The Washington Wizards are no longer eligible for the worst season in NBA history — a three-game winning streak this month kept that specter from lurking over the young locker room.
Even as they returned to their losing ways — most recently falling in overtime to the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday — the 9-45 Wizards enter the All-Star break with reasons for optimism.
“We’re starting to turn a corner. We’re playing more competitively, playing longer stretches of better basketball,” guard Corey Kispert said Wednesday. “All the things we talk about wanting to see at the beginning of the season. Yes, it started to happen a little later on than we hoped for, but growth is growth.”
After their second 16-game losing streak this season, the Wizards found a new gear this month. They opened with a trio of wins and, lately, they look more competitive in losses instead of succumbing to blowouts.
“We’re rebounding the ball better, we’re playing more physical, we have a better presence on the defensive side of the ball, we’re getting better shots,” Kispert said. “All those little things lead to us being in these games in the fourth quarter.”
The Washington squad that returns from this weekend’s festivities in the Bay Area will only partially resemble the group that started the 2024-25 campaign with low expectations.
A flurry of trade deadline deals shipped veterans out in exchange for prospects and draft picks for a Wizards franchise focused on the future.
Center Jonas Valanciunas is gone. As are forward Kyle Kuzma, center Marvin Bagley III and guards Johnny Davis and Jared Butler.
In their place, Washington added former All-Stars in guard Marcus Smart and forward Khris Middleton from the Memphis Grizzlies and Milwaukee Bucks, respectively. Those aging veterans aren’t responsible for the rare wave of optimism surging through the Wizards’ fan base.
The prospects and picks caused that. Last week’s trades sent rookie guard A.J. Johnson from Milwaukee to Washington. Second-year guard Colby Jones, a former Sacramento King, will join him in the District.
The new duo, both top 35 draft picks, have flashed the potential to be part of the future in Washington.
Perhaps even more valuable for the rebuilding franchise is the draft capital it added by wheeling and dealing last week. During the deadline frenzy, general manager Will Dawkins pocketed three first-round picks and a pair of second-rounders.
It doesn’t hurt that Washington’s homegrown prospects are checking developmental boxes. With no pressure to contend for the postseason this year, rookies Alex Sarr, Bub Carrington and Kyshawn George have received plenty of playing time. Those minutes often came in losses, but the NBA experience is still valuable.
“A lot of [the team’s improvement] is on the young guys,” Kispert said. “They’re getting a lot of minutes; we’re throwing them in the fire and as they get acclimated and learn what the NBA game is all about — how it flows and ebbs — the better we’re going to be.”
Sarr ranks in the Top 5 for points and rebounds per game among rookies.
The second pick in last year’s draft still has work to do, particularly in improving his shooting percentage, but his coaches and teammates said they were glad to have him back on the court Wednesday after Sarr missed eight games with an ankle injury.
Carrington, the second of Washington’s three first-round selections, is flashing similar potential. He ranks eighth among rookies in points and second in assists, finding a role as a distributor within coach Brian Keefe’s offense.
George hasn’t been a slouch, either. The 21-year-old ranks 13th among rookies in points per game and is tied for the league lead in steals.
“Kyshawn has been playing extremely good. Offensively he’s aggressive and he’s knocking shots down,” guard Jordan Poole said. “He’s establishing himself as a physical defender in Year One. So, when the playoffs come or Year Two or Year Three comes, he’s doing everything right.”
The youth movement is being led by second-year star Bilal Coulibaly. A solid but uneventful rookie campaign paved the way for a sophomore breakout on both ends. The 20-year-old Frenchman is regularly assigned to opponents’ best players while acting as a facilitator and scorer on offense.
Despite improving in almost every statistical category, Coulibaly said he’s just scratching the surface.
“I could definitely be more aggressive. Anytime I go to the rim, something good happens,” he said on “The Young Man and the Three” podcast. “I’m getting fouled; I get a bucket or I can pass the ball and playmake for everybody.”
The NBA’s decision-makers have started to notice Washington’s promising youngsters. Coulibaly, Sarr and Carrington were all invited to the league’s All-Star weekend in San Francisco as part of the Rising Stars Challenge on Friday night.
A strong performance there could send Washington’s youngsters to the reformatted All-Star festivities on Sunday night, where three teams of traditionally selected All-Stars will square off against each other and a Rising Stars squad in an abbreviated four-team tournament.
• Liam Griffin can be reached at lgriffin@washingtontimes.com.
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