Wizards Can Only Go Up in Latest Power Rankings

The Washington Wizards are starting from zero this season.

Jeremy Brener | Oct 2, 2024

Feb 7, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards guard Jordan Poole (13) dribbles against the Cleveland Cavaliers during the second half at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-Imagn Images / Brad Mills-Imagn Images

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Washington Wizards

The Washington Wizards are three weeks away from the start of the regular season, and they are hoping to win more than 15 games like they did last year.

CBS Sports writer Colin Ward-Henninger released his power rankings with training camp beginning across the NBA and the Wizards came in at No. 29.

"Trading Deni Avdija -- one of the few Wizards who actually looked good last season -- was a head-scratcher, but maybe they were afraid of winning too many games. Let's keep it at 15 or fewer, all right people? After a horrific start, Jordan Poole was actually decent to finish last season, averaging 21 points and six assists on 44/37/91 splits in his final 27 games. So he and Kyle Kuzma, plus the addition of Jonas Valanciunas, will make sure Washington has "bucket-getters" on the court at all times. The defense is going to be really bad again, but maybe No. 2 overall pick Alex Sarr can solve some of those issues -- probably not this season, though," Ward-Henninger writes.

The only team that ranked lower than the Wizards were the Charlotte Hornets, who have All-Star point guard LaMelo Ball and last year's No. 2 overall pick Brandon Miller as their best players.

The Wizards aren't expected to deviate very far from the bottom all season long, so it isn't a surprise to see them where they are. If they are going to advance further from No. 29, Kuzma and Poole will have to play at the level they did towards the end of last season, and the new players like Valanciunas and Malcolm Brogdon will also have to overachieve.

Given how many tanking teams are in the Eastern Conference, the Wizards may find themselves slightly higher in the power rankings and the standings as the year progresses.

Make sure you bookmark Washington Wizards on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!

Published Oct 2, 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.