The Washington Wizards are inching closer toward the end of the 2025-26 season as we dive into there players to watch over the final 25 games.
Fresh off a deflating defeat on Tuesday, the Washington Wizards are set to return to the court for the second of two consecutive games against the Atlanta Hawks with officially 25 games left in the 2025-26 regular season. With the team standing at 16-41, all eyes have remained on Washington's lottery standing with a chance to add another impact piece to a roster that will return both Anthony Davis and Trae Young in 2026-27, but what can the Wizards show over the final 25 regular season games? With all eyes still focused on the tank, we dive into three players we want to see expanded opportunities for before explaining why.
Will Riley
After showing flashes through the first two months of the season, the rookie wing has turned the corner to largely capitalize on his expanded opportunities in 2026. Riley posted double figures scoring in four games prior to the new year, a stark difference from the seven double figure scoring games in February alone. That included Riley setting career-highs in three of the first four games of the month, capped off by his 27 points on 55% shooting in the 14-point loss against the Nets on Feb. 7 as he hit at least two threes over a four-game span. Riley enters tonight's game scoring double figures in each of his last three games, including 12 points in just 12 minutes against the Pacers on Friday, while averaging 14.2 points on 47.7% shooting from the field and 38.5% from three.
Washington enters the 2026-27 season with better experienced depth with both the backcourt and frontcourt adding a veteran presence alongside its young talent, but Riley might be the X-factor based on the current outlook of next season's roster.
Jaden Hardy
Part of the trade with Dallas ahead of the trade deadline, Hardy is the only one of the three newest Wizards to actually make his debut so far. And he's looked in limited opportunities thus far, finishing in double figures scoring in each game including 16 points in Sunday's loss against Charlotte. But he's also seen inconsistent playing time having appeared in just three of the last five games. Hardy has proven himself as capable of providing scoring off the bench, evidenced by his role during the Mavericks' run into the 2024 NBA Finals where he registered double figures scoring in three games.
He's also in year one of a three year, $18 million contract, which begs the question what his role will be in years two and three if they come to fruition? Hardy could add to the backcourt depth and be a serviceable backup at the two, but with Tre Johnson capable of handling an elevated role in his second season coupled with Bub Carrington able to play both on and off the ball, what type of role Hardy may be in line for could ultimately be influenced by how he capitalizes on his opportunities over the final two months.
Jamir Watkins
Watkins has made his mark on the defensive end through his rookie season in Washington with six games totaling multiple steals and four games with multiple blocks, highlighted by his five steals and two blocks in a four point loss vs. Charlotte back on Jan. 24. But his area of growth is on the offensive end of the floor where he's averaging just 5.7 points on 43% shooting from the field and 26.6% from three. Even with his offensive limitations so far, Watkins has carved out a role after head coach Brian Keefe pointed to Watkins as the team's primary defender when on the floor while he's even played the five.
"He can play make, he has good feel for the game, he knows how to play in the short roll, he just does a lot of positive stuff, and not just defensively," head coach Brian Keefe said of Watkins on Sunday. "That's the good thing about this part of the season, you're learning about guys like that in different positions."