Washington Wizards Rebuild: The BLUEPRINT for Future Success & Who Will Remain on the Roster

Washington Wizards Rebuild: The BLUEPRINT for Future Success & Who Will Remain on the Roster

When can the Wizards contend according to Abdullah? And who on the bench that’s currently on the Wizards can help them then? Find out next on Locked on Wizards. You are Locked On Wizards, your daily Washington Wizards podcast, part of the Locked On Network, your team every day. Hello all and welcome in to Locked on Wizards where myself and Abdul Aubie give our opinions on the Wizards pathway to contention, the arduous journey that is making the playoffs and truly contending the playoffs. And the Wizards haven’t been close to that for a little bit, but we’re going to outline how they can do so. I talked about that a little bit yesterday. I’m Leaf Tulene, a credentialed NBA draft analyst, attendee of the last two NBA combines, host of Locked in NBA big board, and beside me is Abdullah. to be a diehard Wizards fan and he’s going to provide some hometown insights and a passion for his beloved Wizards and give you guys insights on when the Wizards can truly can contend. Uh, by the way, thanks for making Lockdown Wizards your first listen each and every day. And remember, Locked on Wizards is free and available on all platforms including YouTube where it’s locked on Wizards. And the best way to help us grow is comment anything below. And today’s question is, how many seasons will it take for the Wizards to make the playoffs? And today on the show, we’re going to analyze that pathway to contention. I mentioned it for the everydayers who listened yesterday. I outlined what I thought, and I’ll give you guys a refresher right now. I thought the Wizards would win around 30 games next season. And I think in two years, the Wizards can be a a playin, maybe make the seven seed, maybe make the actual playoffs by winning in the playin. And then in five years is when the Wizards, I believe, have a chance to make the Eastern Conference Finals and contend for a championship. So, let’s dive right in and learn what Abdullah, the diehard Wizards fan, believes about his Wizards and what the expectations are this season and for the next couple seasons. So, Abdullah, without further ado, what are your expectations? Both not just win losses, but what strides are you most closely looking at that will help contribute to the win loss record for the Wizards in 2025 2026? Yeah. So, um, yeah, it’s it’s going to it’s a lot of people I think it was it was banking on the fact that if the Wizards got the number one overall pick and they got Cooper flag, maybe could potentially make the play in, but I think now it kind of getting that six pick, it kind of, you know, structures on how uh the win total will be next year. I think 30 wins is really really ideal because this past season you get 18. Uh you I think for me you have to hit at least 25 in order for us to have some faith in coach K because a lot of Wizards fans out there are calling for his name and saying that he doesn’t deserve to be a head coach. He’s not a head coach that can lead this team to the promised land. So 30 wins is definitely really really good in my opinion and I think you get 30 wins and that’s a really good from 18 to 30. That’s a huge jump in my opinion. And I think the year after potentially you can get that playin spot. And I think it all goes back to the fact that if you get that top three pick, if you land a Darren Peterson or AJ Debons or a native Met, there’s a lot of young talent or one of the Boozer twins. There’s a lot of young talent in this uh 2025 draft uh 226 draft class. I think if you’re the Wizards, you also have to look at the fact that how um development of your young core with Khan George, Bob Carrington, Alex Sar. Is Alex getting better offensively? That motor that we expect him to be him needing to be more aggressive on off the glass, you know, we want him to be that uh top five, top center in this league, and I think he can be. You got to work on getting maybe five to seven pounds of muscle, be more aggressive. Jordan Pool, a guy who I know for not as high on as me. and probably the biggest Jordan Pool fan out there. But I think he if he gets a better offensively and efficiency um keeps increasing and helps be that leader for these young guys, he could potentially be the all-star that a lot of I don’t want to say a lot of people, but me and some other people think that he could be. And I think also uh the six sixth overall pick, the 19th overall pick. Um what do you do there? I think Will Dawkins and company have done a great job these past two draft class. You hit on Bal Koulabali. I think he’s going to be just fine. I think that year three offensive in um jump is going to be there and also u like I mentioned I always