While the NBA Playoffs are in full swing, now is a good time to recap the fantasy basketball season for all 30 teams.
In the following weeks, we will provide a recap for each team, starting with the team with the worst record and concluding with the NBA champion in June.
Previous Team Recaps: UTAH JAZZ
Up next, we have the Washington Wizards. After years of mediocrity, they have finally chosen the path of the slow rebuild, which led to a lot of minutes for their young players.
A look at the fantasy basketball landscape after the 2024-2025 NBA regular season.
Washington Wizards 2024-25 Season Recap:
Record: 18-64 (15th, East)
Offensive Rating: 105.8 (30th)
Defensive Rating: 118.0 (28th)
Net Rating: -12.2 (30th)
Pace: 101.82 (4th)
2024 Draft Picks: 14 percent chance of winning lottery, 18, 40
Washington did exactly what they set out to do this season. If we want to sum it up, they did what we would call “ethical tanking.” They prioritized their young players from day one, but they leaned on their veterans to help with development. They made moves at the deadline to bring in Khris Middleton and Marcus Smart. They may seem like players that win-now teams would be interested in, but their presence and leadership will pay dividends for the future of this franchise.
Of course, that doesn’t mean this season was an easy one. They had the second-worst record in the league and had to suffer through one of the worst seasons of Kyle Kuzma’s career for the first few months of the season. It all worked out in the end, as there were some special flashes from all of their young players, and they have the second-best odds to land the top pick in the 2025 draft. A Bub Carrington floater to win Game 82 prevented them from having the best odds, but that’s what this season was all about. Prioritizing the development of the players in the building. They didn’t dramatically change their rotation, but they didn’t need to. This Wizards squad has a bright future, and they’ve committed to building slowly.
Fantasy Standout: PG/SG Jordan Poole
Poole’s tenure in Golden State ended on a sour note, and after a subpar first season in Washington, Poole was excellent in year two with the team. He was by far the team’s best fantasy player with averages of 20.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.3 steals and 3.5 triples in 29.4 minutes per game. He still had a few productive nights mixed in, but Poole was largely difficult to rely on in March and April as the Wizards leaned even more on their young players for minutes. That was the case on many tanking teams this season, but Poole was still the only player in Washington to provide top-100 value in nine-cat leagues this season.
While Poole did improve his numbers in his second season with the Wizards, he stood out from the rest of the team because he was arguably the only “must-roster” player for the entire season. Other players had strong stretches, but Poole was by far the best player on this team this past season.
Fantasy Revelation: SG/SF Justin Champagnie
Since going undrafted in 2021, Champagnie had played 56 games across three seasons for three different teams, which included one start. This year, he started 31 of his 62 appearances for Washington and averaged 8.8 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.0 assist, 1.0 steal and 1.2 threes per game. Per Basketball Monster, he finished 138th in nine-cat leagues, but he was 99th over the final two months of the season and 59th over the final month.
Champagnie certainly wasn’t on anyone’s draft board, but with how well he finished the season, the 23-year-old has to be considered part of their young core moving forward. He also played well enough to earn a four-year, $9.8 million contract. He may not have the upside to be worthy of a late-round pick next year, but he’ll certainly have some streaming appeal.
Fantasy Disappointment: PG/SG Malcolm Brogdon
It’s hard to find a disappointment in Washington, mostly because there weren’t any real expectations for the entire team. However, this was the worst season of Brogdon’s career. He has dealt with plenty of injuries throughout his career, but his 24 games played this year were a career worst. His 23.5 minutes per game were also the lowest of his career. He had finished in the top 150 in per-game value in nine-cat leagues every season of his career, but he ranked outside the top 200 with averages of 12.7 points, 3.8 rebounds and 4.1 assists while shooting 43.3 percent from the floor this year. There used to be redeemable aspects of Brogdon in fantasy. He played 39 games during the 2023-24 season with Portland. This was worse than that.
However, there is a path to redemption for Brogdon. The 32-year-old is set to be an unrestricted free agent and could join a contending team. He is still talented enough to contribute on a contender if he stays healthy. Though that is a big if, his landing spot will determine a lot when it comes to his upside in fantasy basketball next season. It’s easy to forget he is only two years removed from winning Sixth Man of the Year.
Fantasy Recaps/Look-Aheads
SF Khris Middleton:
He didn’t make his season debut until December after undergoing surgery on both ankles over the summer, and Middleton’s time in Milwaukee wasn’t great. It took him a while to get things figured out, and the results were mixed when he was finally able to play. During his last five games with the Bucks, Middleton had three 20-point games and two games where he was held scoreless.
He was traded to Washington ahead of the trade deadline and averaged 10.7 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 22.1 minutes per game across 14 appearances. Middleton has a $34 million player option, which is an amount that he won’t get if he declines and enters free agency. Expect Middleton back with the Wizards next year in a similar role to what he played for them this season.
