The Washington Wizards have selected Tre Johnson with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft,
Entering the offseason with hopes of landing the draft’s top prospect Cooper Flagg, the Wizards were handed a harsh reality that they would be forced to take the best player available that fell out of the top five.
Witi Flagg, Dylan Harper, Ace Bailey and VJ Edgecombe seeming like a long shot to be available when it was their turn to pick, general manager Will Dawkins quickly pivoted to other top backcourt options that could give the Wizards an immediate boost and star potential moving forward.
Dawkins undoubtedly landed on Tre Johnson as the player who could give them that mix of impact and upside.
Following his monster freshman campaign at Texas, it doesn’t come as a surprise to see the Wizards take a swing on the versatile guard, especially considering some would make the argument that he’s the most natural scorer in this entire draft class.
Johnson averaged 19.9 points, while shooting an efficient 42.7% from the field and 39.7% from beyond the arc.
At 6-foot-6, the Texas native has the size coveted for top backcourt players in today’s game and his scoring ability alone will make him a nightmare for teams to defend. Not to mention the potential he possesses with extra space on the court.
If the guard can develop his all around game as a playmaker to pair with his explosive scoring, the Wizards truly could have a future star guard in their hands since the departure of Bradley Beal.
However, the most intriguing part about landing Johnson may be the fact that the Wizards blockbuster trade on Tuesday makes complete sense landing 33-year-old guard CJ McCollum for Johnson to learn under.
McCollum may be on one of the worst contracts in the league, but that doesn’t take away from the fact he continues to play at a high-level and has for several years courtesy of his ability to be crafty as an offensive scorer – similar to Johnson’s strength.
It’s fair to say Johnson has far more upside than McCollum's career peak if he can reach his potential and with the chance to learn under one of the most respected guard’s in the league, his chance to reach that potential sooner rather than later makes Washington’s bold move make much more sense than it did 24 hours ago.