mention you hit on a weak draft class last year. I mean so many scouts and analysts were saying you’ll be lucky if you get one guy but the Wizards got three and on top of that you guys you trade for guys like AJ Johnson at the trade deadline who I have to show some more love more love to when he was given opportunities. He is so so athletic and I think he has the best handle on this team. Tristan Buch I don’t I can’t remember the last time the Wizards had a second round pick that was actually contributing and I think he’s going to be a big part and be that backup center role and when he was given opportunities he was out there and he was producing and it’s just again like it’s just something that you just didn’t see in the pri the previous Wizards regime. So I think right now 30 plus wins would be really really nice. I think 25 is the minimum and I think the year after if all things go well and Bub Carrington hits hits those strides Keshan George Alex Sar Sadique B is that veteran they need Jordan P I think potentially playing in and I I don’t know I don’t 2030 I think it could be a little maybe a year before where the Wizards could actually contend but again this is a league where it’s not like ran by LeBron James for like a decade where it’s dominated by one player I think the Eastern Conference is pretty open and obviously you have Boston, you have New York But I mean, who knows Boston right now? I mean, Jason Tam just tore um Achilles and they paid Jaylen Brown a lot of money and um the Knicks, I mean, they have a lot of superstar power, but I think they need depth. So, the Wizards, I think right now they have so much depth that eventually they can trade for that all-star that Donovan Mitchell move. And it all leads to them maybe three to four years where they can maybe contemp. And it’s all about timing and it’s all about rhythm. It’s all about improvement. And if you’re a Wizards fan right now, you just have to sit back and just be a little more patient because I think at least in the past when you were patient, you didn’t really see results. But from Michael Winger and Will Dawkins first day to now, you’ve seen the progress. So be a little more be a little patient and just have faith and look up in this upcoming draft class pick six and 19, I think this front office is definitely going to cook up something. So, speaking of patience, let let’s stay in the short term for the time being and we we’ll get to that contention because I talked about for the everyday and Abdullah listened as well. Uh that I I believe the CBA has changed how teams are built to contend. I think that favors teams like the Wizards who are going to build mostly organically and have a lot of players uh that’ll be on the team right now. We talk we’ll we’ll talk more about AJ Johnson, Tristan Vukovich and guys like that, but also the Alex Sars, the Kulabali. So, we’re going to get to that. But in the short term, do you think it’s more likely that the Wizards are a bottom five team in the NBA or a playin team in this upcoming season? I’m not saying a top five pick as, you know, it’s screwy. Who who knows who’s going to pick where? We just saw that this past year with the Wizards, the Jazz, the Hornets, all these teams going uh dropping in the draft. But do you think they’re going to be a bottom five record? Is that more likely or is making the play in more likely for the Wizards in 2025, 2026? Yeah, so if the Wizards did in that top three pick, I would be leaning towards that playing spot. But again, I think bottom five is at least what I’m assuming. I think a lot of people should just because again, this team is really, really young and when you have a young team, you’re going to make a lot of mistakes and with those mistakes, hopefully they’re learning curves. So again, especially since you’re still trying to figure out who the alpha is on this team. I think I think Jordan Pool is heading towards a direction, but this upcoming season, you got to win more. You got to win more games in order to solidify that first all-star appearance. So I think bottom five is I think that’s more likely just because again it goes back to the age of this team. I mean really really young and it is what it is. I think the more more important is uh not just how many wins they get. Obviously want to see a 25 to 30 wins but also the defensively. Do they get better defensively? I mean, rebounding. I the Wizards are bottom five in a lot of those categories. And just a lot of the common theme of last season, especially in the first half happened a little in the second half was just getting destroyed. I mean, in one game they Indiana scored 160 points on them. So, it’s keeping being being competitive is uh is a thing that I want to see also the Wizards do. It’s one thing being bad, but also being bad and getting blown