How are the Wizards Handling Their Size Disparity?

The Washington Wizards are one of the physically smallest teams in basketball.

I say "basketball" before some of their most recent lineups can probably stack up favorably age-wise against many NCAA-level starting-fives, making them that much more of an anomaly in attempting to challenge the competition that the advanced NBA has to offer.

Finally, the Summer League Lineup https://t.co/g99Qc0XAaE
— Henry J. Brown (@henryjbr_sports) January 24, 2026

Key rotational options like Tre Johnson, Bilal Coulibaly and Will Riley are some of the skinnier players at their respective positions, an observation that certainly passes the eye test. This was known going into the season, though; what many fans will have to get ready for, though, is a more creative approach to how the Wizards counter a new threat: how they're supposed to manage a rotation that's getting even smaller.

This is the natural evolution from Washington's choice to continually entrust the young core with more responsibility as the season progresses - look no further than the role of the go-to option getting passed from CJ McCollum to Kyshawn George - but that has to do with key pieces departing, with injuries and trades sure to empty the Wizards of more trusty depth pieces.

They've been without Marvin Bagley III as of late, forcing the team to figure it out without the help of their reliable veteran backup center. Instead of bringing in help from the outside, they're asking that the currently-tenured Wizards scale up their play to fill that size void, and they did so swimmingly in a recent 109-99 win over the Milwaukee Bucks.

Filling the Gaps in a Moment's Notice

Wizards Head Coach Brian Keefe knew he couldn't hide behind the evident size disparity in hosting the Bucks, but he benefited from Giannis Antetokounmpo's absence to demonstrate the quiet versatility that he's bred within his frontcourt depth.

For his thin depth chart at center, he has no shortage of impressive defensive wings. Justin Champagnie and Jamir Watkins are each physically stout and instinctive enough to work in just about any defensive setting, and showed as much in meeting the moment.

"We had Justin and Jamir playing the four and five, and we were switching quite a [few] of pick and rolls, so everybody had to do their part," Keefe said following the win. "You could see it, we made plays at the rim on some of their bigs that were pretty impressive. Guys scrambling over, digging out balls, blocking shots at the rim, getting on loose balls. All those things are winning plays, doesn’t matter the size you are."

Last night’s Wizards lineup was on the smaller side, with Alex Sarr featuring as the only big in the rotation. I asked Coach Keefe about how he’s using his wings to make plays through rotations and effort:

“All those things are winning plays, doesn’t matter the size you are.” pic.twitter.com/PpujDdcvzS
— Henry J. Brown (@henryjbr_sports) January 30, 2026

He's spent all season preaching his desire to win through defense, inspiring a culture in which players are earning their keep through their effort and connectivity on that end of the floor.

It's no surprise to anyone who's been watching that two of the more self-made players in his lineup have been at the forefront of the Wizards' recovery from their lack of traditional size, leveraging their effort into being the first to their assignments in ensuring that opponents like the Bucks are allowed as little comfort to operate under the rim as possible. Champagnie and Watkins each collected one block on the night, with both arriving squarely under the basket in their shutdown of larger paint presences.

This inspiring defensive spirit is a good sign of resilience and the culture that Keefe successfully instituted in D.C., even if their lack of stereotypical will gets exposed when they're physically outmatched against a more competent opponent. For now, though, this has to be exactly what the coaching staff and executives want to see out of the team as presently designed and orchestrated.

Make sure you bookmark Washington Wizards on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!