Wizards Should Bolster Physicality Amidst Early Playoff Returns

The early goings of the NBA postseason suggest that the Wizards should patch a glaring weakness.

Apr 4, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; Washington Wizards guard Will Riley (27) drives past Miami Heat guard Dru Smith (12) during the second half at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images | Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

Under a quarter of the Washington Wizards' present roster has ever tasted the NBA playoffs, but they're already armed with a few inspiring lineup strengths that seem likely to aid their desired postseason return.

It helps that they're (theoretically) led by Anthony Davis and Trae Young, proven franchise faces who've demonstrated immense comfortability when games add stakes. 17 combined playoff series and the championship ring on Davis' finger are nothing to sneeze at, especially considering how necessary his versatile defense and Young's efficient playmaking have shown to be when the 82-game sample sizes shrink down to intense biweekly matchups.

Mar 5, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Injured Washington Wizards forward Anthony Davis (M) watches from the bench against the Utah Jazz in the first halfat Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Their ascending supporting cast, though, still has some work to do before and over the course of the following campaign in proving to rest of the eastern field that they're worth taking seriously. It's not just that they're all unseasoned to a regularly-competitive atmosphere; as a unit, the impressive young corps that Washington's front office has compiled is already starting to demonstrate a collective weakness that's already getting exposed in these ongoing playoffs just one week into the Wizards' offseason.

Should they look to avoid the fate of the postseason's early roundup of already-eliminated peers, they'll need to up their physicality in time for the fall.

Getting the Draftees in the Weight Room

The young, hand-picked Wizards have heard plenty of advice in-house and from the less-informed fan base alike, but no one recommendation has persisted quite like tips for them to hit the gym.

It's something that some of the Wizards' most highly-touted prospects have heard more than anyone. Alex Sarr and Bilal Coulibaly each entered the bigs as wiry defenders with plenty of room to grow into their athletic bodies, and they've actually begun demonstrating the steps they've taken in adjusting to the firm league in which they play. While Sarr's leveraged his dominant upside into a more rim-centric shot diet, famed gym rat Coulibaly has only improved his downhill aggression with each season.

Feb 1, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards guard Bilal Coulibaly (0) dunks over Sacramento Kings guard Nique Clifford (5) during the first half at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images | Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

Some of their teammates will need further time away from the regular season's nightly marathon to take true strides in this regard. Tre Johnson and Will Riley were particularly beaten up over the last few months, and should the multi-level shooter and lanky craftsman look to maximize their respective scoring skillsets, they'll each have to learn how to bounce off of defenders and apply more physical pressure to opponents.

One recent Play-In Tournament finish provides a glimpse at the fate that the Wizards still have time to avoid. The Charlotte Hornets and all of their momentum wilted against the Orlando Magic, a reeling organization who never lacked in strong scorers and rim-challengers to lean on. The contact-averse LaMelo Ball and his merry band of shooters had no schematic counter ready to turn to when their threes stopped falling. And even now that they're on to Detroit, the Magic have continued riding their slew of bullies to an early series advantage over the top-seeded Pistons, proving the NBA's age-old preference towards squads with size true yet another time.

Davis isn't afraid to go up strong, but he can't do it alone in entering his 15th professional season. And while Young's capable of creating point-blank attempts of his own between his nifty floater game and some of the best entry passing of his generation, he'll need more than an occasional lob threat in Coulibaly to routinely keep the pressure on defenders unsure of where to funnel the Wizards.

Avoiding Doubling Down

Consider this institutional weakness as a price for Will Dawkins' draft preference. The Wizards' general manager has fancied raw, tools-y prospects with the versatility and athleticism to balance multiple positions, and it may be time to buck that trend with the group's lack of strength and weight as glaring as ever.

Jan 9, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards general manager Will Dawkins introduces newly acquired Wizards guard Trae Young (not pictured) at a press conference prior to the Wizards' game against the New Orleans Pelicans at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

He's prepared to march into next month's NBA Draft lottery drawing with the best odds of any attending team, guaranteed to remain in the top-five of the order after his Wizards collected a league-low 17 wins over the last six months.

He'll have his pick of the litter, and thanks to the deep class of prospects beyond popular frontrunners in AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson and Cam Boozer, there will be no shortage of star bets to scout within his hyper-specific range. Dawkins may not get the meanest bruiser available, but he'd be better off remaining careful to prevent his on-court brainchild from falling even deeper into its worst habits.

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