Rookie of the Year Finalist List Includes No Wizards

The Washington Wizards' strategy of heavily implementing three freshly-drafted rookies into their everyday rotation wasn't one that would ever equate to winning games, but that was never the team's goal.

The Wizards front office wanted to see what they had in their young guys, a trio of high-feel, two-way athletes who general manager Will Dawkins trusted to figure it out on the fly. There weren't many other Wizards ahead of the rookies in the pecking order after winning just 15 games the season before, and everyone that the team front office opted to bring in through the draft met or exceeded expectations with an elongated leash.

Bub Carrington, taken with the lottery's final pick, impressed all season long by settling in comfortably to a multi-level scoring game that started with his midrange and grew to heavily incorperate his 3-ball. Late first-rounder Kyshawn George, seen as a potential 3&D prospect, hit big shots all season long and matched up fearlessly against some of the league's deadliest wing scorers. Even AJ Johnson, brought over mid-season during the Kyle Kuzma trade, showed some inspiring flashes with his wicked-quick first step and impressive shotmaking.

As impressive as the band of rooks were, perhaps none of them received as much acclaim from the league as Alex Sarr, who missed out on being a top-three finalist for Rookie of the Year despite spending the majority of the season in talks for the award alongside nominees Stephon Castle, Zaccharie Risacher and Jaylen Wells.

Complete list of awards finalists for the 2024-25 NBA regular season ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/4bgbfQpohT
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) April 20, 2025

The second overall pick could've very easily gone first had he not told the Hawks that he'd much rather go play for the clearly-rebuilding Wizards. Armed with a versatile defensive package and potential as a creative shooter, he averaged 13 points per game, good for second-most of all non-Castle draft classmates, and became just the third rookie to block 100+ shots, deal 100+ assists and splash 100+ 3-pointers, per Wizards PR.

The young seven-footer wasn't always efficient as he could have been when choosing his shots, settling for fading jumpers when he often could have to the rim with size, and put up a rough 39/31/68% slash line that left a lot to be desired from just about every zone of the court.

It wasn't always pretty, but the league certainly showed him some respect, handing Sarr December's Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month award after he recorded 13.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.7 blocks across nine games. That tied Wells for monthly award wins with one, behind only Castle and Risacher with two apiece.

Alex Sarr Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month December highlights pic.twitter.com/H9MR8WwSp8
— Brett Usher (@UsherNBA) January 2, 2025

This exclusion is a tough beat for Sarr, who, despite possessing a skillset that few basketball prospects can ever put together, has to play the odd man out. Castle, who too put up bigger numbers than he likely would have on a team more serious than the San Antonio Spurs, outshot Sarr and scored just a tick better with 14.7 points per game. Risacher and Wells, while boasting less gaudy numbers, did it as largely complementary players in tighter roles in Atlanta and Memphis, respectively.

Sarr's still all but a lock for All-Rookie First Team, having provided enough defensive highlights and counting stats to hang with nearly anyone his age. Washington has succeeded in throwing their young guys into the deep end and watching them learn how to swim, even though they may not see that same recognition as award season continues.

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