In the closing minutes of the first half, in the Washington Wizards’ final regular-season game, Bub Carrington made the perfect play.
As Washington got out in transition, Carrington planted himself directly in the paint, awaiting the pass from guard Sharife Cooper. He would have a wide-open opportunity at the basket, with Cleveland’s Craig Porter Jr. attempting to recover.
The result, however, was one emblematic of Carrington’s entire season. The guard became hesitant, leading to a charging Porter Jr. to block the shot straight out of the air. A season of missed opportunities finished with one final miscue.
A year after a promising rookie season, Carrington failed to take the leap Wizards fans had hoped. The flaws in his game became even more apparent as a part of one of the worst teams in franchise history.
With the Wizards striving for new heights in 2026, Washington’s former first-round pick faces a prove-it year. Can he thrive with a better foundation around him?
In just his third year, Carrington will need a big leap to remain a part of the Wizards’ future plans.
Carrington must stand out amongst a gluttony of guards
For all of the Wizards’ concerns roster-wise, the guard position is not one of them. After trading for Trae Young, the team has at least 5 talented players in the spot: Carrington, Young, Tre Johnson, Bilal Coulibaly, and Will Riley.
Having too much depth at the guard position is never a bad thing(see: this year’s San Antonio Spurs). The issue becomes when their skill sets begin to overlap.
Carrington, Johnson, and Riley are all built from a similar mold: ball-dominant scorers whose defensive limitations and shooting inconsistencies can drag down their teams. It’s hard to imagine a future where all 3 are kept together, given their similar struggles.
Of the 3, Carrington has showcased the least potential, potentially making him the odd man out. Riley’s strength finishing through contact gives him an advantage over the 2024 first-round pick, who has struggled at the rim throughout his career. And Johnson has shown himself to be a better shooter than Carrington, especially from beyond.
To be a part of Washington’s future, the former Pitt star must show that he can stand out, by improving in a meaningful fashion. It will be a critical offseason, as he looks to earn minutes on a team with real playoff hopes.
Where can Carrington improve?
There are plenty of places for Carrington to grow his game, given his struggles in his first 2 seasons. The player has a combined plus/minus of -1544 throughout the seasons, good for 20th-worst since the statistic began tracking.
The easiest place to imagine the guard getting better is in his ability to work off-ball. Carrington is a credible ball-handler, but his lack of burst makes it hard for him to finish around the rim with the ball in his hands.
Finding a way to function as a cutter without the ball in his hands could make Carrington much more useful by allowing him to work alongside his fellow guards. More avenues would open up for him to showcase his shooting touch and athleticism, rather than his lack of quick-twitch speed.
By adding a tool his fellow guards lack, Carrington’s future as a Wizard would look much brighter. Expect the young player to be hard at work this offseason, with his future depending on it.
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