Washington DC. - There's an old sports adage that the final score is deceiving, and that's what happened in the Washington Wizards' 132-111 home loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday. The Thunder led 103–96 after three quarters before pulling away in the final period, but the Wizards held on, earning the respect of reigning NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
The three-time All-NBA First Teamer was asked what is his advice For Washington's youth core postgame, via Double Take Sports' Carita Park.
Great answer from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander! Talked to him again: his advice for a young man #Magician The team is going through a rebuild like OKC. He gave several reasons why they are on the right track and ended with:
"Eventually they'll get where they want to go...unless they come to us."... pic.twitter.com/7zoq4VwWjb
- Carita Parks (@CaritaCParks) 22 March 2026
He said, "I honestly think they're on the right path. As we saw tonight, they have guys who compete, and I think that's the first thing." "You want guys who play with edge, who aren't afraid, who just want to go out and fight. Not physically, but in terms of basketball."
Everyone in the room laughed, as the last comment referred to the viral clash between the two teams just before halftime. After Wizards forward Anthony Gill hit a five-foot shot, Thunder forward Jaylin Williams began scuffling with Wizards forward Justin Champagne as he was about to kick the ball out. Oklahoma City guard Ajay Mitchell then charged forward and jabbed Champagnie, who hit him in the face with an open hand. Michelle charged Champagne, start an all-out brawl Which spread in the fan section of Baseline.
Huge controversy in Wizards-Thunder: pic.twitter.com/tCcxsNv6en
- Greg Feinberg (@GregFinberg) 21 March 2026
Gilgeous-Alexander pulled Mitchell to the bench, and the fight ended before Champagne, Williams, Mitchell and Thunder guard Cason Wallace exited. Champagnie and Williams received double technical fouls, while Mitchell and Wallace also received technical fouls to add to the conflict.
Gilgeous-Alexander continued after the game, "That's half the battle in the NBA. Every night, suit up and go to work." “I think they have that. And then they have some vets, obviously, made some trades with AD [Anthony Davis] and try [Young]. There are two very proven guys in the NBA, so they will help once they get on the floor. well trained, i know bk [head coach Brian Keefe] very well. He was here my freshman year in OKC, so I know what he's about. [General manager] Desire [Dawkins] Plus, they know what they're doing. I think they're on the right track, they check all the boxes. Have to focus on getting better every day, and they will eventually get where they want to go, as long as they come to us.
Thunder provides model for Wizards' rebuild
Oklahoma City represents the ultimate goal for Washington, as it wins the 2025 NBA Finals and currently leads the league with a 56-16 record. General manager Sam Presti made the move through a number of smart moves like landing Gilgeous-Alexander from the Los Angeles Clippers for Paul George in 2019, drafting All-Stars Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren in the 2022 lottery, acquiring All-Defensive guard Alex Caruso from the Chicago Bulls for Josh Giddy in 2024, and drafting Mitchell in the second round in 2024. Has built the NBA's deepest roster since. The latter player is averaging 14.2 points on 48.9% shooting (34.8% 3-point), along with 3.5 rebounds and 3.6 assists in 26.2 minutes.
Dawkins, who held the ranks on Presti's staff from 2008 to 2023, is leading his own version of the Thunder's journey. The Gilgeous-Alexander trade marked the beginning of Oklahoma City's rebuild, as the team lost in the first round of the 2020 playoffs before going on three consecutive losing seasons. Head coach Mark Daigneault won Coach of the Year honors after the team went 57–25 in 2023–24. It was bounced in the second round of the 2024 postseason, but defeated the Indiana Pacers in last year's Finals.
Dawkins began the Wizards' rebuild by trading Bradley Beal to the Phoenix Suns for Chris Paul in the summer of 2023, a move that ultimately led to Young's deal in January. Along the way, they traded for guard Bilal Coulibaly on draft night, selected big man Alex Sarr, guard Bub Carrington and guard Trey Johnson in the lottery, selected forwards Keyshawn George and Will Riley outside of the lottery, and selected guard Jameer Watkins in the second round last summer. Additionally, they gave Champagny a standard contract last season after emerging from the G League into an NBA rotational piece, and they acquired Davis from the Dallas Mavericks in February without giving up necessary assets.
Now, Washington is finishing its third and final tanking season before landing another top-eight selection in the draft with superstar prospects like BYU's AJ DiBuntsa, Kansas' Darrin Peterson and Duke's Cameron Boozer. While the Thunder never traded for stars as Gilgeous-Alexander was entering his second season in 2019, both organizations dealt away expensive veterans in Beal and George and temporarily sacrificed wins to develop young talent.
Coulibaly, Sarr, Carrington, George and Johnson have all earned Rising Stars honors, while Riley is averaging 14.5 points on 44.2% shooting (37% 3-point) in 33 minutes in March. Watkins, who averaged 8.6 points on 53.7% shooting (40% 3-point) with two steals in March, signed a standard deal in February.
The next step for the Wizards is to learn winning habits as they aim to break into the Eastern Conference playoff picture next season. When Daigneault was asked what habits his team has adopted over the years to get to this level, aside from the classic answers like "hard work" and "talent," he opened up about ClutchPoints pregame.
I asked Thunder coach Mark Daigneault what habits his team has adopted over the years to get to this level, besides the classic answers of working hard and being talented:
"It's mostly the classic answers. I think if you bring in players who are successful, like Shai is great... pic.twitter.com/3DzrYXWhBd
-Joshua Valdez (@joshvaldez100) 21 March 2026
"It's mostly classic answers," he admitted. "I think if you bring up successful players, like Shai is a great example... there's no mystery to what he's doing. He's doing the very fundamental things you need to do to be great. He's doing them all the time, consistently, in all situations. But I think it's pretty fundamental to him and the team. At least we emphasize that. We have talented guys... but it's nothing good. Individual defense, transition defense, floor spacing, when two If there are people passing to you, can you do it consistently and be disciplined, committed in all situations with all players.
Washington must learn to defend, as they rank last in the NBA with a 120.7 defensive rating. There are plenty of silver linings, however, including Coulibaly getting his shot. The 21-year-old averaged 16 points on 44.2% shooting (41.7% 3-point) in 30.1 minutes in March, which is better than his career average of 10.6 points on 42.5% shooting (31.3% 3-point) in 29.1 minutes. He led the Wizards with 21 points (8-15 FG, 3-5 3-point) in 34 minutes on Saturday.
Keefe, who was an assistant with the Thunder from 2007 to 2015 and 2019–20, spoke about Koulibaly's performance after the game.
He said, "I think he's just growing... you know, he's had some beginnings and endings with some injuries, and I think he's just finding his rhythm." "I think he's taken advantage of his opportunity. We'll obviously put the ball in his hands. He's been playing downhill, but he's playing pretty good basketball here."
Whether Washington's young core develops enough to reach Oklahoma City's level one day remains to be seen, but the team is being rebuilt by two guys who helped develop one of the league's best teams.
Next up for the Wizards is a road game against the New York Knicks on Sunday at 7:30 PM ET.
