The Washington Wizards Are Legit Contenders

The Washington Wizards are a Legit Threat in the East

The Washington Wizards have been one of the most forgotten franchises in the NBA over the past few seasons. The Wizards have been a relative bottom feeder ever since losing the one-two punch of Bradley Beal and John Wall, only experiencing some success for one season with Russell Westbrook.

However, the Wizards have quietly assembled a great team capable of competing in the East this upcoming season. 

Washington has an electric young core built through the draft. Guards Tre Johnson, Bub Carrington and Kyshawn George have all shown signs of improvement that fans can be happy about. Forward Alex Sarr appears to finally be taking large leaps in development after being picked second in the 2024 draft and forward Bilal Coulibally is quietly carving out a good role for himself in the rotation. 

The young core is headlined by No. 1 overall pick AJ Dybantsa out of BYU, one of the most electric prospects in recent draft history. Although Dybantsa has yet to play this season because of injury, he had a solid preseason averaging 12.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.5 steals on 43% shooting. 

Where the Wizards have really built themselves up however is through trades. Washington traded for both Trae Young and Anthony Davis last season, two superstars who were in desperate need of a fresh start. 

Both Young and Davis are multi-time all-stars who have experience making deep playoff runs. Alongside them are Khris Middleton and Deandre Ayton, two experienced starters with playoff experience. 

The Wizards are off to a 2-1 start to the season, grabbing wins over the Chicago Bulls and Milwaukee Bucks. Every aforementioned player has contributed to the wins, with Davis and Young making an immediate impact as a one-two punch. 

Davis is averaging 21 points and nine rebounds a game and Young is averaging 22 points and 11 assists, with both players looking to be back in all-star form. 

The Wizards have further pieces of depth, with Justin Champagnie, who had a great season for the Spurs in the previous year.

The lineup features three-level scoring across the board and sneakily good defense on the perimeter and in the paint. There is great depth at every position, with a player willing to fill any role needed. 

The Wizards were projected a preseason win total in the mid 30s, and I fully expect them to surpass that and sneak into the playoffs as a play-in team, possibly making a deep run after the fact.