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

[payitforward]

Vukcevic is irrelevant.

There's no point in spending development resources, money, time, etc. on someone who doesn't have a high ceiling.

If he's planning to play in Serbia, then he won't be here, & we pick up 2-way slot to use on someone younger with more upside.

[dckingsfan]

I think Tristan Vukcevic has the chance for a breakout year...

...The latter probably makes more sense. Easier to develop strength than quick twitch speed. Given that Sarr has the perimeter skills to guard the outside it’d be good to develop Vuk as an interior defender and rebounder. He’s actually put on some good muscle since Europe. Shows in his rebounding. Trending in this direction would make him a useful player. That and commitment/focus on defense.

Especially since his skills are otherwise nice. Passing. Shooting. Read of the floor. In limited opportunities he’s begun developing a surprising game. If he could see himself as a center on defense and a perimeter guy on offense I’d take the compromise. Previously he’d played as if defense was someone else’s job. Its what got him benched In Euro play and from what I could tell in the g league. His improvement on this end was good to see.

Bagley is penciled in as back up, but I think a focused Vuk could force the issue to take those minutes. I expect if he can play both next to Sarr and in relief, he could easily earn a permanent roster spot instead of a 2 way deal.

It would be awesome if he could "break out". And by that "I mean" continued marginal improvements. That would give him a reasonably high upside.

He does rebound like a PF and not a C. So any improvement on that front would be most welcome! He is good enough as a rim protector roll, defensive rebounding is his kryptonite (and for all of the Wizards at this point).

On the offensive side, he needs to take more shots from 3 and at the rim and less from mid-range. I don't know how the coaches get him there. Otherwise, I think he will be fine on that side of the ball.

And if you think about it, we have three bigs. Vuk, Sarr and Bagley. If Sarr plays mid-60s and Bagley plays mid-50s (yes, that is a huge stretch for him), that means Vuk will get plenty of PT. I think you are right that he could play next to Sarr, so that is additional minutes. I am guessing that he plays 600+ minutes. What is your over/under?

One note: I think it is fine that he is going to play for Serbia this summer (looks like that is a done deal). Playing next to Nikola Jokic and Bogdan Bogdanovic wouldn't hurt his player development in the least.

[Dat2U]

Vukcevic is irrelevant.

There's no point in spending development resources, money, time, etc. on someone who doesn't have a high ceiling.

If he's planning to play in Serbia, then he won't be here, & we pick up 2-way slot to use on someone younger with more upside.

Vuk's rebounding must suck a** for you say this.

I tend to think he has a decent offensive ceiling but his defense is why teams aren't falling over themselves to acquire him or why the Wizards felt comfortable with just a two-way.

If want to see the potential pitfalls of Derik Queen at C, look no further that Tristan as a prime example of what low effort defense looks and plays like. Hopefully, Tristan finds some motivation and so does Queen when he gets healthy.

[payitforward]

Champagnie creates a dilemma. If our goal was to win
and challenge for the playoffs, he makes winning plays
and would challenge for significant minutes. But we
can't afford to win too much. Our ceiling for wins is
to stay no better than 4th worst or risk the wrath of
the lottery gods. It's weird to consider our worst
fear may be that 1-2 or god forbid, more of our 2nd3rd years guys, or Tre perhaps, takes a major leap
and we win enough to cost us our FRP. I think
ultimately Ky and Bilal have higher ceilings than JC
but it's almost because of how he fell in our laps that
he somehow is undervalued and overlooked.

Right now JC is net positive better player than BC/KG.
(And he's closer to being a finished product)
Having said that, it's obviously speculative. And who
knows how good JC might eventually be. It's just weird
having to be careful about the timing of your improvement.

Right now, Justin is the best player on our roster & one of the best young wings in the league. There's no point in disputing this fact; the numbers jump off the screen! Nor does he constitute any kind of "problem" -- any more than Tre will pose a problem if he has a good rookie season.

