The Washington Wizards front office has made things very clear over the last few months about the trajectory over the long-awaited rebuild.
Washington is the position now where they have finally prioritized stacking young talent on the roster and giving them the opportunity to develop. Obviously, the Wizards have made the mistake in the past of giving up on talent too soon. However, this time, the team's new regime has made it a point of emphasis to give their young players time to develop, regardless of the ups-and-downs.
Between reigning No. 2 overall pick Alex Sarr, Bilal Coulibaly, Bub Carrington and Kyshawn George, the Wizards have done a good job adding talent on the roster. Each of these players have had their fair share of struggles throughout the season, but the front office has given them the support and tools to move over the growing pains.
In addition to the young players the team started the season with, the Wizards managed to land another reigning first-round pick at the deadline. Washington landed AJ Johnson as part of the Kyle Kuzma-Khris Middleton swap with the Milwaukee Bucks ahead of the NBA trade deadline in February.
At 20-years-old, Johnson is one of the rawest talents in the league as a whole. Despite that, the 6-foot-5 guard has shown flashes of what he brings to the table since joining the Wizards.
Over the team's recent stretch, Johnson is showing multiple reasons why the team's fans and their front office should be excited about his future in Washington.
AJ Johnson impresses in multiple ways
Prior to acquiring Johnson, the Wizards knew that the young guard would be a project. Fortunately for them, they're in the stage of their rebuild where they can take on projects.
Over the team's recent stretch, the rookie has shown flashes of his ability to score at will. and also be a willing facilitator when he has the ball in his hands.
However, in the team's most recent matchup against the Brooklyn Nets, he also showed his durability to stay on the court for majority of the game without letting fatigue factor into his play.
Johnson finished Saturday's matchup with 20 points, 4 assists, a rebound and a block in 42 minutes of play, while shooting 42.9% from field goal range and 42.9% from three.
Although Johnson still has plenty of room to grow, he's shown enough promise for the Wizards and their fanbase to be excited about whats to come.