The Wizards sit near the bottom of the league, yet their plan remains clearly in motion.
WASHINGTON — A look at the early statistics of the 2025-26 Washington Wizards reveals a coherent story about their season so far. With a 3-17 start, they share the league’s worst or near-worst win total. Opponents have outscored them by an average of 14.5 points per game, the largest negative differential in the NBA this season. Their numbers mirror the eye-test: the team has struggled relative to the rest of the league, and the results have been lopsided more often than not.
But there’s a crucial distinction between outright ineptitude and deliberate rebuilding strategy. Publicly, the front office has not hidden its long-term plan, and the results suggest a disciplined, if harsh, execution of that blueprint. Young players have stepped forward in meaningful ways, notably second-year big man Alex Sarr and second-year forward Kyshawn George.
Sarr, the former top-two pick, has expanded his impact beyond rim protection. He’s improved his defensive rebounding, added more physicality to his game, and diversified his offense with stronger forays to the basket. George, who was selected 24th last year, has grown as a playmaker and has become a more reliable threat from long range. These developments offer positive signs amid the rough start.
“We’ve made a lot of progress as a team and as individuals from the season’s opening game to where we are now,” Sarr said to The Athletic. “There were certainly games we could have won, and that’s frustrating because the scoreboard reflects opportunities we didn’t capitalize on. But that’s in the past. All we can do is learn from it and move forward.”
Hidden in the backdrop of this season is the strategic imperative surrounding a potential first-round pick from the 2020 John Wall trade with Houston. If the Wizards exit the 2026 draft lottery with a top-eight pick, they retain that draft selection and instead send two future second-round picks (the 2026 and 2027 seconds) to the Knicks. The objective is to protect the 2026 pick, since, despite the progress from Sarr and George and the promise shown by rookie swingman Tre Johnson, Washington still lacks a clear franchise cornerstone.
Analysts point to the upcoming draft’s top talents, including Darryn Peterson (Kansas), A.J. Dybantsa (BYU), Cameron Boozer (Duke), and Nate Ament (Tennessee), as a potential once-in-a-generation class. The Wizards’ draft fate is to some extent in their hands: finish among the league’s four worst regular-season records and secure a top-eight pick, or risk sliding as far as the ninth slot with a minimal chance of losing the pick if they end up fifth worst.
Thus far, the franchise has been fortunate on that front, sitting near the bottom of winning percentage and nestled between the Pelicans and Pacers in the standings. George emphasizes the team’s character: off the court, they’re good people who don’t quit, and they’ll keep grinding through ups and downs alike.
Skeptics of tanking will note that the 2019 lottery reforms leveled the odds, with the three worst teams now sharing a near-identical 14.0% chance of the top pick. Still, the recalibrated strategy aims less at lottery odds and more at raising the floor of their draft position. Finishing with the league’s worst record guarantees at least a fifth pick, while the second-worst can only drop to sixth.
The Wizards’ recent history underscores this logic. They finished last season 18-64, the league’s second-worst mark, and slid to sixth in the draft. The team that won the third pick, the 76ers, wasn’t interested in trading for the Wizards’ spot, and similarly, Charlotte’s fourth pick position kept them from pursuing Lex Knueppel or other targets. The Jazz, at No. 5, ended up drafting Ace Bailey. While Washington hasn’t publicly stated a preference between Bailey and Johnson, there has been considerable speculation that Bailey was highly valued within the organization.
That context gives the Wizards a reason to prefer the worst-possible position if it yields a clearer gap between top choices on their board. If their evaluation reveals a meaningful separation between the fifth and sixth best prospects, finishing with the worst record could be advantageous.
Team officials have repeatedly insisted that a season aimed at finishing with the league’s worst record is not their objective. In a preseason press conference, general manager Will Dawkins stressed the priority of improving defensively after last season’s defensive rank (28th) and 118.0 points per 100 possessions allowed.
Yet the defense has not shown the hoped-for improvement. Even with a largely unchanged lineup and after parting ways with subpar defender Jordan Poole, Washington sits last in defensive rating this season, allowing 122.4 points per 100 possessions. The roster is young, and early-season learning curves include how to sustain energy and focus across games.
Injuries have further hamstrung progress. Third-year wing/forward Bilal Coulibaly has appeared in only 12 of 20 games, limiting his impact as the team’s primary perimeter defender while he recovers from EuroBasket-related procedures and later a calf issue. He did flash what he can contribute during a recent game against Milwaukee, serving as the lead defender on Giannis Antetokounmpo in a 129-126 upset win, but then missed multiple weeks due to an oblique strain.
Even so, Sarr has been a stabilizing force on defense, limiting opponents to 51.1% shooting on 11.3 attempts per game within six feet of the basket. That mark stands up against notable defenders in the league, and it underscores his improving rim protection. Still, the broader concern remains: the perimeter defense needs to catch up, so the team isn’t forced to rely so heavily on shot-blocking near the rim.
Defensive struggles remain the club’s primary issue through the season’s first stretch. The youthful core is busily building their individual games, but questions linger about whether they’re also learning how to win games. The team’s points allowed per possession have risen from last season, and they’re producing fewer turnovers than before, a sign of overall room for improvement.
Head coach Brian Keefe acknowledged the deficiency: defense isn’t where it should be, and the objective is to build consistency over time. The aim is to shorten the stretches when the team falters and maintain momentum more reliably.
That balance—between learning how to win now and safeguarding future draft positioning—remains the central tension for Washington. The Wizards are executing their plan with deliberate care, but the early sample size shows how challenging it is to thread that needle.
