For some pro franchises, when it rains, it most certainly pours. The Washington Wizards entered the season with seemingly new life behind the acquisition of former Golden State Warrior Jordan Poole. Thus far, the tandem of Poole and Kyle Kuzma has been underwhelming, to say the least. The Wizards fell to 3-19 Monday night after a shellacking at the hands of Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers, 146-101. Most people have suspected tanking, as it seems Washington has already stopped trying.
The Wizards are an outright mess, and the rumors of them being tired of Poole began floating around in November. The notion that management had already seen enough was out there barely a month into the campaign. At this point, tanking is likely the easiest option, although it may not be the best.
Poole’s disappointing start as a Wizard isn’t even the worst part. The worst aspect of Washington’s situation is that the year to tank has passed. There isn’t a Victor Wembanyama in the 2024 draft. That doesn’t mean none of the incoming players won’t end up being great, but at this point, it’s a crapshoot. Gaining the No. 1 draft pick in 2024 won’t be the prize it was last year.
Everyone knew Wemby was going No. 1, no matter who had the pick. The same can be said for Zion Williamson in 2019. Despite what we know now, Williamson was the guy every eligible team coveted at the time. The top three teams in contention for that No. 1 pick next spring will need to do some real scouting this time. That overwhelming consensus at the top doesn’t exist this year.
Either way, the Wizards are destined to land a top-three (top five at worst) selection in the draft. And once they do, it’s time to blow up the rest if they haven’t done so beforehand. Get Poole and Kuzma out of town and start over. Go young and rebuild with a clean slate. Washington shouldn’t want their rookies coming in with Mr. Poole party and Kuz as their veterans. Talk about the ultimate setup for failure.
It was foolish to think Poole could come in and lead this roster in Washington. I was one of those fools thinking they could win 25-30 games with Poole and Kuzma. Boy, that was stupid. Winning 20 games would be a miracle at this point. John Wall got a bad rap in the nation’s capital, especially toward the end of his tenure. At least the organization made some playoff appearances and won several series during Wall’s time. These Wizards could lose 60-plus games behind Poole’s leadership. Chalk it up as a total loss and move on.
