I know a lot of people clown the Washington Wizards, who have long been seen alongside the Charlotte Hornets and Brooklyn Nets as the laughingstocks of the Eastern Conference. Though I\u2019d be lying if I said I\u2019m not a bit impressed with how they\u2019re approaching their future. Now, I\u2019m not saying Washington is outdoing the Raptors \u2014 that\u2019s not the case at all; Toronto clearly eclipses them.<\/p>\n
But it\u2019s the strategy they\u2019ve put in place that really piques my interest. See, the Wizards have thankfully found some talented building block for the future, like Bub Carrington, Bilal Coulibaly, Kyshawn George, and Alex Sarr. Not to mention, they\u2019ve added some new faces like Tre Johnson (who I absolutely loved in the pre-draft process) and Cam Whitmore via the Houston Rockets. <\/p>\n
It’s clear that the Wizards have an abundance of fresh talent, showing they’re in a much better spot than years past, but just as important as developing their pieces, they have two seasoned veterans \u2014 Khris Middleton and CJ McCollum \u2014 who could be crucial mentors for the young core.<\/p>\n
I started to notice the Wizards when they were quickly adding a sort of clunky mix of vets, including Marcus Smart and Kelly Olynyk for a brief stint before they moved on. This strategy of pairing a strong young core with proven veterans has largely proven to be a solid foundation for teams looking to turn their fortunes around. I\u2019m not saying it\u2019ll happen overnight in Washington, but just look at the Oklahoma City Thunder once upon a time or the Detroit Pistons I emphasized heavily last season: the influence of veteran leadership is crucial.<\/p>\n
Raptors missed early opportunities on building young core alongside crafty veterans<\/p>\n
I think everyone knows Middleton and McCollum are well past their prime, mostly sticking around in Washington for the short-term \u2014 until they’re eventually flipped for more assets or waived outright so they can sign with a contender and squeeze out what’s left of their careers. But like I mentioned earlier, why not use Middleton to mentor Coulibaly in the meantime, or McCollum alongside Carrington? Just tossing out some potential pairings. <\/p>\n
To me, I think the Raptors missed a major opportunity by not adopting a similar strategy years ago, especially in the aftermath of their 2019-title run. The 2020-21 or 2021-22 seasons would have been ideal times for Toronto to pivot with a revised vision, focusing on stockpiling the right young talent and identifying veterans who could fill gaps and serve as mentors.<\/p>\n
Instead, they largely clung to what was left from their championship days, sometimes biting the bullet on deals where they were paying way too much for little reward: a strategy ESPN highlighted as the Raptors\u2019 biggest blunder of the 2020s<\/a>. Imagine if Toronto had prioritized building through the draft earlier, perhaps keeping Kyle Lowry longer or taking a chance on bringing in veterans as salary dumps to see what they could contribute in the interim, then opting for buyouts or letting contracts expire.<\/p>\n