Wizards Contribute to Draft Night History

The Washington Wizards add to a record amount of freshmen picked to start a draft.

Jun 25, 2025; Brooklyn, NY, USA; The 2025 NBA Draft class and NBA commissioner Adam Silver stand on stage before the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

NBA prospects' young ages are as much of an asset as they've ever been, with youth seen as the ultimate priority to the front offices constantly looking to build on raw potential. In this NBA Draft, the Washington Wizards contributed to a historic night for this wave of new talent.

On Wednesday, the eight teams getting the 2025 Draft started picked a record number of one-and-done freshmen to open the first round.

The Dallas Mavericks got the party started when they selected Cooper Flagg, the youngest player in the draft and the youngest first overall pick since LeBron James was taken 22 years ago. The next seven teams took similarly youthful swings, with the first eight picks all going towards college freshman for an NBA Draft record.

The Washington Wizards did their part, snagging Tre Johnson with the sixth pick. The Texas prodigy dominated the ACC in his one-and-done NCAA season, averaging 19.9 points to lead the conference in scoring with arguably the best jump shot this draft had to offer.

Washington, having kickstarted its rebuild by acquiring players who show flashes of talent and prioritizing youth to give the team a runway for development, kept the pattern going with their second pick of the night in taking on Illinois product Will Riley at No. 21. He's about the same age as Johnson and most of his fellow draft mates, and offers that same potential that only young, blossoming studs seem to elicit out of draft executives.

They're looking to rebuild, and cashed in on this most recent crop of young talent right alongside their fellow lottery regulars.

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