For some professional franchises, when it rains, it definitely rains. The Washington Wizards entered the season with seemingly new life behind the acquisition of former Golden State Warrior Jordan Poole. So far, the tandem of Poole and Kyle Kuzma was disappointing to say the least. The Wizards fell to 3-19 Monday night after a bombing at the hands of Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers, 146-101. Most people suspect tanking, because it appears Washington has already stopped trying.
The Wizards are a real mess, and rumors that they’ve had enough of Poole began circulating in November. The idea that management had already seen enough was widespread barely a month after the start of the campaign. At this point, tanking is probably the easiest option, although it may not be the best.
Poole’s disappointing start as a wizard isn’t even the worst part. The worst part of Washington’s situation is that the year of crisis is over. There’s no Victor Wembanyama in the 2024 draft. That’s not to say any of the new players won’t be great, but at this point, it’s a breeze. Winning the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2024 won’t be the prize it was last year.
Everyone knew Wemby was going to be No.1 no matter who had the choice. The same can be said for Zion Williamson in 2019. Despite what we know now, Williamson was the guy every eligible team coveted at the time. The top three teams vying for that No. 1 pick next spring will have to do some real scouting this time around. This overwhelming consensus at the top does not exist this year.
Regardless, the Wizards are destined to land a top-three (at worst, top-five) selection in the draft. And once they’ve done that, it’s time to blow up the rest if they haven’t done so first. Get Poole and Kuzma out of town and start again. Go young and rebuild with a clean slate. Washington should not want its recruits to arrive with Mr. Poole’s party and Kuz as veterans. Talk about the ultimate setup in case of failure.
It was crazy to think that Poole could come and lead this roster in Washington. I was one of those fools who thought I could win 25-30 matches with Poole and Kuzma. Boy, that was stupid. Winning 20 games would be a miracle at this point. John Wall had a bad reputation in the nation’s capital, especially towards the end of his term. At least the organization made a few playoff appearances and won several series during Wall’s era. These Wizards could lose more than 60 games behind Poole’s leadership. Consider it a total loss and move on.
