Bub Carrington's unwavering availability fuels his mixed results. See how his shooting surge and playmaking struggles define his Wizards journey.
Bub Carrington is two years into his NBA career. In just two seasons, he's played in numerous different positions and roles. The one constant? The fact that he always plays.
Carrington has played all 164 games in his career, becoming the second player in franchise history to play in every game through the first two seasons of their career. Wes Unseld Sr. is the only other player to do so.
When it comes to his production on the floor, the results are mixed and somewhat polarizing.
Year number two saw a massive uptick in Carrington's production shooting from behind the arc. He shot 40% from three on 6.6 attempts per game, which marked a 7% increase in production. His ability to knock down threes is important for his outlook as a player.
Throughout the year, Carrington and the Wizards have experimented with his fit as the team's lead guard. With that, his turnover rate increased to 3 per night in his second season. As a playmaker, Carrington had his moments where he showed poise and control at the position. However, he still needs plenty of work generating paint touches and breaking down defenses.
Additionally, a slow start to the year occurred for Carrington, potentially due to him playing within a new role as a point guard. In October and November, Carrington had below a 50% true shooting percentage. December, he began to break through and he arguably had some of his best night around the same time the team did.
December was his best full month statistically, with his numbers boosting to 13.4 points, 4.2 assists and 4.6 rebounds. He also finished the year strong, averaging 16 points in the team's final seven games.
Carrington is the NBA's leader of the clubhouse for one of its more unfortunate stats. Although it's extremely context-dependent, Carrington finished the season a -746, the worst mark in the league. Additionally, it's the second-straight year he's led the league in the department.
As mentioned, the context is important. The Wizards have not been focused on winning games the last two seasons. Additionally, Carrington hasn't missed any time at all. Some of his other young counterparts missed significant time this year, which is why they aren't much higher on this list. Two years in, Carrington averages 28.8 minutes per night. With the team willing to prioritize playing young players for development as opposed to more veterans that would stabilize results, this leaves Carrington in a tough spot.
This isn't to say that nothing is Carrington's fault because he certainly has revealed flaws in his game. He has struggled to finish at the rim to begin his career. In 2025, he only shot 97 shots from less than eight feet. Conversely, he shot 414 times from 24 feet or more.
With his reluctance to getting all the way to the rim, it makes his ability to play make much more challenging. Defenses can expect him to look to kick the ball out when he does drive. There's hope that a player like Trae Young can help Carrington improve as a passer.
"He's literally taught me, or kind of re-taught me how to pass the ball," Carrington said. "How much a pass influences the shot. It's not good enough to just make the right read; you have to make the right read and right pass."
Overall, his outside shooting growth might have been exactly what he needed to help him find a role going forward. With Young in the fold at point guard, his usage likely decreases significantly. However, if Washington uses him as an off-ball player they can generate open three-point looks for, that's where he could absolutely fit in.
"It starts this summer," Carrington said. "To be ready to win now, everything's going to be about the team, and everything's going to be about winning."