CJ McCollum Endorses Wizards Young Core

The Washington Wizards didn't always have the slew of young prospects with alluring potential that now lines their bench.

They needed a few key attributed to get this rebuild started, and that went beyond the obvious desirable of stacking draft assets; Wizards' management needed patience and buy-in from the ownership group, the fans and, maybe more importantly, the players.

The veterans who now help man the nightly scoring burden need to know that they're not sacrificing all of the shots they want for nothing. If they're going to lose three or four times as many games as they win, they want to see the intrigue that the franchise has invested in, because these fading stars are just as useful as off-the-court mentors as they are at putting the ball in the hoop.

Washington Wizards Guard CJ McCollum and Forward Khris Middleton — Dec 31, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Washington Wizards guard CJ McCollum (3) is greeted by forward Khris Middleton (22) after scoring a basket during the fourth quarter against the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

CJ McCollum has seen enough after just 32 games spent with Washington. He not only trust the direction that the Wizards have picked, a development-oriented ecosystem that's built for the future, but he's also all-in on the specific faces who are already impressing with plenty of room to grow.

"They're handpicking the right guys...they have all these guys with intangibles with skillsets with the ability to grow and evolve and develop," he said in an appearance with the Club 520 Podcast. "The sky’s the limit in the next three years. They’re boys, that’s the scary part. Real dogs when they’re 24–25.”

An interesting clip from Jeff Teague’s podcast where CJ McCollum talks about the Wizards’ young core.

“The sky’s the limit in the next three years. They’re boys, that’s the scary part. Real dogs when they’re 24–25.” pic.twitter.com/MPEacirBYs
— Noah Masri (@MasriNBA) January 1, 2026

Potential Everywhere you Look

When podcast host Jeff Teague asked McCollum which prospects were particularly sticking out to the accomplished scorer, he went down the line in throwing just about every young teammate of his a bone.

Alex Sarr and Kyshawn George, unsurprisingly, soaked up the top of his monologue as the likeliest All-Stars of the bunch, but McCollum went so far as to provide shoutouts to secondary draftees like AJ Johnson and Tristan Vukcevic as well as a fringe contributor in Malaki Branham and the injured Cam Whitmore.

Washington Wizards Guard Malaki Branham — Dec 29, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Jamaree Bouyea (17) matches up against Washington Wizards guard Malaki Branham (8) during the fourth quarter at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images | Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images

The rookies have similarly drawn McCollum's interest, with Tre Johnson and Will Riley sustaining as handy rotational pieces with their preternatural bucket-generation chops.

He entered D.C. this past summer preparing to be looked at as an elder statesman, having accrued more years in the league than just about every other teammates combined. He and the similarly-experienced Khris Middleton have been there to answer questions and provide guidance when they're not helping to elevate the squad on the floor, and McCollum's considering this a warning that this will be the worst that this iteration of the team will look.

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