Early 2024 mock draft shows Wizards started their rebuild a year too late

The Washington Wizards' rebuild is beginning one year too late.

ESPN's Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo have an early look at the 2024 NBA Draft, one in which Washington should feature prominently after trading its two best players in the past week. The problem for the Wizards is no prospect in the 2024 class comes close to matching Victor Wembanyama's potential, making the front office's decision to tank in 2023-24 frustrating to fans.

The top prospect in the 2024 draft according to Givony and Woo is Ron Holland of the G League Ignite. Per Givony, "From a scoring or upside standpoint, Holland doesn't exactly fit the profile of what you typically expect to see from the No. 1 pick." 

For a team that has Jordan Poole likely jacking up 30 shots a night and little else, it doesn't look like anyone in the 2024 class will singlehandedly change the direction of the franchise. In other words, things could be ugly for a while in the nation's capital.

Per StatMuse, Washington has the fifth-worst record in the NBA over the past five seasons at 161-229 (.413) and one playoff appearance during that span. The Wizards last won a playoff series in 2017 during a stretch when the franchise made the postseason four times in five seasons.

It's been years since this iteration of the Wizards led by Bradley Bill was successful but instead of making the tough yet necessary call to break up the team last offseason, management sat on their hands while the team floundered.

Because of the front office's failure to see the obvious, Washington missed out on better odds at landing Webanyama, a decision that could keep the Wizards at the top of the draft order—where they will wait for the next elite prospect—for seasons to come.