The Washington Wizards entered the season absolutely conscious of the challenges forward, but the struggles have confirmed much more daunting than anticipated.
Regardless of this, the franchise stays resolute in its dedication to the long-term improvement of its younger gamers, adhering to the technique outlined earlier than the season started.
“We’re immersed in a really tough stretch proper now,” Wizards common supervisor Will Dawkins advised The Athletic.
“However we stay dedicated to the long-term sustainability of the group,” Dawkins emphasised. “Our employees and gamers have continued to work, and are rising. We’ll proceed to stack the constructive developmental positive factors and, on the finish of the season, put correct perspective on the totality of the yr.
“Don’t fear about the entire thing proper now; on the finish of the yr, let’s search for and see what we achieved. They’re getting higher, and so they’re nonetheless working, and that’s the principle factor. What we signed up for is difficult, and we all know it.”
Dawkins beforehand described the crew’s present section as “deconstruction,” signaling an ongoing effort to reconfigure the roster by buying and selling veteran gamers whereas prioritizing the event of younger expertise.
This season has mirrored that strategy, with a number of veterans transferring out and in of the lineup as a part of numerous offers.
The Wizards have centered on giving their youthful core substantial enjoying time to foster their progress. First-round picks Bilal Coulibaly (2023) and Alex Sarr, Bub Carrington, and Kyshawn George (2024) have emerged because the centerpiece of Washington’s future plans.
Every of those gamers is logging important minutes, ranging between 26.2 and 34.8 per recreation, signaling the group’s dedication to their improvement.
Whereas the outcomes could also be grueling within the brief time period, the Wizards are steadfast of their long-term imaginative and prescient, believing that the expertise and enchancment gained this season will finally pay dividends sooner or later.
Wizards Centered On Growth Regardless of Mounting Losses https://t.co/AcKdDfitD3
— RealGM (@RealGM) December 14, 2024
