At a glance:
Record: 15-67 (14th, East)
Offensive Rating: 110.2 (25th)
Defensive Rating: 118.9 (28th)
Net Rating: -8.7 (27th)
Pace: 103.1 (1st)
2024 Draft Picks: 2, 26, 51
After trading away Bradley Beal and Kristaps Porzingis last summer, the expectations for winning in Washington went out the window. They certainly didn’t have championship aspirations before the deals, but they were expected to compete for a postseason spot. Heading into this season, they were expected to have some fun moments as a lottery team, though most of the “fun moments” ended up simply being funny memes. Between Jordan Poole’s Shaqtin’ a Fool plays and Kyle Kuzma’s “just don’t be that team” quote, there was no shortage of comedic moments.
However, after a decade of mediocrity, this season was a step in the right direction. They nabbed the second pick in the draft after suffering through a tumultuous season. That is a great starting point for a rebuild, and they still have multiple trade assets to acquire more draft capital and young players. They don’t have a franchise player yet, but they do have a few players that could still be part of the team’s future.
Washington has a lot of money tied up in Poole and Kuzma next year, but a splash in free agency wouldn’t do much to fix this team. Wizards fans should get ready for a long rebuild that will hopefully result in a team that can compete for a championship. Drafting the right player with the No. 2 overall pick in what is considered a weaker class will go a long way in jumpstarting the rebuild.
Fantasy Standout: Tyus Jones
After a few years as one of the best streaming options in the league when Ja Morant was out of the lineup, Jones was finally able to have his own offense to run. He provided top-75 value in 9-cat leagues with averages of 12.0 points, 2.7 rebounds, 7.3 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.6 triples while shooting 48.9% from the floor. Aside from steals, all of those were career-highs. Jones also boasted an assist-to-turnover ratio of 7.4, which was the best in the league among qualifying players.
This was Jones’ first season as a full-time starter, and…
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