Game On: Wizards @ Hornets

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Published: December 11, 2012
Game On Henry

The injured and struggling Wizards roll into town to take on the injured and struggling Hornets. Which team will out-struggle the other?

The Wizards and Hornets are both facing some of the same issues. Like the Hornets, the Wizards have missed their best guard (Wall) all season. Like the Hornets, the Wizards have been missing their premier big man (Nene) for most of the season. Both teams have a rookie guard who is struggling mightily to hit a shot. (Bradley Beal is shooting 34.9% and 31.9% from the field) Both teams have young clueless forwards trying to figure things out, (Singleton and Jan Vessely for the wizards, Aminu and Henry for the Hornets)

Really, these teams aren’t so different as I’d like them to be. The Wizards are the worst offense in the league, and post the 18th worst defense. The Hornets are the worst defense in the league, and post the 18th worst offense. Both teams are outscored, on average, by 7 points per 100 posessions.

I’d take the Hornets future in a second – and much prefer the injured Hornets to the injured Wizards – but as far as court results this year these teams are as equivalent as you can get. So how do the Hornets avoid a bad loss to a bad team?

Keys to the Game

  • Play off the Wizards guards. Crawford, Beal and Shaun Livingston are bad shooters who like to shoot from deep – particularly off the dribble. Not much to fear there.
  • Play disciplined defense. The Wizards draw almost no fouls. They finish at a horrible rate around the rim. Only Nene will force the issue – don’t be super-aggressive and give them the chance to get cheap points at the free throw line.
  • Pressure the ball. The Wizards are missing Wall and their back-up point AJ Price is out for several weeks. They will not be comfortable. Pressure them full-court a couple times a quarter and see if they’ll cough up a few turnovers and easy points.

Enjoy the game!

Oh, and send us your trade ideas for the podcast tomorrow night! If you want, leave it as a message at 504-322-3333 and get on the podcast!

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