In limited showings, new Washington Wizards guard Jaden Hardy has shown flashes of why he can be a piece in the 2026-27 rotation.
At this stage, the Washington Wizards are simply looking to avoid resetting a franchise mark as they prepare to take their 16 game losing streak to Utah to face the Jazz in a battle of the tanks. The Wizards now sit 0.5 games back from the league's worst record after the Indiana Pacers snapped their 16 game losing streak with a road win over the Orlando Magic on Monday night, inching Washington even closer to the coveted lottery odds for the top overall pick. But big picture, Washington is tasked with avoiding a season even remotely close to the past three.
The midseason trades to acquire both Trae Young and Anthony Davis have drastically changed the outlook for next season with talk of, at a minimum, a play-in appearance as the Wizards look to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2020-21.
While Young briefly returned before re-aggravating his leg injury with the team now patient with both his and Davis' recovery, the only player who has remained a consistent part of the rotation is Jaden Hardy.
In 16 games as a Wizard - all off the bench - Hardy is averaging 12.8 points while shooting over 45% from the field and nearly 43% from three.
He's finished in double figures in all but two games and made at least two threes in 11 of his 16 appearances, including a career best seven made threes on 13 attempts in Sunday's 32-point loss against the New York Knicks.
Sure, someone had to score on Sunday given the Wizards had just nine available given the multiple inactives and Justin Champagnie's suspension for his role in the scuffle against the Thunder. And sure, how much can fans really take away from what has been a brutal stretch of basketball?
But Hardy is showing he can elevate the depth in the backcourt. With Trae Young expected to be fully healthy next season, a potential starting tandem of Trae and Tre Johnson adds an instant perimeter shooting threat that benefits from floor spacing thanks to the frontcourt tandem of Alex Sarr and Anthony Davis. Bilal Coulibaly has shined as of late when available while Will Riley may have the early tag as the X-factor on next year's roster, but Hardy could serve as a spark in the second unit.
Bub Carrington flashed his offensive arsenal after recording a career-high 30 points against the Detroit Pistons, but he's also proven to be a facilitator as he's also fresh off a career-high eight assists. A Carrington-Hardy backcourt with Coulibaly or Riley - or Cam Whitmore, once healthy - on the wing could be enough in the second unit.
What type of role materializes in what should be his first full season with the team still hinges on what moves Washington makes this offseason, including if a guard like Darryn Peterson or others prove to be the team's first pick. As Hardy prepares for year two of a three year, $18 million deal, the former Mavericks guard may have given the Wizards an answer to improve the depth with the rebuild hopefully drawing to a close, like Michael Winger said in January.