The Washington Wizards will kick off the 2026 NBA Summer League slate on Thursday night as new and returning pieces look to gel
After flying to Las Vegas on Wednesday, the Washington Wizards are set to kick off their 2026 Summer League slate on Thursday with some headliners, some returners, and some new names all looking to settle in along the roster.
With a handful of Go-Go players and undrafted free agents rounding out a roster headlined by several returning pieces, the new-look Wizards will look to put together early signs of encouragement.
This time of year, the scores may matter much less than the individual development and on-court chemistry as the front office evaluates the full roster. Don't say that to Tre Johnson, though, who pointed to wins and losses as a measure of success in Summer League.
"It's wins and losses for me as a group," Johnson said during Tuesday's media availability.
Yet the chance to watch film individually to analyze his offseason progress against another opponent also highlights what he can hope to build on through the month.
Johnson isn't the only one though as the growth of players like Will Riley and Jamir Watkins, how AJ Dybantsa and Felix Okpara fare in their first unofficial showings in the NBA, or who can round out the Capital City Go-Go roster for the upcoming 2026-27 season are among the prominent storylines for Washington. Yet with T.J. Sorrentine also settling in as the Summer League head coach for the first time in his career, there's already been signs of encouragement ahead of game one.
Sorrentine pointed to the growth from both Tre Johnson and Will Riley through the offseason while he's looking ahead to "see them implement that two-way presence" while stepping into leaderships roles in their second season. That matters to Riley, who's made a leadership role a goal for the week.
"I feel like I really want to focus on trying to lead because I know all the players, I know all the stuff. I've just got to help lead and help the younger guys and the guys who don't know it," Riley added.
Johnson pointed to the ability to play up to ten fouls adds the opportunity to be "physical on defense" with the commitment to defense part of his advice to rookies.
"Play hard on defense. I feel like defense can get your offense going," Johnson said.
That includes Dybantsa using his length, or Okpara being a paint presence in their first appearances as Wizards.
"Anything around the rim is not getting there. Unless it's hitting the backboard first, it's not getting there," Johnson said of Okpara, while Will Riley also pointed to the former Tennessee forward being a strong pick-and-roll defender.
"He's so athletic so he's able to stay in front of guys and probably guard one through four."
While the Wizards have shown Sorrentine they're "comfortable" with several players already familiar with the system, the voices of both Dybantsa and Okpara "have been heard" in their early days as Wizards. Johnson pointed to that as a sign of effort as the pair of rookies adjust to life in the NBA.
"If you'll do it or not, I don't feel like talking is changing from college to NBA, it's just if you're gonna do it or not," Johnson said about the biggest difference between college and NBA.
With anticipation surrounding the matchup between AJ Dybantsa and Darryn Peterson, the top two picks in last month's draft, just how close is Washington to finalizing its starting lineup?
"Pretty close," Sorrentine said. "I think we got a good idea of where we're at. We'll refine that, probably on a plane [Wednesday] to Vegas with our staff, and then we'll lock it in at shootaround that morning of the game."
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