Washington Wizards

Washington Wizards

Obviously, the Wizards injuries have began to add up over the last few weeks, with several key players out of the lineup including Alex Sarr, Bilal Coulibaly and reigning top 10 pick Tre Johnson. Washington's far from full strength, but if we're being completely honest, the team's underwhelming play to start the season suggest that even if they were healthy, it wouldn't make much of a difference.

The Washington Wizards injuries have managed to make an already bizarre start to the season take a turn for the worse. Washington's injury woes have forced head coach Brian Keefe to search for answers deep on the team's bench and after declaring that no minutes would be given, but instead earned this offseason, Washington found themselves turning to a second-round pick on Thursday night.

When Washington opted to land Middleton, the expectation was that the forward would use the fresh start to his advantage proving he had plenty left in the tank. Obviously, the main motive behind the Wizards decision to acquire the veteran was to move on from Kyle Kuzma, who had increasingly become a distraction for the struggling team with his growing frustration throughout the Wizards struggles.

The Washington Wizards struggles to start the season can't be pinpointed to one specific reason. Between sophomore breakouts, sophomore slumps, inconsistent play from veterans and the fact the team is just inexperienced can all be linked back to the main reason for Washington's early season woes. Nonetheless, the reason why the Wizards have opened the season stacking losses is irrelevant when it relates to the inevitable roster moves that loom in the future for general manager Will Dawkins.

The former second-round pick turned heads in April, averaging 18.6 points, 5.8 rebounds and two assists per game.