The 2024-25 Washington Wizards’ Season Preview
August 27th, 2024
by Alan Lu
Not much was expected from the Wizards last year, and they started their rebuild process when they traded away Bradley Beal in last year’s offseason. They managed to get Jordan Poole via trade, but Poole had a terrible, disappointing season, and his improved second half play didn’t wash out his atrocious first half of last season, as he was extremely inefficient as a shooter and scorer, and he will need to shoot and defend much better moving forward. Kyle Kuzma put up strong counting numbers, but it still didn’t really seem to translate much to the win column, as the Wizards finished 15-67 in 2024.
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The talented, 29-year old forward, Kyle Kuzma averaged 22.2 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game last season for the Wizards, but he also had a bafflingly low 0.2 win shares last season, and the one-time NBA champion has tallied just 1.1 win shares in 4520 minutes in his past two seasons, which may raise more questions than answers. (Photo: Gregory Shamus/Getty Images, via The Ringer)
This year, the Wizards added a couple of new pieces to the team, and shuffled some things around. They made a sign-and-trade with New Orleans to acquire Jonas Valanciunas, who is poised to make an impact as their starting center. They dealt away Deni Avdija after Avdija had a solid fourth season in the NBA, but the Wizards were able to land a very solid veteran guard in Malcolm Brogdon, who won the Sixth Man of the Year award with the Boston Celtics in 2023, and 14th overall pick, Carlton “Bub” Carrington looked pretty good in the summer league, and Carrington seems to have the star potential that Washington Wizards fans desperately crave.
They also selected Alex Sarr with the second overall pick, and it’s been interesting to say the least. Sarr was dominant in the exhibition games for Perth against the G-League Ignite as he showed tremendous athleticism, defensive ability, and offensive potential in those games, but the G-League Ignite ended up being a last place team and are now a defunct franchise that ceased to exist. Sarr shot the ball horribly in the Las Vegas Summer League, and his rebounding numbers have been worrying low for a player his size and athletic ability, but there’s hope that if they keep his offensive role simple, that Sarr could maybe have a decent rookie season despite his turbulent summer.
Curiously, the Wizards opted to make interim Brian Keefe their full-time coach, even when he went just 8-31 in the second half of the season, and there were arguably better options available, such as former Golden State assistant Kenny Atkinson (who’s now head coach of the Cavaliers, was on France’s staff in the Olympics), J.J. Redick (who broke things down expertly in his Mind the Game Podcast with LeBron James, and Redick is now the Lakers’ head coach), and Vincent Collet also did a very good coaching job for France in the Olympics, and was Wembanyama’s coach, both for Metropolitans 92 and this summer). But if Poole’s really bad start in the 2023-24 season was mostly due to his tenure with Wes Unseld Jr., then maybe it will be interesting to see if there will be an uptick in his season performance in 2025 with Keefe being given the chance to be the head coach for a full season.
So, what can we expect? Probably for the Wizards to have some very fun games, to end up right back in the lottery, and for them to lead the way in the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes in 2025. And that could end up being the best thing to happen to the Wizards in a long time, because Flagg is a really talented prospect that could be a great player in the NBA in the future.
Star Players:
None
The Wizards currently do not have any star players at the moment. There isn’t a player that will make the All-Star team from this group in 2025. Amongst their players, Jonas Valanciunas, Malcolm Brogdon, and Kyle Kuzma look to be their best players for 2025, with Jordan Poole being the wildcard, with fans hoping he would be more like the 2022 Warriors’ version that played very well on the championship team, instead of the 2024 Wizards’ version that shot the ball very inefficiently for most of the season.
Additions:
Jonas Valanciunas is one of the newest additions to the Washington Wizards, and he is a solid center that will bring production in the paint and some stability to their team. (Photo: Stephen Lew/USA Today Sports, via Sports Illustrated)
Jonas Valanciunas, Malcolm Brogdon, Alex Sarr, Carlton Carrington, Kyshawn George, Saddiq Bey
Valanciunas and Brogdon give the Wizards some steady veterans to help provide stability for their team, and they will give Washington solid production in the lineup. The Wizards have a slew of talented rookies that could grow considerably with playing time over the course of the season. Saddiq Bey once scored 50 points in a basketball game and has been a longtime starter, and while he didn’t shoot well last year, he is slated to be a rotation player for Washington, where he’s expected to be a 3 and D guy and provide some scoring off the bench.
Subtractions:
Deni Avdija, Tyus Jones, Landry Shamet, Jules Bernard
Of all the subtractions, the loss of Avdija and Jones in the lineup will hit them the hardest. Avdija was able to build himself to be a solid role player that could provide strong defense, unselfish play, and efficient shot making. While not an elite shooter or scorer, Avdija had improved his shooting percentages to 50.6% from the field and 37.4% on threes respectively in the 2023-24 season, and his ability to play the game the right way and defend multiple positions would’ve given the Wizards a stronger winning attitude and some multi-positional versatility. That said, getting Brogdon and Carrington back in return seems like a decent coup, even though it was surprising that they dealt Avdija in the offseason.
The loss of Tyus Jones will also hurt the Wizards. Jones was a solid, steady playmaker that excelled at making plays on both ends of the floor, and he was a reliable veteran presence that was very efficient, as he averaged 12 points, 7.3 assists per game, and made 41% of his threes last season.
Landry Shamet is a sharpshooter that didn’t actually shoot the ball as well as expected last year, and after making 42.2% on threes as a rookie in 2018-19, he hasn’t made 40% of his threes in the regular season since then. Jules Bernard shot the ball better than expected as a rookie in the NBA last year, but he played sparingly, as Bernard played less than 200 minutes last season.
