2025-26 Lineup Thread -- How's it shakin out?

[DCZards]

McCollum is starting over Bub or Tre (for trade purposes) and Kispert should play over Champagnie. You'll never be able to move Kispert if he rides the pine.

Also, why not play Vukcevic over the caveman? We might as well throw him in the deep end and see if he can swim.

McCollum will probably start over Tre both for trade purposes and to break the rookie in slowly.

The good news is that CJ is much better at playing off-the-ball than Poole, which will allow Bub to be the primary ball handler.

Bub played his best when Poole was out the last several games of the season and he was allowed to run the offense…and not defer to Poole.

[AWIZZINGBULLET]

https://sports.yahoo.com/article/washington-wizards-starting-lineup-full-164404664.html

"With the recent trade that sent Jordan Poole and Saddiq Bey to the New Orleans Pelicans in exchange for CJ McCollum and Kelly Olynyk, the Wizards’ starting five now looks more like a “2017 All-Star reserves” lineup than the youthful rebuild many expected.

The projected starting lineup heading into the 2025–26 season is:

PG - Marcus Smart

SG - CJ McCollum

SF - Khris Middleton

PF - Kelly Olynyk

C - Alex Sarr

..."

lol, there's no chance that all 4 of those vets start.

First of all, even if it was a pure meritocracy, Bilal is absolutely a better player than either Marcus Smart or Kelly Olynyk, so he definitely takes one of their spots. And secondly, we obviously care more about developing talent than riding old guys to a 30-win season, so that's going to be a factor in general. I think that will mean that Johnson or Carrington starts, if not both. Finally, Olynyk at age 34 can't be expected to log heavy minutes, so rather than start him at PF, he will come off the bench to play backup 5 when Sarr sits.

My guess is that the starting lineup will be this:

PG Carrington/McCollum*
SG Johnson/Smart
SF Coulibaly/Champagnie
PF Middleton/George
C Sarr/Olynyk
End of bench: AJ, Kispert*, Riley, Dillon Jones, Vukcevic

But it's possible that McCollum starts over Bub. And it's possible that Kispert stays ahead of Champagnie in the rotation until Kispert is eventually traded.

I can’t remember coming across a worse write-up ever…for any sport.

[nate33]

https://sports.yahoo.com/article/washington-wizards-starting-lineup-full-164404664.html

"With the recent trade that sent Jordan Poole and Saddiq Bey to the New Orleans Pelicans in exchange for CJ McCollum and Kelly Olynyk, the Wizards’ starting five now looks more like a “2017 All-Star reserves” lineup than the youthful rebuild many expected.

The projected starting lineup heading into the 2025–26 season is:

PG - Marcus Smart

SG - CJ McCollum

SF - Khris Middleton

PF - Kelly Olynyk

C - Alex Sarr

..."

lol, there's no chance that all 4 of those vets start.

First of all, even if it was a pure meritocracy, Bilal is absolutely a better player than either Marcus Smart or Kelly Olynyk, so he definitely takes one of their spots. And secondly, we obviously care more about developing talent than riding old guys to a 30-win season, so that's going to be a factor in general. I think that will mean that Johnson or Carrington starts, if not both. Finally, Olynyk at age 34 can't be expected to log heavy minutes, so rather than start him at PF, he will come off the bench to play backup 5 when Sarr sits.

My guess is that the starting lineup will be this:

PG Carrington/McCollum*
SG Johnson/Smart
SF Coulibaly/Champagnie
PF Middleton/George
C Sarr/Olynyk
End of bench: AJ, Kispert*, Riley, Dillon Jones, Vukcevic

But it's possible that McCollum starts over Bub. And it's possible that Kispert stays ahead of Champagnie in the rotation until Kispert is eventually traded.

I can’t remember coming across a worse write-up ever…for any sport.

I'm hoping you are referring to that Yahoo article and not my post.

[AWIZZINGBULLET]

lol, there's no chance that all 4 of those vets start.

First of all, even if it was a pure meritocracy, Bilal is absolutely a better player than either Marcus Smart or Kelly Olynyk, so he definitely takes one of their spots. And secondly, we obviously care more about developing talent than riding old guys to a 30-win season, so that's going to be a factor in general. I think that will mean that Johnson or Carrington starts, if not both. Finally, Olynyk at age 34 can't be expected to log heavy minutes, so rather than start him at PF, he will come off the bench to play backup 5 when Sarr sits.

