Five Takeaways From Wizards' Preseason Showing

His unimpressive finishing numbers at his size made for a ding against his otherwise-promising rookie campaign, but his growing initiative and success in expanding his skillset really changes how he'll be evaluated going forward. Potential three-level scorers with defensive prowess and creation upside are enough to make any star-hunter's ears perk up.

Tre Johnson's Utilization will Require Attention

The Wizards' top drafted prospect from the 2025 class is who just about everyone will point to as the most enticing pure scorer of the bunch, and rightfully so. Johnson averaged a whisker under 20 points per game in his one-and-done stint at Texas last year, and has since earned rave reviews as a shooter from his new teammates before playing a single regular season minute.

He had his moments in the preseason, finishing on some truly remarkable inside shot attempts, but he can't be given too much free reign following next week. The skinny Johnson will be better utilized as an off-ball bench weapon in the early goings of his rookie campaign, someone who can greatly benefit from on- and off-ball screens to provide him with the space to get his floater off, make a midrange read for a pull-up shot or simply fire an open three.

There will be temptation to let Johnson cook, granting the fans a peek into how advanced he is as an isolation assassin, but head coach Brian Keefe should be sure to keep setting Johnson up for easier looks. Transitions from college to the NBA are rarely smooth for slighter guards, and the staff would be better off making things easy on the Rookie of the Year contender.

Justin Champagnie Should Remain Atop Washington's Wing Rotation

The 24-year-old has spent the last two years slowly accumulating clout in the Wizards' system, doing enough of the little things to finally earn a multi-year contract earlier this year, albeit on non-guaranteed terms.

His long-term status with the team was thrown into question when the team went above the maximum number of contracts allowed on the books during the regular season, but he's let his game do the talking in the past week. Champagnie's reliability as a wing defender, rebounder, shooter and hustler have gone appreciated by the organization in the past, and he's maintained that production.

There are numerous young Wizards expected to contend for regular rotational minutes along the wing, with George, Bilal Coulibaly, Khris Middleton, Corey Kispert, Cam Whitmore and Will Riley expected to make things interesting with each of their respective cases, but few of them are as ready to flourish as connective pieces quite like Champagnie.

He was one of the Wizards' most valuable contributors last season, and expect that to maintain in 2025-26.

Alex Sarr Looks More Prepared for the NBA's Physicality

The Wizards' stealing Jonas Valanciunas from last summer's free agency class seemed like an odd signing in the moment. A career-starter was suddenly thrust into a potential backup role for his first time away from a competitive situation in a long time, but he was instrumental in helping the team ease one of their top prospects into the league.

Alex Sarr wasn't nearly as ready to hang with the NBA's big bodies as some fans may have anticipated, but that's where Valanciunas came in handy. He banged for rebounds and fought for positioning consistently before the squad dealt him mid-season, and his protege now looks considerably more prepared to take on the usual responsibilities for a center.

He backed up his media day intentions to get more going at the basket, driving hard and finishing harder during the preseason. Sarr made a concerted effort to filter out more of those contact-averse turnaround jump shots and jump hooks, putting his head down in rolling situations and dunking with intention.

That enhanced aggression, combined with his already-heady defensive package, makes for major reason for excitement from Wizards fans who were underwhelmed by his year-one scoring mindset.

Bub Carrington Will Need to Improve as a Point Guard

Not every one of the Wizards' rising sophomores blew the doors off in their limited preseason action. Some of Carrington's worst habits reared their heads this past week, raising some realistic red flags about his ability to flourish as a starting table-setter.

He's got a sweet-looking shot and a promising one-dribble pull-up, but is that enough to put consistent pressure on a defense if he's looking to regularly create advantages for himself and his teammates? Carrington rarely got to the rim or drew free throws as a rookie, and he can start to look invisible when his jumper isn't falling.

It doesn't help that he isn't an A+ athlete like teammates Cam Whitmore or AJ Johnson, as he'll have to rely on his deliberate pace and handle to get things going from the top of the key. He has avenues to success, but Wizards fans may have to slow the brakes on Carrongton's smoothly stepping in as the team's ready-made point guard entering year two.