The Washington Wizards struggles to start the season have been difficult to watch not only for the fanbase, but the coaching staff too. Washington's roster is better built than what their record shows, and considering the leaps from players like Alex Sarr and Kyshawn George, you'd expect the Wizards would have shown some type of progress when comparing their start to the season to last year's bizarre 82-game campaign.
The Washington Wizards struggles to start the season can't be pinpointed to one specific reason. Between sophomore breakouts, sophomore slumps, inconsistent play from veterans and the fact the team is just inexperienced can all be linked back to the main reason for Washington's early season woes. Nonetheless, the reason why the Wizards have opened the season stacking losses is irrelevant when it relates to the inevitable roster moves that loom in the future for general manager Will Dawkins.
Ryan Rollins found himself in Washington during the 2023-24 season, after landing with the Wizards following a minor stint with the Golden State Warriors. In 10 games with the Wizards, the Toledo product averaged ojnlu 4.1 points, 1.1 rebounds and 1.1 assists in limited minutes. While the guard didn't flash star-level potential in his minimal role, his young age and college success is what gave the team and the fanbase hope he could breakout in the right situation.
Luckily for the Wizards, they will head into next summer with what is likely to be a high draft pick and a substantial amount of cap space. And as they iced their knees and left the arena after the loss to the Hornets, they had the opportunity to tune into an even better performance as the Los Angeles Lakers snuck out a win over the Sacramento Kings -- and perhaps saw their future in the process.
The Washington Wizards weren't shy when it came to upgrading the roster this offseason. Landing CJ McCollum in one of the first blockbuster trades of the offseason gave Washington the veteran presence general manager Will Dawkins has desperately been searching for. Shortly after, the Wizards made headlines by putting together arguably the best draft class of any team in the league, selecting Tre Johnson, Will Riley and Jamir Watkins with their three picks in the 2025 NBA Draft.
The Wizards have an abundance of young talent on the roster, and that was prior to the team's moves to bring in several other intriguing prospects such as Cam Whitmore and Malaki Branham this offseason. Not to mention the loaded rookie class headlined by No. 6 overall pick Tre Johnson and the veteran addition of CJ McCollum. All that to say, Washington had their hands full this offseason when it came to narrowing down their roster,
The Washington Wizards have quietly positioned themselves as one of the most intriguing rebuilding teams in one offseason alone. Looking at the young pieces on the roster, headlined by Alex Sarr, Tre Johnson, Bilal Coulibaly and now Kyshawn George as the top prospects on the roster. And that's not even mentioning players like Bub Carrington, Tristan Vukcevic, Will Riley and newly acquired Cam Whitmore.
