Inside The Wizards

Analyst Suggests Wizards Shoot for the Bottom

The Washington Wizards might be better off losing games in the long run this season.

Jeremy Brener

Oct 24, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards forward Alex Sarr (20) reaches for the ball in front of Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) in the second half at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
Oct 24, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards forward Alex Sarr (20) reaches for the ball in front of Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) in the second half at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
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The Washington Wizards are 0-1 on the season, but they are projected to have many more losses in their future.

As a rebuilding squad, the focus for the season should be about development, but according to Bleacher Report writer Eric Pincus, it is also a chance for the Wizards to have the best chance to snag the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft to select Duke freshman phenom Cooper Flagg.

"The Wizards could use the best crack at Flagg, but if they're too good, they'll lose their pick to the Knicks. The good news is that they will be naturally lousy this season," Pincus writes. "At their best, they won't win many games. Trading veterans for additional draft compensation would be a bonus, but Washington is all about development with its young players like Alex Sarr, Bilal Coulibaly, Bub Carrington and Keyonte George."

The Wizards won't win many games this season because their talent level simply doesn't match up to most of the other teams in the NBA. Washington's top two players — Kyle Kuzma and Jordan Poole — know how to win a championship as they did in 2020 with the Los Angeles Lakers and 2022 with the Golden State Warriors, respectively, but they were both role players on those teams. Both of them are unfit to be the best player on a contending team.

The Wizards know that to be the case, which is why they are okay with having them as the leaders of this team knowing the goal is to develop the younger players in hopes that one or two of them can eventually take over that spot of being the team's top player.

While Sarr, Coulibaly, Carrington and George all provide upside, Flagg would immediately become the team's best player and give the Wizards a sense of direction if he were to be drafted to Washington.

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.

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