WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Washington Wizards keep winning, but Friday's 119-99 victory over the Brooklyn Nets might have been their easiest of the season thus far. While veteran forward Justin Champagnie scored a season-high and team-high 20 points (9-12 FG, 2-3 3-point) to go with seven rebounds, one steal, and one block over 25 minutes off the bench, the Wizards' team defense stood out the most.

Washington held Brooklyn to just 40 percent shooting (21 percent 3-point), and that's the aspect of the game that head coach Brian Keefe prioritizes the most.

“Defense wins games,” Champagnie told ClutchPoints postgame when asked what he's learned the most from Keefe. “If we don’t come to play on defense, then it won’t happen.”

It helped that the Nets were down their top three scorers, as wing Michael Porter Jr. (25.8 points per game), guard Cam Thomas (21.4 PPG), and big man Nic Claxton (13.5 PPG) were out with an illness, left hamstring injury management, and personal reasons, respectively, per the team's injury report. However, this wasn't a one-off performance.

The Wizards have allowed 113.6 points per game over their current 6-4 stretch after allowing 122.3 during their 3-20 stretch to begin the season. That's partially because second-year center Alex Sarr and third-year guard Bilal Coulibaly, who are their best rim protector and perimeter defender, respectively, have played in most of the last 10 games. But the team's effort has also improved across the board.

Champagnie explained how he talks to Washington's young players about what they're doing well and what they can improve on as they experience one of their first stretches of consistent winning in the NBA.

“I think there’s always things we can improve on,” the 24-year-old said. “Obviously we try to focus on the defensive end, trying to bring our physicality. From there, it opens up the game. We all know that’s what’s really helping us out right now, the defensive energy. So just keep going into games saying ‘let’s throw the first punch on defense, be physical, and get out and play.’”

Keefe has always pushed a defensive mentality, but that didn't yield results until recently. The Wizards ranked 29th in basketball with 120.4 average points allowed last season, and they were even worse in the aforementioned 3-20 stretch this year, per NBA Advanced Stats.

Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Clippers are seventh in the league with 113.6 average points allowed this season, identical to Washington's average over the last 10 games. Essentially, the Wizards have played like a top-10 defense over this stretch.

Time will tell whether they'll keep it up, but this improvement shows that their young core is developing.

Alex Sarr praises Bub Carrington, Tre Johnson amid fun times

Washington Wizards guard Bub Carrington (7) passes the ball past Brooklyn Nets forward Noah Clowney (21) during the second half at Capital One Arena.
© Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

That development applies to the offense too. Second-year guard Bub Carrington finished with just seven points (3-9 FG, 1-5 3-point) as well as four assists and three turnovers over 26 minutes on Friday, but he shot 45.7 percent from the field (45.3 percent 3-point) on 10 average attempts in December after shooting 36.6 percent (44.2 percent 3-point) on 6.3 average attempts in November. His assist/turnover ratio also went from 1.8 in November to 2.1 in December.

Sarr explained after the Brooklyn game what's helped Carrington shine recently.

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“I feel like Bub just found his pace. He knows what he’s good at, and he works around that very well,” the 20-year-old said. “He’s very efficient for us right now, settles us down, organizes the offense. I feel like when he’s on the floor, we’re pretty efficient offensively.”

Although Carrington didn't light up the box score on Friday, he did execute a play that encapsulates how Washington has performed recently.

Sarr also revealed what's stood out about rookie sharpshooter Tre Johnson besides his offensive gravity since the latter player returned from a hip injury on Dec. 12.

“Just how serious he takes it. He’s really hard on himself,” the seven-footer said. “If he makes a mistake, you can see his reaction, cause he knows exactly what to do. But he’s been great, I feel like the game is slowing down for him too. He’s been very aggressive in doing what he does out there…”

Johnson tallied 12 points (5-7 FG, 2-3 3-point) with five rebounds, two steals, and one assist over 28 minutes, his fourth straight game shooting 40 percent or more from deep. The 19-year-old shot 44.2 percent on 5.2 average attempts from long range in December, so his self-accountability and aggressiveness are working.

Sarr himself was a standout performer yet again for the Wizards on Friday, as he notched 19 points (8-15 FG, 1-2 3-point) with five rebounds, four assists and four blocks over 29 minutes. The 2024 No. 2 overall pick led the NBA with 2.4 rejections per game entering Saturday night's slate.

Washington's improvement both as a team and individually correlates with its recent winning ways. The organization is still best off finishing in the bottom four of the NBA standings to ensure it keeps its top-eight protected lottery pick next summer, but this 10-game stretch could be a preview of what's to come next season and beyond.

Up next for the Wizards is a home game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday before hosting the Orlando Magic on Tuesday.