This past season, the Washington Wizards finished 29th/30 in the NBA with 15 wins and 67 losses, which was just 6 losses away from the worst team record in NBA history. Following their fifth season with more losses than wins in a row in 2022-23, the Wizards traded former all stars Bradley Beal and Kristaps Porzingis away and entered a full fledged rebuild. Luckily for the Wizards, their terrible record allowed them to earn the second pick in the 2024 NBA draft. They were also able to gain the 14th and 24th overall picks in the first round by trading with the Portland Trail Blazers and the Oklahoma City Thunder. With their three selections, the Wizards were able to pick three players under the age of 20, meaning their potential to become successful contributors to an NBA roster with multiple years of NBA development ahead of them is incredibly high.
Alex Sarr
With the second pick of the NBA draft, the Wizards selected Alex Sarr, a seven foot one inch center from the Perth Wildcats, a professional basketball player from the NBL. In just his first year as a pro, Sarr averaged 9.7 points in just 17.2 minutes per game, which is very impressive for a teenager playing professionals with years or even a decade of experience. The most impressive part about Sarr isn’t even his offensive game, but his play on the other side of the floor. The Wizards desperately needed defense this past year, as they averaged the most points allowed per game in the league at 123.0. Sarr will be a great solution to this problem, as he averaged 2.8 blocks per 36 minutes. This would be tied for 4th in the entire NBA if these numbers carried over. He was also just around the NBA league average in steals per 36 minutes at 1.0, which is incredibly impressive for a big man who isn’t meant to defend on the perimeter. The only downside to his game is his poor three point shot, as he only made 0.6 threes on 2.0 attempts per game. However, with NBA shooting development, this weakness could disappear as well. With Sarr as the Wizards defensive anchor, they’re likely to have much more success.
Carlton (Bub) Carrington
With the 14th pick of the NBA draft, the Washington Wizards selected Carlton (Bub) Carrington, a six foot four inch guard from the University of Pittsburgh in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). At just the age of 18, Carrington was able to score 13.8 points a game, 5.2 rebounds a game, and 4.1 assists per game in 33.2 minutes. These are very solid numbers for someone so young, and it shows his potential to be a great all around player and possibly a triple double threat. However, his game doesn’t come without weaknesses. He was very inefficient at Pittsburgh, shooting only 41.2% from the field and 32.2% from three, which are both well below the league average percentages of 47.4% and 36.6% in the NBA. With improper development, this gap may become even bigger in the NBA, as it is a massive jump in competition from college basketball. On top of this, he was only able to record 0.6 steals per game and 0.2 blocks per game, bringing up major concerns surrounding his ability to defend at the next level. If he is developed correctly, Carrington has major star potential due to his scoring abilities, playmaking, and rebounding. If this isn’t the case, he may end up being a complete bust who is unable to contribute at the NBA level.
Kyshawn George
With the 24th pick in the NBA draft, the Wizards selected Kyshawn George, a six foot eight inch guard from the University of Miami, another school in the ACC. One of the biggest draws for George as a prospect is his frame. At six feet eight inches, Kyshawn George is already taller than the average player in the NBA. He’s also a very good three point shooter, making 1.7 shots from behind the arc on 40.8% in just 23.0 minutes, which is 4.2% above the NBA league average. He also managed to get 0.9 steals per game in this time frame, which is very impressive at his height. One of the biggest issues with George’s game is his lack of ability to score inside the arc, as he was only able to make 0.9 2 point shots a game on 46.7%. This is a problem because on an off shooting night for George, he won’t be able to offer anything on the offensive end of the floor. However, it is very likely that he will be at the very least a solid 3&D wing who can defend many positions and knock down threes whenever an offensive spark is necessary.
Overall, this draft class should excite fans of the franchise, even if it takes some time for those players to develop. While they won’t be a great team this year either, they will be able to gain some more young prospects in the draft classes to come and will have a strong young core going forward.