PF/C Alexandre Sarr:
Washington made Sarr the No. 2 overall pick in the draft last summer, and though there were some growing pains, he was able to display star upside on both ends of the floor throughout the year. He averaged 13.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.5 blocks and 1.6 three-pointers in 27.1 minutes per game across his 67 appearances this season. He shot 39.4 percent from the floor and 67.9 percent from the free throw line, which are both poor marks.
Still, Sarr has a bright future in the league. He wasn’t a finalist for Rookie of the Year but will likely make an All-Rookie team. He’ll turn 20 years old this weekend, and the sky is truly the limit for him. Sarr is the closest thing to a franchise player that the Wizards have, and he certainly has the upside to become one. Regardless of who Washington ends up drafting, Sarr is locked in as a starter for years to come.
SG/SF Bilal Coulibaly:
While he didn’t have the breakout season that many were hoping for, Coulibaly did make some excellent strides in year two. He improved his numbers across the board, which included career highs for 12.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.1 triples in 33 minutes per game. He suited up for 59 games before suffering a hamstring injury that ended his season in March.
Coulibaly certainly had his shortcomings (42.1 percent from the floor isn’t great), but the upside for the 20-year-old is still tremendous. His defensive production alone makes him worthy of a pick next season. His potential for growth on offense should make him a great upside swing.
SG/SF Kyshawn George:
Following a decent freshman season at Miami, the Wizards selected George with the No. 24 pick in the draft last summer. While playing 26.5 minutes per game as a rookie, George averaged 8.7 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.5 assists, one steal and 1.7 triples per game.
Entering the draft, he was considered to be an excellent shooter, but he shot 37.2 percent from the floor, which isn’t an ideal mark. He shot 42.6 percent from the floor at Miami and 40.8 percent from beyond the arc, so that should improve as he develops. After the All-Star break, George averaged 10.1 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.3 steals, 1.1 blocks and 1.9 threes per game. The upside to put up numbers across the board makes him an intriguing player in dynasty formats.
PG/SG Bub Carrington:
Carrington was a late riser up draft boards and ended up being selected by the Wizards with the last pick in the lottery. He ended up playing all 82 games during his rookie season and averaged 9.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.7 threes per game.
Carrington is at his best when running the offense, but with Jordan Poole on the team, there weren’t many opportunities for that to happen. However, when it did, the results were encouraging; Carrington averaged 13.4 points, five rebounds, 5.9 assists and 2.5 three-pointers per game while shooting 45.8 percent from the floor. Carrington is still only 19 years old and has already shown flashes of brilliance. Depending on what happens this summer, Carrington could take another step in year two. Regardless, he should be valued highly in dynasty formats.
SG/SF Corey Kispert:
Entering year four, Kispert had improved his numbers every season of his career. Unfortunately, he took a step back this past season. He averaged 11.6 points, three rebounds, 1.7 assists and two triples per game before undergoing season-ending thumb surgery in March.
Through his first four seasons in the NBA, Kispert has only had a few stretches of legitimate production in category leagues. He is far more valuable as a floor spacer than he is in fantasy basketball. Though he can be a solid role player for Washington to build their team with, it’s unlikely that he ever becomes a standard league option.
PG/SG Marcus Smart:
Since being traded away from Boston, Smart hasn’t enjoyed much success whatsoever. After playing 20 games last season, Smart suited up 19 times for Memphis this year before being sent to Washington at the trade deadline. He played in 15 games for the Wizards and averaged 9.3 points, 1.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.3 threes in 18.7 minutes per game.
Injuries have prevented Smart from being productive over the last two seasons, but he is still capable of contributing at a high level. However, his role will be iffy as long as he remains with Washington. They won’t prioritize his minutes over their young players, which isn’t ideal for his fantasy outlook.
C Tristan Vukcevic:
After a strong finish to the 2023-24 season, Vukcevic wasn’t in the rotation to start this past season. He didn’t appear in a game until the end of December, and he didn’t play 10 minutes in a game until January 30. However, he had another strong stretch to close out this season. Over his last 14 appearances of the season, which is when he became a regular in the rotation, Vukcevic averaged 14.4 points, five rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.1 blocks and 1.6 threes in 21.6 minutes per game.
If Vukcevic returns to Washington next season, it’s unclear what his role will look like, even if he finished on a high note. He has plenty of upside and should be considered in their future plans, but that is exactly how we felt after the 2023-24 season.
SG AJ Johnson:
The Bucks selected Johnson with the No. 23 pick in the draft last summer but didn’t play him much. He played 29 minutes in his final game for Milwaukee, but prior to that, he had made a total of six appearances for them and never reached five minutes in a game.
That changed once he got to Washington, and he averaged 9.1 points, 2.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists and one triple in 27 minutes per game. The 20-year-old will need more time to develop before there is any chance of him becoming an everyday contributor, but he showed some fun flashes in his first season in the league.
Restricted Free Agents: Tristan Vukcevic
Unrestricted Free Agents: Malcolm Brogdon, JT Thor
Player Option: Khris Middleton
Raphielle Johnson
