The Washington Wizards bad luck has been put on full display over the last few years.
From earning the No. 2 overall pick in arguably the weakest NBA Draft in years, to being snubbed of a top five pick as a whole in last offseason's NBA Draft Lottery despite being tied for the highest chances to earn the top pick, it's clear that the Wizards misfortune over the years has been largely due to the team's horrendous luck.
Not to mention the fact that the Wizards and their entire fanbase are forced to watch a future star blossom in Portland as Deni Avdija emerges as a big-time player with the Trail Blazers.
However, the toughest part of it all is the fact that the team was forced to deal with the brutal reminder that their team was put years behind this offseason courtesy of the player the Wizards failed to get.
Wizards reminded of NBA Draft Lottery botch
Obviously, heading into last offseason most teams were pushing to win the No. 1 overall pick sweepstakes for the chance to draft Cooper Flagg out of Duke.
Nonetheless, earning the top pick wasn't the only benefit of the NBA Draft Lottery, especially considering the top two prospects were both considered blue chip, can't-miss prospects.
On Thursday, Washington was dealt the harsh reminder of the player they didn't get the chance to select when the Wizards challenged Dylan Harper and the Spurs.
Harper, who was selected with the No. 2 overall pick, was closley regarded as the second-best prospect in the 2025 NBA Draft, but many projected that he could be the best player in the class in the long haul.
Furthermore, the fact that he would have answered the Wizards biggest roster question giving the team their point guard of the future makes the fact that Washington wasn't even given the chance to land him that much more difficult to deal with.
In the Spurs 119-94 win over the Wizards, Harper not only looked like the best player on the Spurs, but the best player on the court that night.
Finishing with 24 points, five rebounds and three assists, while shooting 9/13 from field goal range and 3/5 from three, the Rutgers product looked like the real deal.
Proving how impactful he can be off the bench, it's clear that when Harper gets promoted to a full-time starter, he'll be the exact type of franchise player that could have changed the trajectory of the Wizards rebuild altogether.