Who Makes the Rotation? Predicting the Wizards' Top 10 Players

The Washington Wizards are stacked with prospects and veterans worthy of this upcoming season's minutes, but only so many contributors can average meaningful nightly appearances.

Dec 1, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards guard Bilal Coulibaly (0) celebrates with Wizards forward Kyshawn George (18) after scoring while being fouled by Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (not pictured) in the final seconds of the fourth quarter at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

After three years spent prioritizing internal development over chasing impressive end-of-season win counts, the Washington Wizards finally seem prepared to enter this season as something resembling a nightly threat.

They're no contender, but Washington's yet-to-be-completed assortment of prospects and veterans have already won some early hype as a sleeper team to surprise long-suspicious outside viewers, as head coach Brian Keefe can finally enjoy a litany of viable playable options after taking his lumps during the deconstructing years. Here are some early guesses as to who he'll hand the 10 most prized rotational spots to this fall:

Starting PG: Trae Young

Mar 5, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards guard Trae Young (3) stands on the court against the Utah Jazz in the second half at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It's appropriate that we're starting with the most obvious positional fill within the Wizards' prospective lineup. As if Trae Young wasn't already a known floor-raiser upon getting traded to D.C., the franchise further invested in the 4x All-Star this summer in buying him right back out of his free agency foray.

His career-average of 9.8 assists per game should serve his platoon of rim-centric bigs well, and he's been keen on advertising his willingness to cede more on-ball responsibilities to other playmaking teammates than ever before. After appearing in just five Wizards games last season, all signs point to his approaching this upcoming season with plenty to prove as a winning distributor and teammate.

Starting SG: AJ Dybantsa

Nov 15, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; BYU Cougars forward AJ Dybantsa (3) looks on during the second half against the UConn Huskies at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Despite standing at 6'9 with all of the slashing skills to blow by most defending wings, the Wizards' new top prospect sounds slated to occupy the second backcourt position alongside Young.

AJ Dybantsa shined bright over limited NBA Summer League appearances as a free throw-drawing attacker and raw athletic specimen, but this past NBA Draft's No. 1 pick will have to get used to living within a talented lineup of similarly-qualified decision-makers on the fly over the coming months. Washington's made its challenge clear in asking Dybantsa to grow as a multi-level scorer and versatile defender, and he's seemed more than willing to accept the necessary two-way fit.

Starting SF: Kyshawn George

Mar 5, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards forward Kyshawn George (18) takes a shot during the first quarter against the Utah Jazz at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Just as Dybantsa may fluctuate between various wing spots as a lanky creator, the Wizards' most presently-established perimeter-based up-and-comer could easily slot in as the starting power forward on a team less-set on a double-big look. Kyshawn George's broad shoulders and patience outside and within the arc lend themselves well to the Wizards' desire for physicality, and his 3-point shooting touch should make him a play-finishing favorite alongside the driving-and-kicking Young.

He's looked like a question mark to crack the starting lineup in the past, but the constantly-improving forward's defense is too important to leave out of the team's top unit, especially alongside his small point guard and the skinnier Dybantsa.

Starting PF: Anthony Davis

Mar 8, 2026; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Washington Wizards forward Anthony Davis (23) watches during the first half against the New Orleans Pelicans at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

He endured a few active weeks of intriguing trade rumors during the livelier portion of this offseason, but Anthony Davis appears to be here to stay- at least for now. Even with talks of his gunning for a costly extension looming, the excited front office sounds keen on providing AD with a shot to help their on-court product, or at least prove that he's still worthy of the star-caliber attention he's grown used to.

He's reluctantly started at center in the past, but the future Hall-of-Famer won't need to bristle at that same positional shift in Washington. He already has his fellow frontcourt-mate, someone against whom he can bounce off as a still-impressive defender and interior scorer.

Starting C: Alex Sarr

Dec 21, 2024; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Washington Wizards center Alex Sarr (20) warms up before a game against the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

The Wizards' young 7-footer has more to gain from Young's pick-and-roll operation and entry passing than any of his teammates. As impressive as some of the 2x Rising Star's post moves and off-the-dribble ideas were over a more decisive sophomore season, Alex Sarr will be at his best not having to act fully-independently on offense while fully committing to a humungous defensive back line.