&, you know what? If Justin repeats or even improves, & Tre is RoY, & all 3 of Sarr/Bub/Ky become above average NBA players at their positions/in their roles, then all of a sudden we'll be done being a bottom dweller; we'll win a bunch of games & go to the playoffs. Lose our '26 R1 pick.

Which would be too bad. Losing the pick, that is.

But, come on... that confluence of events is colossally unlikely.
Moreover, if it did happen, we'd be jumping for joy not mourning the loss of a pick.

But... worry not: it won't happen.

In any case, however you look at it, nothing about Justin Champagnie poses any kind of "dilemma."

[joshuacf]

Vukcevic is irrelevant.

There's no point in spending development resources, money, time, etc. on someone who doesn't have a high ceiling.

If he's planning to play in Serbia, then he won't be here, & we pick up 2-way slot to use on someone younger with more upside.

I disagree, I think he's got a decent ceiling. His poor defense aside, he's got actual basketball skills.

I'd rather give Vuk minutes than some random UDFA lottery ticket prospect.

[dobrojim]

Champagnie creates a dilemma. If our goal was to win
and challenge for the playoffs, he makes winning plays
and would challenge for significant minutes. But we
can't afford to win too much. Our ceiling for wins is
to stay no better than 4th worst or risk the wrath of
the lottery gods. It's weird to consider our worst
fear may be that 1-2 or god forbid, more of our 2nd3rd years guys, or Tre perhaps, takes a major leap
and we win enough to cost us our FRP. I think
ultimately Ky and Bilal have higher ceilings than JC
but it's almost because of how he fell in our laps that
he somehow is undervalued and overlooked.

Right now JC is net positive better player than BC/KG.
(And he's closer to being a finished product)
Having said that, it's obviously speculative. And who
knows how good JC might eventually be. It's just weird
having to be careful about the timing of your improvement.

Right now, Justin is the best player on our roster & one of the best young wings in the league. There's no point in disputing this fact; the numbers jump off the screen! Nor does he constitute any kind of "problem" -- any more than Tre will pose a problem if he has a good rookie season.

&, you know what? If Justin repeats or even improves, & Tre is RoY, & all 3 of Sarr/Bub/Ky become above average NBA players at their positions/in their roles, then all of a sudden we'll be done being a bottom dweller; we'll win a bunch of games & go to the playoffs. Lose our '26 R1 pick.

Which would be too bad. Losing the pick, that is.

But, come on... that confluence of events is colossally unlikely.
Moreover, if it did happen, we'd be jumping for joy not mourning the loss of a pick.

But... worry not: it won't happen.

In any case, however you look at it, nothing about Justin Champagnie poses any kind of "dilemma."

If he, along with his teammates, start winning too
much, that is a difficult situation with their FRP
which has a solid chance of eventually being the
best player on the team, at stake. Could they move on
successfully from there? Of course they could. But
would their long term team success be helped? That's
not nearly as clear. It sounds like there are 4-5
potential difference makers in the 26 draft. It'd be
really helpful to not miss out on every one of them.

[Northwest Roddy]

As an eternal optimist, i think this team could win more games than expected. Therefore, i recommend we bring back Johnny Davis as the 12 man and insert him whenever we get a fourth quarter lead and our record isn’t bottom four.

[doclinkin]

Vukcevic is irrelevant.

There's no point in spending development resources, money, time, etc. on someone who doesn't have a high ceiling.

If he's planning to play in Serbia, then he won't be here, & we pick up 2-way slot to use on someone younger with more upside.

Eurobasket is late August. Sarr and Coulibaly are playing too.

Vukcevic has shown offensive upside and defensive lack. He has made incremental improvements. Especially compared to his Euro play. Seems to be getting stronger.

If he sucks but has any chance to improve then absolutely it makes sense to play him. That way we bank losses and possibly grow an upside talent. No point writing off a kid who is playing cheap. Helps us earn lotto balls. And is showing improvement. Interesting after all this time you’ve found that crystal ball you swore you didn’t have and know for certain the kid will never grow more.

