Bold declarations are nothing new before the start of any season. Some squads carry momentum into the new 82-game sprint, which is why they make these huge predictions about themselves. The Washington Wizards are not following that script. They have a relatively new core of AJ Dybantsa, Kyshawn George, Trae Young, and Anthony Davis. Despite lacking postseason experience, the team believes it can pull off an NBA Playoffs run.
Davis boldly proclaims Wizards as NBA Playoffs contenders
The last time the Wizards made the NBA Playoffs was during the 2020-21 season. Only one player from that roster is carrying over to their 2026-27 NBA campaign: Anthony Gill. So, there are a lot of question marks about whether this team would actually work out. Trae Young had barely played a full season. Meanwhile, guys like AJ Dybantsa and Kyshawn George are still super young to lead the squad. That leaves Anthony Davis as the natural veteran leader with championship experience among the Wizards.
So, what does Davis think about their roster? He boldly thinks the Wizards have all it takes to reach the NBA Playoffs, via Josh Robbins of The Athletic.
"We’re going to manage our expectations and make sure that we’re not putting pressure on ourselves. But we are going to come in with the mentality that we don’t want our season to be done in April," the Wizards star big man declared.
The Wizards have a lot to improve if they want Davis' bold declaration to come true. For context, they were dead last in both defensive rating (122.7) and net rating (-11.8). Their offensive rating of 111.0 wasn't much better, ranking 28th in the NBA.
ANTHONY DAVIS HIGHLIGHTS IN HIS WIZARDS PRESEASON DEBUT 16 POINTS 7 REBOUNDS 2 ASSISTS 2 THREES 6/11 FG 17 MINUTES AD IS REALLY A WIZARD ❤️❤️ https://t.co/kEsrlTudbz
— WizardsMuse (@WizardsMuse1) October 9, 2026There are statistical glimmers of hope for the Wizards, though, which could be a baseline for Davis' belief. They ranked fifth in the league with 5.5 blocks per game, totaling 452 blocks over an 82-game season. The Wizards have also calibrated their shot diet well during the 2025-26 NBA season. As a team, they racked up the seventh-most field-goal attempts in the league, at 90.4 per game. This means their offensive identity will start to show when they cut the fat from their shot diet.
At first glance, it's hard to believe Davis' claim that the Wizards can indeed reach the NBA Playoffs. With Dybantsa and George's youth and the question marks beside Young, that belief gets harder. However, their two NBA Preseason wins in four games could signal a change. Obviously, Wizards fans will have to wait to know whether their center spoke in tongues before Game 1 of their 82-game season. But the best thing to do now is believe.
