This off-season, Will Dawkins and the Washington Wizards' front office have done an excellent job at blending two timelines as the team looks to take the step from perennial tanker to playoff contender. The key veterans of the group, such as Anthony Davis, Trae Young, Deandre Ayton, and Khris Middleton, will provide stability and playoff experience.
The young core will continue to get better. Alex Sarr, Kyshawn George, and Tre Johnson showed real flashes of being building blocks last season, while number one pick AJ Dybantsa looks to prove he can be the franchise guy. However, there are two players that, I believe, are entering a make-or-break season in order to be looked at as part of the Wizards' long-term core.
These two guys need to not only have a strong preseason, but also a hot start to the regular season.
1. Bub Carrington
Carrington improved overall from his rookie to sophomore season, and he projects as a solid fit amongst the rest of the Wizards roster. But there are a few parts of his game that he desperately needs to improve upon.
He has to get better as a defender. With Young already one of the weaker defenders in the NBA, and him having to play a lot of minutes due to his importance in making the Wizards' offense go, he'll need to be surrounded by mostly quality defenders at all times. So far in his career, Carrington has not been that.
He possesses the overall length and athleticism to be a positive in that department, but it's about effort and technique. I do believe, however, that in a winning situation, his defense should take a step up. The other aspect is his rim finishing. Almost all of Carrington's points come from jump shots, either in the mid-range or from three. He isn't going to have the ball in his hands as much this season, and therefore needs to improve at cutting and attacking the rim off of closeouts.
2. Bilal Coulibaly
Coulibaly has enough athleticism and defense to be a meaningful regular-season contributor on the Wizards, but if he wants to be a mainstay in the playoff rotation (considering that's the direction this team wants to go), the offense needs to drastically improve.
Where he got most of his offense in previous years is in transition, but with Young and Davis in the fold, the Wizards will likely play a slower and more methodical brand of basketball. Davis is going to demand double teams, and Young is a maestro at finding open players, and Bilal will be the beneficiary of those open looks.
Unfortunately, it's those looks that he's struggled with throughout his career. Over his three seasons, he shoots a career 31.3% from distance. If he can improve this to the mid-to-high 30s, his value to this team will go up ten-fold.
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