Bub Carrington and Khris Middleton Stock Checks: Three Notes from the Wizards' Humbling Raptors Matchup

The Washington Wizards' 112-102 loss to the Toronto Raptors wasn't without hope. That's despite their getting decisively-clamped by Kawhi Leonard, Scottie Barnes and a full rotation's worth of defensive stoppers, holding the home team back from ever uncovering the scoring secret or synergy to get over the hump. Their shooters struggled while their rebounders completely succumbed on the offensive boards, reminding excited fans still riding high off of their season-opening Milwaukee Bucks win that these two fans are at very different points in their respective developments.

And that timeline comparison, more than anything, was where the true hope lay. While one of these squads, fresh off of a seven-game playoff exit in last postseason's first round, saw fit to trade for another Leonard stint in an all-in swing, the Wizards found a way to hang around throughout while battling identity questions. Who's worth playing, let alone trusting on a nightly basis?

Some notes from the defeat:

Bub Carrington Leaning Into a New Role

Count this as a second-straight game in which Carrington, who'd earned 105 starts over his first two complete seasons as a Wizards prospect, emerged as the fourth player off of Washington's bench.

That on-paper demotion may be enough to dampen the spirits of other development projects around the league, but Carrington's leveraged his youthful energy into a helpful energetic reserve role. He's combined his spot-up shooting game with some welcomed aggression at the point of attack on defense, picking up assignments before reaching half court and sprinting between screens away as an off-ball deterrent.

"He's always ready to compete, ready to play, brings energy every day," Wizards head coach Brian Keefe said after the game. "He's changed the games for us, [I] think he's really stepped in and did a nice job for us this season."

Coming from someone like the skinny guard who's gone regularly-mentioned at the bottom of the league's most defensively-impactful minute-eaters, that extra bit of spirit will go a long way in keeping Carrington safely-within Washington's second unit.

The Dark Side of the AD Experience

Davis looked incredible in his long-awaited Wizards debut earlier this week, scoring and rebounding at will en route to a game-high 34 points. But entering his 15th season, he can't be expected to deploy those numbers on a nightly basis, especially against a dense assortment of defenders that combines youth and strength as seamlessly as Toronto.

While the Raptors lack a lab-grown defender to counter Davis' particular blend of gifts and size, his fit within Washington's double-big scheme did him no favors as a downhill attacker on this night. Sturdy stoppers had plenty of chances to disrupt his handle with quickly-sliding feet and the wherewithal to crowd him on his high-post catches, with his perimeter-dwelling arriving as a cost of his sharing the floor with Alex Sarr and his still-nebulus role.

Davis wasn't completely innocent, though, as he's still talented enough to get the better of even the most coordinated defenses. Nine points on 3/12 shooting is a far cry from the All-Star shouts he received on opening night, as he failed to resemble the in-traffic finisher he's proven to be on numerous slashing bursts.

The bigs still enjoyed their moments in the fast break, with Sarr's own passing feel aiding one easy Davis dunk from point-blank range, but the Raptors made it clear that the young, non-AJ Dybantsa guns aren't yet ready to put the team on their back whenever the stars slip.

Khris Middleton's Tenuous Place in the Rotation

The Wizards seemingly spent this entire matchup trailing anywhere between 6-12 points, and their frequent inability to convert on the easy scoring opportunities were audibly painful for the wanting fan base. Back-to-back botched open finishes dulled the middle of the tight fourth quarter after both Trae Young and Khris Middleton flubbed their sprints to the finish, with Middleton, in particular, looking his age when he lurched into a flailing brick within the restricted area.

Between his dormant 3-ball and a lack of defensive upside that was especially apparent in such an athletically-charged matchup, the oldest Wizard seems like the clear odd man out within head coach Keefe's packed rotation. He's averaged 14 minutes over Washington's first two games, a number that may require ticks downward at this rate.

Who'll appear in his place as the season rolls on? Among bench hands who've remained constricted to garbage time, only Will Riley, the lengthy playmaker, has any meaningful juice to crack the rotation's back end. Keefe pointed to the gift that is his depth when explaining Riley's pronounced inactivity, but if there's any winning card that he's yet to play, it's one of Washington's more exciting development stories.

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