Wizards' Second-Year Guard Having Quiet Resurgence

The story of sophomore guard Bub Carrington’s 2025–26 campaign has been inconsistent and streaky play.

The Washington Wizards selected the 6-foot-4 point guard with the 14th overall pick in the 2024 draft, which he followed up with a strong rookie campaign, averaging 9.8 points, 4.2 rebounds and 4.4 assists — good enough to land him on an All-Rookie team.

Expectations were understandably high for Carrington heading into his second season, as fans expected him to level up his game after an offseason of development, asserting himself as the team’s point guard of the future.

However, things haven’t gone exactly to plan, as he has struggled to find his groove and rhythm within the Wizards’ ever-changing system.

Cold Start

Carrington’s season started on a very cold note, as he was clearly overwhelmed after taking on the team’s lead guard role. The 20-year-old was averaging just 7.8 points a game on 32.4% shooting through the first month of the year, looking lost and out of place. He couldn’t find his groove as a scorer and seemed lost at times trying to playmake for others.

This cold stretch continued all the way through December, where Carrington sat at just 6.3 points per game and looked as if he may not have a spot in D.C. long term. Just when things seemed to be at their lowest, Carrington exploded, playing two of the best months of basketball he has ever had in January and the first part of February, looking like the player he was touted to be. It appeared as if things were finally going uphill for him after battling through his slow start.

Mar 3, 2026; Orlando, Florida, USA; Washington Wizards guard Bub Carrington (7) dibbles up the court in the first half against the Orlando Magic at Kia Center. Mandatory Credit: Russell Lansford-Imagn Images | Russell Lansford-Imagn Images

Continued Inconsistency

Carrington’s run of impressive play didn’t last long, however. To close the month of February, he once again returned to his old, inefficient ways, sitting below 10 points a game and shooting around 20% from the field. Now with Trae Young in town and guys like Jaden Hardy, Will Riley and others emerging, it seemed as if Carrington was once again getting phased out.

That was a really intriguing stretch from Bub Carrington:

• Drive —> contested layup
• Drive —> contested layup
• Mid-range pull-up jumper

He’s got 8 points and 2 assists on 4-5 FG. Has been more aggressive getting two feet in the paint tonight.
— Greg Finberg (@GregFinberg) March 13, 2026

However, in perfect fashion, he picked things right back up again to open March. Through his first six games this month, Carrington is posting averages of 10.3 points, 3.5 rebounds and 4.3 assists on lights-out shooting splits of 53.5% from the field, 50.0% from three and 70.0% from the line.

The question of whether he can maintain that level of play will remain a mystery for now, but it’s undeniable that when he’s on, he is one of the better young guards the league has to offer.

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