Sep 29, 2025; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Wizards forward Khris Middleton (22) poses for a portrait during Wizards Media Day at CareFirst Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Young Wizards' Competitive Spirit in Doubt

Originally posted on Washington Wizards on SI
By Henry Brown | Last updated Oct 1, 2025 7:00 AM ET

The Washington Wizards have been intent on maintaining that they'll remain competitive in the 2025-26 season, even if they're expected by few to rack up the win count this year.

General Manager Will Dawkins warned the Washington media that their extensive rebuild remains nowhere-near complete after two years of draft-focused tanking, winning just 33 combined games between their previous pair of campaigns. And with their goal of developing their numerous drafted prospects still reigning supreme over any intention of rising up in the regular season standings, the organization's focus on actually testing their young pieces has already been thrown into doubt.

In raising the biggest question for every NBA team, ESPN asked the Wizards, "In another rebuilding season, can the young Wizards continue to develop and be more competitive?"

"The Wizards have shed the contracts of Kyle Kuzma and Jordan Poole, freeing up plenty of shots and room to grow for a roster full of developing talent," Ohm Youngmisuk elaborated. "And Washington is expected to have over $80 million in cap space available to use next offseason. While player development is key to the Wizards' process, the franchise has suffered through 64- and 67-loss campaigns the past two seasons."

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"The young core of Alex Sarr, Bilal Coulibaly, Bub Carrington, Kyshawn George, Tre Johnson,Cam Whitmore and Will Riley have to be more competitive in games this season after Washington dropped 25 games by 20 or more points. Vets such as CJ McCollum and Khris Middleton will try to mentor the youngsters on how to win."

"The Wizards might be in for another long season, but seeing the young core fight in contested games could be a massive key to the ongoing development," Youngmisuk concluded.

That underlying concern as to whether the prospects will actually learn any lessons outside of how to endure five dozen losses per year has persisted to many analysts outside of the organization, but Dawkins ensured the media that everyone in-house was made well-aware of his focus.

Head coach Brian Keefe backed up Dawkins' vision, speaking on the inter-team positional battles he's anticipating. The Wizards are teeming with minutes to give away for those who deem themselves worthy, with the many options on the roster opening the door for some spirited competition. They're still set on providing their young players with some meaningful NBA experience, even if that isn't expected to pay off until well after this rapidly-approaching season.

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

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