Ahead of Trae Young making his debut for his new team, the Washington Wizards, he was ejected for going onto the court during an altercation on Monday evening against the Houston Rockets.

Young will make his Wizards debut on Thursday, but he decided to make an impact before he returns to action. The sequence happened in the third quarter when Rockets forward Tari Eason shoved Wizards guard Jamir Watkins to the ground, and no foul was called.

The two would continue to go at it, with a foul eventually being called, requiring the two teams to be separated. Four players would get called for technical fouls: Eason, Watkins, Young and Shariffe Cooper.

Young walked onto the court to argue with the official, and, under NBA rules prohibiting players on the bench from entering the court of play, he would be ejected. Young could potentially face a suspension because we have seen players face harsh penalties for going on the court.

Following his ejection, Young took to his X account to say, “Don’t expect me to get ejected too many more times, D.C…. but I’m definitely bringing that energy & competitiveness when I’m back for my brothers!”

The Wizards have been patiently waiting for Young to make his debut after trading for him back in January, sending Corey Kispert and C.J. McCollum to the Atlanta Hawks.

San Antonio Spurs phenom Victor Wembanyama took yet another step forward Wednesday night, scoring a career-high 50 points to completely overwhelm the Washington Wizards in a 139-130 victory. He is the fourth youngest player in NBA history to hit the 50-point mark. It was also the fastest 50-point game in NBA history, requiring only 26 minutes on the floor.

The reigning Rookie of the Year has been inconsistent this season, but the Wizards had no answer for him in a highly encouraging performance. Talking to reporters after the game, Wembanyama downplayed the milestone. He wants this to be one of many.

“My first thought is eventually I want the rest of our performances, the rest of our games, to overshadow this one,” Wembanyama said. “I want to make it where in the future, [this is] just another one.”

Wembanyama was the focal point for San Antonio all night, as the team obviously planned to feature him prominently and force the lowly Wizards to come up with a plan to stop him. The closest Washington ever came to responding was by delivering points on their end. Jordan Poole exploded for 42 points and kept his team in the game, but the Wizards’ defense faltered at every turn. Spurs veteran point guard Chris Paul racked up 11 assists, feeding Wembanyama with devastating efficiency. 

Several teams this year have found a way to stop Wembanyama, most notably the Thunder, who held him to six points on five attempts in a game on Oct. 30. In the past week, however, Wembanyama has found his footing, especially from beyond the perimeter. In his last three games combined, he has shot with 57.7% accuracy from three-point range, a mark he did not reach in any single game before this stretch.

The Spurs are still building a team around Wembanyama, and though the likes of Paul, Harrison Barnes and Devin Vassell have improved matters, San Antonio still isn’t considered a serious contender in the Western Conference. The team has come a long way already, however, and is far from disgraced, with a 6-6 record to begin the 2024-25 season.

The Washington Wizards promoted interim coach Brian Keefe to the head coaching position for the 2024-25 season. Keefe took over for Wes Unseld Jr. last year after the team had already fallen well out of playoff contention.

“We are excited for Brian to become our next head coach. Brian is a proven motivator and connector of people,” Wizards General Manager Will Dawkins said in a press release. “As a leader in the organization, he will continue to positively grow and invest into the development of our players. His wealth of experience will help move our team forward as we build for long-term sustained success.”

In 39 games as interim head coach last season, Keefe did not do much better than his predecessor with a mediocre Wizards team, going 8-31. Washington finished the season with a 15-67 record, finishing just one game ahead of the Detroit Pistons to avoid earning the league’s worst record.

With this horrendous 2023-24 performance in mind, as well as five straight losing seasons for the Wizards preceding it, not much will be expected of Keefe in the coming season. This team’s problems go much deeper than the head coaching position, and he is likely expected to serve as a stabilizing force while the front office builds a team that can compete in the future.

