The Washington Wizards have struggled to find their lead guard ever since the John Wall and Russell Westbrook trades. From Spencer Dinwiddie to Tyus Jones to Jordan Poole to now Bub Carrington, it’s been a rocky road.
In today’s NBA, advantage creation and playmaking are as important as ever, so who can take the mantle from the former 2010s greats?
Bub Carrington
Bub Carrington has struggled heavily to start the year. After Bilal Coulibaly returned, Bub lost his starting spot, and the Wizards have given him just one start since then.
Carrington’s minutes have decreased throughout the year; he’s averaging less than 20 over the last two weeks. Even with his limited minutes, Carrington has been rough. He is averaging just 6.5 points on 36.1% from the field, and a mind-blowing 27.6% on twos.
Bub struggled to get into the paint in his rookie season, and it’s gotten even worse this year.
This doesn’t mean Wizards fans should give up on Bub Carrington yet. The front office cleared up guard minutes by trading Poole to help Bub. They trusted him to start the year, and there’s a genuine reason for that.
Carrington showed a lot of great signs in his rookie year as an elite mid-range scorer. Will Dawkins surrendered too many assets for Bub to give up on a 20-year-old point guard just 100 games into his career.
2026 Draft
The upcoming draft features tons of very encouraging lead guards — the No. 1 overall prospect is combo guard Darryn Peterson.
Labeled by some as the best guard prospect in decades, Peterson shot up draft boards in his last year of high school. At Kansas, esteemed head coach Bill Self even proclaimed Peterson is “the best player we’ve recruited since being here.”
Peterson has started his collegiate career solidly, averaging 21.5 points on 73.4% true shooting before he suffered a hamstring injury.
There have been other point guards turning heads as well, notably Labaron Philon. The second-year Alabama star stayed in college after considering entering the draft earlier this year, and his draft stock has quickly ascended. Philon is averaging 20.7 points and 5.7 assists on 61.4% true shooting for the eighth-ranked Crimson Tide. At 6-foot-4, Philon has nice size, but can also handle the ball and shoot at an elite rate.
Mikel Brown Jr. dominated the FIBA U19 tournament this summer, leading Team USA in points and assists despite being on the same team as AJ Dybantsa. Kingston Flemings has also impressed for the elite Houston Cougars. Flemings is an absurdly good scorer on multiple levels, while thriving on a defensively minded team.
Free Agency
The Wizards are projected to have a league-high $80 million in cap space next offseason. The front office focused on financial flexibility, and brought in veterans on contracts expiring in 2026 in CJ McCollum and Khris Middleton. With no guarantee of a top pick and questions around Carrington, Dawkins may decide to use that cap on a point guard.
Coby White may reach an awkward spot in Chicago. With Giddey ascending to a career-high 26.1% usage rate, the Bulls may want to decide between Giddey and White. Coby White could also likely just get more money in Washington. A proven point guard who has shown signs of quasi-stardom over the last couple of seasons could get the opportunity to break out in the district.
Austin Reaves is also another target for Washington. While Reaves is much more of a pipe dream, he will have his first opportunity to get a big payday next season. No team can offer more money than Washington.
Other potential dream options could be LaMelo Ball or Ja Morant, if their situations continue to get worse.
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