Thanksgiving with the Washington Wizards
Gather around the table, DC Family
Happy Thanksgiving, Wizards fans. There is a lot to be thankful for so far this season. I’m writing this while watching a truly terrible display of basketball in New Orleans, but there’s definitely still a lot to be thankful for. We’ve been at the top of the East, top five in rebounding, and have multiple players ranked in the top 20 across defensive and offensive stats. My hope with this newsletter is to take a slower approach to looking at the Wizards to see what, if any, trends emerge, but also share random thoughts on the team. This is why I sent out a letter on shot selection and also wrote one full paragraph about Anzejs Pasecniks.
A key question given where things are in the season is, if each member of the Washington Wizards were a Thanksgiving dish, what would they be? This is not a data post.
Wes Unseld Jr.: cranberry sauce. It is filled with vitamin C, so it’s good for your defense.
Deni Avdija: sweet potatoes. Obviously.
Bradley Beal: turkey. Turkey is the franchise player of the meal. Personally, I prefer the sides, but I get that at this point, people know what to expect from the turkey, and on the good nights, it can really deliver. Also, turkey creates gravy, which helps other dishes on the table. Everybody eats.
Kyle Kuzma: green bean casserole. Sometimes I think I like this, sometimes I think I don’t.
Spencer Dinwiddie: mac and cheese. Low key good, always glad it’s there.
Daniel Gafford: pumpkin pie. Look, now matter how bad the meal is, pumpkin pie—even not great pumpkin pie—can still deliver at least momentarily. Is pumpkin pie going to make a shot from beyond the arc? Nope, pumpkin pie is going to battle in the paint and do what it does, but do it well.
Raul Neto: mashed potatoes. Starchy, sturdy, can work well with the other dishes.
Davis Bertans: dinner rolls. Every once in a while good rolls completely change your plate. But more often than not, you end up with stale carb balls that make you wonder, “I paid $80 million dollars for this?”
Joel Ayayi: salad. I like salad, but it’s not really making an appearance on my plate until the second round of eating.
Montrezl Harrell: Cajun rice. I have an uncle from Louisiana who always brings the same rice dish to our family meal. This rice really provides a spark to an otherwise very beige meal.
Isaiah Todd: store-bought cookies. No one goes for them first, but they’ll show up while everyone’s watching football after the meal, and I’ll eat two-to-five of them.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope: stuffing. I want to like stuffing, but I think it tends to be one of the weaker dishes among the traditional ones. Some people make stuffing with pieces of chorizo in it or jalapeños. This is the stuffing that unexpectedly wins the meal. Most of the time, though, it’s just plain stuffing.
Aaron Holiday: pre-meal snack. Could be pretzels, could be mixed nuts, maybe some sliced veggies or fruit. Doesn’t really matter, you won’t remember it once the meals starts. Just filler until you can actually eat.
Corey Kispert: Canned cranberry sauce. In small amounts, not bad.
Rui Hachimura: did anyone bring the greens? I thought it was your turn to make them. Where are they? Damn, I hope they show up soon.
Anthony Gill: Corn.