![\"Hubie](\"https:\/\/platform.bulletsforever.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/52\/2026\/04\/gettyimages-2198568084.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0,0,100,100\")
<\/a><\/p>\nHubie Brown was the first coach to have a winning record for the Grizzlies. Getty Images<\/p>\n
They moved to Memphis before season seven without surpassing 30 wins in a season. Their first winning record came in year nine during Hubie Brown\u2019s first full season as coach. Brown was the sixth coach in Vancouver\/Memphis history.<\/p>\n
Team two was The Process Philadelphia 76ers, which from 2013-14 to 2015-16 won 19, 18, and 10 games. After three years of intentionally losing, Philadelphia won 28 and then topped 50 wins four times over the next decade. All that tanking got them to the playoffs in seven straight seasons \u2014 where they exited in the second round five times and the first round twice.<\/p>\n
Washington has won 15, 18, and 17 the past three seasons. It\u2019s been a brutal stretch, even for the masochists who comprise the long-time Wizards fan base. The 1-25 run \u2014 nearly a third of the season \u2014 has been an appalling exercise in strategic losing. To make sure they got the best lottery odds possible, they\u2019ve been restricting minutes and sitting with \u201cinjuries\u201d even the young players they hope will be part of their future.<\/p>\n
Wizards head coach Brian Keefe. Getty Images<\/p>\n It gets worse. Using strength-of-schedule adjusted scoring margin, this season culminates the worst three-year run in NBA history. Washington has been outscored by an average of 11.02 points per game (adjusted for strength of schedule). The second worst three-year span was by the expansion Grizzlies, which were still two points per game stronger than the Wizards. This season, Washington posted the sixth worst adjusted scoring margin in history. The 2024-25 was third worst. Ever.<\/p>\n The Wizards this season were 28th in offense and 30th in defense. On offense they were 21st in eFG%, 26th in turnover percentage, 27th in getting to the free throw line, and 21st in offensive rebounding. On defense: 27th in deFG%, 24th in forcing turnovers, 29th in sending opponents to the free throw line, and 30th defensive rebounding percentage.<\/p>\n The Wizards hope to resume competing next season. They traded for Trae Young and Anthony Davis, and they expect to add a talented rookie with a pick that can be no worse than fifth overall. History suggests the first foray into trying to win may not go as well as we\u2019d hope. When hitting bottom this hard, it\u2019s probably going to take some time to get good \u2014 if it happens at all.<\/p>\n The team acquired some veterans they think will help. The big challenge: the youngsters who have played in an environment where nothing really mattered will have to learn the effort, attention to detail, and execution required to be good in the NBA.<\/p>\n To close out the season, here\u2019s a quick look at each player \u2014 a thought or two for each, a level set, and a PPA score. By \u201clevel set,\u201d I mean that I\u2019m giving my opinion of the player\u2019s future NBA role based on currently available information. My opinion is formed with full understanding that many of these guys are young and have potential, and their futures are likely to be based more on the work they will do than how they\u2019ve played so far.<\/p>\n PPA is short for \u201cPlayer Production Average,\u201d which is the overall production metric I developed. PPA is pace neutral, and includes accounting for role and defensive impact. In PPA, 100 is average and higher is better. Replacement level is 45.<\/p>\n A quick note: I use four positions \u2014 guards, wings, forwards, and centers \u2014 which better reflects the reality of how the game is played than the traditional point guard, shooting guard, small forward, power forward, center paradigm.<\/p>\n The list below is sorted by total minutes played for the team this season.<\/p>\n Wizards guard Bub Carrington played all 82 games for a second straight season. Getty Images<\/p>\n Bub Carrington | G | 20 years old | PPA: 61 \u2014 Shot 40% from three-point range and still ended up with an offensive rating (points produced per 100 individual possessions) more than 10 points below average. He\u2019s competitive and tough (played all 82 games for a second straight season) but is also an ineffective defender who plays smaller than his 6-4 frame. I didn\u2019t like that his turnovers went up at a faster rate than his assists did. Level Set | 9th man.<\/p>\n Will Riley | F | 20 | PPA: 57 \u2014 Riley got a lot of buzz for how he\u2019s played the past couple months. While I see the potential, I think the excitement has gotten ahead of his actual performance. His offensive efficiency (both for the season and for his \u201cgood\u201d stretch) have loitered 6-7 points per 100 possessions below average. He has much work to do to get stronger. Level Set | 7th man.<\/p>\n Bilal Coulibaly | W | 21 | PPA: 101 \u2014 Good defender who showed signs of a pulse on offense in the latter part of the season. Opposing defenders had a difficult time staying in front of him when he decided to drive. But, he also shot 31.9% from three, which is something he must improve. Level Set | Starter.<\/p>\n Tre Johnson | G | 20 | PPA: 61 \u2014 Last year\u2019s tanking prize, Johnson flashed \u201clethal shooter\u201d potential. He also shot just 28.9% from deep after Feb. 1, and below 50% on twos for the season. My pre-draft evaluation questioned his athleticism and all-around dimension to his game. After watching him play in 60 NBA games, I have the same questions. Level Set | Off the bench shooter.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n