WASHINGTON — The Washington Wizards rank dead last in offensive rebounds allowed per game (15.0) and 25th in total rebounds per game (50.3) through eight games.
Despite adding Anthony Davis and Deandre Ayton next to Alex Sarr, rebounding remains Washington’s biggest issue. And it struck again in the team’s 120-105 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday.
Brian Keefe cited his team’s “top defensive rebounding” unit over the previous two games when asked about on Wednesday those rebounding woes. In his view, the Wizards’ rebounding issues are a result of losing 50-50 balls on long rebounds, which have resulted in 19.2 second-chance points allowed per game.
“A couple things that kind of stood out on the film. [The Hawks] play a really fast pace. They get out in transition. I think we didn’t do a good job of getting back in transition, loading the bodies with some of their threes that they took [that] led to some long rebounds that we didn’t get,” Keefe said after Thursday’s practice. “... They won some of those 50-50 battles for sure. I think that’s where we did make a little bit of adjustment. In the third, we actually won the rebounding battle, and that was the one we made the comeback in. But not good enough, not consistent enough.”
