Last summer, the Washington Wizards traded Bradley Beal and Kristaps Porzingis, signaling the beginning of a much-needed rebuild after years of being firmly stuck in the middle.
Now, after three solid picks in the 2024 NBA Draft (Alex Sarr, Bub Carrington, and Kyshawn George), they are ready to continue their rebuild next season with a real starting point.
Washington also brought on Jonas Valanciunas, who will help develop their young core, as he is a quality veteran. He’ll also give them some decent minutes on the court.
Wizards ranked dead last in NBA Power Rankings
That being said, while things may be looking up in Washington, as their young core is in place and they finally have a real direction, they are going to be one of the worst teams in the league.
Kurt Helin of NBC Sports recently put together his power rankings in the middle of the summer, and the Wizards weren’t just one of the worst teams on the list—he ranked them dead last.
Helin noted many of the same points, stating that the Wizards are in the very early stages of their rebuild. That said, he also praised them for getting on the right path. They are on the up and up.
Unfortunately for the Wizards, there isn’t too much room for them to leap up the standings, either. Almost every team in the Eastern Conference is very clearly better than them (at least on paper).
However, it’s a very good thing that the Wizards will be one of the worst teams in the league for the upcoming season because the 2025 NBA Draft is supposed to be elite.
Guys like Cooper Flagg and Ace Bailey will be available at the top of the draft, and there will be plenty of players who will fit in beautifully with their current roster.
After this year, the Wizards will probably want to capitalize on the development of their youngsters and make strides up the power rankings, but for now, they should feel okay with where they are at.
And where they are at is the bottom of the league. There is a very real chance they will be the worst team in the NBA next season.