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The Washington Wizards got dealt the worst possible hand they could've gotten in the 2025 NBA Draft Lottery, but Tuesday was a reminder that the franchise is still on a path to success. No. 2 overall pick Alex Sarr and No. 14 pick Bub Carrington received All-Rookie first team and second team honors, respectively.
Sarr and Carrington are the first pair of Wizards teammates to be named All-Rookie at the same time since Gus Johnson and Rod Thorn in the 1963-64 campaign, via the team's PR. Sarr is also the first Wizard to make the first team since Bradley Beal in 2012-13.
The full 2024-25 All-Rookie list is below, via ESPN's Shams Charania:
“First team: Stephon Castle, Zaccharie Risacher, Jaylen Wells, Zach Edey, Alex Sarr
Second team: Matas Buzelis, Bub Carrington, Donovan Clingan, Kel’el Ware, Yves Missi.”
A global media panel of 100 voters selected the teams, via NBA Communications. First place votes were worth two points, and second place votes were worth one. Sarr finished with 150 points, 12 more than Ware for the final first team spot. Carrington had 53 points, one more than Utah Jazz guard Isaiah Collier for the final second team spot. Meanwhile, Washington guard Kyshawn George got one second place vote.
Sarr is the first teenager in NBA history to make 100-plus threes and block 100-plus shots in a season, while Carrington played all 82 games and made a record amount of threes for Wizards rookies in a season (121). They are also the first team to have three rookies (Sarr, Carrington, George) make 100-plus threes in one campaign, and they're the only squad besides the Memphis Grizzlies (Wells, Edey) to have two All-Rookie players this year.
Between Bilal Coulibaly, Sarr, Carrington, George, AJ Johnson, and whoever they draft at Nos. 6 and 18 this summer, the Wizards will have one of the deepest stashes of young talent in the NBA. They might not have a star yet, but they're setting a foundation in the meantime.
Who would be good prospects to add to it this summer?
Wizards' Bub Carrington campaigns for ‘Baltimore buddy' Derik Queen
Unless it trades up, Washington won't get star prospects Cooper Flagg, Dylan Harper, or Ace Bailey. However, players like Texas guard Tre Johnson, Oklahoma guard Jeremiah Fears, and Maryland big man Derik Queen are contenders at No. 6.
Coincidentally, Queen grew up with Carrington in Baltimore. The latter hooper, who represented the Wizards at the draft lottery on May 12, explained their shared history to reporters after the picks were announced, via Monumental Sports Network's Chase Hughes.
Bub Carrington says he’d love to see his “Baltimore buddy,” Maryland star Derik Queen, “come home” to play for the Wizards.
He explained how they grew up together and whether Queen’s NCAA Tournament game-winner reminded him of his vs. the Heat. pic.twitter.com/FXm07bJ0Yi
— Chase Hughes (@chasedcsports) May 13, 2025
“My Baltimore buddy, I think he should come home,” he said. “I never played on his team, but he was my neighbor, he lived maybe three houses down from me…I would see him, obviously, all the time. We played against each other our whole entire lives, went to the same schools, and stuff like that. Me and Derik are really close.”
“He's goofy as I don't know what…Obviously, a h*ll of a basketball player, really good,” he continued.
Queen received Big Ten Freshman of the Year, Big Ten All-Freshman Team, and first-team All-Big Ten honors after averaging 16.5 points on 52.6 percent shooting (20 percent 3 PT) with nine rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.1 blocks, and 1.1 steals in 30.4 minutes. The 6-foot-10-inch, 246-pounder also hit a game-winning fadeaway jumper at the buzzer in the second round of the NCAA Tournament against Colorado. The shot brought the score to 72-71, so the Terrapins would've lost had he missed.
Queen profiles as a Brad Miller/Zach Randolph type who is crafty in the post and has the potential to defend all positions at the next level, via NBADraft.net. However, the 20-year-old is inconsistent defensively and doesn't yet have a reliable three-point shot. He could be a good compliment to Sarr in the frontcourt, who is a stretch big that already excels as a shot blocker.
Floor spacing is paramount in this era of positionless basketball, which means that competent three-point shooting is necessary for any player who isn't a defensive anchor, a la Rudy Gobert. Still, Sarr's shot blocking and three-point shooting could cover up Queen's weaknesses and magnify his excellence in the paint and midrange.
Wizards general manager Will Dawkins' selections on June 25 will give further insight into his preferred type of player. So far, the former Oklahoma City Thunder executive has built the young core around two-way/“three-and-D” types.
With that being said, Dawkins and team President Michael Winger have only been with the organization since 2023. It's still early in the rebuilding process, and they likely aren't married to one type of playing style.
Regardless, if they do take Queen, they'll have a happy camper in Carrington.
