Washington’s NBA Cup drought hits new low

Teams play only a few games NBA Cupso performing fundamental assessments can be quite difficult. The first two champions of the season, the Los Angeles Lakers and the Milwaukee Bucks, were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs after big wins in las vegas. The Atlanta Hawks, who won just 40 games last season, made it all the way to the 2024 NBA Cup semifinals. So breaks from the norm are pretty common in this tournament, unless you Washington Wizards (1-14).

In a contest full of surprises — the Portland Trail Blazers currently lead the “Group of Death” — fans can count on this Eastern Conference team for some consistency. The Wizards have arguably been the most dangerous franchise in the NBA since the start of the 2023-24 campaign, compiling a 34-145 record during that span. Fans can’t even shake off the misery of the NBA Cup.

Washington’s 140-110 loss to the Toronto Raptors on Friday night, which marked its 13th straight loss, dropped the team to 0-2 in the A East and 0-10 all-time record in the tournament in the season. The Wizards are the only team that has never won an NBA Cup game. Iikes!

Is there an end to the Wizards’ desperation?

This tournament was the team’s only chance to have competitive aspirations, and now that’s all but over. No rational individual envisioned Washington advancing to the playoffs, but there was hope that veterans CJ McCollum and Khris Middleton could jumpstart this torturous rebuild a little. Instead, the team is just as terrible, posting the worst in the league -17.2 point difference through his first 15 games, according to ESPN.

There are several reasons to believe the Wizards are making slight progress despite their record. Center Alex Sarr is averaging 18.3 points, 8.2 rebounds and 2.2 blocks. Sophomore Keeshon George is shooting 44.4 percent from 3-point range. I rookie Tre Johnson he is scoring a solid 11.4 points on 44.5 percent shooting from the field in 24.3 minutes per contest. But after setting a new franchise single-season losing record in back-to-back years, individual growth isn’t enough.

General Manager Will Dawkins and Head Coach Brian Keefe improved results are needed from this group. Winning 25 games shouldn’t be an insurmountable task. The Wizards will look for their first NBA Cup triumph when they host the Hawks (9-7) on Tuesday, but the players and fans don’t want to wait until next week to get a win. The Wizards play the Chicago Bulls (8-7) at the United Center on Saturday, starting at 8 pm ET.