Story By: Sol Tucker
Photos By: Sol Tucker
Washington, D.C–
If the Wizards have what it takes to go 82 games after this preseason, you hope that it becomes more of what we saw tonight against the Knicks as they pulled out all the stops at the end to grab a 118-117 victory over the Knicks to close out the 2024 preseason.
While there are a lot of questions that remain before the season opener against the Celtics on the 24th, the final second work by Johnny Davis may have given us hope that those other players that have been in consideration for the final roster spots will make an impact off the bench.
With six seconds to go, Davis hit a floating bank shot to take the lead for the Wizards. On the Knicks’ final possession, he intercepted a bad pass from Tyler Kolek to seal the deal and pull out a win.
One of the biggest takeaways from the game tonight is that the Wizards had 12 different players score at least five points. If they are going to help Jordan Poole and Kyle Kuzma to not have to carry the load every night, they need solid production from the bench. Bub Carrington had seven points and three rebounds, while Kyshawn George tallied eight points, four rebounds, and five assists in Washington’s preseason finale.
“We have a few things to take a look at over the next few days before we face Boston,” said Wizards Head Coach Brian Keefe.
What Keefe most likely have to look at is what happened on those road games where the Wizards average loss was well over 20 points and at points in the Brooklyn game they trailed by as many as 35 plus points. This type of play and the slim margin of victory in the 2 home games could be a cause of concern. While we know preseason means absolutely nothing for standings, it does mean that the Wizards still need some work.