The 2024-2025 NBA season is underway, and the Washington Wizards are back in action! The Wizards made interesting additions and subtractions in the offseason and look to put its new pieces to the test against the reigning NBA champion Boston Celtics in their season opener Thursday night. What can the NBA community expect from the Washington Wizards in 2024-2025?
What to Expect from the Washington Wizards in 2024-2025
Develop the Young Whippersnappers
The Wizards had a solid draft performance this past April. Washington acquired Frenchman star center Alex Sarr with the No. 2 pick, former Pittsburgh star Bub Carrington via trade, and Kyshawn George with the No. 24 pick. Sarr, who stands at 7-foot, 205Ibs, had rough outings during the Las Vegas Summer League games. Sarr averaged only 5.5 points per game while having shot 19.1 percent from the field. However, Sarr should improve with the more experience and games he plays in his first season at the NBA level.
Sarr is clearly the cornerstone piece and future for the franchise, as the Frenchman was the highest overall pick for the Wizards since having drafted John Wall No. 1 overall in 2010. The 2024-2025 season should be predicated on the development of Sarr.
As for Carrington, he had solid showings during the six-game NBA preseason. Carrington averaged 7.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.4 assists while having shot 35 percent from the field and 29 percent from three-point range. However, the 6-foot-4 guard guard did average 2.4 turnovers per game. Carrington is known for his shot creation and playmaking ability, so this season should be about building his confidence. Carrington shot just 8 times within five feet from the basket in the preseason, so aiming for higher percentage shots should be a focal point for Carrington.
As for George, who stands at 6-foot-8, shot well during the preseason with a 69.6 true shooting percentage. George spent one season with Miami and averaged 7.6 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and shot 40.8% from three. George thrives in off-dribble situations and possesses the length to over-see defenses, which is extremely useful for playmaking. Wizards head coach Brian Keefe, who is known for developing young talent, will have ample responsibility with these three.
Will We See Poole Parties This Season?
Whenever Jordan Poole would erupt for a scoring montage in Golden State, his performances were called “Poole Parties.” However, last season, Poole had one of the more disappointing seasons coming from a player of his magnitude. Poole seemed disinterested, unmotivated and played selfishly at times in his first season in Washington. Overall, Poole averaged 17.4 points while having shot 32.6 percent from three (career-low) and 41.3 percent from the field (career-low outside of rookie year).
In fact, Poole even got benched towards the latter half of the season due to his performances. However, Poole got switched to point guard and fared much better in that spot. Furthermore, since the departure of Tyus Jones (signed with Suns), Poole is more of a primary ball-handler for the Wizards’ offense. Hopefully, his new role can improve his ability as not only a player but also as a leader.
Can Bilal Coulibaly Take That Leap?
Forward Bilal Coulibaly had an up-and-down rookie year last season. In 63 games last season, Coulibaly averaged 8.4 points, 4.1 rebounds, and shot 43.5 percent from two and 34.6 percent from three-point range, respectively. However, the 20-year-old began to struggle towards the back half of the season. In fact, Coulibaly’s three-point average dipped from 36.3 percent down to 28.2 percent after the All-Star break.
Nonetheless, Coulibaly showed flashes of being a strong perimeter defender due to his length and athletic ability. Now that he has an NBA season under his belt expect Coulibaly to take a little skip trending upwards.
Brian Keefe’s First Season as a Full-time Head Coach
Keefe served as the assistant coach until former head coach Wes Unseld Jr was let go of his duties back in January. Keefe went 8-31 at the helm for Washington. However, he will become an official head coach for the first time in his career.
As mentioned prior, Keefe is known for developing young talent. Since the Wizards drafted Sarr, George, Carrington, and Coulibaly, Keefe’s job is to maximize and focus on their potential while also giving fans a glimmer of hope for the future. As an assistant for various teams since 2007, this will be Keefe’s biggest role to date in the NBA.
The Last Word on What To Expect From the Washington Wizards in 2024-2025
Wizards fans shouldn’t expect their team to win a lot of games this season. The main concern and focus for this unit is to help blossom the young talent on the roster. If the Wizards were to somehow win 15-20 games this year while its young core shows flashes of greatness, that should be considered productive without a doubt.
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