Rookies:
Alex Sarr, Carlton Carrington, Kyshawn George
Sarr, Carrington, and George are talented rookies that bolster the team’s talent pool and depth, as Sarr is an extremely athletic big man that is a terrific shot blocker, Carrington is a young playmaking combo guard that starred in the summer league and has shown to be a potential triple-double threat, and George is an athletic, 3 and D wing with upside. While they will need to be more consistent with their jump shots, the Wizards’ fan base will be intrigued to see what they will bring to the team both for the upcoming season and in the future.
Expected Rotation:
Malcolm Brogdon was the Sixth Man of the Year award winner in 2023, and he could be a valuable asset for them either as a starter or off the bench for the upcoming 2024-25 season. (Photo: Michael Dwyer/Associated Press, via Seattle Times)
Projected Starting Lineup:
The Wizards have a steady post presence in Jonas Valanciunas, as well as a steady, offensively sound playmaking combo guard in Malcolm Brogdon. Kyle Kuzma and Jordan Poole can score the basketball and put up counting numbers, but both will need to improve their defense, and Poole will need to improve his shot selection and shoot better. From there, they have a bevy of options they could turn to as the fifth starter, and while Bey shot just 31.6% on threes last year, he’s a longtime starter that has provided some scoring and rebounding, and has scored 51 points in a basketball game once before.
Key Bench Players:
Bilal Coulibaly had a solid rookie season, and after participating in the Olympics for France’s silver medal team at just 20 years old, the Wizards’ fan base will be excited to see his growth for his second season in the NBA. (Photo: Brett Davis/USA Today Sports, via Fansided’s Wiz of Awes)
The Wizards may have some interesting young guys with Bilal Coulibaly and Corey Kispert coming in as their team’s best bench players. Coulibaly is a very athletic, 3 and D wing, and Kispert is a sharpshooter. Alex Sarr is a very talented, but relatively untested big man that struggled mightily in the Las Vegas Summer League, but considering that the Wizards are likely rebuilding, he could see plenty of minutes this season. In addition, Carlton Carrington turned in a strong showing at the Las Vegas Summer League, and he could end up being one of the better bench players on the Wizards’ team this season.
F-C Alex Sarr
G-F Kyshawn George
The Rest of the Roster:
F-C Tristan Vukcevic (Two-Way)
F Justin Champagnie (Two-Way)
Others In Camp:
Team Options at the End of the 2025 Season:
Here I will project the likelihood of the Wizards to pick up and accept or decline the team options for various players at the end of the 2025 season.
Bilal Coulibaly – Team Option Will Likely Be Accepted (100% Certainty)
Patrick Baldwin Jr. – 50/50, Uncertain if Team Option Will Be Accepted (Leaning Towards Projecting It Will Be Declined, 50% Certainty)
Johnny Davis – Team Option Will Likely Be Declined (80-90% Certainty)
Head Coach:
Brian Keefe was retained as the head coach for the upcoming season, but there are questions if this was the best move for them. If he reaches close to his full coaching potential and if he stays there long enough for the Wizards to develop into contenders far into the future, in a favorable scenario, Keefe could perhaps one day end up being a similar NBA coach to former 76ers’ coach, Brett Brown in this league. (Photo: Patrick Smith/Getty Images, via WJLA)
Brian Keefe
2023-24 (WAS): 8-31, missed the playoffs
Coaching Career: 8-31, 0-0 in the NBA Playoffs
Brian Keefe took over midway through last season after they fired Wes Unseld Jr. due to a horrendous start to last season. The Wizards still won just fifteen games in the 2023-24 NBA regular season overall in an 82 game season, and the Wizards managed to win even less games than what was expected of them. Keefe will get a full season, and he was a former Oklahoma City Thunder assistant, but it remains to be seen if he can get the Wizards to win basketball games for the foreseeable future.
NBA Head Coach Rank: 29
Outlook:
The Wizards have an eye on the future, and many in the Wizards’ community are anticipating Sarr and Carrington to be the stars of tomorrow for them years from now. While the Wizards aren’t likely going to win many games this season, Sarr, Carrington, and George could end up being cornerstone players for their franchise. (Photo: Scott Taetsch/Getty Images, via Fansided’s Wiz of Awes)
The Wizards are in rebuilding mode. Currently, they don’t have elite level talent or the players to compete for the playoffs or a title on a nightly basis, but they could be competitive in a few games this season. But given their dreadful season performance last year combined with having a lot of inexperienced players and a coach, they will probably end up in the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes. To be fair, if they get Flagg, that could ultimately end up being the best thing to happen to their franchise in a very long time, because Flagg is a really talented prospect that has the potential to be a franchise player in this league. As for this season, if they want to be competitive, they’ll need Jordan Poole to shoot a lot better than just 41% from the field and 32.6% on threes, and their team will need to play significantly better defense as a unit. And also, Brian Keefe will need to prove that he can coach his team to some wins and show that he can develop young talent to be able to have some sustainable staying power as a head coach in this league.
Projected 2024-25 Finish:
Expected Win-Loss Record: 24-58
Projected Regular Season Finish: 15th in the Eastern Conference
Expected Playoff Finish: Projected to miss the playoffs
Preseason NBA Power Ranking: 30
I went to Basketball-Reference and SalarySwish to look up some information for this write-up. It will be an exciting basketball season this year, and I’m looking forward to seeing the in-season tournament to see how that will unfold. Anyways, that is my write-up on my preview of the 2024-25 Washington Wizards. Thanks for reading.