The Washington Wizards have spent the preseason selling a new kind of optimism, and the message has been consistent from the top down: this season is about turning the page after a brutal year. General Manager Will Dawkins framed it as “building towards sustained success”, Anthony Davis talked about wanting to “compete” in Washington, and Trae Young said in July that he had “super confidence” in his new team.
That belief makes sense on paper. Young and Davis are the kind of additions that can change the mood around a franchise, and AJ Dybantsa gives the Wizards another major piece to point to. But after last season’s struggles on both ends, Washington still has plenty to prove before anybody starts talking seriously about a turnaround.
The schedule gives them a real opening. Four of the Wizards’ first six games come against non-playoff teams, which means they won’t be thrown into the deep end right away.
That kind of early stretch can matter. It gives a team time to sort out its identity before the heavy hitters arrive, and it offers Washington a chance to separate itself from other teams in that middle tier early on.
Offensively, that matters most because the preseason was messy in one glaring area: turnovers. The Wizards had flashes where the attack looked dangerous, but the ball security never settled down. They finished the preseason leading the NBA with 24.3 turnovers per game, and a big chunk of that came from Trae Young, who was fifth in the NBA with five turnovers per game.
Some of that is baked into the style. This is going to be a fast team, and fast teams usually live a little closer to the edge.
But Washington also spent too much time looking disconnected, with mistakes coming from players simply not being on the same page. That kind of issue can be cleaned up, and early games against less imposing defenses should help.
Milwaukee and Chicago are two of the first opponents that fit that description. Both ranked in the bottom half of the league in defensive rating last season, and the Bulls were second-to-last in transition points allowed per game, exactly the area Washington wants to attack. Those matchups should give the Wizards a better chance to settle in offensively, make the right reads, and build the chemistry they’ll need once the schedule tightens.
The same logic applies on the other side of the ball, where the frontcourt remains the biggest worry for a lot of Wizards fans. Last season, Washington too often got pushed around on the boards, and that was a major problem.
But when Anthony Davis and Alex Sarr shared the floor in the preseason, the group looked far more stable. Sarr handled more athletic big wings like John Collins, while Davis cleaned things up at the rim as the backstop.
Even with that encouraging sign, the early test won’t be soft in every spot. Nic Claxton will miss the first two weeks of the season, which takes one challenge out of the picture.
The Bucks without Giannis Antetokounmpo were among the worst paint offenses in the NBA. And Jakob Poeltl and the Raptors were just 23rd in total defensive rebounds a season ago.
That makes the opening stretch more than just a chance to rack up wins. It’s a real check on whether Washington’s defense has actually improved. If the Wizards can’t protect the paint in those matchups, the alarm bells will start ringing fast.
If this group is going to “return to relevancy” this season, it has to look like a team that can hold up on both ends. The first two weeks give Washington a chance to set that tone before the schedule gets tougher, and if the Wizards want early momentum, this is where they need to start building it.
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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 🡒]
Tre Johnson Is Already Pushing Anthony Davis The Way Wizards Need
Anthony Davis is still adjusting to life in Washington, but the bigger takeaway from practice has been the way he and rookie Tre Johnson are already interacting like teammates who expect something from each other. The 10-time All-Star and member of the NBAs 75th Anniversary Team is entering the 2026-27 season with the Wizards carrying obvious expectations, and Davis said mutual accountability matters as he works alongside a young player who is not shy about putting pressure on him.
For Washington, that kind of edge is part of what makes the pairing interesting. Davis still has to prove he can stay healthy and perform at the level the Wizards need if they are going to chase a playoff spot, and his preseason has been more modest than headline-grabbing so far. Even so, the early tone between veteran star and rookie has given the team something it can build on, especially if the standard in practice keeps getting higher. [Read more 🡒]