A year in review
A quick slide down memory lane before we move into the future
What was the 2025-26 Wizards season? While it technically met the definition of a basketball season—15 guys (give or take) put on a uniform and played 82 games—the end result was known before anyone took to the court. The goal was to lose. Maybe the goal was also to develop the Wizards young talent, but, as became clear, this was a distant second on the priority list for Coach Brian Keefe. This was not a season to remember, but before we forget it and move on to the lottery balls, I thought it could be fun—or at least a fun challenge—to capture what happened.
In honor of Dave Barry and everyone reading this with 36 tabs open, let’s recklessly stumble down memory lane. As summer ended and September turned to October, National Guard troops were seen loitering around Navy Yard to make sure the Nats didn’t try to make a last minute run for the wild card. Not to be outdone, Chuck Schumer, in response to a massive groundswell of liberal outrage seven months earlier to literally do anything about the attacks on the District’s main source of employment decided all that standing around looked pretty fun. The government entered a shutdown on October 1 and would stay shutdown for the next 43 days. Nearly 900,000 Federal workers are furloughed. The National Zoo closed. Arena Stage offered free tickets to federal workers for its production of Damn Yankees, which would be fun except that basketball season was starting at the….
End of October
The Wiz start the season with a loss to the Bucks during which the team shows flashes of potential. Kyshawn George drops 21 points. Tre Johnson comes off the bench for 16 points (4-of-8 from three) in his NBA debut, which is the most points by a Wizards rookie in a debut game since 1992. Khris Middleton, the former Buck, is honored during half time while Giannis is seen Googling “apartments in NYC.” The roller coaster of emotions was already picking up speed into the second game of the season against Dallas during which Kyshawn goes 7-of-9 from three and ends with a cool 34 points. Two games in, there was already chatter online about whether or not the team would be too good to tank. League watchers are largely talking about Commissioner Adam Silver announcement that the NBA is moving into an “on-going” review of Kawhi Leonard’s no-show contract with the “sustainability-as-a-service” company Aspiration. This takes us to
November
The government shutdown ends but Alex Sarr’s shutdown of people in the paint is only beginning. Bilal Coulibaly announces that all of his fingers and toes are intact. But the real highlight of the month as everyone is surely still talking about is the Wizards defeat of the Hawks for their first-ever NBA Cup game win. CJ McCollum scores 46 points. Hawks coach Quin Snyder in a post-game presser says, “They think me mad—ownership does; but I'm demoniac, I am madness maddened! That wild madness that's only calm to comprehend itself! ... I now prophesy that I will dismember my dismemberer.” When asked to explain, he says he won’t rest until he has CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert on his team. Adam Silver says the league’s on-going review of Aspiration is now both on-going and active. Here at Wizards Points HQ, we note that the team seems to be reducing its shot attempts as games progress, which is kinda of fishy. The madness continues into…
December
The Wizards win six games in December. They get revenge on the Bucks and beat the Raptors by double digits. The team moves from one-game to two-game winning streaks. Tre Johnson goes 5-for-5 against Phoenix on December 29th. At one point, Drew Gooden says on the broadcast that you can see Alex Sarr “improving 11-minutes at a time,” which makes less sense the more you think about it. Despite the wins and Gooden-isms, the team’s weaknesses are becoming more obvious as they allow roughly 120 points per 100 possessions and Bub Carrington finds ever more innovative ways to throw the ball into the crowd. Cam Whittmore is declared out of the lineup indefinitely with a blood clot that had previously been hindering his ability to pass the ball or get back on defense. Coach Brian Keefe, when asked about the world historical score differentials in the team’s losses, gives a summary of the Wikipedia entry for “basketball,” noting that you’re not allowed to “kick it,” which the team has been working on. The Knicks win the in-season tournament, which everyone is still talking about. Here at WP, we suggested the team should push for the NBA cup as a goal to truly mark the end of the tank era. Elsewhere, the LA Clippers owner Steve Ballmer says he introduced Kawhi to the “Netflix but for trees” company, Aspiration, but didn’t know anything about a contract. Before you can say “trade deadline” it is somehow already…
January
The Wizards send CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert to Atlanta for Trae Young. General Manager Will Dawkins says he’s proud to bring in a player of Young’s caliber but who won’t have functioning knee ligaments for at least until the team makes a few personnel moves. Bub Carrington’s three point shooting improves even as the refs have to tell him to stop passing them the ball. The team announces that they’ll have a John Wall day. This is—and I’m being serious here—probably one of the most meaningful moments of the season. Wall’s exit from DC left everyone with hard feelings. There hasn’t been much to support in DC since Wall’s prime, so bringing him to remind fans of the good times makes sense. The team honored Wall’s time in DC on January 29th and he was brought in to do halftime commentary on Monumental’s TV broadcast. Bringing Wall back into the fold is a way to close on one chapter of the team’s history before truly starting a new one. On the court, history can’t move fast enough. The Wizards continue to get bullied except by the Bucks, where Giannis is heard saying, “eh, I’m walkin’ here!” while wearing a vintage Gem Spa hat and Kyle Kuzma (8 for 18), during a sideline interview, notes that raw milk is the best way to improve your jump shot. DC was hit by a ton of snow, but things really got cold in….
