The Washington Wizards have spent the offseason assembling a roster they hope can take a major step forward, and former NBA point guard Darren Collison believes they could surprise people sooner than expected.
On a recent episode of Wizards Digest, hosts Josh Goss and Nick Goss discussed Collison naming Washington as his “dark horse” team in the Eastern Conference.
“Darren Collison was talking recently about his dark horse in the Eastern Conference, and he had this to say about the Wizards. He said, ‘My team is the Wizards for the dark horse. I know I sound crazy. Wizards are going to surprise a lot of people in the East for this simple reason: I think Trae Young is going to have a really good season.’ And then he went on to say that they have depth. ‘I always feel like the teams with the most depth have the most success. They have youth. They have veteran leadership. They have two guys in Trae Young and AD who have been All-Stars, who have played at a high level in the playoffs. So, that’s the team I’m looking forward to seeing this season.’”
Collison’s reasoning gets to what makes this Wizards season so intriguing.
Washington is no longer relying exclusively on its young players to carry the franchise through a rebuild. Young gives the Wizards an established offensive engine at point guard, while Davis provides a veteran presence in the frontcourt alongside Alex Sarr.
But the young talent Collison referenced could ultimately determine Washington’s ceiling.
No. 1 overall pick AJ Dybantsa enters the league as the centerpiece of the Wizards’ future, while Sarr, Tre Johnson, Kyshawn George and Bilal Coulibaly give Washington a young core that has already accumulated valuable NBA experience.
That creates an unusual mix.
The Wizards can still prioritize the development of their young players without asking them to shoulder the entire burden of winning. Young can run the offense. Davis can anchor the frontcourt. Veterans can provide stability, while Washington’s younger players continue developing around them.
Depth could also become one of head coach Brian Keefe’s biggest advantages.
Washington enters the season with considerably more competition for playing time than it had during the early stages of the rebuild. Instead of simply finding minutes for young players, Keefe could have legitimate decisions to make about who deserves to be on the floor.
None of that guarantees the Wizards will make the leap Collison is anticipating. A roster featuring so many new pieces will have to establish chemistry, and several of Washington’s most important players are still early in their careers.
But Collison sees enough talent and experience for Washington to become one of the Eastern Conference’s surprise teams.
After several seasons focused primarily on rebuilding, even being mentioned as a potential dark horse is a notable change in how the Wizards are beginning to be viewed.
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