Washington Wizards
The 2024-25 Washington Wizards can be defined by winning 18 games and having the No. 6 pick to show for it. (But also player development!)
What did we learn?
Thanks to Game 82, the Wizards did not have the worst record in the NBA.
The Wiz-ards, lord bless their souls, were never going to be competitive this season. (Unless they were playing the Charlotte Hornets, a perfect 4-0 D.C. sweep!)
This season featured not one but TWO 16-game losing streaks. (That’s two more games than the Thunder lost all season. In a row. TWICE.)
It was a successful tank that didn’t land them a top pick, but the Wiz Kids do have some fun, young pieces here.
Dammit if there wasn’t a fun as hell Wizards game on a random Saturday night in mid-March where Alex Sarr went toe-to-toe with the 2-time MVP in Jokic himself. Sarr dropped 34 points and Jordan Poole took over in the 4th, scoring 14 points and splashing DEEP 3s, including a 30-footer in Westbrook’s grill to win it — then breaking out the smelly cele.
Sarr is an intriguing talent. A nonchalant Frenchman who loves reppin’ Versace. He’s the youngest player in Wizards franchise history to score 30 points in a game and he improved as a rim protector with a natural shot-blocking ability.
Sarr might have shot 30.3 percent from 3, but he also had five games where he made 4+ 3-pointers and 17 games where he made at least 3. Not bad for a 7-foot rookie.
Fellow rookie Bub Carrington was an advanced playmaker with a wide array of passes in his arsenal out of the pick-and-roll. If you watched the Wiz, you noticed Bub. He has flashy handles and a pullup mid-range game that makes the basketball gods smile. He was also an NBA Iron Man, playing all 82 games this season.
Sarr was the No. 2 pick, Bub the No. 14 pick and the Wiz had another 1st Rounder, Kyshawn George at No. 24.
George has a big frame with a good handle and the innate ability to find the right place on the court with cutting, slipping and overall spacing. He excels in transition, favoring scoop layups and old school bounce passes. He fouled too often but he’s switchable on defense. George is also not afraid to shoot it or initiate the offense.
How about one more? The Wizards moved on from Kuzma at the deadline (the right call as Kuz seemed to have grown disinterested in the Wiz long-term plan), bringing in the No. 23 overall pick from last year’s draft, AJ Johnson.
It was in limited time at the end of the season, but AJ Johnson was fearless, showcasing downhill speed, a smoothness to his game with slithering through the lane before leaping to the skies. The box scores do not do him justice. He’s athletic as hell and ridiculously fun.
Also at the trade deadline, the Wiz brought in some castaway vets in Khris Middleton and Marcus Smart, injecting some veteran-infused chip-on-the-shoulder intensity that the Wiz Kids needed to carry out the last two months of the season.
There was an energy shift that occurred.
It was a season of exploration with unknowns and discomfort, growing pains and tons of losses.
But there were positive strides toward the end of the season as they continued on the cycle of discovery.
These are the notions that GM Will Dawkins spoke of at this end-of-the-year presser.
He let us know that it was the first time a trio of rookies played over 1800 mins in 20 years and the first time in NBA history a trio of rookies made 100+ 3’s.
Even though it didn’t work out in the lottery, this is the way.
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Additional Notes
Not a rookie, so he didn’t quite have the same spotlight, but Bilal Coulibaly was still an excellent point of attack defender in his sophomore season before a hammy in March kept him out the rest of the year.
Corey Kispert’s 3-point sniping has continued to decline, down to 36% on 5.4 attempts per game. He was 42 percent two years ago.
Where were you in late-December on the last Saturday night of 2024 when Justin Champagnie dropped 31 points on the Knicks, shooting 13-of-15 from the field. Champagnie quietly racked up eight double-doubles this season.
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Did our preseason Over/Under prediction hit?
The number is soo low… but it’s not low enough! Under 19.5 wins.
Wizards 2024-25 record: (18-64)
Yes, but it actually got pretty sweaty.
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What’s Next?
The No. 6 overall pick in the draft and the No. 18 pick from the Grizzlies. There are a lot of different directions this could go.
There is almost $70 million here in expiring contracts for next season in Middleton, Smart and friend of the blog Richaun Holmes. The Wiz can keep stock-piling draft picks.
The cap sheet here is looking pristine.
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Favorite Wizards Highlights of the 2024-25 Season:
Lowkey one of the most underrated fun games of the season.
Something cookin’ in D.C…
