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Updated Washington Wizards depth chart ahead of preseason

By Cem Yolbulan

WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 28: Kyle Kuzma #33 and Deni Avdija #9 of the Washington Wizards reach for a rebound against the Atlanta Hawks at Capital One Arena on October 28, 2021 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 G Fiume/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 28: Kyle Kuzma #33 and Deni Avdija #9 of the Washington Wizards reach for a rebound against the Atlanta Hawks at Capital One Arena on October 28, 2021 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 G Fiume/Getty Images) /
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The Washington Wizards were one of the busiest teams of the summer. They completely reshaped their roster by adding eight new players to their roster and parting ways with key pieces like Bradley Beal, Kristaps Porzingis, and Monte Morris. With the latest decision to re-sign veteran big man Taj Gibson, the Wizards now have 17 players on the roster. They will need to cut the roster down to 15 players before the start of the regular season. So, it may be a good idea to take stock of who actually is on the roster right now and what the depth chart looks like.

The 17 players currently on the roster for the Wizards and their primary positions are:

PG: Tyus Jones / Delon Wright / Ryan Rollins

SG: Jordan Poole / Johnny Davis / Landry Shamet

SF: Corey Kispert / Deni Avdija / Bilal Coulibaly

PF: Kyle Kuzma / Danilo Gallinari / Patrick Baldwin Jr. / Anthony Gill / Xavier Cooks

C: Daniel Gafford / Mike Muscala / Taj Gibson

There are also two two-way players in Eugene Omoruyi and Jared Butler who can get rotation minutes as a combo forward and combo guard, respectively.

This is certainly a deep roster. Every position has multiple rotation-level players, so it will be up to coach Wes Unseld Jr. to make some challenging roster decisions.

There are only six players on the roster who are guaranteed a roster spot to begin the season: Tyus Jones, Jordan Poole, Corey Kispert, Deni Avdija, Kyle Kuzma, and Daniel Gafford. The rest will depend on the transactions until the season opener and preseason performances.

The main challenge with the team will be whether to prioritize young players immediately or try to get as many wins as possible by playing veteran players and increasing their trade value. This will determine how many minutes the likes of Johnny Davis, Bilal Coulibaly, Ryan Rollins, and Patrick Baldwin Jr. get early on in the season. Coulibaly is presumably ahead of everyone else in the pecking order and should have a rotation role immediately.

If they are still on this team come the season opener, Delon Wright, Danilo Gallinari, and Landry Shamet should have regular rotation minutes as well. They will only make the Wizards more competitive, and help their trade value in a mid-season deal. Mike Muscala should be the last player in the rotation as a backup to Daniel Gafford.

The rest of the roster doesn’t have a clear path to playing time without injuries. But in an NBA season, everyone gets a chance, and it will undoubtedly be the case for the Washington Wizards as well.

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