The Washington Wizards’ season has mercifully ended. Despite a league-worst 17-65 record, Washington’s coaches and staff insisted that the campaign was a success on Monday and even cited plans for a postseason push next year before they parted ways for the summer.
The Wizards accomplished their primary goal: securing the top lottery odds in a loaded NBA draft class. On the court, coach Brian Keefe said the team laid a foundation for the future.
“No one wants to lose. We’re not happy about any of that. But there are some things that I am specifically pleased about,” he said. “The organizational culture that we’ve developed on an everyday basis. The environment that we built. That stuff really matters.”
Individual player development was a key focus for Washington, which opened the season with six players who were 21 years old or younger on the roster. Those youngsters, acquired through Washington’s constant influx of trades and lottery picks, are the basis for the franchise’s future.
Alex Sarr, the No. 2 pick in the 2024 draft, remains the jewel of the group. The 20-year-old Frenchman boosted his offensive efficiency, scoring 16.3 points per game while increasing his overall field goal percentage by 8.8%.
“Just me getting stronger. I feel like, my rookie season, I didn’t quite have the physical tools to get all the way to the rim sometimes,” Sarr said. “With my offseason work and being diligent working on that, I was just more ready to be more aggressive.”
His impactful defense didn’t falter, either. Sarr ranked second in the NBA with two blocks per game.
“His defensive capabilities are unmatched,” teammate Anthony Davis, a five-time member of the NBA’s All-Defense team, said Monday.
The Wizards touted similar success stories from rookies like Will Riley and Tre Johnson alongside second- and third-year players like Bilal Coulibaly, Kyshawn George and Bub Carrington.
“Seeing the way these guys work, these guys compete, it was really motivational and inspiring to see that,” Davis said. “Even with losing basketball games, they still find ways to find their competitive juices.”
Davis has yet to play a game in a Wizards uniform. The Dallas Mavericks traded him to the District in February, but a lingering hand issue kept him sidelined.
Trae Young saw a similar trajectory this season. The Atlanta Hawks traded the four-time All-Star to the Wizards midseason, but a series of injuries kept him out of all but five games.
“It’s just the start of something special,” said Young, who mentioned plans to work out with his new teammates throughout the summer. “I’m happy I’m here.”
Nothing the Wizards have done off the court — a constant discussion point as players left their end-of-season meetings with Washington’s leadership — has paid off in the win column yet.
In just over two seasons with Keefe — he took over as an interim coach during the 2023-24 campaign — the Wizards have posted a record of 43-160. The .212 winning percentage ranks as the second-worst in league history.
Analysts around the NBA are openly speculating whether Keefe will be the coach to lead the Wizards into their next phase. Wizards general manager Will Dawkins and basketball president Michael Winger are expected to decide on Keefe’s future over the summer, either by extending the coach or firing him.
“I’m always focused on the task at hand,” Keefe said when asked about his long-term future in Washington. “We’re focused on how to improve our team.”
Regardless of who’s at the helm, the Wizards have expectations for next season. They have their eyes on the postseason. Young said he’s “very confident” that this would be a playoff team in 2027.
“I think we’ll still be playing this time next year,” George said. “I think we’re going to compete for something that I’ve never competed for before.”
A title might be an unreasonable ask, but the combination of Young, Davis and another year of development from the young players has the league talking.
“People are talking about our team. People are excited. People around the league are like, ‘Hey, who knows what could happen?’” Davis said. “When you add a guy like myself and Trae, and these young guys who can play. Now, we’re talking about a level of fear.”
Davis understands what a championship contender looks like; he won a title in 2020 with the Los Angeles Lakers. The Kentucky product said he isn’t “delusional” in that he doesn’t expect the cellar-dwelling Wizards to morph into a title team overnight. But he wants to see a plan in place this summer.
“Things have to get figured out,” Davis said, before alluding to his second trade in as many years. “I don’t want to do this again.”
The next step for the Wizards lies with the NBA draft lottery. Washington has the best odds to land the No. 1 pick: a 14% chance. The Wizards are guaranteed a top-five pick in the May 10 lottery. NBA officials have not announced a date for this year’s draft, which typically lands in late June.
• Liam Griffin can be reached at lgriffin@washingtontimes.com.
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