Preseason minutes are usually a shaky guide, but they can still reveal a coach’s priorities. For Wizards head coach Brian Keefe, the early rotation is already hinting at which players are pushing into the picture and which ones may be slipping out of it.
Washington’s roster looks very different now, and that matters. Trae Young and Anthony Davis were both on the team last season, but Young appeared in only five games and Davis didn’t play at all.
Now both are starters and central pieces of the offense. Add in number one overall pick AJ Dybantsa, plus Deandre Ayton, Tre Mann, and Khris Middleton, and the rotation starts to tighten fast.
That squeeze is where Will Riley, Bilal Coulibaly, and Justin Champagnie come in. None of that means they lack NBA talent. It does mean the Wizards’ bench is fuller than it used to be, and the front office’s offseason moves were designed to speed up the rebuild, not keep handing out developmental minutes.
The fit issue is real, too. Washington needs shooting from its second unit, especially because there isn’t much three-point volume in the starting lineup.
Tre Johnson, Bub Carrington, and even a 35-year-old Khris Middleton bring that kind of value simply by spacing the floor. Ayton projects as the everyday backup center, Johnson and Middleton are the most dangerous catch-and-shoot threats on the perimeter, and Carrington is also shooting 40+ percent from deep.
That leaves Coulibaly, Riley, and Champagnie fighting uphill. Coulibaly has not been good enough from three, Riley didn’t offer much as a deep threat in his rookie season, and Champagnie has the toughest road of all because of the talent ahead of him.
Keefe’s likely group starts at nine players, and the most he will probably use regularly is 10. Middleton’s injury history and age make it likely he’ll be managed, which opens a wing spot on nights he sits.
The bigger picture is that the Wizards finally have real depth on the wing. That’s a good problem to have, even if it means Coulibaly’s perimeter defense, Riley’s self-creation, and Champagnie’s versatility won’t be featured as often as they have been in the past.
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Wizards Opener Puts Early Rebuild Tension On Brian Keefe
The Wizards are finally getting to opening night, and with it comes the first real test of how their rebuild is supposed to look against a Bucks team that will waste no time exposing any loose edges. Washington has spent the preseason sorting through a young roster and an evolving rotation, with Tre Johnson and Bilal Coulibaly among the prospects trying to carve out minutes as Brian Keefe and his staff start turning evaluation into actual decisions.
There is already some early stress in the picture, though, because one of the young pieces the Wizards hoped to see is out after rolling his ankle in the preseason finale. Khris Middleton is expected to play, which helps stabilize the group on paper, but Keefe still has to figure out exactly where he fits and how much of the roster shuffle should be driven by development versus immediate competitiveness, the kind of balancing act that can define a season before it really gets going. [Read more 🡒]
Wizards Avoided A Roster Problem Fans Might Be Overlooking
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Brown's appeal is obvious, but the roster conversation gets trickier when the fit is considered in the broader backcourt and frontcourt picture. Washington is better served by a player who can anchor the defense and work cleanly in the half court, which is why Davis would have made more sense for the Wizards than Brown, even if the latter brings more natural scoring. [Read more 🡒]
Wizards Have An Early Chance To Fix Two Problems Fast
The Washington Wizards head into the new season with a lot more optimism than they had a year ago, thanks to the arrivals of Trae Young, Anthony Davis and draft pick AJ Dybantsa. Even with that new talent, the preseason offered a reminder that good names do not automatically make a clean team, especially on offense, where the ball still tended to get away from them. There is at least a little room to settle in, because the opening stretch of the schedule gives Washington a chance to face some friendlier opponents while it keeps building chemistry.
The early games will also say plenty about whether the frontcourt gains the Wizards showed in preseason can carry over once the results start counting. If the offense can get organized and the defense can hold up against a softer run of competition, Washington could avoid digging itself an early hole. If not, the same issues that made last season such a grind could show up again before the schedule gets any kinder. [Read more 🡒]