We will see. I think he still has upside as a stretch 5. If he commits to playing 5. Only. On defense. I see his flaw is similar to others on the team: he needs to get stronger. And learn how to play the role he’s best suited for. Again as with others whose numbers are hurt by the role they play: his rebounding is anemic because he’s spending too much time on the perimeter. Fine for Sarr because he can move out there. Not for Vuk. On defense. Because he can’t keep up.

Whatever. We have 82 games for 3 centers. Kid will have an opportunity to see what he can do.

[DCZards]

I think Tristan Vukcevic has the chance for a breakout year.

I don’t see him on the roster for the Serbian team (nor Greek, Italian, or Sweden — all of which he’s eligible for). With the extra time I’d like to see him spend every minute he can in the weight room. Or Flexibility. Yoga training. He either needs to get quicker in lateral movement or thicker and tougher in the paint.

The latter probably makes more sense. Easier to develop strength than quick twitch speed. Given that Sarr has the perimeter skills to guard the outside it’d be good to develop Vuk as an interior defender and rebounder. He’s actually put on some good muscle since Europe. Shows in his rebounding. Trending in this direction would make him a useful player. That and commitment/focus on defense.

Especially since his skills are otherwise nice. Passing. Shooting. Read of the floor. In limited opportunities he’s begun developing a surprising game. If he could see himself as a center on defense and a perimeter guy on offense I’d take the compromise. Previously he’d played as if defense was someone else’s job. It's what got him benched In Euro play and from what I could tell in the g league. His improvement on this end was good to see.

I’ve been impressed by some of the versatility that Vuk has shown on offense. Seen him knock down 3s and short jumpers AND take defenders off the dribble.

I agree that his best chance to be a real contributor is if he gets bigger and stronger and displays an ability to rebound better and defend in the paint.

And you’re right—let Cam be Cam...as you've suggested in another post. It’s pretty obvious that that would be the best way to take advantage of his immense offensive upside.

[payitforward]

Vukcevic is irrelevant.

There's no point in spending development resources, money, time, etc. on someone who doesn't have a high ceiling.

If he's planning to play in Serbia, then he won't be here, & we pick up 2-way slot to use on someone younger with more upside.

I disagree, I think he's got a decent ceiling. His poor defense aside, he's got actual basketball skills.

I'd rather give Vuk minutes than some random UDFA lottery ticket prospect.

IOW, you'd rather give Vuk minutes than som unnamed guy whom you've pre-defined as worse than Vuk, is thay it?
Hard to disagree.

But, back here in the real world, guys with an unfixable problem in their game are gone from the league in a couple years.

Back to Serbia, Vuk! Don't let the door hit ya on the backside as you're leaving!

[payitforward]

...let Cam be Cam...to take advantage of his immense offensive upside.

Isn't there at least some problem w/ that plan? After all, 2 years of Cam being Cam led the team that drafted him in R1 to give away a pair of R2 picks just to get rid of him!

As they say, a leopard can't change his spots. All the same, I hope Cam can add some court awareness and defense to his bag.

[payitforward]

oh h3ll, why be negative?

I have high hopes for Cam, that's for sure. &, who knows, maybe Vuk has been spending time being coached up on defense!

[AFM]

Yeah, I was gonna say...wake up on the wrong side of the bed this morning?

[DCZards]

...let Cam be Cam...to take advantage of his immense offensive upside.

Isn't there at least some problem w/ that plan? After all, 2 years of Cam being Cam led the team that drafted him in R1 to give away a pair of R2 picks just to get rid of him!

As they say, a leopard can't change his spots. All the same, I hope Cam can add some court awareness and defense to his bag.

From what I’ve read and heard, that was the problem in Houston. They were not in a position to let the 20 yr old Cam play through his mistakes. Unlike the Zards, the Rockets were competing for a top seed in the playoffs.

