Inside The Wizards

Young Wizards Earning Coach's Trust

The Washington Wizards youth movement is making progress.

Jeremy Brener

Dec 28, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards guard Bilal Coulibaly (0) drives to the basket as New York Knicks forward Mikal Bridges (25) defends in the fourth quarter at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
Dec 28, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards guard Bilal Coulibaly (0) drives to the basket as New York Knicks forward Mikal Bridges (25) defends in the fourth quarter at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
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As the Washington Wizards were trying to grab a win against the New York Knicks on Saturday night in crunch time, they had the future of the franchise out on the floor.

The Wizards' closing lineup consisted of 23-year-old Justin Champagnie as the oldest member of the team on the floor. Champagnie had second-year pro Bilal Coulibaly and rookies Alex Sarr, Bub Carrington and Kyshawn George out there with him.

Wizards coach Brian Keefe explained the reasoning behind that closing lineup against the Knicks.

“We always go with who’s playing well," Keefe said via Monumental Sports Network reporter Bijan Todd. Those guys were contributing in the game. [We were] trying different lineups but those guys were playing great.”

While Keefe could have gone with veterans Malcolm Brogdon, Corey Kispert or Jonas Valanciunas down the stretch, he felt that the younger members of the team had earned their place out on the floor.

Champagnie was the best of the bunch, scoring a career-high 31 points while grabbing 10 rebounds for a double-double. Coulibaly had 18 points of his own with six rebounds and six assists.

All five of the finishers in the game for the Wizards scored in double figures, and they were counted on by Keefe.

While the Wizards came out on the wrong end of the result, the team can't be mad at the strong performances from the youth movement.

The Wizards younger players now can look back at the game and grow from it in hopes of coming out on the right end of the outcome next time.

The Wizards are back in action tomorrow night as they face off against the Knicks in a rematch from Saturday's game. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET inside Capital One Arena.

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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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