Wizards’ Justin Champagne Drops Brian Keefe’s 3-Word Message After Win Against Nets

WASHINGTON, DC — The Washington Wizards keep winning but friday A 119-99 win over the Brooklyn Nets it might have been their easiest of the season so far. Veteran forward Justin Champagnie scored a season-high and team-high 20 points (9-12 FG, 2-3 3-point) with seven rebounds, one steal and one block in 25 minutes off the bench, but the Wizards’ defense stood out the most.

Washington held Brooklyn to just 40 percent shooting (21 percent from 3-point range), and that’s it aspect of the game that head coach Brian Keefe gives the highest priority.

“Defense wins games,” Champagne told ClutchPoints after the game when asked what he learned most from Keefe. “If we don’t come to play defense, then it’s not going to happen.”

It helped that the Nets were under their top three scorers in wing Michael Porter Jr. (25.8 ppg), guard Cam Thomas (21.4 ppg) and big man Nick Claxton (13.5 ppg). out with illnessleft hamstring injury management and personal reasons, respectively, according to the team’s injury report. However, this was not a one-off performance.

The Wizards have allowed 113.6 points per game over their current 6-4 mark after allowing 122.3 in their 3-20 stretch to start the season. That’s partly because second-year center Alex Sarr and third-year guard Bilal Coulibaly, their best rim protectors and perimeter defenders, respectively, have played in most of the last 10 games. But the team’s efforts have also improved across the board.

Champagne explained how he talks to Washington’s young players about what they are doing well and what they can improve on as they experience one of their first stretches of consistent winning in the NBA.

“I think there are always things we can improve on,” said the 24-year-old. “Obviously we’re trying to focus on the defensive side, trying to get our physicality. From there, it opens up the game. We all know that’s what’s really helping us right now, defensive energy. So just keep going into games saying ‘let’s get the first shot on defense, be physical and come out and play’.”

Keefe has always pushed a defensive mentality, but it hasn’t paid off until recently. The Wizards ranked 29th in basketball with 120.4 average points allowed last season, and were even worse in that stretch at 3-20 this year, according to NBA Advanced Stats.

Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Clippers are seventh in the league with 113.6 points allowed this season, identical to Washington’s average over their last 10 games. Basically, the Wizards played like a top-10 defense during this stretch.

Time will tell if they continue that way, but this improvement shows that their young core is developing.

Alex Sarr praises Bub Carrington, Tre Johnson in fun times

This development also applies to the offence. Second-year guard Bub Carrington finished with just seven points (3-9 FG, 1-5 3-point) along with four assists and three turnovers in 26 minutes Friday, but shot 45.7 percent from the field (45.3 percent 3-point) on 10 average attempts in December after shooting 36.2 percent (64.3 percent) in November. His assist-to-turnover ratio also rose from 1.8 in November to 2.1 in December.

Sarr explained after A Brooklyn game that has helped Carrington shine of late.

Alec Sarr on what helped Bubba Carrington shine recently after early season struggles (thread):

“I feel like Bub has just found his groove. He knows what he’s good at, and he’s doing a great job of it. He’s very effective for us right now, calming us down . . .” pic.twitter.com/G1gV3NlaIT

— Joshua Valdez (@joshvaldez100) January 3, 2026

“I feel like Bub has just found his rhythm. He knows what he’s good at, and he does it very well,” said the 20-year-old. “He’s very effective for us right now, calming us down, setting up the offense. I feel like when he’s on the floor, we’re pretty effective offensively.”

While Carrington didn’t light up Friday’s box score, he did put on a play it covers how Washington has been acting lately.

BUB CARRINGTON ANKLE BREAKER 🔥😳

pic.twitter.com/kG3CfBLAcH

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) January 3, 2026

Sarr also revealed what stands out about rookie sharpshooter Tre Johnson besides his offensive heft since the latter returned from a Dec. 12 hip injury.

“How seriously he takes it. He’s really hard on himself,” the seven-footer said. “If he makes a mistake, you can see his reaction because he knows exactly what to do. But he’s been great, I feel like the game is slowing down for him as well. He’s been very aggressive in what he’s doing out there…”

Johnson scored 12 points (5-7 FG, 2-3 3-point) with five rebounds, two steals and one assist in 28 minutes, his fourth straight game shooting 40 percent or better from deep. The 19-year-old shot 44.2 percent on 5.2 average attempts from long range in December, so his self-responsibility and aggressiveness are working.

Sam Sarr was again the standout player for the Wizards on Friday, as he scored 19 points (8-15 FG, 1-2 3-pointer) to go with five rebounds, four assists and four blocks in 29 minutes. The second overall pick in 2024 led the NBA with 2.4 rebounds per game Saturday night.

Washington’s improvement both as a team and individually correlates with its recent winning ways. The organization is still best off finishing in the bottom four in the NBA standings to ensure they keep their top eight protected lottery picks next summer, but this 10-game stretch could be a preview of what’s to come next season and beyond.

Next up for the Wizards is a home game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday before hosting the Orlando Magic on Tuesday.