According to Alec Sarr, Wizards are ‘finding chemistry’ after Trae Young trade

ByNBAUSA



WASHINGTON, DC — The Washington Wizards they haven’t won a game since trading veterans CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert to Atlanta Hawks for injured star Trae Young (knee, quadriceps) on Jan. 7, but Monday’s 110-106 home loss to the Los Angeles Clippers was their best performance since then. Second-year center Alex Sarr led the way with 28 points (10-19 FG, 2-5 3-point) in 31 minutes and added six rebounds, two assists, two steals and one block.

The 20-year-old told ClutchPoints after the game how young the Wizards are navigating his new situation without McCollum and Kispert.

“Yes, obviously when players leave it takes a little time to adjust,” he said. “It’s a next-man-up mentality. Whoever plays does what they have to do, and I feel like we’re building that chemistry.”

Washington has been noncompetitive in back-to-back games since its 131-110 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Jan. 7, when McCollum and Kispert stayed before the postgame trade. The team lost four more contests by double digits before falling 121-115 for the Denver Nuggets on the road on Saturday and a narrow loss to the Clippers on Monday.

That’s because McCollum was an integral part of the Wizards’ 7-5 record in the 12 games prior to Jan. 7, averaging 18.5 points on 47.5 percent shooting with 3.8 assists during that stretch. The 34-year-old hit shots and was a stabilizing presence for a team with several key players under the legal drink limit.

Kispert missed most of that stretch with injury, but still averaged 9.2 points on 49.6 percent shooting (39.5 percent 3-point) in 19.5 minutes in 19 games for Washington this season. Taking away both McCollum and Kispert without adding anything in the short term given that Young will sit out at least through the All-Star break has been a challenging adjustment for the Wiz Kids, but the last two games have shown improvement.

Not only did both contests come to an end, but the Wizards’ young building blocks shined. Second-year wing Keeshon George became the first player in franchise history to score 29 points with five 3-pointers, seven assists, five rebounds, three blocks and one steal in a game Saturday, and he followed that up with 18 points (6-16, 2-6 3-point), six rebounds, six assists and three steals on Monday. The 22-year-old had six total turnovers and missed two shots in the final two minutes, but those clutch reps are helping him grow.

Meanwhile, rookie shooting guard Tre Johnson bounced back with 15 points (6-12 FG, 3-7 3-point), five assists and no turnovers against Los Angeles after scoring just four points on 1-of-10 shooting in Denver. 19-year-old gaming has jumpedas shown in the video below.

Finally, second-year guard Bub Carrington recorded 17 points (7-12 FG, 3-7 3-point) with six rebounds, seven assists and one block in 37 minutes. The Baltimore native also had five turnovers, but hit a stepback three to tie the game at 103 with 2:11 left.

With McCollum and Kispert gone, the onus is on the young core to keep games competitive until Young returns. Veterans like forward Khris Middleton and center Marvin Bagley still contribute in the interim, but they don’t have the ball in their hands as much as McCollum. The latter has a usage rate of 23.7 percent in 35 games with the team, while Middleton and Bagley are at 18 and 18.1 percent, respectively.

Among the main players in the rotation, Sarr leads with 25.2 percent, followed by George (21.3 percent) and Johnson (20.2 percent). Carrington is lower on the list at 16 percent, but is second only to George with 28.3 average minutes.

Bub Carrington continues to be productive after an early slump

Carrington has hit a wall to start this season after earning Rising Star and Second-Team All-Rookie honors last year as he shot just 32.4 percent from the field with a 1.8 assist-to-turnover ratio in October and 36.6 percent with a 1.9 ratio in November. However, the 20-year-old more than doubled his average in December (13.4 ppg) to 45.7 percent with a 2.2 assist/turnover ratio.

Carrington has taken several hits on the road this month, including a 1-for-11 shooting night in Wednesday’s 119-105 loss to the Clippers. However, the former Pittsburgh Panther shot at least 45 percent from the field in four of 10 games in January and had an assist-to-turnover ratio of at least 3.0 in five.

Carrington talked about how it is improved his basketball IQ after Monday’s game.

“I’ve been in these situations for a year, two years now,” he said. “The more I see things, the better I’ll be at them. I think I’ve shown that a little bit, I just need experience.”

Gaining that experience helps Carrington and company improve, even if progress isn’t always linear. Washington, meanwhile, owns the NBA’s third-worst record at 10-32, so it remains on pace to keep its top eight protected picks this summer. The draft lottery system guarantees that a team will keep that selection as long as it finishes with the lowest record at the end of the regular season. The Wizards’ pick would go to the New York Knicks if it ends up being ninth or lower.

Next up for the “Wiz Kids” is a home date with the Nuggets on Thursday night.





2026-01-21 01:24:00

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