Nov 3, 2013; Miami, FL, USA; Washington Wizards small forward Martell Webster (9) drives to the basket as Miami Heat small forward LeBron James (6) defends during the second period at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

After a few brutal games right out of the gate, I think it’s safe to say the tough part of the Washington Wizards’ schedule may be over. Losing to legitimate contenders such as the Miami Heat, Oklahoma City Thunder, and San Antonio Spurs shouldn’t demoralize the Wizards, and now that their road trip has come to a conclusion, Washington could refocus on winning games they’re supposed to win.

Ten of the Wizards’ next dozen games will be against teams with below .500 records, giving Washington a chance to propel themselves back in the playoff picture before the holidays begin. Despite the 2-6 record, the Wizards have managed to stay relatively competitive with all of their opponents, and should’ve brought back at least one more road win against the Oklahoma City Thunder but failed to close the game in overtime. If the Wizards didn’t falter against the Philadelphia 76ers at home and finished the OKC game on a positive note, they easily could’ve had an even record heading back to the nation’s capital this past Wednesday.

Regardless, as CSN Washington’s J.Michael pointed out, the Wizards aren’t alone at the bottom of the standings as they’re joined by multiple playoff bound teams including the Brooklyn Nets (2-5), Detroit Pistons (2-5), and the Cleveland Cavaliers (3-6). It’s certainly not too late to turn the season around, and it won’t hurt that Washington’s schedule will look progressively easier in the next few weeks. The Wizards will play teams such as the Minnesota Timberwolves, Cleveland Cavaliers, New York Knicks, and Atlanta Hawks all at home in the coming weeks, all of which will give Washington a great shot at picking up some victories.

Even though it’s frustrating watching the team continuously lose games after chipping away at leads, the season is far too young to lose hope. The Wizards have shown that they could compete with anybody on a nightly basis, and now it’s time to get some W’s in the win column. I’m confident that the Wizards will turn their season around in the coming weeks, since they seem to have a group of resiliant players on their hands. As Bradley Beal stated on Twitter, it’s a long, grueling 82-game season. I’ve already seen fans wanting the coach to get terminated, or the team to start “tanking” as a whole, but it’s way too early to give up on a promising season. We all knew that the Wizards’ schedule looked rough from the start, but the hard part seems to be over with. Would it be nice if the Wizards came home with a few victories? Sure, but they’ve been able to weather the toughest part of the storm and we’ve learned that nothing is given in the NBA.

The Wizards will return home tomorrow to meet the Kyrie Irving led Cavaliers, who’ve also had their struggles early on this season.