out by 30 40 points a night. It gets frustrating. But, I think the Wizards would definitely um at least improve on those categories. And I think coach Keefe can be that guy that can definitely step forward from where he was interim coach to now. I mean given the uh the details that he’s been dealt with dealing with guys like Kakuz and Tristan V um Jololis Funis and increasing their trade value but also wanting to develop these young guys. So you put all that together I think next year most likely a bottom five team in this league. But that isn’t a bad thing. Again there’s so much talent this upcoming draft class. Yeah, and I do think there’s going to be a moment where there’s a decision needed to be made in terms of, oh, you’re going to try to win early in the season and you see, okay, the play in the playoffs are not in the cards. Do you throw in the towel? Like the Utah Jazz uh weren’t going to be good, but they certainly could have had a better record than they had this past season, which led to the worst record in the NBA. You see that every year, and it hasn’t been rewarded like tanking didn’t get get anything for the Jazz, but the fifth pick. The Wizards, I wouldn’t say, were tanking as purposefully this past year, but I do think they could have employed better lineups at times as well. So, will the Wizards do that? And the other thing to factor in that I hadn’t thought of initially when doing this episode yesterday about the season by seasonason expectations is draft picks. Do the Wizards have the protections? And so, that’ll be a factor of they need to pick under a certain number to uh retain draft picks in certain drafts coming up. So, that’ll be important. So coming up next, we’re going to talk to you guys about when they can make the playin, when they can make the playoffs and truly contend. Abdullah said maybe I was a little too low saying 2030. So we’ll talk about his perception of when they can contend and what the pathway to contention is, who’s going to be there, who’s going to be the star, what is the pathway, maybe a trade for Donovan Mitchell, like Abdullah said. All that more straight ahead on Lockdown Wizards. Shopping for a car should be exciting and not exhausting. But between the confusing prices and the hidden fees, it can feel overwhelming. That’s why I love using Car Gurus. They can help you cut through the noise, and show you the best deals with full confidence. 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The The Wizards have already had the cracks at the bat and gotten players that should contribute in the future. I think in time if you if you internally let this team grow, maybe make some shrewd acquisitions, maybe hope for a a huge leap from the guy like Sar Koulibali, a guy I adore and Bob Carrington, your guy Jordan P. That the growth potential leads to the Wizards having more ability to jump 12 wins from 18 to 30. and maybe it’s 28, maybe it’s 27, but there’s not as much of a necessity to purposefully lose as some teams. And that was my idea behind that premise. Now, you brought up a good point of how good the draft is next year. And does that help you in the ver the future? Probably, because you do need to get a star. It’s been proven you need a really good player to win a championship. The Wizards don’t have any guy that I think projects as a top 15 player in the NBA. So, you’re probably right in that regard. Plus, you got to consider trades and where you have to land in a draft to keep your own pick. So, I do I think you’re right there. However, we’re going to transition to the the point of when the Wizards can contend. And the start of contention is when you take your lumps and lose early in the playoffs. So, when can the Wizards make the playoffs? Abdullah, make the playoffs. I think um it’s not 2025. I think that 2026 season potentially you could hinder in that last playin spot. I think it’ll be hard this upcoming season to contend for that play just because again um you still want to see the development of these young guys. It will take some time, but 2026 definitely is where I’m banking. And again, I think also a lot of people aren’t talking about it. A lot of Wizards fans um don’t mention it. We have Phoenix’s pick swaps and Phoenix is falling apart. So again, you go go back to the upcoming draft classes and you can get a guy um and and earlier on compared to usual where you can pick swap with Phoenix and they’re they’re falling apart. So again, adding this young talent and I think it goes back to the whole model that um W Dawkins is doing and how he’s replicating it from OKC where he got a lot of draft picks, a lot of young guys, trade veterans and then and now look at OKC right now. They’re in the West trying to potentially try to make that the play the finals. So I think 2026 potentially we can get that um