What Wizards Have Learned from the Jazz

As the Washington Wizards and Utah Jazz are going through a rebuild, the Wizards may have taken note of what Utah has been able to accomplish.

Mar 4, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz guard Collin Sexton (2) on the court against the Washington Wizards during the second half at the Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Creveling-Imagn Images | Christopher Creveling-Imagn Images

In the NBA, teams can get a reputation for seeing how other teams in similar stages act, and trying to replicate their successes on an even greater scale. That is the case with the Washington Wizards and Utah Jazz, which are both in stages of rebuild.

There is no question that the Utah Jazz are going through a rebuild. It began a few years ago when they decided to move off from one of the league's best scorers, Donovan Mitchell. They then opted to move off from one of the league's best defenders, Rudy Gobert.

Donovan Mitchell has been a top-ten scoring guard in the league over the last couple of seasons. Rudy Gobert has won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award multiple times as well. The Utah Jazz have had much success with both Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert. However, they couldn't get over the hump when it mattered in the playoffs leaving them with the decision to go in a different direction.

As they did so, they were able to acquire a good amount of NBA Draft Picks. That has helped them in their rebuild. They have a lot of draft capital which has provided them with a ton of young talented players such as Isaiah Collier, Cody Williams, Kyle Filipowski, and Keyonte George. Indeed, they have made some good trades and decisions in the NBA Draft.

Rook through traffic 🚦 pic.twitter.com/CEXQyN2sGu
— Washington Wizards (@WashWizards) March 4, 2025

The Washington Wizards may have taken notes from the Utah Jazz as they are continuing to add draft picks in their rebuild. We are already seeing the benefits of their efforts led by General Manager Will Dawkins. Alex Sarr may be the NBA Rookie of the Year this season. Bub Carrington and Kyshawn George has played well this season. The Wizards have learned a lot from the way the Utah Jazz have conducted business in the NBA.

Make sure you bookmark Washington Wizards on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!