Though the Wizards have been outsiders in the NBA for some time, the team still managed to regress last season after trading away big man Kristaps Porzingis and pairing Kyle Kuzma with newly acquired talent Jordan Poole. Neither young star lived up to their potential on a team that was routinely criticized for undisciplined play.

“I look forward to continuing to work with our players and helping them grow and develop,” Keefe said in a statement. “As a team, we are committed to a collaborative approach to build an environment of accountability and hard work that allows us to improve every day.”

This will be Keefe’s first full season as an NBA head coach after 17 years as an assistant in the league. His assignment may not be to guide a contending team any time soon, but he and the Wizards’ front office will have an opportunity to build up from rock bottom.

Isaiah Thomas has been suspended two games for entering the stands to confront a Sixers‘ fan in the Wizard’s loss to Philadelphia Saturday.

Reportedly the situation started when Thomas was at the free throw line late in the fourth quarter. He visited the charity stripe where he missed his first attempt and made the second with the Wizards down 15 with three minutes left. After the Wizards called a timeout, the point guard made his way into the stands to confront two people who Thomas says were cursing at him while he was shooting the free throws.

His body language was calm, and it never seemed like things were going to get physical, but Thomas was ejected as he returned to the court. He claimed the fan had “both of his middle fingers up and said, ‘F— you, b—-,’ three times,” Thomas told ESPN.

“I said: ‘Don’t be disrespectful. I’m a man before anything. Be a fan.’ The fan responded, ‘I’m sorry, I just wanted a Frosty,'” Thomas said. The former all-star also said he learned that the arena has a popular promotion that rewards all fans with a Wendy’s “frosty” if an opposing player misses two consecutive free throws in the second half.

Clarification on the ejection was posted by NBA officials on NBA.com which read, “NBA rules state that any player who deliberately enters the spectator stands during a game will be automatically ejected and subject to a fine and/or suspension.  This bright-line rule is intended to prevent altercations or other hostile interactions between players and fans, for the benefit of both, and is therefore enforced even in circumstances such as these when the encounter between Thomas and fans did not escalate.”

In October the NBA created a zero tolerance policy for abusive or hateful behavior by fans after notable incidents occurred with multiple star players including Kyle Lowry, DeMarcus Cousins and Russell Westbrook.

The fan who had the exchange with Thomas, and another spectator have been banned from the Wells Fargo Center for one year. Those two fans admitted to using inappropriate language and gestures towards Thomas, which violated arena policy and the NBA code of conduct. The season ticket holder of those seats, who gave both fans the tickets, had his season tickets taken away and will receive a refund for the rest of the home games this season, according to the 76ers.

Thomas voiced his frustration with the suspension and tweeted, “”Bulls—,” on Sunday night.

Giannis Antetokounmpo has been on a tear lately and it’s not a surprise.

Greek Freak Anteotkounmpo Shines Again

MVP candidate Antetokounmpo has had an incredible season and had averaged over 30 points for his last three games before facing the Wizards. This night was even better for the young Buck, as Giannis erupted for 43 points (17-21 FG, 3-3 3Pt, 6-11 FT) while adding six rebounds, four assists and three steals in only 31 minutes during Wednesday’s 148-129 big win over the Wizards. He also shot an extremely efficient 80% from the field and added 61 fantasy points on the night.

The Wizards have been in flux this whole season, with star player John Wall out and the two key defenders on the Wizards, Otto Porter and Markieff Morris, both traded away in separate deals. With veterans gone and the Wizards missing their core, Antetokounmpo was in position to have a field day.

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He was even dialed in from long range, making all three threes he attempted, something that we see rarely from Antetokounmpo. The “Greek Freak” has always struggled from the perimeter, holding a career average of 26% from the 3-point line. One of the ways teams try to slow him down is by making him shoot. But when in good rhythm like he was last night Antetokounmpo is always a safe fantasy pick. If Giannis can keep going at this rate, the Bucks will be in position for a great playoff run.