playoff spot, but again a lot of things have to go right. Yeah. And I think the East allows for more possibilities because you don’t have the young rising stars as much as the West. You don’t have the Anthony Edwards and Shay Gilis Alexander who are contending in the Western Conference Finals. You don’t have a Victor Wenyama just lurching ready to go in the shadows that hasn’t made a playoff, but the team has multiple rookie of the years already on it and an all-star and Fox and a guy that you’re drafting number two. Like the Wizards are in a division quite frankly that I think is becoming weaker. The Heat have been a staple of consistency and do seem to be heading in the wrong direction. The Hawks could be trading a guy like Trey Young. Uh you mentioned that Donovan Mitchell could be on a trading block and he’s getting a little older. Evan Mobley could be could be dealt as this team flamed out early. You know that there’s a lot of changes in the East that I don’t see in the West and that’s why I believe the Wizards could more quickly make it to the playoffs. So if you were if you were to guess over under two and a half years for the Wizards to make the playoffs, not just the playin, but the playoffs, would you guess the over or the under? Because again, playoffs and playing are two different things. For me, I got to go over. Um, going back to the whole youth movement, I think it’s it’s going to take some time. I mean, a lot of these guys are 21, 22, 23 years old. So, I think two and a half years and above, you’ll see making that playoff spot because playoffs and playing are two different things. And I think that’s good. I think again, it’s all about progress. And it doesn’t it doesn’t go back to how many points per game this this young guy is averaging. I think it al goes back to efficiency, team effort, not getting blown out every single night, having those close games and eventually those close games that are losses will turn into wins and for years to come after that because again you’re contending in that conference and and and you mentioned it this division is getting weak. I think Boston could potentially I I don’t want to say blow up but I mean Achilles injury it’s tough to it’s tough to bounce back from me. I mean a lot of guys have but and they got to pay Jaylen Brown $53 million. Yeah. And Drew Holidayiday’s aging. Like I’m with you. I think the East is that’s why I said it earlier like that was my logic if for the people who listened yesterday is you could look at what the East has right now and I don’t see many of the teams that are contending right now being very good in two years. Like they’re built for the short term. in the CBA and the way it’s built favors the small market as compared to prior uh renditions of the CBA and a team like the Wizards that has a lot of homegrown talent could trade a guy like Jordan Pool and get more young pieces and build with what they have. I think it really helps. So, I’m curious to hear who you think’s the best player on on the Wizards team that makes the playoffs because it looks like the teams that have had a ton of cracks at the bat, the Pistons, the Magic, even even some of the teams in the West like the Timberwolves took a while, they’ve made it after year three or four. Uh, and that it’s depends year three or four after whom? And is it Sar that can perpetuate the Wizards into that conversation and make a playoff team? And is can he be the best player on a team that truly contends? like those are the true questions that I think you you and the other Wizards fans got to do some soul searching. So tell me your initial read on that one. Yeah. So I think down the line especially and again I love Jordan Pool but there is a possibility where you move him whether it’s this year or next year. Who knows again he’s coming up for a contract extension and maybe this team has just so much confidence in Bub Carrington being being that point guard of the future. I know you you talk about it a lot. Bub is your guy. So, if you’re the Wizards, I think you want to look at Alex Sar could be that guy that could be that best player on this team. And I I it would be great. Again, a center for so long here in Washington. We haven’t had that dominant center, that athletic center, that center that could protect the rim. And if he can, I mean, he’s already there defensively and he’s only going to get better. Offensively, if he can upgrade his usage, you know, shoot better from three, be more aggressive, that seven foot frame, I could definitely see him being the best player on a Wizard Championship team. So, if Sar is the man and let’s say he’s Batman and there’s going to be fewer Batman and Robin super team type things unless they’re homegrown and under, you know, reasonable contracts because you need to have a well- balanced team. That’s