Wizards projected lineup and rotations heading into 2023-24 season
The Washington Wizards were busier than most teams over the summer, orchestrating trades centered on franchise cornerstones Bradley Beal and Kristaps Porzingis. Wes Unseld Jr.’s group will look extremely different next season.
The Washington Wizards began the offseason with a house cleaning. Tommy Shepard was fired from his general manager role in April. The very next month, owner Ted Leonsis handed the controls over to former Clippers executive Michael Winger.
Under Winger, the franchise completely reshaped its roster. Bradley Beal was essentially salary-dumped to Phoenix for six second-round picks. Then, a trade sent Kristaps Porzingis to the Celtics, Marcus Smart to the Grizzlies, and Tyus Jones to the Wizards.
Washington acquired Chris Paul as part of the Beal trade, then shipped him to Golden State for beleaguered young guard Jordan Poole (and his four-year, $128 million contract). The Wizards also handled NBA Draft night with a bang, trading up from No. 8 to No. 7 to select Bilal Coulibaly, a teammate of Victor Wembanyama with French team Metropolitans 92.
The team will have a very different feel to it next season. Sure, it’s a rebuild — Washington is going to lose a metric ton of games. But it’s also a fresh start for a franchise that has been toiling in mediocrity for way too long. You have to give something to get something. A few bad seasons should allow Washington to restock, reload, and build a more sustainable contender. It was a bittersweet breakup with Beal and a definite end of an era, but all good things must come to an end. It was past time for the Wizards (and Beal) to move on.
As we look toward the 2023-24 season, here’s what head coach Wes Unseld Jr. is working with rotationally. It’s a fun, unique group. One might even say Washington merits the occasional check-in on League Pass, even if they aren’t winning games left and right.
Washington Wizards starting point guard: Tyus Jones
The Grizzlies essentially swapped Tyus Jones for Marcus Smart. That’s a definite upgrade given Memphis’ needs, both in the locker room and on the court, but the gap isn’t terribly wide. Jones is a consistent winner who plays both sides of the ball. He’s going to start in Washington and his reputation is going to skyrocket as his responsibilities increase.
Jones has been a trade away from a starting gig for years. Now, he’s the man in Washington. He will be tasked with setting the table for Wes Unseld’s offense and folks, the Wizards have a lot of interesting offensive pieces. It’s probably a stretch to say the Wizards will be good, but Washington will certainly be entertaining.
He doesn’t explode off the page statistically, but Jones is the ultimate steady hand at point guard. He’s the prototype for the position: he sees the floor, limits turnovers, and makes a living setting up teammates. He averaged 10.3 points and 5.2 assists (and less than one turnover) in 24.3 minutes per game last season. He spent plenty of time next to Ja Morant in the backcourt and closed a fair amount of games due to his decision-making acumen.
The primary hangup for Jones will be defense. He’s listed at 6-foot-0, so there are unavoidable limitations there. He plays hard and can effectively guard his position, but teams will hunt switches and try to get Jones in size mismatches. The Wizards’ defense will in all likelihood rank near the bottom of the league, but the issues go way beyond Jones.
Primary backup point guard: Delon Wright
Delon Wright played 50 games (including 14 starts) for Washington last season, averaging 7.4 points and 3.9 assists on .474/.345/.867 splits in 24.4 minutes. He’s not the flashiest name, but Wright supplies defensive versatility at 6-foot-5 and he’s an adequate backup ball-handler. He will be a valuable veteran cog for a young and potentially erratic group.
The Wizards will want to lean on young players at the beginning of a rebuild, but Wright has tenure and he’s a quality player. Unseld is going to use him in steady doses early in the season. Late in the season, when the Wizards are swimming near the bottom of the standings, that might change.