Wizards Have Three Possible Franchise Cornerstones

Sarr’s play becomes even more impressive when you factor in the fact that he is producing at this level while not having a true point guard to feed him easy opportunities. A vast majority of his production is due to his own creation ability, reflected by him leading the team in usage rate at 25.4%. Once Sarr is paired with a point guard that he can build chemistry with, it’s easy to imagine his production only continuing to increase.

Tre Johnson

With all the recent hype the Wizards have received, a fair majority of it is due to the level of play that rookie guard Tre Johnson has achieved. The 19-year-old guard has asserted himself as one of Washington’s go-to scorers, along with proving himself to be one of the best shooters in the NBA. Johnson is averaging 12.7 points, 3 rebounds, and 1.9 assists on staggering shooting splits of 45.9% from the field, 39.6% from three, and 91.7% from the free-throw line.

Even though Johnson’s production may not reflect that of a go-to option, it’s important to remember that he is just a rookie. Johnson has already gone through his share of ups and downs in just his first year, but through said trials he has consistently prevailed, proving his overall toughness. Johnson’s skillset may be too limited for him to assert himself as the team’s number-one option, but at worst he will be a valuable piece for years to come.

Trae Young

The name that a lot of people may suspect to be Washington’s franchise cornerstone is Trae Young. The 27-year-old is by far the most proven player on the Wizards, as the four-time All-Star has already led his team to a conference finals appearance. Young has seen a fairly steep dip in production this season, as his 19.3 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 8.9 assists per game are all at or near career lows. However, it’s important to factor in that he has dealt with hefty injury issues this season, forcing him to miss extended time.

The main holdup with Young being the Wizards’ franchise player is purely based on his future outlook with the team. There are questions surrounding his long-term fit, as his on-ball-heavy usage may take away opportunities from other players. Along with that, Young has a player option this summer, giving him the ability to enter unrestricted free agency if he so chooses. Young is clearly a talented player capable of leading a franchise for the foreseeable future, but it’s unclear if he will do so in D.C.