Bub Carrington will make his NBA regular-season debut this week. But until seven or eight months ago, he never thought he would get this far.
“I had those kinds of aspirations, I guess, but the NBA wasn’t really a dream of mine, so to speak, until I knew it was possible, if that makes sense,” Carrington said after a Washington Wizards practice.
At least some NBA scouts recognized Carrington’s pro potential before he did. Evaluators who attended the Pitt Panthers’ preseason practices came away impressed with his competitiveness, feel for the game and positional size. An 18-point, 12-rebound, 10-assist debut in Pitt’s regular-season opener against North Carolina A&T prompted front offices across the NBA to follow him more closely.
The Wizards were one of those teams. After a thorough vetting process that included in-person interviews and a private pre-draft workout, Washington traded Deni Avdija to Portland in a draft-night deal for the 14th pick, a 2029 first-round pick, a pair of future second-round picks and veteran guard Malcolm Brogdon.
At No. 14, Carrington was the choice.
NBA Scouts' Evaluation
As part of The Athletic’s annual series on the Wizards’ top prospects, I spoke with four talent evaluators who work for rival teams, and asked them for their opinions about Carrington’s strengths, weaknesses and long-term projection.
The Athletic granted the evaluators anonymity because front offices almost never allow their scouts to speak to news outlets for publication. Without granting anonymity, articles such as this one would not exist. Anonymity also allows the scouts to be completely honest, without fear of reprisals.
The evaluators were almost universally optimistic about Carrington’s future.
“I think he’s the best young prospect on the Wizards,” Scout A said. “I think he has a chance to be the best point guard in this previous draft class, and if he’s a 10-year NBA starter, it’s not going to shock me.”
Scout B said: “I think he has a chance to be one of the better prospects in this (past) draft.”
Carrington's Development and Challenges
Carrington’s reluctance to drive to the rim and finish strongly also has to do with learning his strengths. Because he used to be the smallest player on the court, he spent years avoiding forays to the basket and developing his arsenal of pull-up jumpers. It’s going to take him time to learn how to use his size to his best advantage.
When asked earlier this month by The Athletic about how his growth spurt has changed his game, Carrington offered a telling answer that showed just how self-aware he is. “It made basketball, I guess, a little bit easier, but it didn’t really change my mindset,” he said. “I get told even by our coaches now that I play like I’m 5-10 still. I’m still adjusting to my height as well. I feel like I’m still growing every day.”
Carrington's Playing Time: A Double-Edged Sword?
Carrington’s playing time could be a double-edged sword, Scout B said, especially since the Wizards are likely to lose a lot of games.
“He’s going to have the ball in his hands,” the scout said. “He’s going to have a lot of opportunity, which can be a good and a bad thing. You’re going to give him the ball. You’re going to let him run the show. So, how much structure surrounds that will be interesting, depending on who he’s on the floor with — Jordan Poole, Kuzma — that style of play.
“I think (Carrington) plays the right way, but it’s a long NBA season, and as it goes, for whatever reason some of these other guys (don’t). If Poole is out there jacking up shots and Kuzma is out there doing it and it becomes ISO ball and they’re not necessarily playing good team basketball, then you kind of worry that that’s (Carrington’s) experience and he struggles to find his way because he wants to play differently. Or does he change the way he plays based on what he sees other guys doing and being influenced? That’s the thing I would kind of worry about with him.”
This is the difficulty of trying to develop young players on a team that is positioning itself for the draft lottery: Offensive structure sometimes devolves, and veteran players start gunning to pad their own stats. But the ability to hold players accountable is one of the reasons Wizards executives decided to make Brian Keefe their head coach after he spent the second half of last season as the team’s interim coach.
A Promising Future
Scout C is optimistic about Carrington’s future. Early struggles will occur, but that’s normal, especially for someone who spent only one year in college and was one of the youngest players in the 2024 draft class.
“He’s a sponge and he’s such a great kid, by all accounts,” Scout C said. “All that stuff’s going to come together pretty impressively for them because they’re going to have the chance to play him a lot. Rookie point guards, that’s a tough deal. But just his size and his skill level and his intangibles are just A+. All that stuff coming together is going to be fun to watch.”
(Photo of Bub Carrington and Jalen Brunson: Reggie Hildred / Imagn Images)
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Josh Robbins is a senior writer for The Athletic. He began covering the Washington Wizards in 2021 after spending more than a decade on the Orlando Magic beat for The Athletic and the Orlando Sentinel, where he worked for 18 years. His work has been honored by the Football Writers Association of America, the Green Eyeshade Awards and the Florida Society of News Editors. He served as president of the Professional Basketball Writers Association from 2014 to 2023. Josh is a native of the greater Washington, D.C., area. Follow Josh on Twitter @JoshuaBRobbins
