development of young players on Brian Keefe’s roster.

Nonetheless, following their 134-106 loss in New York, here’s a look at the three studs, and two duds from the team’s loss that extends the losing streak to nine games.

Carlton Carrington led the Wizards in their matchup against the Knicks. Despite the loss, the 19-year-old guard continues to impress. The Pitt product finished the night with 18 points, four rebounds, and two assists, while shooting 43.8% from field goal range (7/16 FG) and knocking down four triples (4/8 3PT)

Jordan Poole has led the Wizards all season long, but on Monday, his spark seemed to fizzle out. The point guard made very little impact on the floor finishing with eight points, five assists and four rebounds. If Washington hopes to break there losing streak anytime soon, they’ll need their key players to put together much better contributions than this.

Corey Kispert shined in the Wizards loss. The Gonzaga product put together one of his best games of the season in New York where he finished with 18 points, six rebounds, two assists and one steal. The versatile forward left his mark all over the floor serving as a reliable piece off Washington’s bench.

In his second game of the season, Malcolm Brogdon found himself inserted into the starting lineup due to the absence of Bilal Coulibaly. Looking to bounce back from his lackluster debut where he scored one point, Brogdon had a prime chance against an undersized Knicks backcourt.

Despite that, the veteran guard couldn’t seize the opportunity finishing with seven points, one rebound and one assists.

Jonas Valanciunas arguably could have been considered the best player on the court last night, atleast for the Wizards. The big man showed out off the bench with 18 points, eight rebounds and three assists. In addition, Valanciunas managed to get two blocks on the defensive side of the court.

Looking ahead, the Wizards losing streak is set to reach double digits and could extend even more if the team can’t find an identity and play with the confidence they started the first four games with. The lack of talent puts them in losing positions, but the lack of hustle hasn’t helped.