Wizards Facing PG Dilemma

The Washington Wizards have some work to do at the point guard position.

Jeremy Brener | Oct 17, 2024

Oct 11, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards guard Jordan Poole (13) dribbles the ball as Toronto Raptors guard Jahmi'us Ramsey (37) defends in the second quarter at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

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Washington Wizards

The Washington Wizards are a team in flux when it comes to the point guard position.

With the regular season starting in just a week, the Wizards are likely to begin the year with Jordan Poole as the team's starting point guard.

Throughout the first four years of his NBA career, Poole had primarily been a shooting guard playing alongside Stephen Curry with the Golden State Warriors. In his first year with the Wizards last season, Poole started 66 games, but most of those came with Tyus Jones next to him in the backcourt. Now, he is taking on the main distribution responsibilities that come with playing point guard.

That may be a problem for a player that has only averaged 3.6 assists per game throughout his career. Poole isn't a natural point guard, and that could pose a real problem for the Wizards.

Washington struggled mightily last season, but at least the team had someone who specialized in setting his teammates up for success. Poole can get his own shot, but he's not a great creator for others.

The team hoped to have Malcolm Brogdon, a more natural point guard, in this position. However, he suffered a hand injury prior to the team's first preseason game and he is currently recovering from surgery.

Eventually, the goal is for the team to have rookie first-round pick Bub Carrington assume the point guard role. However, as a recent draft selection, he may not be fully ready to take the reins. Even if he isn't ready though, the Wizards will gain the most by having Carrington there just to see if he is capable of being in that role long-term.

Washington has a plan for Carrington, which it will roll out as the season moves along, but for the time being, Poole will be in that spot leading the way as the Wizards try to figure out their identity going into the season.

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Published Oct 17, 2024

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.