WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Washington Wizards' 142-111 home loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night is old news, but Lakers superstar Luka Doncic delivered a timeless message postgame. The 26-year-old, who notched 37 points (13-21 FG, 6-13 3-point) with 11 rebounds, 13 assists, and three steals over 31 minutes, was asked what advice he has for young NBA players trying to establish themselves.

“I’m not a good advice guy…But obviously you have to work very hard to get here,” he said. “It’s not gonna be easy, a lot of people are going to stay in your way. But if you want this, you gotta enjoy it and focus really hard.”

Washington has no shortage of work ethic, which is why it's sending three players to the Rising Stars Challenge for the second straight year. Additionally, the team had won two straight games and had been in six consecutive contests decided by 10 points or less before Friday's beatdown, which is a 180-degree difference from its quality of play during its 1-15 stretch to start the season.

But the Lakers loss was a humbling reminder of how far the Wizards still are from title contention. As much work as they've put in over this rebuild, there's still oceans of room for growth.

Los Angeles is sixth in the Western Conference at 29-18 entering Sunday night's matchup with the New York Knicks, just three games behind the Denver Nuggets for the second seed. It got bounced by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the playoffs last season, but is set up for success moving forward after trading for Doncic last year.

Washington won't reach elite status until it gets a First-Team All-NBA talent like the native Slovenian, who recorded a 25-point triple-double in the first half of Friday's blowout. He's the only player since the start of the play-by-play era (1996-97) to do so, which he also accomplished against the Utah Jazz in 2023, per ESPN's Dave McMenamin.

Luckily for the Wizards, the 2026 draft class has three players who have projected All-NBA ceilings: Kansas' Darryn Peterson, Duke's Cameron Boozer, and BYU's AJ Dybantsa. Peterson and Dybantsa faced off on Saturday in Lawrence, Kansas, a game that Washington sent three reps to, per ESPN. Peterson, who played just 20 minutes due to cramping, tallied 18 points (6-8 FG, 3-5 3-point) with three rebounds, three assists, and one steal in the No. 14 Jayhawks' 90-82 win, while Dybantsa had 17 points (6-12 FG, 2-4 3-point) with one rebound and one assist over 34 minutes.

Peterson's health is a concern, as he's played 11 of 21 games and has logged 30-plus minutes just four times, but his performance on Saturday was a briefer version of what Doncic did to Washington the previous day.

The stats were different, but both players were unstoppable and operated at a higher level than everyone else on the court. The Wizards need someone who can do that consistently, although trading for former Third-Team All-NBA honoree Trae Young in January was a step in the right direction.

The 27-year-old is their first star since team president Michael Winger and general manager Will Dawkins took over in 2023, but he's not a lock to stick around long-term given his $49 million player option for next season. Landing a top-three pick in the NBA Draft Lottery on May 10 would be a more surefire way to get superstar talent in the building for years to come, but the system only guarantees the league's worst team receiving a top-five selection. No matter how many games Washington loses this season, the pick it draws will be decided by luck.

If the Wizards fall outside the top three, they'll still add another talented prospect like UNC's Caleb Wilson or Houston's Kingston Flemings to their young core. However, they'd likely have to add another veteran star through trade or free agency to reach the upper echelon of the Eastern Conference anytime soon.

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Alex Sarr highlights Wizards' unsung defensive hero on John Wall Night

John Wall Celebration Night signage on display during the first half of a game between the Washington Wizards and the Milwaukee Bucks at Capital One Arena.
© Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

Washington honored former point guard John Wall with “John Wall Celebration Night” on Thursday, an event designed to give flowers to the franchise's most iconic player of the 21st century thus far. The organization distributed Wall bobbleheads to fans, played Wall highlights on the Jumbotron during breaks during its game against the Milwaukee Bucks, and allowed him to give a halftime speech.

The five-time All-Star ended the speech by saying “I never thought this was possible…This is my city, this is still my house. I love y'all, and thank y'all for tonight.” The team hasn't had a winning season since he logged 41 games in the 2017-18 campaign, so Capital One Arena is his “house” until further notice. However, the Wizards must strive to reach even greater heights, as they haven't made the Eastern Conference Finals since 1979.

They could reach that series and beyond one day if they continuously play defense as they did against the Bucks in their 109-99 win, as they held Milwaukee to just 26 percent shooting from deep on 38 attempts. The Bucks were without superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo (calf), but this effort was no fluke. Washington also held the Portland Trail Blazers to 39 percent shooting from the field in Tuesday's 115-111 win, a game that second-round rookie Jamir Watkins closed out defensively.

Sarr spoke about Watkins' impact after the Bucks game.

“Jamir is a pest on defense. He gets a lot of steals, he’s physical with guys, so it’s uncomfortable to bring the ball up against him,” he said. “It helps us have energy defensively.”

Players like Watkins, who averaged 1.6 steals per game in January, show that the Wizards can win in the margins. Once they add their franchise cornerstone to that foundation, they'll be ready for takeoff.