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Wizards exploring Japan before preseason game vs. Warriors

By Bijan Todd

Wizards exploring Japan before preseason game vs. Warriors originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington

Before the Washington Wizards landed in Japan for a pair of preseason exhibition games this week, Kyle Kuzma noted that he wanted the experience to “mold” the squad and build camaraderie.

“We have a lot of familiar faces around but we have a bunch of new players that are gonna be big minute players for us,” Kuzma told NBC Sports Washington’s Wes Hall. “If we can start now, being on the same page, being cool, hanging out—I think that’s the most important thing.”

So far, those goals seem to have been realized.

The squad landed in Tokyo earlier this week and have taken the time ahead of their matchups vs. Golden State to meet and greet fans, tour the nation, and build chemistry. At the crux of the Wizards’ trip is the attention surrounding Rui Hachimura, who not only will hold a critical role in Wes Unseld Jr.’s rotation this year, but also carries with him a tremendous following in Japan where he was born.

“To see my country, my culture, it’s an amazing feeling,” Hachimura said as the team visited the Tokyo tower.

Washington was prepared for the massive swaths of media Hachimura would be exposed to while visiting his home country, which is why GM Tommy Sheppard made preparations to prevent burnout during the Japan trip. Hachimura’s following was evident in the form of a media gathering on Thursday:

The Golden State Warriors are enjoying their Japanese tourism as well, taking time to sign autographs for fans at the airport (much like the Wizards did), and even try sumo wrestling. Unlike long-range shooting, they’ll need a lot more practice at sumo:

Washington takes on Golden State bright an early on Friday morning, with the NBA Japan Games starting at 6 a.m. EST live on NBC Sports Washington. 

Will 3-point shooting be Wizards’ biggest NBA trade deadline need?

By Chase Hughes
Is shooting Wizards' biggest trade deadline need? originally appeared on NBC Sports WashingtonThe Wizards' front office has likely already been deliberating over what to add at the Feb. 9 trade deadline for quite some time, but now that the calendar has turned to January, it is just over a month away. These next few weeks will be a crucial evaluation period for what the Wizards will do at the last mile marker to make significant additions to their roster.Tuesday night's loss to the Bucks served as a stark reminder of what they may need more than anything else. That is 3-point shooting and enough to overcome what has been a season-long problem of getting shots to fall on the road.Washington shot just 8-for-27 from deep in Milwaukee, good for 29.5%. It was the 21st time this season they have made 10 or fewer threes in a game and the 15th time it's happened on the road. They are 7-14 in those games overall and 4-11 when they occur on the road. When the Wizards make more than 10 threes, home or away, they are 10-8.Washington remains the worst 3-point shooting team in the league in away games. They are dead-last in road threes made (9.5/g) and road 3-point percentage (31.4).It's a very different story at home. Despite being 24th in the NBA in threes made overall this season (10.8/g) and 19th in percentage (34.4%), they are 12th in each category in home games, averaging 12.5 threes on 37.9%.The Wizards' recent five-game winning streak has breathed some new life into their postseason aspirations. Even after losing to the Bucks, they maintain the 10th seed in the Eastern Conference, the final spot in the play-in tournament. They are 3 1/2 games back from the eighth seed with plenty of time to move up the ladder, just 39 games into their schedule.But Tuesday was an example of how not being able to make threes on the road could be a prohibitive problem in a playoff environment. Unless they finish with a top-4 seed in the East, they won't have homecourt advantage if they make the playoffs. And if they don't make their threes on the road, it's going to be tough to win.Three players on the Wizards have shot well from three on the road this season; Rui Hachimura (45.5%), Monte Morris (44.1%) and Corey Kispert (37.2%). Everyone else in their current rotation has been under 32%. That includes Kristaps Porzingis (22.1%), Deni Avdija (22.4%), Bradley Beal (25.9%) and Kyle Kuzma (31.5%).As for where the Wizards could add shooting, they are under-indexing at the guard position. In fact, no team has seen fewer threes made by guards this season than the Wizards, per NBA.com. In an ideal world, Beal could help change that, but he has had some availability issues and just re-aggravated his left hamstring injury against the Bucks.The Wizards have shown in recent years an ability to improve their chances at the trade deadline. Last February, they acquired Porzingis plus a second-round pick for Spencer Dinwiddie and Davis Bertans. Porzingis is putting up big numbers and could be in line to make the All-Star team for the second time in his career.The year before, the Wizards acquired Daniel Gafford and didn't give up very much to do so. He has become a key member of their rotation and earned a contract extension in October 2021.Those two trades may indicate the Wizards will be thinking big once again as they approach this year's deadline. But given their struggles in 3-point shooting this season, especially on the road where they will almost certainly have to go if they make the playoffs, one area of need stands out above all else at the moment. Tuesday was the latest example.
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