The Washington Wizards have done little to inspire hope for the 2025-2026 season since the first game tipped off. Regardless of occasional flashes of promise here and there, the Wizards have battled injuries and, worse, their lack of an identity all the way to what appears to be an early grave.
At 3-19, Washington is just one of two teams in the entire NBA with a three-win record; the other being the New Orleans Pelicans, at 3-22.
The Team’s Hazy Irrelevance
So while Alex Sarr and Keyshawn George, among few others, continue to develop and lead the franchise, the rest of the bunch appear wholly lost and misused under head coach Brian Keefe. Whatever the vision was for this group, if such a thing existed at all, it has faded fast into the hazy irrelevance that now sits over Capital One Arena.
All that can be hoped for by fans, at this point, is that the Wizards strike gold in the 2026 NBA Draft. According to a recent (albeit extremely early) mock draft, the franchise may be primed to do just that. In his list for the site, ESPN’s Jeremy Woo had Washington slated for the second pick on the 2026 slate, behind only the equally (if not more) abysmal Brooklyn Nets. With the pick, Woo has the Wizards selecting sensational forward AJ Dybantsa out of Brigham Young University (BYU).
“Overall, he has been efficient. He draws fouls frequently and has made an effort to play team basketball, but he is still learning to read the flow of the game and when to be aggressive,” said Woo. “Dybantsa’s impressive physicality gives him top-notch upside as a wing scorer who should also add value defensively, but he will need to show improvement to maximize his chances of going No. 1.”
Dybantsa just had what was arguably his best game of the season against the Clemson Tigers, posting 28 points, nine rebounds and six assists in a win:
AJ Dybantsa just went OFF at Madison Square Garden 🔥
28 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists and the win against Clemson pic.twitter.com/SdXJU00lc9
— B/R Hoops (@brhoops) December 10, 2025What the Roster Lacks
Of Dybantsa’s specific fit with the Wizards, Woo noted that Washington is still “in search of a young star they can build their offense around.”
“Dybantsa would bring a downhill element that the roster lacks,” he finished.
Through nine games in his freshman year with the Cougars, Dybantsa is averaging 20.3 points, 6.6 rebounds, three assists and is shooting a piercing 54.2% from the field overall. To say that numbers like those would bring a necessary difference to D.C. would be a massive understatement.
As much as Washington may be losing now, and as badly as that hurts for fans long over that being the “norm,” Dybantsa has the potential to make the long wait for success worth it, after all.