where the importance of AJ Johnson, Tristan Vukovich, and other death pieces. Who who is the Robin on that team? Is it Bub Carrington? Do you think Pool will still be on the roster? And my final question to you is, so you say 2029, you said three years to make the playoffs and 2029 is when you can truly contend. what what does the team look like uh in terms of not just the construction like if the players different but what I’m trying to see is what what noticeable jumps happen like what is the identity of the team is it a defensively oriented team with guys like Sar and Koulibali and you become so good defensively that the offense catches up and you become a a fortress defensively much like OKC was so disruptive this year and then you have a guy who’s MVP candidate and Shay or is it defensive built on the premises of SAR and you find a way to score enough with like the Timberwolves but they have an Anthony Edwards like I’m trying to see what is the pathway for the Wizards to contend and I’m curious to see if you have a vision in place knowing what you know about your team. Yeah. So that’s an interesting question. I think for me just because um how Jordan P is a little older than these other guys and I think how his v trade value has been increasing. I think he is eventually dealt. I don’t know when I I I could definitely him see him and Alex Sar like if Sar develops into that center that we think he can be and if Jordan Pool gets better I mean he’s about to turn 26 years old maybe they could be that that duo but I think Bub Carrington is that Robin that could take that leap and I think the structure how you mentioned OKC I think the Wizards could follow that I mean you you have um a guy in Alex who could be that top five top seven center in this league you got guys like Bob Carrington I think Bal Koulali is going to be a big Um, big reason why this Wizards team is going to be there, uh, be better defensively. I think he’s going to get better as a defender. And I think the big thing on him is just offensively. I think shooting mechanics and he needs to be able to shoot better from the mid-range, from the three-point line, just be more aggressive. I we saw it when Kyle Kosman got traded, the day after Kyle Kosman got traded, he had his first career triple double. So, it really makes a difference when these young guys are given opportunities. And I think down the line, if you get that top five pick, maybe a wing could definitely be that best player on this team. I I don’t know if the Wizards will ever have a guy like Shay Yojis Alexander because it’s it’s hard. Guys like Shay Yo Alexander don’t grow on trees. You know, they they have to be developed and be that star. So, who that star will be, we’re going to have to see in these next couple years. But this young cord that they have, they have so many so many trade assets. They could definitely acquire that superstar to come to DC. I think a lot of superstars right now are looking at DC as that place where, hey, maybe I can go there and we can win and play with these young cats. And it’s going to take some time, but I think within that time, we’ll see development. And we’ve seen that from the first day of Will Dawkins to now. So, it’s it will take development. And within that time frame, I think if you’re a Wizards fan, just again goes back to the P word, being patient. I really like something you said earlier, and I’m going to go back to it before we go move on to AJ Johnson and Tristan Vukovich in terms of you need a lot of guys to uh be patient and and get chances. But another thing you mentioned is the the Wizards have the pick swaps which is a luxury and something that could be used as a trade uh facilitating thing to get one of these guys that you mentioned. It could have be Donovan Mitchell, could it be Trey Young, Z Williamson, these type of guys, those are important assets. But also, if the Wizards uh decide or decide or perform poorly enough to warrant a top five pick, I’d imagine if the Wizards hit on that pick, that guy’s their best player. And in the vein of Chad Holgren, Alex Sar becomes the second best player. Uh but he may not be the second best scorer on a team, but he’s the second best player, the most polished uh player that supplements the star. And I think the star could be found if the Wizards hit on a guy in this year’s draft, which makes me believe you’re right that they will end up far more likely to be a top five pick team as opposed to a team that contends for the 30 win mark and and the playin mark. I I think I’m going to redact that statement on my own because I see the vision now. You get one of these type of guys with this team and then you can have the luxury of more easily trading pool because you can say, you know what, you don’t fit our timeline. This is going to be our star. this