A Storm is Brewing in Capital One Arena

After finishing with the second-worst record in the NBA last season, the Washington Wizards' front office had their hopes set on one goal heading into the summer: land the top pick and bring Cooper Flagg to D.C. Those familiar know that the Wizards slipped to sixth in the draft, which is a pain I'm all to familiar with as a Pistons fan, and was devastating at the time for the Washington faithful. While they didn't get Flagg, Tre Johnson, who they ended up taking with the sixth pick, has been a pretty damn good consolation prize. And I hate calling him that. He has elite-level scoring potential, which he's displayed already with countless 30-foot bombs and seven 18+ point performances, even with a lingering hip flexor injury which has haunted him since his Texas days and kept him sidelined for a number of games this season. He just looks comfortable out there. He can score at all three levels with ease, on efficiency that is rarely done by rookies (46% FG, 39% 3FG, 92% FT), and he's launching over five threes per game. I can't even fathom the type of demon ball we're going to see from him once he has a couple seasons under his belt.

French big man Alex Sarr, who Washington took with the second-overall pick in 2024, has recently proven why he'll likely be an All-Star-level player for years to come. He's an absolute menace on defense, leading the league in blocks per game, and he's slowly becoming a force to be reckoned with on offense. In a draft with little hype, Washington escaped with a gem in Sarr. Kyshawn George and Bub Carrington also look to be special pieces in the team's future, both shooting over 40% from beyond the arc. Bilal Coulibaly, whose 7'3" wingspan and ridiculous athleticism allows him to guard multiple positions, will play a crucial role in forming the team's defensive identity. And yes, they now have Trae Young, a proven elite scorer and playmaker who will step into a leadership role with the Wizards' young core. There's a lot of uncertainty around Young's availability for the rest of the season as the front office is hopeful for another top pick in a draft with incredibly versatile front-court prospects they'd likely look to pair alongside Sarr, but I'll be a little surprised if the Wizards don't test a few rotations with him at some point to get a sense of how things might look moving forward.

The pieces are in place for the Wizards, and I believe they're going to be dangerous in a few years. Perimeter defense will likely be their biggest question mark, and it's easy to say that they'll fill in their roster in with the right complementary role players, but I can't predict that. What I do know is that if their young core continues to improve the way I believe they can, beating them in a shootout is going to be incredibly difficult. While they will almost certainly not be a playoff team this year, I think the early signs are there and things will start to make sense a year or two from now, and I'm really excited for what's to come for their franchise.