After opening the season with a 3-20 record for the third straight year, the Washington Wizards are playing their best basketball of this rebuild.
The Wizards are 5-4 over their last nine games, with wins over the Milwaukee Bucks, Memphis Grizzlies, Indiana Pacers and Toronto Raptors — three of which coming on the road.
Before this stretch, Washington had held an abysmal 36-151 record throughout its two-plus-year rebuild. But behind strong play from its young core, the team has stacked quality performances and closed out games it had struggled to in the past.
And yet, even with Washington’s improved output, a large portion of its fanbase is consumed with the possibility of the team losing its 2026 top-8 protected first-round pick with 50 games remaining in the regular season.
For context: As part of the John Wall for Russell Westbrook trade, the Wizards sent their protected 2026 first-round pick to the Houston Rockets. After bouncing around the league, that pick landed with the New York Knicks, who will receive Washington’s 2026 first-rounder should it fall outside the top-8 in the 2026 NBA draft lottery.
But if the Wizards finish with a bottom-four record this season, they are guaranteed to pick inside the top eight, thus ensuring they keep their pick.
I understand the logic behind the concerns of those worried fans. In a year equipped with what is considered the best draft class in decades, the Wizards need to keep their pick. But should they do so at the expense of developing their young core and teaching them how to win? I don’t think so, especially when these wins have the team nowhere close to climbing out of the league’s bottom four.
Even with five wins in their last nine games, the Wizards are still three games worse than the Brooklyn Nets, who own the league’s fifth-worst record. Not to mention the season isn’t even halfway done yet, and finishing outside the league’s bottom four doesn’t mean they can’t keep their pick.
The team with the fifth-worst record only has a 0.7% chance of falling outside the top eight picks. Sixth-worse? 3.2%. So, even if the Wizards finish slightly outside the bottom four, chances are they would still retain their pick.
Instead of harping on keeping a draft pick the team is still in firm control to retain and understands the importance of keeping, Wizards fans should focus on the positives. They should focus on Tre Johnson setting a franchise record with nine-straight made 3-pointers over his last two games.
They should focus on Bub Carrington, who is now shooting 44.3% 3PT on 4.4 attempts per game, making four consecutive triples en route to another 20-point performance in Wednesday’s 114-113 win over the Bucks. They should focus on Alex Sarr tallying another double-double with four blocks, his final denial coming on Giannis Antetokounmpo in the closing seconds of Wednesday’s win.
Wizards fans have had it rough in recent years. From giving Bradley Beal a supermax extension to picking Johnny Davis top-10 to a pair of sub-20 win campaigns, the light at the end of the tunnel has looked dim.
But now, that light shines bright.
Kyshawn George, Johnson and Carrington are all shooting above 40% from three. Sarr is one of the NBA’s best rim protectors at 20 years old. Bilal Coulibaly is molding into an impressive perimeter defender. Will Riley and Jamir Watkins have shown flashes in their rookie seasons. Justin Champagnie and Marvin Bagley III have proved to be terrific signings on team-friendly contracts thanks to General Manager Will Dawkins.
The young Wizards are surging. They’re developing. They’re finding their way. And this fanbase should happily go along for the ride, without worrying about whether or not the team will retain its first-round pick. Because chances are, it will. And you’ll be happy you enjoyed these wins.
See More:
* [Washington Wizards Team Analysis](/washington-wizards-team-analysis)