guy and Alex Sar is going to be our stalwart defender and we have Bal Koulabali and Bub Carrington and infrastructure to build the team and I do see the vision close uh to to you know try to emulate what the Thunder have done with a youthful core and can the Thunder get it done? Who knows? But the Wizards and other teams uh have put themselves in position with enough cracks at the bat picking. they just need to get one star and then they already have the role players that can elevate into Robins and and very good players that don’t need the ball in their hands. So, I actually really liked that. And we’re gonna talk about a couple guys that do have some upside and you talked about playing early minutes and the Wizards haven’t gotten too much production out of second round picks. I actually saw both these guys play at the combine and both stood out for different reasons. So, we’re going to talk about AJ Johnson, Tristan Vukovich coming up next on Lockdown Wizards. When I found out Ski was making underwear for men, I was intrigued, a little curious what that meant. I’ve heard so much about their quality from friends and family, but so I had to give it a try. Let me tell you, it lives up to the hype. I’ve always had issues with underwear, fit, comfort, or just finding the right style for me. Skiim’s changed all of that. Their men’s line offers something for everyone, from boxer briefs to classic briefs, and all of it’s just designed with this perfect balance of comfort and lifestyle. I tried the Skim stretch five boxer brief and I’m hooked. These are the perfect fit for my active lifestyle. They move with me, never lose their shape, and stay in place all day. Whether I’m working out or just running errands, they’re the most comfortable and reliable underwear I’ve ever owned. Plus, the lightweight material feels amazing. 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And there are some two players that he mentioned that Wizards fans in the comments had talked about and he had been uh wanting to speak about because we talked a lot about Bal. We talked a lot about Sar. So, I’m going to turn the floor over to you. You really like AJ Johnson, Tristan Vukovich. mentioned that that Vukovich has contributed as a second round pick. That hasn’t happened frequently. What is there to like and what is the vision for them in the future? Yeah, so I first want to mention how they’re just both really good versatile. I think versatile is the key uh word for today’s NBA. And I think that goes back to this whole Wizards roster in general, how when you get when you have versatile players that will lead to eventually a championship team. But going I’ll start off with AJ Johnson. I think um being that first round pick with Milwaukee really wasn’t given that much of an opportunity and comes from Milwaukee to DC traded uh to Kyle with Kyle traded Kyle Koozma swap of AJ Johnson also some draft picks involved as well and I think when he was given opportunities you could just see the athleticism you could see how he could shoot from three. I think like I mentioned his handles are really really crisp and he could be that guy that six-man role potentially where you come in and just make an impact right away. And there was a lot of key moments down the stretch of the second half of the season where he showed up and I love I love to see it. I think a guy like him could definitely be uh every every team needs AJ Johnson, a guy who can just come in and, you know, jump out of the the gym. I think it’s insane how athletic the dude is. I mean, the posters that he had, the dunks that he has. If you look I remember on Twitter or X some of his highlights, a lot of people are saying this is like this is this is probably within a couple of years, but no, this was in within a couple of months and he was given a limit limited opportunity compared to what he’s going to get in the future. So I think a guy like AJ Johnson is definitely going to make his mark and again you you swap him out with Kyle Kosma a guy in Kyle Kosman who’s tenure in Washington just was wasn’t every day by day just wasn’t doing well and you get a guy in Kyle Kuzman right now in Milwaukee was just doesn’t look like he was producing that much in the playoffs. So how it ended from uh now to then I mean it is what it is. You get a young guy that can definitely be contributed right away. And Tristan Vuchic TV like I mentioned before Wizards second round picks just don’t exist in the previous regimes. They barely even make the roster and they’re playing overseas with before the NBA season starts. And a guy like Tristan which was a seven foot frame. Um mid-range shot there, three-point shot is there. Um his postgame is crisp as well. He’s only going to get better. And I think defensively he’s only going to get better. And I hope that him