And the Rockets also had a couple of other very young top picks (Green & Thompson) who needed the opportunity to play through their mistakes.

Yes, Cam needs to get better in those areas you point out. But he also needs to be set free to do what he does best, which is score and get to the basket.

Talented players get traded all the time—and it’s not always as simple as it’s because a team just wants “to get rid of him.”

[doclinkin]

Back to Serbia, Vuk! Don't let the door hit ya on the backside as you're leaving!

My friend. Once again. He is on the Serbian national team for the Euro championships. He’s not exiled overseas or quitting the team. He’s still signed by the Wizards. Still earning a paycheck here. Might as well find something positive to say about him for as long as he’s here.

[doclinkin]

oh h3ll, why be negative?

I have high hopes for Cam, that's for sure. &, who knows, maybe Vuk has been spending time being coached up on defense!

There you go.

[payitforward]

...let Cam be Cam...to take advantage of his immense offensive upside.

Isn't there at least some problem w/ that plan? After all, 2 years of Cam being Cam led the team that drafted him in R1 to give away a pair of R2 picks just to get rid of him!

As they say, a leopard can't change his spots. All the same, I hope Cam can add some court awareness and defense to his bag.

From what I’ve read and heard, that was the problem in Houston. They were not in a position to let the 20 yr old Cam play through his mistakes. Unlike the Zards, the Rockets were competing for a top seed in the playoffs.

And the Rockets also had a couple of other very young top picks (Green & Thompson) who needed the opportunity to play through their mistakes.

Yes, Cam needs to get better in those areas you point out. But he also needs to be set free to do what he does best, which is score and get to the basket.

Talented players get traded all the time—and it’s not always as simple as it’s because a team just wants “to get rid of him.”

Fair enough! &, to be clear, acquiring Cam for nothing was an absolutely incredible move!

[payitforward]

Back to Serbia, Vuk! Don't let the door hit ya on the backside as you're leaving!

My friend. Once again. He is on the Serbian national team for the Euro championships. He’s not exiled overseas or quitting the team. He’s still signed by the Wizards. Still earning a paycheck here. Might as well find something positive to say about him for as long as he’s here.

Absolutely! Go Tristan Vukčević...!!

[dckingsfan]

Back to Serbia, Vuk! Don't let the door hit ya on the backside as you're leaving!

My friend. Once again. He is on the Serbian national team for the Euro championships. He’s not exiled overseas or quitting the team. He’s still signed by the Wizards. Still earning a paycheck here. Might as well find something positive to say about him for as long as he’s here.

Absolutely! Go Tristan Vukčević...!!

[penbeast0]

...let Cam be Cam...to take advantage of his immense offensive upside.

Isn't there at least some problem w/ that plan? After all, 2 years of Cam being Cam led the team that drafted him in R1 to give away a pair of R2 picks just to get rid of him!

As they say, a leopard can't change his spots. All the same, I hope Cam can add some court awareness and defense to his bag.

From what I’ve read and heard, that was the problem in Houston. They were not in a position to let the 20 yr old Cam play through his mistakes. Unlike the Zards, the Rockets were competing for a top seed in the playoffs.

And the Rockets also had a couple of other very young top picks (Green & Thompson) who needed the opportunity to play through their mistakes.

Yes, Cam needs to get better in those areas you point out. But he also needs to be set free to do what he does best, which is score and get to the basket.

Talented players get traded all the time—and it’s not always as simple as it’s because a team just wants “to get rid of him.”

This is the lineup thread. Whose minutes is Cam going to take? Our other forwards are George, Coulibaly, Middleton, Champagnie, Kispert, and Will Riley. If Middleton is healthy, that means he is probably looking at taking Champagnie's minutes which would be a shame (unless it works of course). I guess we could use him at backup center ahead of Bagley and Vuc for the tank; he is one of the thickest players on the team though only 6'7.