Wizards Rookies Unsurprisingly Miss Out on End of Season Distinction

The Washington Wizards threw up a donut in searching for some understandable validation for their strong rookie class.

Jan 11, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Washington Wizards guard Tre Johnson (12) against the Phoenix Suns at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Washington Wizards set a high standard for All-Rookie team showings last summer, parlaying an underwhelming 2024 NBA Draft class into one of the most impressive league-wide prospect roundups. They earned multiple shoutouts come voting season despite Kyshawn George getting hit with the cold shoulder, with Alex Sarr and Bub Carrington each earning exclusive spots among their most talented and distinct classmates.

The Wizards walked away from another draft with a fresh handful of productive contributors, but Washington's newest round of entrants failed to similarly woo NBA media. First round talents Tre Johnson and Will Riley were each listed among the first four out of the finalized top-10; popular enough to garner a few votes, but not consistent enough to surpass their top-billed peers.

Here is voting results for the All Rookie team: pic.twitter.com/OmOgiJLSEw

— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) May 20, 2026

Fans may be miffed at their lack of representation, even amidst a stacked rookie field, but it's hard to feel like either of those exclusions can go down as outright snubs. Their respective All-Rookie cases seemed to lose steam in real time during the waning regular season, and Rookie of the Year voting results seemed to confirm that as fun as Johnson's and Riley's flashes were, they just couldn't piece together any peaks for long enough to win over award evaluators.

Johnson's Missed Opportunity

The Wizards' newest shooter is the only member of 2025's top-seven draftees to get passed over when NBC's pregame crew ran through the All-Rookie honorees, with each of the first four picks getting predictable shouts while Ace Bailey and Jeremiah Fears, the similarly-highlight-driven talents picked on either side of the Wizards, did just enough to clinch slots of their own.

Mar 25, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz forward Ace Bailey (19) controls the ball as Washington Wizards guard Jaden Hardy (8) defends during the second half at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Nicoll-Imagn Images | Chris Nicoll-Imagn Images

Johnson's full-season averages of 12.2 points on 35.8% 3-point shooting isn't indicative of the draft position he correctly warranted through the end of 2025, where he held a 41.4% hit rate from deep on 5.1 nightly attempts by the time he flipped calendars. Capable of spotting up and shooting on the run from behind or within the perimeter arc, he looked all the part of a high-level scorer before the skinny guard succumbed to the grind of the season and injuries he picked up along the way.

Bailey may not have outperformed Johnson by leaps and bounds, but he finished his season with the Utah Jazz strongly enough to remind the general populous of his fifth-overall pick upside, and Fears ducked Johnson's inconsistencies in reporting for duty in all 82 of the New Orleans Pelicans' outings.

The shooter would benefit from the weight training regiment that's sure to sweep through Washington's offseason training program, where he'll look to apply the early lessons he's picked up in building up his durability. He's talented enough to continue earning the No. 6 pick treatment he walked into, and a mere All-Rookie team omission won't dissuade many fans from what they've seen.

Will Riley's Late Bid

While Johnson's play petered out following his immediate welcome into Washington's rotation, his taller rookie counterpart took longer to convincingly break into the bigs.

Riley wasn't even an everyday starter in college, where he won the Big 10's Sixth Man of the Year award, and he needed even more time than Johnson to physically acclimate to the more physical NBA with extensive G League reps.

As underwhelming as 10.3 points on 43.9/31.6% splits are, more late-season minutes bred opportunities he managed to take advantage of. From Feb. onward, an extensive stretch in which he appeared in all 35 games, he managed 15.6 points with eight 20-point games and two 30-pieces.

Mar 17, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards guard Will Riley (27) takes a shot during the second half against the Detroit Pistons at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images | Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

By the time he came on as a multi-level scoring wing with believable point guard upside, most of his more acclaimed draft classmates had already stamped themselves as rookie pillars, much like second-rounder and fellow Capital City Go-Go regular Jamir Watkins.

They both promise to strengthen Washington's positional versatility for years to come, even if their inconsistent seasons will now go down as under-the-radar, had-to-be-there development stories after last year's attention spike. Even with the No. 1 overall pick looming for the Wizards' decision-makers, they're left with no shortage of presently-rostered playmakers and bucketeers to build with.

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