and Alexar take that next step of being more aggressive off the glass. You know, being a sevenfooter in this league, if you’re the biggest guy on the court, you have to be getting the most rebounds. You can’t you can’t be getting out rebound by guards. So both Tristan Buhovich and AJ Johnson, I think when given opportunities, they produced and it’s only going to be more because now you’re going into a season where you don’t have that many vets on this team. You don’t have to showcase a lot of vets to increase their trade value to trade them at the deadline. And it all goes back to not that much pressure on them. Right now it’s just be you, play your game. There’s not that many expectations on this Wizard team right now, which is good because it releases stress off these young guys’ shoulders. So like I mentioned before these as much as I want to talk about Bub Carrington, Alex Sar, Keshan George, Bal Kulabali, AJ Johnson, Tristan Vuvich are guys that are not that talked about that much and I think down the line they’re going to be key contributors on this team when they eventually are contending for the championship. Well, you look at what the Thunder uh do and they’ve got boatloads of guys that contribute and you’d say, “Oh, I’d love to have that guy.” And then you look up and down the box score and you say, “Well, that’s their ninth man.” Like who how who would want an Aaron Wiggins right now? who like if you were to look at Aaron Wiggins and put him on Denver who they just beat in seven games due to the prowess of Nicole Yoga, you’d probably say he’s a starter. Like that’s how good their bench is. You look at Kase Wallace and that guy’s buried on the bench at times. Uh Jaylen Williams from Arkansas. But my point being about that is that the the cultivation of talent and as a whole, not just the few talents we’ve talked about the most like you mentioned and that’s why it matters to see the development of AJ Os and Tristan Vukovich. I actually have an interesting story for you. So, I went to the last two combines as I mentioned in the intro of the show, but AJ Johnson I saw walk around. I said, “Man, that is the skinniest guy I’ve ever seen try to be a professional athlete.” Like, there’s no way. And then you watch the game, you say, “Wow, like he’s making some silly mistakes and these are the scrimmages, but you you see the athletes and then he had a runaway dunk and you say, “Okay, like a lot of people can dunk, but wow, like he looked pretty good doing it.” And then he had a dunk on someone and he said, “Okay, I think teams are going to rank him highly because he just makes plays that you remember. You remember that play more than you remember the mundane solid stuff that many of the older prospects did.” And he becomes a guy that was not very refined as a point guard, not very skilled as a shooter, but he makes plays. And that cultivation process is really important. He did rise in the draft and he became someone that the Washington Wizards targeted in that deal. It wasn’t just like a, oh yeah, you know, we’ll throw in AJ Johnson. No, that was someone that they intentionally wanted to get in that deal and Milwaukee had to do it because they wanted to see if they could preserve a timeline to win with Giannis. So AJ Johnson means something. I do think Bub Carrington, I really love him. He, as I’ve mentioned numerous times, I think he’s the guy that is the point guard of the future, barring getting a guy like Darren Peterson. Now, as for Tristan Vukovich, he there’s two days of combine scrimmages. And Tristan Vukovich was so good in his first day of the combine scrimmages as someone who is supposed to be a second round pick and ended up being one. But he ended up being so good in that first day, knocking down so many threes, I want to say he scored 22 points and 18 of which came in the first 12 minutes. Uh he sat out the next day because he was that good in that setting. So, this is a guy that has that spacing ability that’s so rare from the five spot. Yes, defensively there could be some ineptitude, but the reason that Alex Sar is so perfect is he can cover up the that ineptitude as well as play with someone who’s bigger than him and play the four and space the floor should he play with someone who’s, you know, a big body that doesn’t shoot the ball very well and inhabits the paint. So, Alex Sar’s versatility allows for Tristan Vukovich and his specific skill set to thrive. And I’m very excited to see what these two uh do in the season as depth pieces, especially as you mentioned like guys like Sadique Bay come back and get to play more prominently. And I think he could be one of the leading scorers and uh maybe uh he and Bal Koulibali become a very good wing duo. But guys like AJ Johnson, Tristan Vukovich get to showcase their talent in a low expectation season