Washington Wizards small forward Kyle Kuzma, the subject of relentless trade rumors this offseason, hit Ben Simmons with a simple feint, sending him to the floor. But the 29-year-old couldn't finish the play. Kuzma followed that up with a well-short airball, drawing groans from the crowd in Washington's preseason game against the Brooklyn Nets.

The expectations are already pretty low in Washington. How low? As a point of conversation, Kuzma is comfortable talking about what the Wizards won't be worst at anymore after discussing the addition of Jonas Valanciunas, per MSN's Chase Hughes.

“We're not going to be the worst defensive rebounding team in the league anymore,” Kuzma said.

For what it's worth, this might be a good year to tank for the first pick, considering the talent available in the 2025 NBA Draft.

Will Kuzma, Wizards tank in 2024-25 season?

Washington Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma (33) shoots the ball over Toronto Raptors guard Gradey Dick (1) in the first quarter at Capital One Arena
© Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Now in his fourth season with the Wizards, the stat lines have never been better for the former 2017 first-round pick. He posted career-bests with 22.2 points and 4.2 assists per game. He also added 6.6 rebounds to go along with a solid .463/.336/.775 slash line. With a little better shot selection from Jordan Poole, the Wizards might accidentally improve.

In ClutchPoints' NBA Power Rankings, Brett Siegel has the Wizards last at No. 30.

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Malcolm Brogdon and Valanciunas add a lot of veteran experience, and it'll be fun to watch how Alex Sarr, the Wizards' No. 2 overall pick from the 2024 draft, takes to the league.

Poole has been impressed with unheralded role players Kyshawn George and Corey Kispert. It's good to see him lift up his teammates.

“Just (George's) poise, the way he's playing. His confidence in taking open shots, he's really long and athletic, so he's good on the defensive end as well,” Poole said. “All of our young guys have been coming along really well. I'm excited.

“I love Corey's game. I love playing with Corey, he plays hard. Elite shooter, high-level shooter, so he can space the floor, but he also makes the right plays,” Poole said. “I think his athleticism is also underrated as well. He's strong, he can get to the basket read coverages.”

The Wizards' regular season begins at home against the Boston Celtics on Thursday, October 24 at 7:00 p.m. EST.