My guess is that the starting lineup will be this:

PG Carrington/McCollum*
SG Johnson/Smart
SF Coulibaly/Champagnie
PF Middleton/George
C Sarr/Olynyk
End of bench: AJ, Kispert*, Riley, Dillon Jones, Vukcevic

But it's possible that McCollum starts over Bub. And it's possible that Kispert stays ahead of Champagnie in the rotation until Kispert is eventually traded.

I can’t remember coming across a worse write-up ever…for any sport.

I'm hoping you are referring to that Yahoo article and not my post.

Definitely talking about the Yahoo article. Lol

[dckingsfan]

https://sports.yahoo.com/article/washington-wizards-starting-lineup-full-164404664.html

"With the recent trade that sent Jordan Poole and Saddiq Bey to the New Orleans Pelicans in exchange for CJ McCollum and Kelly Olynyk, the Wizards’ starting five now looks more like a “2017 All-Star reserves” lineup than the youthful rebuild many expected.

The projected starting lineup heading into the 2025–26 season is:

PG - Marcus Smart

SG - CJ McCollum

SF - Khris Middleton

PF - Kelly Olynyk

C - Alex Sarr

..."

lol, there's no chance that all 4 of those vets start.

First of all, even if it was a pure meritocracy, Bilal is absolutely a better player than either Marcus Smart or Kelly Olynyk, so he definitely takes one of their spots. And secondly, we obviously care more about developing talent than riding old guys to a 30-win season, so that's going to be a factor in general. I think that will mean that Johnson or Carrington starts, if not both. Finally, Olynyk at age 34 can't be expected to log heavy minutes, so rather than start him at PF, he will come off the bench to play backup 5 when Sarr sits.

My guess is that the starting lineup will be this:

PG Carrington/McCollum*
SG Johnson/Smart
SF Coulibaly/Champagnie
PF Middleton/George
C Sarr/Olynyk
End of bench: AJ, Kispert*, Riley, Dillon Jones, Vukcevic

But it's possible that McCollum starts over Bub. And it's possible that Kispert stays ahead of Champagnie in the rotation until Kispert is eventually traded.

Holmes?

[dckingsfan]

I could also see

G: Carrington/Johnson/Smart/McCollum
With no particular PG.

F: Sarr/Coulibaly/Middleton/Champagnie/George
Letting Sarr move to his more natural PF position. George stays in the rotation becuase Middleton will get injured.

C: Holmes/Olynyk/Vukcevic
Keeping a defensive rebounder as a starter

Out of rotation: AJ, Kispert, Riley, Jones

[leswizards]

Then the vet/mentors should be starting and getting the majority of the minutes, in order to drive up their trade value and so that the youngsters can learn a valuable lesson about the nba that it is long past time that they learn (ie, if you are not the best option to help the team win, you are going to find your ass pinned to the end of the bench).

I disagree. The young players need reps and playing experience. That's the easiest way for them to get better.

Plus, GM's around the league know what vets like Smart, Middleton, and CJ look and play like. They just need to prove they're healthy.

Exactly.

If anything, play the vets off the bench so they can pad their stats and on/off ratings against second-string competition, which will boost their trade value while limiting their minutes and keeping them healthy for a trade.

Only thing the Wizards are teaching the youngsters right now is how to be a bunch of losers.

And what provides better learning experience, throwing them out their to routinely fall behind by 20 points in the first half, or to come into a competitive game where they have to work there arses off to keep the game competitive or let the veterans down.

[leswizards]

I disagree. The young players need reps and playing experience. That's the easiest way for them to get better.

Plus, GM's around the league know what vets like Smart, Middleton, and CJ look and play like. They just need to prove they're healthy.

Exactly.

If anything, play the vets off the bench so they can pad their stats and on/off ratings against second-string competition, which will boost their trade value while limiting their minutes and keeping them healthy for a trade.

Only thing the Wizards are teaching the youngsters right now is how to be a bunch of losers.