Backup PG: Will Riley

Mar 14, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Washington Wizards guard Will Riley (27) drives to the basket against the Boston Celtics during the first half at the TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

He may be an odd on-paper fit at 6'10 and coming off of an admittedly-inconsistent rookie campaign, but the Wizards' prized jumbo guard epitomizes the franchise's vision to diversify the lineup's on-ball duties whenever Young isn't out on the floor.

For the understandable doubts that will tail a prospect like Riley who's yet to prove himself as a dependably-durable creator at multiple scoring levels, as he remains nagged by physicality concerns and a streaky outside jump shot, he'll earn his fair share of part-time chances orchestrating Washington's offense as a patient penetrator and creative shot-maker.

Backup SG: Tre Johnson

Jan 16, 2026; Sacramento, California, USA; Washington Wizards guard Tre Johnson (12) reacts after the game against the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Tre Johnson spent his lone Summer League appearance successfully proving that he may too talented to leave out of the starting unit- even Young can't compete with the fluidity and comfort with which Johnson attempts and cans wild 3-point looks. He's a proven off-ball guard, a role he'll happily accept given his own score-first focus, but his defensive limitations and the enormous lineup that the Wizards seem to favor won't do the young shooter any favors in joining the nightly leadoff rotation.

Backup SF: Bilal Coulibaly

Mar 5, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards guard Bilal Coulibaly (0) handles the ball during the second quarter against the Utah Jazz at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The first extension-eligible pick of the Wizards' ongoing rebuild is at his best harassing opposing guards and wings on defense while keeping things simple on the other end of the court, finishing plays as an athletic finisher and lob-catching cutter. He'll enjoy both of those luxuries within the most talented lineup he's been exposed to since joining the NBA, but the young leaper will have to prepare for his first stint as a regular reserve since his rookie campaign in doing so.

Even if he's considered more of a tall guard than a forward, potentially forcing some interesting substitution patterns around the defensive weapons arming the Wizards' bench, he'll slide smoothly into any Young-centric lineup in playing the role of Dybantsa's understudy as a paint-scoring threat.

Backup PF: Justin Champagnie

Mar 5, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards forward Justin Champagnie (9) reacts during the third quarter against the Utah Jazz at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Ink Justin Champagnie in as the subtle savior to any of the defensive second-string woes that I just forecasted. He, along with Coulibaly, will only continue to inflict plenty of damage on opposing creators as sticky stoppers with active hands, and Champagnie offers a physical, rebounding-focused style of supplementary play that Coulibaly can't yet match.

He, too, won't require much thought out of the lineup-balancing Keefe as an on-court glue guy, even if his outside jumper took awhile to meet its usually-passable standards last season. Even with more players' minute loads to balance, though, it's safe to assume that he'll locate meaningful opportunities quicker than ever before to start the 2026-27 schedule.

Backup C: Deandre Ayton

Oct 24, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers center Deandre Ayton (5) reacts in the first half against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

No member of the still-unproven Wizards are more technically-overqualified than their newest big man. Deandre Ayton has started in all but seven of the 470 games he's checked into over eight seasons, including 72 such appearances last year, but he has no clear route to returning to that well-trodden path behind Sarr and Davis in Washington.

First Guys Out

After this presumed top-10 of convincing-enough impact pieces, realistic regular minutes get even harder to dole out.

Even if we look past the returning Khris Middleton, who remains a respectable bucket-generator after managing 34 starts over last season's pre-trade deadline squad, Bub Carrington sticks out as the most glaring name missing from this roundup. As hard as it is to imagine the fan-favorite limited within Keefe's usual game plan, especially considering the fact that he's yet to miss an outing over two years as a Wizard, making time for Carrington in the backcourt alongside true point guard Young and Washington's variety of big ball-handlers won't be easy.

Mar 5, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards forward Khris Middleton (32) and guard Bub Carrington (8) talk during the third quarter against the Utah Jazz at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

He, as well as Middleton, can get by as off-ball aids with their dangerous spot-up jumpers, handy tools to consider for the off-ball roles they should start anticipating.

More reduced roles to proven regular season contributors may be tough to swallow on an individual level, but the "too many cooks in the kitchen" conundrum is a fortunate one to have for a front office that's located a wider array of useful players than anything fans have seen in years. Keefe has no shortage of intriguing options to deploy against a well-balanced league of adversaries; it's just a matter of who'll earn his trust come opening night, and over all of the Wizards' matchups thereafter.

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