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Wizards Veteran Drops Honest Assessment of Washington Young Players

Originally posted on Athlon Sports
By Gerard Angelo Samillano | Last updated Mar 29, 2025 12:44 PM ET

The Washington Wizards have an intriguing group of young players on their roster. Their future core features 2024 second-overall pick Alex Sarr, fellow Frenchman Bilal Coulibaly, and 2024 first-round picks Kyshawn George and Bub Carrington. In addition, they have former NBA champion Jordan Poole leading the charge with a resurgent 2024-25 campaign.

It's certainly interesting to see how this young group grows together as the Wizards navigate a tough rebuild. Former Milwaukee Bucks forward Khris Middleton, who joined the team at the trade deadline, talked about his thoughts on the youth of the Washington team and how they've looked so far.

"I’ve learned how skillful they are for their age," Middleton told Michael Scotto. "These are first and second-year players with confidence. They have all the intangibles, like how quickly they pick up on things. The results haven’t shown, but I think they play at a high level."

The centerpiece of the Wizards' future is most likely Sarr, who was selected second in the 2024 NBA draft due to his defensive prowess and size. Despite a rough start to his rookie season, Sarr has shown exactly why he was considered as a top prospect. The Wizards rookie is averaging 13.1 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per contest. His numbers this month have been impressive (17.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.4 blocks).

Around Sarr, the Wizards have a bevy of talent at the guard position. Second-year guard Bilal Coulibaly continues to be one of the tougher defenders in the league and has shown some growth on offense as a playmaker (3.4 assists, doubling his average last season). Kyshawn George's surprising defensive prowess perfectly complements his shooting pedigree (39.4% from deep in the last two months). Bub Carrington looks like the perfect playmaker to complement Jordan Poole's scoring.

There are other intriguing pieces for the Wizards: Tristan Vukcevic, Corey Kispert, Saddiq Bey, and AJ Johnson are all potential contributors to the team. Veterans such as Richaun Holmes, Khris Middleton, and Marcus Smart are helpful additions as well. The sky is the limit for Washington. Hopefully, they'll be able to reach their sky-high potential.

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

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