The Washington Wizards have been disappointing this season to say the very least. Sitting at 3-19 on the year, there's no denying that any false glimpse of playoff hope that fans had after their 2-2 start to the season is all but gone.
Washington stinks, and there's no way to put it outside of that. The talent of the roster isn't on the same level as the contending teams across the NBA. In fact, the talent level of the Wizards roster isn't on the same level of some of the other rebuilding teams in the league right now.
And while that may be unfortunate to say the least, this could be the one season that the Wizards being the absolute worst team in the league could be a positive.
Adding onto that, not only are the Wizards in a good position now to stay ahead in the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes, but they have the perfect player leading the way for them in their tank-filled season.
Jordan Poole is the player to lead the Wizards...this season
Jordan Poole was handed the keys to the team in the offseason after first-year head coach Brian Keefe took the job. And while the early decision to put the team on Poole's back seemed questionable at first, it could have been the right decision all along, just not for the reasons Keefe thought.
The Michigan product is inefficient to say the least, but his ability to put together offensive explosions consistently makes his stats look better than his play on the floor. As of now, Poole is averaging 20.4 points, five assists and 2.2 rebounds on 43.6% from field goal range. And while that looks impressive, his team's record looks the exact opposite.
Poole is an excellent individual player, but the fact of the matter is that his play on the court does not correlate to wins on the court for his team. Ultimately, that sounds like it could be bad for the team's future, but if he can continue to put up solid numbers while leading the Wizards down the drain, it could be a win-win scenario for Washington.
First and foremost, the team would be in position to land the No. 1 overall pick in this upcoming NBA Draft with a chance to draft their pick of the blue chip prospects. In addition, Poole's trade value could continue to climmb with the opportunity for Washington to offload the guard's contract in the offseason to a team in need of his services.
Nonetheless, while Poole doesn't provide winning now, he could help boost the team's rebuild in the long run.