What is the story about?
With
a hat tip to OG NFL writer Peter King, and to Bill Simmons and the crew at Grantland and The Ringer, and to Zach Lowe, and to Eric Koreen, and to the legion of writers I’m ripping off with this format, here are 10 things I think I think about this year’s Washington Wizards:
- Trae Young will lead the NBA in assists per game for just the second time in his career. Young’s been a genius-level passer throughout his career but has carried a heavy scoring burden. In Washington, he’s going to be asked to help his younger teammates learn how to excel on the offensive end, and there’s no better way than using his gravity to help give them open looks.
- Anthony Davis will be a top five candidate for Defensive Player of the Year. Davis has — at times — been an all-time great defender. At other times, he’s been merely very good. Either one would be a major upgrade for Washington. He’s been top five four times previously — a second place behind Giannis Antetokounmpo, a third place behind Rudy Gobert and Joel Embiid and two fourth place finishes. The last top five was in 2020, but even leading the Wizards to league average-ish on the defensive end would be a colossal achievement.
- Alex Sarr is on the cusp of greatness. Sarr improved a bunch in his second season. History says players usually make their biggest jumps in years three and four…which are coming. Plus, he’ll have Young and Davis and AJ Dybantsa drawing attention, which should give him more open looks from in close and the three-point line.
- Bilal Coulibaly will be traded by the Feb. 11, 2027 deadline. This one pains me. I wanted Washington to draft him, and I was happy they traded up to get him. At least by my reckoning, he’s improved each season. Except, I’ve watched all the games, and I’m not overwhelmed. Too many utter bricks, wild turnovers, and way-off-target threes that somehow bank in. He’s long, athletic, and good on defense. Opponents seem to have trouble staying in front of him when he decides to drive. But I’m doubting he gets where the team needs him to be.
- AJ Dybantsa will average at least 15 points and 6 rebounds per game. These benchmarks may sound a bit pedestrian. They are not. Over the past 10 seasons, only 12 rookies have hit these marks: Karl-Anthony Towns, Kyle Kuzma, Lauri Markkanen, Ben Simmons, Luka Doncic, Deandre Ayton, Evan Mobley, Scottie Barnes, Paolo Banchero, Victor Wembanyama, Chet Holmgren, and Cooper Flagg. Mileage may vary, but I count 9 of the 12 who ended up in the very-good to great range — not counting Flagg. Yet. This would be a good start for Dybantsa.
- Kyshawn George will seize the starting backcourt job. This connects to No. 4 above. I’ve had some doubts about George — especially his turnovers and rampant fouling. And yet, he’s big, he’s gotten stronger, and he’s skilled, feisty, and tough.
- Brian Keefe will still be the Wizards’ head coach when they make the playoffs. Whether it’s this season or next. I saw enough smart Xs and Os from the staff to make me think Keefe is a clever tactician. Some of his out-of-bounds sets were designed to leverage good defenders doing their jobs properly, which is devilish. He’s also been effective about getting buy-in from nearly everyone, and he successfully navigated the few who didn’t.
- Deandre Ayton will play well enough to rehabilitate his reputation…and get traded by the deadline. I don’t see Ayton as a long-term guy in Washington. My best guess is that he plays well off the bench and in spot starts and ends up packaged in a deadline deal to bring a younger player.
- The Wizards will make the play-in this year. Over/under betting lines suggest it’ll take 37-40 wins to earn 10th and get into the play-in. I still haven’t done my forecast for the year, but I think that’s doable for Washington, and for some bizarre reason — despite all the history, despite having a (currently moribund) podcast called #SoWizards, precisely because of this franchise’s ability to screw up in spectacular fashion — I think I think they actually will.
- The Wizards will have two All-Stars this season. Davis and Young would be the relatively easy picks. I wouldn’t be shocked if it’s one of those two plus Sarr. Just sayin’.
Enough from me. What do you think you think about the 2026-27 Wizards?
