The Washington Wizards may have fixed one of their biggest issues, but in the process they’ve handed Brian Keefe a new problem that could be even tougher to manage.
On paper, the roster looks dramatically different from the one Washington had when Bradley Beal left for a fresh start. The talent level has climbed fast, with reigning No. 1 overall pick AJ Dybantsa now fronting one of the league’s best young cores. Add in the superstar pairing of Anthony Davis and Trae Young, and the Wizards suddenly have the kind of top-end firepower that can drag a team out of the NBA basement.
That’s the good news for Keefe. The bad news is that all this depth is going to force some uncomfortable choices.
The expected opening-night starting five is Trae Young, Kyshawn George, AJ Dybantsa, Anthony Davis and Alex Sarr. That group looks close to set, but the squeeze starts almost immediately after that. Bub Carrington, Tre Johnson, Bilal Coulibaly and Deandre Ayton all look like strong bets to be part of the rotation, which already pushes the number of regulars to nine.
Then there’s Khris Middleton, whose veteran arrival signals that Washington clearly values what he still brings. If he earns the role the Wizards seem willing to give him, that’s a 10-man rotation before even getting to some of the other names on the roster.
And those names matter. Will Riley’s breakout Summer League and strong finish to his rookie season make it hard to imagine him being left out.
Cam Whitmore has his own case because of his upside. Tristan Vukcevic offers a stretch-big skill set that carries real value in today’s NBA.
The problem is simple: every time one of those players moves up the pecking order, somebody else gets squeezed out.
That’s the bind for Keefe. A 12- or 13-man rotation is rare even over the course of a full regular season, so Washington is going to have to make hard calls once games start counting. It’s a good kind of headache, but it’s still a headache - and if the wins don’t come, the rotation decisions are the first thing that will get picked apart.
In Other News...
Wizards May Already Be Seeing The Growth They Needed From Dybantsa
A.J. Dybantsas brief run with the Wizards in Summer League gave Washington a useful early look at how his game might translate once the pace and physicality pick up. In two games, he put up scoring numbers that naturally grabbed attention, but the more encouraging part for the Wizards may have been the way he started to carve out space and operate against tighter defense, a skill that can matter just as much as raw shot-making for a young player trying to find his footing.
The shooting percentages were still a reminder that theres work to do, and Dybantsa has already pointed to defense as an area he wants to sharpen at the NBA level. Even so, his effort in Las Vegas suggested a player willing to lean into that side of the floor, which is exactly the kind of growth Washington will want to see as it evaluates what comes next. [Read more 🡒]
Hawks Just Made The Alex Sarr Pick Look Even Better
The Wizards spent the 2024 draft betting on Alex Sarr as a centerpiece for their rebuild, and early signs have only made that decision look more sensible. Sarr has given Washington a promising young big to develop, the kind of player the franchise can point to as it tries to build a long-term core around upside and patience.
Zaccharie Risacher, another top name from that draft class, is no longer in Atlanta after a three-team deal reshaped his path and sent him out of the Hawks picture. For Washington, the move adds a little more intrigue to future meetings between two players who entered the league with plenty of draft-night attention, because now those comparisons will play out on a different stage. [Read more 🡒]
Trae Young Just Brought More Knicks Drama To Washington
Trae Youngs arrival in Washington already gave the Wizards a new face at point guard, but it also brought along a familiar East Coast subplot. After seven and a half seasons in Atlanta and a recent four-year deal with the Wizards, Young is stepping into a rebuilding situation that is centered on development, while he tries to re-establish himself as the kind of franchise leader a young roster can grow around.
The attention around him has not stayed in Washington for long. Young has continued to lean into the Knicks rivalry that followed him through his Hawks years, including a recent video of himself riding around New York while revisiting old highlights against the Knicks. For a Wizards team trying to build something steadier, it is another reminder that Youngs profile will travel well beyond the standings. [Read more 🡒]