and see if they’re worthwhile to be prominent figures when the Wizards make the playoffs, when they make the play in, then the playoffs, then the contend. And so I think this is a very good trial season for these two. Yeah. No, definitely. I agree, man. And for so long here in Washington, it was never um discussions like this where you have so many options at depth. And now it’s how how much depth can you really obtain and eventually make that trade for that superstar. And guys like AJ Johnson, Tristan Bujitz make differences on NBA’s teams. And they make the difference on why you win a game each night. And if you’re the Wizards, you got to be happy. You got to be satisfied. got to be um as much people want to give a lot of um hate to Will Dawkins on how he handled the who’s been tra trading Chris top scorzing and whatnot you also have to give him some credit where credit is due with getting a guy like AJ Johnson hitting on a second round pick I mean I never thought I would say that as a Wizards fan for so long that I’ve been alive and again hitting in a week draft class with a with Bob Kry to Alex Keshan George you put all that together will Dawkins has done a really good job and I think there’s more to come what’s your what’s your long-term pitch for a guy like AJ who who has a ton of intrigue because of his athletic traits. Do you think he can ever be a starter for the Wizards or is he kind of a spark plug guy and what does year two look like for him with the Wizards? Yeah, so that’s a good question. I mentioned six-man role, but I definitely think especially since if one of the the one or two or three go down, he can go plug in and be that guy that could step up in the starting lineup. And I think points per game, I don’t know if I can give him a rough a rough single estimate amount, but I think um what really I could harp at is his defensively. I think when given opportunities, I think his usage is going to go up. I think he’s going to be a guy that can get two to three steals a game. A guy that could be a highlight machine. I mean, caner um any of your favorite NBA players. So, I think if you’re the Wizards right now, you just want to see impact. And whether it’s the scoring sheet, whether it’s rebounding assists, I mean, again, I think it all goes back to athleticism. Not many people can jump like him in this league. And to have a guy like him on your roster, he’s definitely going to make a difference. So, I think that’s something to look at. Points per game, I I don’t really know to be honest. I mean, I think there’s going to be more because he’s not going to be like the third, fourth. Maybe what does the minutes look like this year, I guess, is maybe a more important question. Again, I think maybe tw 15 to 20 minutes for sure. I think if you’re the Wizards right now, there’s going to be a lot of emphasis on the young core uh of the big three that you got last year. And I think guys like AJ Johnson are definitely going to fall underneath them. And who knows, maybe he gets even more than that. But I definitely think if one of the starters go out, he can definitely go in there and make a play or two. Yeah, it’ll be very interesting to monitor. will certainly touch on that in the future about AJ Johnson, Tristan Vukvich, and of course the core the the trio of rookies this past year and guys that look like long-term contributors for the Wizards who hopefully help them push into the playoffs in coming years as the CBA hopefully favors teams like the Washington Wizards. So, thank you guys for making locks on Wizards your first listen today. For your second listen, go check out Locked on NBA Game Night. Every game, every night until an NBA champion is crowned, we’re into the conference finals. Get local analysis on a national scale. Find NBA game night unlocked.NBA on YouTube or wherever you listen to your podcast. Thank you guys for listening to Abdullah and I and we’ll be back tomorrow with more Wizards content coming your way. Appreciate all the support.

In this episode of Locked On Wizards, hosts Leif Thulin and Abdullah Ayubi discuss the Washington Wizards’ pathway to contention in the NBA. They analyze the team’s potential win totals for upcoming seasons, the development of young players like Alex Sarr and Bilal Coulibaly, and the impact of recent acquisitions A.J. Johnson and Tristan Vukcevic. The hosts explore the Wizards’ draft strategy, potential trade scenarios, and the team’s ability to compete in a changing Eastern Conference. They also delve into the importance of patience in rebuilding and how the new CBA might benefit small-market teams like the Wizards. The conversation highlights the team’s growing depth and the potential for future success through internal development and strategic moves.

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