Washington Wizards forward Justin Champagnie Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images / Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Wizards Relying on Young Stars vs. Bucks in Opener

Originally posted on Washington Wizards on SI
By Lane Mills | Last updated Oct 22, 2025 2:00 PM ET

It's that time of year once more: the 2025 NBA season is set to tipoff for the Washington Wizards tomorrow night. As precarious as a new year, and roster, can be, being 0-0 feels like a win already for a Wizards team that has failed to eclipse 20 wins in either of their last two seasons, going 15-67 and 18-64, respectively.

The Wild Wild East

As always, in the Eastern Conference, it's hard to really count any given team out. This is especially true for the upcoming season, with the league's usual suspects - namely, the Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers - suffering untimely season-long injuries to their franchise stars that will likely open the door for less frequent flyers to make an impact.

Are the Wizards slated to compete for an Eastern Conference title? Maybe not, but Washington's team is in a position to break their bottom-of-the-barrel streak and potentially cause a slight shake-up in the more competitive middle portion of the group. That mission begins on the road against a much different Milwaukee team than the NBA is used to.

The Bucks, after suffering a dramatic, 4-1 first round exit in last season's NBA Playoffs at the hands of the eventual runner-up Indiana Pacers, endured a relative roster overhaul over the summer.

Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images / Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Beyond the given - Giannis Antetokounmpo being the core of the team's every facet - the Bucks parted ways with recent addition Damian Lillard and longtime big man Brook Lopez in favor of new, younger options at either position.

The former will be replaced by Kevin Porter Jr. at point guard, whilst the latter, in what is likely to be needle-moving news, will see Myles Turner man the paint for Milwaukee.

Turner slotting in alongside Antetokounmpo as his perceived second-option adds NBA Finals experience to a roster that, last season, seemed to sorely miss it beyond the team's leftovers from their championship win in 2021.

Managing Expectations

While the Wizards aren't necessarily expected to pull off the win, in their current state, the Bucks are certainly a beatable team. Beyond arguable talent discrepancies, what may hold the Wizards back more than anything in their season opener is the health, or lack thereof, of starting small forward Bilal Coulibaly.

Washington can certainly rely on backup forward Cam Whitmore to fill that spot, but away from home against a fully healthy Bucks team, the Wizards are already fighting an uphill battle to begin the 2025 season in more ways than one.

It'll be a solid litmus test for Washington, at the very least, as to how their new and developing pieces have progressed over the offseason. From young (hopeful) stars like Alex Sarr and Bub Carrington to veteran cornerstones such as CJ McCollum and Khris Middleton, many of the Wizards' burning questions should still be answered, win or loss.

This article first appeared on Washington Wizards on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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