And what provides better learning experience, throwing them out their to routinely fall behind by 20 points in the first half, or to come into a competitive game where they have to work there arses off to keep the game competitive or let the veterans down.

Additionally, I doubt any athlete enjoys knowing that they are going almost certainly lose at least 60% of the games, and that not only are they going to lose those games, but the organization is actually content with losing and making choices which makes it more likely that the team will lose. It drains the soul, and the passion, and certainly does not inspire the athlete to give his all.

[payitforward]

Wow... Veteran mentors?
McCollum is on the team, bc he got us out of Poole's contract. I don't care if he ever plays.
Ditto Olynyk.

Their value, like that of Smart and Middleton, consists in whatever draft capital we wind up getting for them. Nada mas.

It's natural to start building patterns out of all your elements, but in this case it's kind of irrelevant. The guys we need to see are Bub, Champagnie, TJohnson, Sarr, Bilal, & George for at least 2k minutes each. Plus Riley, Jones, AJohnson, Martin, Watkins and Kadary for whatever they can handle.

Thats 16 of whom 2 (Martin and Kadary) would be 2-way, leaving room for Holmes, if we want to retain him, or for another player.

[payitforward]

I disagree. The young players need reps and playing experience. That's the easiest way for them to get better.

Plus, GM's around the league know what vets like Smart, Middleton, and CJ look and play like. They just need to prove they're healthy.

Exactly.

If anything, play the vets off the bench so they can pad their stats and on/off ratings against second-string competition, which will boost their trade value while limiting their minutes and keeping them healthy for a trade.

Only thing the Wizards are teaching the youngsters right now is how to be a bunch of losers. ....

Respectfully, I must disagree.
How much damage was done to KD, for example, by Seattle's 20-win season his rookie year?

[Dat2U]

How I would align the roster/rotation atm. I would mix/match the vets with young guys to at least start the season and instill some good habits. I would look to upgrade two of the Two-way spots.

PG C.J. McCollum (24) .... Bub Carrington (24)
SG Tre Johnson (28) ........ Marcus Smart (20)
SF Bilal Coulibaly (28)....... Corey Kispert (20)
PF Khris Middleton (20) ... Kyshawn George (28)
CE Alex Sarr (28) ............... Tristan Vukcevic (20)

PG A.J. Johnson ............... Kadary Richmond (ex-10)
SG Will Riley ...................... Jamir Watkins (TW)
SF Dillon Jones ................. Jaylen Martin (TW)
PF Justin Champagnie ...... P.J. Thor (TW)
CE Kelly Olynyk .................. Richaun Holmes (cut)

[nate33]

How I would align the roster/rotation atm. I would mix/match the vets with young guys to at least start the season and instill some good habits. I would look to upgrade two of the Two-way spots.

PG C.J. McCollum (24) .... Bub Carrington (24)
SG Tre Johnson (28) ........ Marcus Smart (20)
SF Bilal Coulibaly (28)....... Corey Kispert (20)
PF Khris Middleton (20) ... Kyshawn George (28)
CE Alex Sarr (28) ............... Tristan Vukcevic (20)

That's my thinking too. Except I might play Olynyk in place of Vukcevic early on.

Sooner or later, Khris Middleton will get hurt, which will open up some minutes for Champagnie and maybe Riley. I'd also be shopping Kispert to move him for any pick capital I could get.

If Bub and/or AJ start looking real good, I'd start them in place of McCollum by the middle of the season.

[leswizards]

Exactly.

If anything, play the vets off the bench so they can pad their stats and on/off ratings against second-string competition, which will boost their trade value while limiting their minutes and keeping them healthy for a trade.

Only thing the Wizards are teaching the youngsters right now is how to be a bunch of losers. ....

Respectfully, I must disagree.
How much damage was done to KD, for example, by Seattle's 20-win season his rookie year?

First, I am sure he hated losing as much as any athlete does.

Second, that situation was entirely different from what people are proposing here. 3 youngsters (kd, Jeff green and some other player) got a lot of minutes, but the vast majority of minutes went to veterans. People are proposing the exact opposite here.

Third, kd’s team had 50 wins by his third season. What I see people proposing here is they hope and think the Wizards will have one of the worst records in the nba again next season, and maybe even the season after that, which means three or four straight seasons of being awful. That kind of consistent losing will tax a person.

