Good morning, readers of Wizards Central.

After numerous requests, I’ve opened a call-in line for Wizards fans to leave voicemails that I’ll react to on a weekly episode of The Wizards Podcast.

You can ask questions, highlight impactful players, voice your frustrations and more using this link: https://www.speakpipe.com/TheWizardsPodcast

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WASHINGTON — It’s a season of growth for the Washington Wizards, who sport the NBA’s seventh-youngest roster and start three players under 22.

That doesn’t mean they’re devoid of criticism like they were during three tanking seasons. But it provides necessary perspective when they erase an 11-point deficit and drill multiple game-tying shots to force double overtime in a crushing 144-140 loss to a talented Detroit Pistons squad on Thursday.

It marked the team’s sixth straight defeat amid a tumultuous stretch of mostly undisciplined basketball. But it was the competitive effort this season is meant for.

“[The Pistons] were one of the top teams in the NBA for a reason last year. That’s the bar we got to get to,” Trae Young said. “We got to continue to get better … We’ve got a long way to go. It’s definitely tough when you don’t win a game like that when you play so well. But if we continue to play like this, I can see ourselves winning a lot of games.”

Young scored 37 points and added 14 assists in his best showing of the season. He scored or assisted on 11 straight Wizards points to spark their fourth-quarter comeback. His deep three over two defenders as time expired sent the contest to overtime.

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WASHINGTON — Amid a five-game losing streak, Brian Keefe challenged his team to get back to building good habits, which it had done across the first seven games.

The Wizards responded with an incredible effort on Thursday to erase an 11-point deficit and force two overtime periods with a pair of buzzer beaters. But they couldn’t pul…

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WASHINGTON — The Washington Wizards (4-8) are reeling amid a five-game losing streak that’s featured four double-digit losses, turnover issues and stagnant offensive sets.

Washington is on the second night of a back-to-back after losing 114-101 to an Indiana Pacers squad that didn’t have Tyrese Haliburton. The Wizards tallied 14 tur…

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WASHINGTON — The Washington Wizards have many issues. Coaching is certainly among them after the team’s fifth straight loss came to a 3-8 Indiana Pacers squad that had lost seven of its last eight games and played without its best player.

But it’s far from the only problem on a 4-8 team that can’t make threes, turns it over at an alarming rate and struggles on the glass. A sequence from the first quarter of Wednesday’s 114-101 loss encapsulated Washington’s early season struggles.

Kyshawn George, who tallied six turnovers, sailed a lob pass to AJ Dybantsa, which allowed the Pacers to run on the fastbreak. Aaron Nesmith missed a pull-up three, but nobody boxed out. Trae Young and Alex Sarr stood and watched as Pascal Siakam rose for one of Indiana’s 14 offensive rebounds and tapped it in.

Anthony Davis airballed an open three on the ensuing possession to complete the trifecta of Washington’s struggles: careless turnovers, poor defensive rebounding and horrid 3-point shooting.

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One would think a team on a four-game losing streak would come out with more fight after tying the game entering the fourth. But not the Washington Wizards, who allowed a 12-0 Pacers run to open the fourth quarter.

Turnover issues, poor late-game execution and non-existent coaching adjustments plagued Washington in its 114-101 loss …

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The Washington Wizards are reeling after their fourth straight loss — a 122-111 defeat to the Detroit Pistons just two days after suffering a 114-75 loss in Oklahoma City.

A frustrated Anthony Davis, who scored 44 points on Monday, sounded off on Washington’s struggles, citing poor defense, rebounding issues and more for the team’s …

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DETROIT — This Wizards’ season was always about growth. The front office wanted a year to evaluate which young players they should build around and which ones they shouldn’t. Will Dawkins and Michael Winger wanted a year to possibly shock the world and make the playoffs, but more likely a year to uncover the glaring holes in their youthful roster.

Through 11 games, answers are flying in. And most are negative.

A visibly frustrated Anthony Davis, who scored 44 points on 16-for-21 shooting in a losing effort, sounded off on Washington’s struggles during its four-game losing streak.

“Everything, everything, everything,” Davis said when asked what’s gone wrong over the last four games. “... We’re not playing any defense … We’re not rebounding. We’re giving up open threes, fouling, not guarding the ball. Everything.”

The same issues have plagued Washington across its seven losses.

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DETROIT — Monday’s contest in Detroit marked another beautiful day on planet Earth, which meant another opportunity for the Washington Wizards to commit self-inflicted errors in a losing effort.

Rebounding issues plagued them in two losses to the Atlanta Hawks. Their worst offensive showing since 2018 led to a 39-point loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder o…

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DETROIT — The Washington Wizards (4-6) will look to snap a three-game losing streak when they travel to Detroit on Monday for the third game of a four-game road trip. Washington is coming off its worst showing of the season — a 114-75 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday that marked its lowest scoring output since January …

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WASHINGTON — Several questions followed the Washington Wizards’ acquisition of Anthony Davis. Mainly: How would he pair with fellow big man Alex Sarr, and how would Washington mitigate potential spacing issues with two bigs who shot 27% and 33.3%, respectively, from three last season?

The Wizards want teams to adjust to their size, not the other way around. But through 10 games, Washington’s double-big experiment hasn’t worked. The numbers tell the story.

Washington sports a 106.9 offensive rating and is shooting 28.8% from three with both Davis and Sarr on the floor. Those figures rise to 122.2 and 31.1%, respectively, with just Davis in the lineup, according to databallr.com.

The team’s offensive rating jumps to 108.4 when Sarr is the lone big man and 113.4 with only Deandre Ayton. It’s not surprising that Sarr’s best showing — a 15-point, 14-rebound performance against the Oklahoma City Thunder — came the second Brian Keefe abandoned the double-big lineup. And it doesn’t get much better with Ayton involved.

Washington has posted a 93.5 offensive rating and made zero 3-pointers in the 15 minutes Sarr and Ayton have played together. The only double-big combination that’s somewhat worked is Ayton and Davis. The Wizards have a 111.7 offensive rating and are shooting 42.9% from three in the 42 minutes those two have played together.

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The Wizards’ tank ended in April. But you wouldn’t know that if you watched their non-competitive showing in their 114-75 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday.

It marked the Wizards’ third straight defeat and dropped them to 4-6 with two games remaining on their four-game road trip.

Bilal Coulibaly replaced Deandre Ayton in …

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The Washington Wizards (4-5) travel to Oklahoma City for the second night of a back-to-back after losing 139-132 to the Atlanta Hawks on Friday. It’s the second game of Washington’s four-game road trip.

Rebounding remains an issue for the Wizards, who allowed 14 offensive rebounds and 20 second-chance points in Friday’s loss. Deandr…

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Anthony Davis missed his first game of the season with an ankle sprain. And the Wizards felt his absence on both ends in their 139-132 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Friday.

The Hawks took a 20-10 lead thanks to four Wizards turnovers and spacing issues created by the Alex Sarr-Deandre Ayton double-big lineup. Brian Keefe replaced Sar…

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The Washington Wizards (4-4) have struggled against relentless ball-pressure, most recently succumbing to the Atlanta Hawks’ stout defense two days ago. Crazy enough, as former Hawk Trae Young put it, Washington faces the same opponent again on Friday.

Young, who spent eight seasons in Atlanta before a trade to Washington last Janua…

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