The Washington Wizards are finally buying in on a youthful rebuild heading into the 2024-24 season. Second-overall pick Alex Sarr highlights a roster with young players that will surely do a lot of losing in the short-term future with the hopes of being a contender in the future.
Sarr, 14th pick Bub Carrington and 24th pick Kyshawn George represent the best chance the Wizards have to become a good team in the future. Wizards head coach Brian Keefe is preparing to focus heavily on the development of each of those guys. His first order of business, as it was with last year’s rookie, Bilal Coulibaly, is to make sure the young players get into the right habits as professionals, according to Chase Hughes of Monumental Sports Network.
“Establishing habits, No. 1,” Keefe said to Monumental Sports Network. “I said the same last year with Bilal, you teach them the professional habits and how to work in this league. It’s the only way you get better is to have consistent work habits and approach to everything you’re doing. That will be our No. 1 focus for those guys.”
Wizards preparing to develop multiple first-round rookies
The Wizards have some veteran talent on their roster but the nucleus of their team is in their young players. Making three draft selections inside the top 25 picks means that Washington is really committing itself to its rookies.
Keefe said that Sarr is “ a high-character person” with the potential to be a three-level scorer and Carrington is “a multi-talented guy” who will get looks on and off the ball. George slots in nicely between them as a playmaking threat on the wing. It remains to be seen how much they will play but at the very least, Keefe and his staff will prioritize their growth as individual players and as a cohesive unit.
Not only will the Wizards' development in players make its investments worthwhile but it will have the side effect of losing, which means getting a greater chance at landing the top overall pick in next year’s draft, where Cooper Flagg awaits.
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