We are six weeks away from the start of the 2023-24 NBA season. Free agency, the peak of trade season, and the FIBA World Cup are all over. As we are inching closer to training camp and preseason, it’s time to look ahead to the season and make predictions. As always, the most important part of making any predictions is engaging in some hot takes. These improbable but possible takes could make you look very smart or silly depending on the eventual outcome. So, it’s time to take that risk about the new-look Washington Wizards.
This will be Johnny Davis’ last season as a Wizard
This may not be a scorching hot take after a wildly underwhelming rookie season by the tenth overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. However, teams very rarely give up on their lottery picks within the first two seasons of their careers. Davis may be an exception.
First of all, the regime that drafted Davis is no longer there. The new management under Michael Winger and Will Dawkins clearly wants to rid themselves of past mistakes and move on. They have shown a willingness to cut their losses with various transactions and they might want to do the same with Davis as well if he doesn’t show significant improvement.
And the Summer League performance wasn’t promising for Davis. Yes, he was better than last season, but that is an extremely low bar to clear. He needs to show much more to earn regular playing time and maintain that performance to hold onto that rotation role. We simply haven’t seen a rotation player in Davis so far in his career.
Davis is a fine defensive player. He plays with effort and discipline. But unless you are one of the best defenders in your position, it’s not going to be enough to overcome your offensive shortcomings. You either have to become an above-average shooter or a playmaker, and Davis has a long way to go on both fronts.
It’s difficult to see how Davis is going to emerge in the crowded backcourt rotation. It might make more sense to move him before his trade value further declines or waive him to open up a roster spot.