[payitforward]

How I would align the roster/rotation atm. I would mix/match the vets with young guys to at least start the season and instill some good habits. I would look to upgrade two of the Two-way spots.

PG C.J. McCollum (24) .... Bub Carrington (24)
SG Tre Johnson (28) ........ Marcus Smart (20)
SF Bilal Coulibaly (28)....... Corey Kispert (20)
PF Khris Middleton (20) ... Kyshawn George (28)
CE Alex Sarr (28) ............... Tristan Vukcevic (20)

vuk is on a 2 way deal

[payitforward]

...
PG A.J. Johnson ............... Kadary Richmond (ex-10)
SG Will Riley ...................... Jamir Watkins (TW)
SF Dillon Jones ................. Jaylen Martin (TW)
PF Justin Champagnie ...... P.J. Thor (TW)
CE Kelly Olynyk .................. Richaun Holmes (cut)

exhibit 10 is a camp deal -- no kind of roster spot.

[dobrojim]

I think a mindless AI bot wrote that article.

[payitforward]

Only thing the Wizards are teaching the youngsters right now is how to be a bunch of losers. ....

Respectfully, I must disagree.
How much damage was done to KD, for example, by Seattle's 20-win season his rookie year?

First, I am sure he hated losing as much as any athlete does.

Second, that situation was entirely different from what people are proposing here. 3 youngsters (kd, Jeff green and some other player) got a lot of minutes, but the vast majority of minutes went to veterans. People are proposing the exact opposite here.

Third, kd’s team had 50 wins by his third season. What I see people proposing here is they hope and think the Wizards will have one of the worst records in the nba again next season, and maybe even the season after that, which means three or four straight seasons of being awful. That kind of consistent losing will tax a person.

Sure. Fans too.

This is a players' league. Teams are as good as their players.

If there was another way to turn this mess around, better players for Will to have picked, I'm sure we'd all like to hear about it.

If we could have picked the equal of KD in '23, i am sure u and I wd have been happy.

rinse and repeat the following year --a russell westbrook equivalent.

ditto year 3 of the rebuild -- a james harden equivalent!
great!

But that's as far as it goes.

And, as far as I can tell, there was no KD-level player on the board at our spot in 2023, no Russ-level player in '24, and no Harden-level guy to pick at our spot last week -- unless you think Tre is Harden-like. Wd be great if so!

[payitforward]

In other words, while i understand and share your pain as a long-suffering Wizards fan, i struggle to identify your critique.

What should we have done, what should we be doing, that's different. Specifically.

[closg00]

How I would align the roster/rotation atm. I would mix/match the vets with young guys to at least start the season and instill some good habits. I would look to upgrade two of the Two-way spots.

PG C.J. McCollum (24) .... Bub Carrington (24)
SG Tre Johnson (28) ........ Marcus Smart (20)
SF Bilal Coulibaly (28)....... Corey Kispert (20)
PF Khris Middleton (20) ... Kyshawn George (28)
CE Alex Sarr (28) ............... Tristan Vukcevic (20)

vuk is on a 2 way deal

The Wizard have extended the two-way offer, but he has not accepted the offer as of this post, looking for more than a two-way offer most-likely.

[closg00]

How I would align the roster/rotation atm. I would mix/match the vets with young guys to at least start the season and instill some good habits. I would look to upgrade two of the Two-way spots.

PG C.J. McCollum (24) .... Bub Carrington (24)
SG Tre Johnson (28) ........ Marcus Smart (20)
SF Bilal Coulibaly (28)....... Corey Kispert (20)
PF Khris Middleton (20) ... Kyshawn George (28)
CE Alex Sarr (28) ............... Tristan Vukcevic (20)

PG A.J. Johnson ............... Kadary Richmond (ex-10)
SG Will Riley ...................... Jamir Watkins (TW)
SF Dillon Jones ................. Jaylen Martin (TW)
PF Justin Champagnie ...... P.J. Thor (TW)
CE Kelly Olynyk .................. Richaun Holmes (cut)

The burly Dillion Jones could probably play some PF, I imagine we won't see much of Khris Middleton this year