Wizards' Bub Carrington Emerging as a Playmaker

Many things can be said about the Washington Wizards’ 2025-26 season, and many more can be said about second-year guard Bub Carrington. After entering the season with hefty expectations following an impressive All-Rookie campaign, Carrington struggled out of the gates, averaging just 6.6 points and shooting 33.6% from the field through his first 21 games.

Fans began to worry about what the future may hold for the 20-year-old guard, considering he was showing signs of regression in just his second season. However, Carrington’s struggles didn’t last long, as since his slow start he has made a complete 180, averaging 12.6 points, 4.2 rebounds and 5.2 assists over his last 20 games while shooting 44.1% from the field and 41.5% from three.

Bub tripleee👌 pic.twitter.com/0m6V7o0H7J
— Washington Wizards (@WashWizards) January 18, 2026

He has effectively rekindled hope among fans of him becoming a cornerstone piece, emerging as one of the better young players on a team loaded with youth. As the season continues to progress, fans have continued to expect further development from Carrington, which he has once again delivered.

His recent stretch of games may not be the most groundbreaking from a scoring perspective, as Carrington has once again hit a bit of a shooting slump, averaging a respectable 11 points per game on a not-so-respectable field goal percentage of 38.2%. However, during that same timeframe, he has emerged in a different way, showcasing a new level of playmaking development that he hadn’t previously displayed.

Carrington Stepping Up on Offense

Over his past six games, Carrington is averaging 6.2 assists per game, flashing the lead-guard ability that previously seemed dormant. It may be a coincidence that this recent leap happened to take place around the same time All-Star guard and passing extraordinaire Trae Young was traded to the Wizards, but at the very least, it appears Young has influenced Carrington down a better path.

Guard Bub Carrington Washington Wizards — Jan 14, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard (2) drives past Washington Wizards guard Bub Carrington (7) in the first half at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

By now, Washington has made its plans of bottoming out in hopes of acquiring a top pick fairly clear, which in turn gives the young talent in D.C. a chance to play, experiment, and learn through valuable in-game reps. Carrington still has a ways to go in multiple aspects of his game before he can make a positive impact on a night-to-night basis from the lead guard spot, but his recent success is instilling hope that he may be able to develop into that type of player.

Young will, of course, be the team’s lead guard for the foreseeable future—assuming he remains healthy—but having Carrington as a safety valve in case anything goes wrong is a luxury most teams can’t afford. There is still a long road ahead for the second-year guard, but all signs point to Carrington playing a major role in any future success the Wizards find.

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