Five games into the season, the same question has been asked repeatedly ? Are the Wizards really this good?

?Everybody plays everybody,? said veteran guard Chris Whitney after Washington finished its thumping of the Toronto Raptors.  ?If you?re winning, then you?re good.?

While wins are nice, what?s intriguing is the franchise?s transformation.  Last year?s squad was unhappy and dispirited, and it showed on the court.  This year?s unit loves to play, loves to work, and wants to win.

?It?s all positive energy in here,? said point guard Gilbert Arenas.  ?I don?t know how it was in the past, but we?re not thinking old Wizards.  It?s a new team, a new franchise ? especially since I got here ? and everything is new for us.?

Head coach Eddie Jordan is perfect at the helm ? a dedicated teacher who constructed a plan to make the team successful, and he is implementing it step by step.

?He?s very upbeat,? Whitney said.  ?Even when he?s upset about our play, he stays positive.  He gets his point across without berating a guy.?

How patient is Jordan?  According to Gilbert Arenas, Jordan has taught the team just 25-percent of the offensive system.

?He still hasn?t put in post-ups for the ones, twos or threes,? said Arenas.  ?He?s throwing it in one by one.  It might take until next year to learn the whole offense.?

The results have been good so far, but a promising sign is that neither players nor coaches think they?re playing well yet.

?We still turn the ball over,? said Jordan.  ?We still take bad shots.  We?re still disorganized.?

To a person, the Wizards believe that as they learn more of Jordan?s system, and as the players continue taking responsibility for executing their individual assignments and finding ways to help teammates, the team can make tremendous improvement ? this season.

The Wizards have the raw talent to be a quality team this season.  Arenas is an All-Star caliber point guard, and Larry Hughes is a dangerous scorer and quality defender.  Etan Thomas has emerged as a rebounding and defensive force, Christian Laettner is steady and smart, and Jarvis Hayes has the ability to stretch defenses.

According to the Wizards, to reach their potential this season they?ll need to improve their shot selection, reduce their turnovers and execute the game plans.  Jordan?s patience has its limits ? when starters failed to adhere to the plan in the loss to New Jersey, Jordan benched them and used reserves.

The Wizards don?t expect an easy season.

?Teams have their ups and downs,? said Arenas.  ?Right now, we?re learning how to play together.  When we do learn how to play, that?s when there?s going to be trouble.?

The Kwame Question

This season seemed like an ideal time for Kwame Brown to begin fulfilling the promise that made him the top pick in the draft.  His difficult relationship with coach Doug Collins and team leader Michael Jordan made for a bumpy transition to the league and he did not produce consistently in his first two years.

While it?s still early in his third season, Brown hasn?t made the leap yet.  He remains tentative offensively and struggles with his shot mechanics in games.  His defense on his own man has been superb, according to coaches, but they want him to do a better job helping teammates.  He drew rare ire from Jordan early in the third quarter against Toronto when he failed to step out on Alvin Williams when Arenas was screened.  Williams canned the open jumper.

The Wizards are far from giving up on Brown, but his starting position is in jeopardy, according to team sources.  Coaches are planning to evaluate Brown?s play after the first 10-15 games, and could replace him in the starting lineup with either Jeffries or Thomas.  Brown would continue to get steady playing time, but if coaches believe the team will perform better with a different lineup, they will make the change.

Kevin Broom is a Senior Writer for RealGM.com. He can be reached at KevinBroom@RealGM.com.