The Wizards are missing Saddiq Bey and Malcolm Brogdon, both of whom would probably start if healthy. The Wizards are an extremely young team that is in full rebuild. Here are their starters:
PG Jordan Poole, 6’4”. Scored 26 against Boston, going 6-for-11 from deep.
SG Carlton "Bub" Carrington, age 19, 6’4”. Carrington was the 14th pick in this year's draft. He scored 3 points in his debut.
SG Bilal Coulibaly, age 20, the #7 pick in the 2023 draft. A svelte 6’8”, 195, Coulibaly averaged 8.4 ppg last year and scored 8 against Boston.
PF Kyle Kuzma, 6’9”, averaged 22.2 ppg last year to lead the team in scoring on 46.3% overall and 33.6% on 3’s.
C Alexandre Sarr, age 19, 7’0”, 205. Sarr was the #2 pick in this year’s draft. He had 2 points in 22 minutes against Boston and was a -22.
Veteran Jonas Valanciunas comes off the bench. He had 18 points in 20 minutes against the Celtics.
With two 19-year-olds and a 20-year-old in the starting lineup the Cavs should not have much trouble with the Wizards. All five starters were between -18 and -24 against the Celtics.
Here are a couple of assessments going into the season. They both have the Wizards as the NBA's worst team.
NBA.com:
#30 WASHINGTON WIZARDS
The Wizards were 15-67 last season, and the two most efficient starters from that team are gone.
Preseason takeaways
With Tyus Jones in Phoenix, Jordan Poole is the starting point guard in Washington. Poole’s assist ratio (22.5 per 100 possessions used) was the highest he’s recorded in any regular season or preseason prior, but still nothing close to Jones’ ratio of 39.3 last season.
The Wizards’ expected starting lineup — Poole, Bilal Coulibaly, Kyle Kuzma, Alexandre Sarr and Jonas Valančiūnas — did not have a great preseason, getting outscored by 27 points in 29 total minutes against the Raptors and Knicks.
Something to watch in Week 1: Defensive activity. While the offense was a serious struggle, you can see some defensive potential in the young (and long) trio of Coulibaly, George and Sarr. It’s doubtful that the Wizards will break their streak of three straight seasons in the bottom 10 on defense, but the young guys might force some turnovers that lead to transition opportunities.
ESPN:
30. Washington Wizards
BPI's overall ranking: 30
Projected wins: 22.4
When we last saw them: The Wizards ended on a six-game losing streak to round out a dismal season. Washington's 15-67 regular season record, however, helped it land the second overall pick in the NBA draft lottery, and it used that pick to draft French 7-footer Alex Sarr. But the Wizards are still a very long way from Michael Winger's and Will Dawkins' vision. Washington did trade Deni Avdija in a deal that landed rookie Bub Carrington, the 14th overall pick in this year's draft; Malcolm Brogdon; a 2029 first-round pick; and two future second-round picks. The Wizards also traded up a couple of spots to No. 24 to draft Kyshawn George and signed Jonas Valanciunas to bolster the front line.
Biggest strength and weakness: While most eyes will be on No. 2 pick Sarr, the Wizards are high on the potential of last year's seventh overall pick, Bilal Coulibaly. The 20-year-old guard was ahead of schedule last season, averaging 8.4 points and 4.1 rebounds while also showing potential on defense. But while Coulibaly and other prospects such as Carrington should have plenty of runway this season to develop, that likely means another long season in Washington. By the trade deadline, the Wizards could be garnering interest from other teams in vets such as Kyle Kuzma, Valanciunas, Corey Kispert and Brogdon (currently out after thumb surgery).
Wizards in NBA Rank: Jonas Valanciunas (91)
Number to watch: Jordan Poole at point guard. With Tyus Jones now with the Suns and Brogdon hurt, Poole will likely get more runs at point guard. According to Second Spectrum, the Wizards averaged 1.08 points per possession when Poole brought the ball up the floor last season. That ranked second worst among 70 players to bring the ball up for 1,000-plus possessions.
Best bet: Sarr to win Rookie of the Year (+900)
Sarr was the second overall pick in this year's NBA draft, and many analysts rated him the most talented player in the class. But during summer league, he made only about 1 in 5 of his field goal attempts and could disappear for long stretches of time. Still, there are no clear Rookie of the Year front-runners this season, and Sarr should get plenty of playing time as the starter on a rebuilding Wizards squad. At 9-1, he has some value in the top rookie race.
Fantasy rookie to watch: Alex Sarr had two strong preseason games and looks to be the Wizards' starting power forward. Even if his defense continues to be ahead of his offense, he could be a plus shot blocker and is worthy of some fantasy hoops late-round/free agent consideration.
Injury Report
CLEVELAND
Max Strus - OUT (ankle)
Emoni Bates - OUT (knee)
WASHINGTON
Bub Carrington - PROBABLE (ankle)
Saddiq Bey - OUT (knee)
Malcolm Brogdon - OUT (thumb)