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Wizards GM Makes Bold Declaration on 2024-25 NBA Season

Originally posted on Athlon Sports
By Gerard Angelo Samillano | Last updated Apr 20, 2025 6:07 AM ET

Objectively speaking, the Washington Wizards had a terrible season. Finishing at 18-64 this season, Washington was among the worst teams in the league. It was the second year in a row that the team finished at the bottom of the Eastern Conference. Hopes should be low in DC, no?

Well, based on what the Wizards' GM is saying, it seems like this season went more or less according to plan. In the exit interviews, Wizards GM Will Dawkins said that while they had the worst record in the league, this season was an "exploratory" adventure as they lay the bricks needed for the foundation of a strong team.

“While we understand we’re not close, we are closer,” Dawkins said, per The Washington Times. “I feel like we laid some bricks for the foundation this year.”

“We’re slowly starting to climb,” he continued. “This season was meant to be one of exploration, and with that comes a lot of the unknowns, a lot of discomfort, a lot of the growing pains that you expect. We felt a lot of those throughout the year.”

With a relatively young group and a dismal finish in 2024, there was really no expectation for the Wizards to be competitive this season. That being said, what both the fans and front office wanted to see was growth from their young players. They saw that in spurts this season, as rookies and sophomores stepped up big time to give them a bright future.

The Wizards will have two more first-round picks in the 2025 NBA Draft to play with. Along with their fledgling young core, will that be enough to put them in contention to compete in the ferocious Eastern Conference?

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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