Apr 8, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Washington Wizards forward Alex Sarr (20) dribbles the ball while Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner (33) defends in the second half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

How Wizards Rookies Stood Out This Season

Originally posted on Washington Wizards on SI
By Tyrone Montgomery | Last updated Apr 23, 2025 7:00 AM ET

It is safe to expect the unexpected in life. Oftentimes, life can be a bit unpredictable. At the end of the day, the goal is to do the best you can under the circumstances you are in. That has been how the season has gone this year for the Washington Wizards as they have fully embraced their rebuild.

Last summer was a summer to remember for the Wizards. They may have fallen short of getting the number-one overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. However, they still ended up with the player they ultimately wanted in Alex Sarr.

Sarr was a player they needed considering the team lacked size all of last season. He provides that size with a very unique skillset, as he has shown to be a capable player on both ends of the floor.

The Wizards have a young team. In fact, they opened this season with the youngest opening night roster in franchise history. Certainly, the Wizards have embraced their rebuild. Having multiple picks in the first round has helped them in the end.

Bub Carrington and Kyshawn George were significant players for the team this season. They have grown to be building blocks of the future. Sarr, Carrington and George are players you have to keep an eye on from beyond the arc.

#Wizards GM Will Dawkins with some key stats from this season:

Started youngest opening night roster in team history.
1st time a trio of rookies have gotten 1800 minutes in over 20 years.
Finished 4th this year in pace. That's top five in pace two yrs in a row.
34% of… pic.twitter.com/qH2LEI0bEB
— Carita Parks (@CaritaCParks) April 17, 2025

As the NBA doesn’t shy away from shooting threes, the trio of rookies has made NBA history for being the first trio of rookies to make over 100 three-pointers in a single season. The Wizards may be playing chess while the rest of the league is playing checkers.

This wasn’t done overnight. The famous saying that everyone knows and understands is that Rome wasn’t built in a day. The Wizards gave their rookie players good quality minutes throughout the season. Sarr, Carrington, and George made history there as well, as they became the first trio of rookies to play over 1800 minutes in over 20 years.

Being so young, talented, and athletic, the Wizards took advantage of having youth on their side. They wanted to push the pace and create easy shots for the team. With that being the case, the Wizards finished fourth this season in pace. That makes two seasons in a row finishing top five in that category.

Despite their challenges, the Wizards stood out tremendously in a positive light amongst the rest of the teams in the NBA.

This article first appeared on Washington Wizards on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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