The Washington Wizards haven't had much to cheer about when it comes to their start of the season.
Not only do the Wizards find themselves at the bottom of the NBA standings, but they've been forced to watch bizarre starts for several players who entered the season with high hopes, including multiple young prospects who seemed destined to make a leap in the DMV.
Despite that, the sophomore leaps of Kyshawn George and Alex Sarr have given the team and their fanbase reason to believe they were headed in the right direction.
Sarr specifically, has emerged as one of the biggest rising stars in the league, averaging 19.1 points, 8.6 rebounds and 3.3 assists, while shooting 51.5% from field goal range and 34.6% from beyond the arc.
The French product's breakout season turned plenty of heads and his ranking inside of ESPN's most recent Top 25 Under 25 Rankings only prove that.
Coming in at No. 22 on the list, NBA insider Tim Bontemps of ESPN made it clear why Sarr's unique skillset earned him a spot on the list:
"There's a reason being able to protect the rim and space the floor as a big man is such a coveted skill set, and Sarr is beginning to realize some of that potential," Bontemps said.
However, even when the Wizards are given credit for finding a gem in one of the weakest NBA Draft's in recent memory, Washington still managed to be reminded about arguably the biggest mistake made in the team's recent memory.
Deni Avdija ranked higher than Sarr in ESPN Top 25 Under 25
Deni Avidja's emergence since joining the Portland Trail Blazers has added severe regret to the Wizards and their fanbase who had high hopes for the forward when the team selected him in the 2020 NBA Draft.
To make matters worse, Avdija's rise placing him over Sarr at No. 15 only goes to show just how far off they are in talent level right now.
"When Portland acquired Avdija from Washington during the 2024 draft, it was seen by many across the NBA as an overpay," Bontemps said.
"However, Avdija has rewarded that faith with a strong case to make his first All-Star team this season. He's also arguably the leading candidate for Most Improved Player behind a leap in points per game (25.8, up from 16.9) while maintaining his efficiency."
"To take the next step, Avdija just has to do this again next seaso," Bontemps concluded with. "Avdija already looks like a foundational performer for the Blazers. If he can continue this production and carry it over to next season, he'll have fully ascended to a star-level wing."
It''s become clea from the jump that when Avidja broke out Washington made a mistake, but the fact that he's ranked higher than the Wizards best player on the list goes to show that the team may have traded away their future building block all due to impatience and mismanagement.