Wiz of Awes
Fansided

4 hot takes about the Washington Wizards’ 2023-24 season

By Cem Yolbulan

WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 22: Johnny Davis #1 of the Washington Wizards puts up a shot against Zeke Nnaji #22 of the Denver Nuggets during the first half at Capital One Arena on March 22, 2023 in Washington, DC. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jess Rapfogel/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 22: Johnny Davis #1 of the Washington Wizards puts up a shot against Zeke Nnaji #22 of the Denver Nuggets during the first half at Capital One Arena on March 22, 2023 in Washington, DC. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jess Rapfogel/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
(Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /

Washington Wizards will not be the worst team in the league

The Wizards are widely expected to be the worst team in the NBA next season. Sportsbooks have put the over/under line on the number of wins for Washington at 24.5 wins. This is by far the fewest number of expected wins of any team in the league. Even though the Wizards will almost certainly be bad, they will not be at the bottom of the league.

Despite the departure of talent this offseason, the Washington Wizards still have some talent on the roster. Outside of Bilal Coulibaly, every player in the projected rotation to begin the season is an established NBA player. And it’s not even clear how much Coulibaly will play early on in the season.

This will give the Wizards an opportunity to bank some wins in the first few months of the season. Tyus Jones, Jordan Poole, Kyle Kuzma, Deni Avdija, Corey Kispert, Delon Wright, Danilo Gallinari, Daniel Gafford. There is no one who is unplayable in the regular season in this rotation.

If you look at some of the absolutely horrendous teams in the last few seasons, like the Houston Rockets and the Detroit Pistons, one thing you will notice is the number of young, inexperienced, and unproven players in their rotations. Prospects not ready for the NBA playing regular minutes is what sinks teams’ seasons usually. The Wizards will not have many players who fit that bill, at least until the second half of the season.

They could easily choose to have Johnny Davis, Coulibaly, Ryan Rollins, and Patrick Baldwin Jr. in the rotation as the season progresses and lose a lot of games. But that shouldn’t be the case until after the All-Star break. And the Wizards may have already guaranteed a respectable win-loss record by then. Taking the over in the 24.5 wins makes sense, and winning at least 25 games should be enough to make the Wizards not the worst team in the league.

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