Washington Wizards 2025-26 Season Preview (10-21-25)
By: Jaden Golding
Headline Photo Credit: NBA/Wizards
Basketball is back in the nation’s capital, and the Washington Wizards kick off their 2025 season Wednesday evening on the road against the Milwaukee Bucks. It’ll be an interesting season for DC fans as year two of the official rebuild kicks off, featuring one of the youngest rosters in the league that head coach Brian Keefe looks to continue to develop.
Last year’s record: 15-67 (14th in the Eastern Conference and 5th in the Southeast Division)
● Points per game leader: Jordan Poole (20.5)
● Rebounds per game leader: Alex Sarr (6.5)
● Assists per game leader: Jordan Poole (4.5)
● Steals per game leader: Bilal Couliably (1.3)
● Blocks per game leader: Alex Sarr (1.5)
● Field Goal %: Richaun Holmes (64.7 %)
The team ranked 27th in offensive points per game and 29th in points allowed per game. Their offensive, defensive, and net rating ranked 30th in the NBA.
Additions
– Marvin Bagley III (free agent), Malaki Branham (trade), CJ McCollum (trade), Cam Whitmore (trade)
Departures
– Saddiq Bey (trade), Malcolm Brogdon (free agent), Richaun Holmes (overseas), Jordan Poole (trade), Marcus Smart (waived), Blake Wesley (waived)
Draft Selections
– Tre Johnson (6th pick), Will Riley (21st pick), & Jamir Watkins (43rd pick)
Expect Riley and Watkins to spend most of their time in the G League with the Capital City Go-Go developing due to the wing depth on the team. They could see time post-trade deadline barring any movements on the roster.
Bringing in Whitmore can be one of those sneaky moves that greatly advances this team’s offensive production. He’s a bucket getter that has explosive athleticism that makes him one of the best young finishers in the league but can also create his own shot from behind the arc off the dribble. The return of Marvin Bagley III gives Keefe another big-man option off the bench. Bagley III may be an undersized center in today’s league but he’s a highly efficient player who is active on the glass offensively and defensively.
What are the expectations for the upcoming season?
One word— Development. The Washington Wizards are the second youngest team in the NBA with an average age of 23.78 per player. You have a key group of guys you are looking to build around that features: Alex Sarr, Bub Carrington, Kyshawn George, Bilal Couliably, and 2025 first-round draftee Tre Johnson.
Last season you saw tremendous growth from the first half to the second half of the season by George, Sarr, and Carrington. Sarr was a standout defensively contesting shots, blocking shots, and clogging up the lanes. His athleticism and length allowed him to be a force night out. Offensively, he found his rhythm spacing the floor in the second half of the season hitting more shots from the perimeter, finding his touch on the inside whether it was taking it to the rack or backing people down. Carrington displayed his scoring and playmaking ability, creating space for his own shots off the dribble and driving to the hole. He also displayed the ability to find his teammates for open shots and the tenacity to be a good on-ball defender. Finally, George became a two-way threat for the Wizards after the All-Star break. He brought a tough mentality to the defensive end not backing down from the best of the best providing a physical style to his approach. While also showing the range from around the arc, exploding for a 24-point performance while shooting 6-of-8 from three.
Enter Tre Johnson out of the University of Texas, he can be the No.1 scorer that this team has not had since Bradley Beal left for Phoenix in 2023. Johnson is a certified bucket who can score in all three levels and can use his 6”5 frame to score over smaller guards. The question is be he can develop his ability to be a playmaker and get his teammates open. While also displaying growth as a defender.
How can the veteran additions help this team?
Forward Khris Middleton returns after being acquired last season in a trade that sent Kyle Kuzma to Milwaukee. CJ McCollum was acquired in the Jordan Poole trade with the New Orleans Pelicans in the offseason.
Middleton and McCollum were both multiple-time all-stars who have played alongside great NBA players and know what it takes to get to successful heights in the league. Middleton was a key staple of the 2022 NBA champion Bucks team that came back from a 2-0 deficit.
Their experience alone can prepare this team on how to win every night, and build on performances to consistently stack wins. You also want to learn from the veterans and piggyback off their knowledge of the game from a mental aspect and how to approach it.
Middleton is not the two-way presence he once was as he has gotten older and dealt with injuries recently in his career. But he can still be a great shot creator and defensive-minded presence for this young group. McCollum can split some of the ball-handling responsibility for the starting lineup, while also being a scoring threat that opposing teams will have to key in on. McCollum averaged 21.1 points while shooting 44% from the field and 37% from three.
Where will this team finish?
This team, like I said, is in year two of their official rebuild under general manager Will Dawkins who stated a couple weeks back during media day “Last year a lot was given and not earned and this year that won’t be the case,” Dawkins stated. “Iron sharpens iron”. D.C fans should be thrilled to hear that mentality from the GM and front office that wants to see growth and improvement from last season. No one wants to settle for mediocre results, to properly rebuild you need to figure out who’s here to stay and how the team can improve every year.
I expect this team to improve from their 15-win finish and reach the 20-25 range and if all things go correctly maybe they can even flirt with a 30-win finish.
They’ll need to see a step forward from last year’s draft class, improving on the momentum they built in the second half, and consistently producing every night. The vets need to be leaders on the court. Couliably is in year three and needs to prove to this front office that he’s a key stable for the future. That means becoming a consistent staple on the offensive and being a more effective shooter. The additions of Whitmore and Branham make things interesting for the depth of this team given the chance for them to establish roles on this team. It’ll be interesting to see what that means for wings Corey Kispert and Justin Champagnie who are warranted time on the court.
