Look at the box scores. It's ugly. If you’ve been tracking the Wizards last 5 games, you already know the vibe in D.C. right now is a mix of "trust the process" and "please turn off the TV." We’re talking about a stretch that has seen this roster look like a legitimate NBA squad for about twelve minutes at a time before completely falling off a cliff. It’s frustrating. It’s confusing. Honestly, it’s exactly what a scorched-earth rebuild looks like when the training wheels come off and the hill is way steeper than the front office admitted.
People keep asking if the losing is intentional. Of course, it is. But there’s a difference between losing for a draft pick and losing because your defensive rotations look like a chaotic game of tag. Over this recent five-game stretch, we’ve seen Bilal Coulibaly flash All-Defensive potential while simultaneously seeing the veteran presence—or lack thereof—melt away under the slightest bit of pressure.
The defensive collapse in the Wizards last 5 games
Defense is mostly effort and communication. Right now, Washington has neither for forty-eight full minutes. In the Wizards last 5 games, the defensive rating has plummeted into the basement of the league. We saw it clearly against top-tier offensive teams; the perimeter containment just isn’t there. When Jordan Poole is your primary point of attack defender, you’re asking for a long night.
It’s not just Poole, though.
Alex Sarr is a rookie. He’s tall, he’s mobile, and he’s clearly gifted, but he’s also getting bullied by seasoned vets who know how to use their weight. In three of these last five matchups, opposing centers have put up season-high numbers. That’s a massive red flag. You can’t blame a nineteen-year-old for everything, but the lack of a secondary rim protector means once Sarr is out of position, the paint is basically a VIP lounge with no bouncer.
They’re giving up way too many corner threes. It’s a systemic failure. The "help" defense is often just "standing near the person who is about to score." During the blowout loss two nights ago, there were at least six possessions where two Wizards players ended up guarding the same guy in the corner, leaving the entire middle of the floor open. You can’t win like that. You can’t even stay competitive.
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Bub Carrington and the youth movement silver lining
Despite the losing, Bub Carrington is a dog. If you haven't been watching the Wizards last 5 games closely, you might miss the nuance of what he's doing. He isn't just a "chucker." He’s actually trying to facilitate. In an era where young guards just want to get their highlights on Instagram, Bub is looking for the extra pass.
- He’s pushing the pace even when the veterans look gapped.
- His rebounding for his size is genuinely elite right now.
- He doesn't shy away from taking the big shot, even if he’s 2-for-10.
That last point is key. Confidence is everything in the NBA. If you lose it early, you’re done. Look at what happened to some of the previous lottery picks in D.C. who got "The Yips" and never recovered. Bub doesn't have that problem. He plays like he belongs. In the fourth quarter of the game against the Knicks, he was the only player wearing a Wizards jersey who looked like he actually wanted to be on the court.
But let’s be real: he’s a rookie. He’s going to turn the ball over. He’s going to take bad shots. The problem is that the Wizards don't have a stabilizing force to pull him aside and say, "Hey, slow it down." Kyle Kuzma is trying to be that guy, but Kuzma is also trying to be the primary scorer, which creates a weird power dynamic on the floor.
The Jordan Poole conundrum
We have to talk about Jordan Poole. We just have to. His performance during the Wizards last 5 games has been a rollercoaster that only goes down. He’ll have a quarter where he looks like the guy who helped the Warriors win a ring, hitting deep threes and dancing on defenders. Then, he’ll have three quarters where he’s a turnover machine.
It’s the "Poole Party" but the pool is empty and you’re jumping in headfirst.
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The advanced stats are brutal. When Poole is on the floor during this recent stretch, the offensive flow often grinds to a halt because the ball stops moving. He’s searching for his rhythm, but in doing so, he’s freezing out guys like Coulibaly who need touches to develop. If the Wizards are going to salvage anything from this season, they have to decide if Poole is a long-term piece or just a salary-filler for a future trade. Right now, he looks like neither.
Why the schedule didn't help
Context matters. The Wizards last 5 games weren't exactly against the bottom-feeders of the league. They ran into a buzzsaw of playoff-caliber teams. When you’re playing the likes of the Celtics or the Cavs, your mistakes are magnified by a factor of ten. Washington makes a lot of mistakes.
They turn the ball over at one of the highest rates in the league.
They don't box out.
They miss free throws at crucial moments.
Against a bad team, you can overcome that with raw talent. Against a team like Boston? You’re down twenty by halftime. That’s exactly what happened. The psychological toll of these blowouts is starting to show. You can see it in the body language on the bench. There’s a lot of staring at the floor. A lot of jerseys being pulled over faces. It’s tough to watch, but it’s the reality of a team that is currently built to fail.
Coaching and rotations
Brian Keefe has a thankless job. He’s trying to develop three rookies, keep the veterans happy, and implement a defensive scheme with players who aren't naturally defensive-minded. During the Wizards last 5 games, his rotations have been... experimental.
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One night, Sarr is playing thirty minutes. The next, he’s riding the pine in the fourth.
Consistency is the enemy of the tank, I guess. But for the sake of player development, you’d like to see a bit more structure. The constant switching of lineups makes it impossible for the young guys to build chemistry. How is Bilal supposed to know where Bub is going to be on a drive if they’ve only played four minutes together in the last three games? It’s a mess.
The path forward: Actionable insights for the rebuild
So, what do we actually do with this information? If you’re a fan, or if you’re looking at the Wizards last 5 games from an analytical perspective, there are a few things that need to happen immediately to prevent this from becoming a lost season.
- Prioritize Bilal's usage: Stop treating Bilal Coulibaly like a 3-and-D specialist. He has the handles and the vision to be a secondary playmaker. In the games where he touches the ball more than fifty times, the Wizards' offense looks significantly more dynamic.
- Cap the veteran minutes: It’s time. We know what Kuzma and Valančiūnas are. We don't know what the ceiling is for the younger bench players. Trim the vet minutes by five per game and give them to the guys who will actually be here in 2028.
- Simplify the defensive scheme: Stop trying to play a complex switching man-to-man defense. This team doesn't have the high-IQ defenders to pull it off yet. Move to a more traditional drop coverage to protect Sarr and keep him out of foul trouble.
- Accept the draft lottery fate: Don't chase "moral victories" by playing the starters forty minutes just to lose by five instead of twenty. Embrace the development of the core. If that means losing the next five games too, so be it.
The Wizards last 5 games aren't a fluke; they are a symptom of a team in transition. The talent is there, but it’s raw, unpolished, and currently being overshadowed by a lack of veteran leadership and a punishing schedule. If you’re looking for a quick fix, you won’t find it here. But if you look closely at the flashes from Sarr and Bub, there’s a foundation being built—it’s just currently covered in a lot of rubble.
Stop worrying about the wins and losses for a second. Focus on the footwork. Focus on the defensive rotations in the first quarter. Those are the real metrics for success in D.C. right now. Everything else is just noise in a very long, very loud rebuilding process.