February
The AJ Johnson era in Washington officially comes to end as he is traded to Dallas for Anthony Davis. Khris Middleton, Marvin Bagley, and Malaki Branham (sent to Charlotte) are also swept up in trade, which brings Jaden Hardy, D’Angelo Russell, and Dante Exum to DC, at least on paper. Anthony Davis declares that “DC is a definitely a place with a basketball team” and then quickly returns to Texas because, as Will Dawkins explains, that’s where the doctors are. The Washington Post fires 300 staffers, including most of its sports reporters, which is a real shame because they were doing the lord’s work covering the Wizards. February is a short month, and most of the league was counting down the days until the All Star break, but the Wizards actually had their best month, only giving up 114 points per 100 possessions. February also featured my favorite game of the season, 116-112 bonkers win over the Sacramento Kings. Will Riely played 30 minutes and went 4 for 8 from three, Anthony Gill played 27 minutes and only shot the ball three times, and Coach Brian Keefe announced the team’s entry into post-modern lineups. Did they make sense? No. But in a way, what even is a lineup? More questions were raised in….
March
Trae Young plays more defense than anyone on the Wizards without actually logging minutes when he steps in to support his teammate Jamir Watkins after a bad call. Young is ejected from the game, the crowd goes wild, and it’s clear Trae is down for DC.
This was the month that everyone kept talking about 83, which is approximately how many talking heads had takes about Bam Adebayo’s historic scoring night against DC. Anthony Davis appears on the bench but mostly seems to spend his time texting Giannis screenshots of the trade machine and Googling, “rly fun pranks.” March 25th was the last win of the season for the Wizards against a deeply tanking Utah Jazz. This takes us to the end in…
April
T.S. Elliot called it the cruelest month, but with seven straight losses and a secured last place finish, the month ended as a relief. The team did it. We tanked. We were the best tankers. Truly banner-level stuff. Juju Reese was brought in to play center in a move that started as an obvious publicity stunt to get his famous sister, Angel, to buy a Wizards jersey, but ended up with Juju averaging a double-double in totally pointless games. The Aspiration scandal still hasn’t been resolved. The lottery system has been, if not exactly overhauled, amended. And the Wizards, Jazz, Pacers, and handful of other teams responded to incentives so strongly that it’s likely this will be the last real tanking-as-a-strategy season for at least a few years.
What did we learn this season? The Wizards have re-signed Brian Keefe as coach. Ted Leonsis is still talking about the team like they’re a tech company. We’ve put our hopes and dreams on some ping pong balls and an 19-year old. The team’s big trade moves were for fading, injured stars. It feels like all of those sentences could have been written at any point over the past 15 seasons. Yet, the situation is different. We actually went for it. We tanked. There is no more ‘what if.’ On to summer league and another year of wildly inappropriately high expectations.
Thanks for reading and thanks for sharing. Stay real.