The Washington Wizards are suddenly looking like a team with options. And John Wall, the franchise’s all-time leading scorer, already knows how he’d line them up.
Wall gave his take on the Wizards’ starting five after Washington used the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft on AJ Dybantsa. The five-star prospect out of Utah is expected to slide in immediately alongside a rebuilt core that now includes Trae Young, Anthony Davis, Alex Sarr and Kyshawn George. But with that much talent comes lineup questions. Wall doesn’t think the decisions are all that complicated.
“I’m starting Trae Young, Kyshawn, AJ, AD, Sarr,” Wall said, via The Team 980 on X. “If AD’s gone (injured), I move AJ to the four, I move Kyshawn to the three, I put Tre Johnson at the two. I want more spacing out there. I need catch and shoot guys out there with Trae Young.”
The Wizards have built this thing fast. Two years ago they were in the lottery mud. Now they’ve got a projected starting five that, on paper, looks like it could grab a top-six seed in the East. Young running the show with Davis in the frontcourt and Dybantsa as a versatile scoring wing gives them three legitimate offensive threats. George and Sarr provide length and defense on the other end. It’s not a perfect lineup — the bench still needs a reliable backup big — but it’s a real one.
If that five sticks, head coach Brian Keefe will have to manage some serious depth. Tre Johnson, Bub Carrington, Bilal Coulibaly and Will Riley would all come off the bench. That’s four guys with serious upside who could start on a lot of teams. The Wizards also have Justin Champagnie and D’Angelo Russell for extra minutes. That’s not just depth. That’s a rotation that can survive injuries and still win games.
The biggest question is still health. Anthony Davis has never played a full season. Young has been durable but takes a beating every night. Sarr is still developing an offensive game. If Keefe can keep this group on the floor for 65-plus games, Washington might be more than a play-in team. They could be a problem.
Of course, training camp will sort a lot of this out. But Wall’s version isn’t bad. And for a franchise that’s spent years searching for an identity, having too many good players is a nice problem to have.
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