The Washington Wizards were the second-worst team in the NBA last season. The Wizards preseason schedule is underway, and things aren’t looking much brighter. They are projected this season to have the second-worst record yet again. Our 2024-25 NBA season betting preview will look at the Washington Wizards odds and see if taking their win total is worth your best NBA bet today.
2024-25 NBA Betting Preview: Washington Wizards Win Total Odds
*All Washington Wizards odds are courtesy of FanDuel.com*
Bottom of the East
The Wizards ended last season with a record of 15-67. This record officially crowned them the worst team in Washington Wizards history. They hadn’t won under 20 games since the 2008-2009 season, another season worth forgetting. The Wizards went under their projected win total of 24.5 and failed to make the playoffs for the third straight year.
Jordan Poole moves but they keep getting more insane 😮💨🔥 pic.twitter.com/VyWgrCiyft
— House of Highlights (@HoHighlights) August 5, 2024
After officially starting a rebuild with the trade of Bradley Beal, it has been a disappointing few months for the Wizards. They made a big swing trading for Jordan Poole in the offseason, and the results were mixed. Poole showed flashes of his offensive brilliance during his time with the Warriors. He also showed that he likely won’t be able to lead a team to the NBA playoffs. Even with a much larger role than the previous season, Poole averaged three fewer points per game than the previous year and saw his field goal and shooting percentages drop.
Marvin Bagley III says Bilal Coulibaly is “night and day” from where he was when Bagley arrived in January of last season. Says his aggression and confidence levels have rose tremendously.
“Whatever he did in the summertime, you can definitely tell the work is paying off.” pic.twitter.com/EeYImqH2of
— Bijan Todd (@bijan_todd) October 15, 2024
The positive sides of last season were Kyle Kuzma, Deni Avdija, and Bilal Coulibaly. Kuzma averaged 22.2 points and continues to be a valuable trade chip. Avdija did the same and got traded this offseason to the Portland Trail Blazers. Coulibaly was the youngest Wizard to ever start a game for the franchise before his season-ending injury; he showed promise as a rookie.
Incoming Veteran Presence
Being the second-worst team in the league last season landed the Wizards the second overall pick in the 2024 NBA draft. They took a gamble and drafted Alexandre Sarr. Sarr will take some time to develop, but he has an interesting upside for a Wizards team that is desperate for a star.
To balance the current and incoming youth, the Wizards picked up two key veterans. Malcolm Brogdon, a solid veteran ball handler, was part of the return for the Avdija trade. Jonas Valanciunas was acquired in a sign and trade as well. They both could help the Wizards increase their pathetic win total from last year.
The Wizards lost by 39 points to the Nets tonight.
Washington’s average margin of defeat in preseason play is an incredible -29.7. pic.twitter.com/PObDgLev3R
— Evan Sidery (@esidery) October 15, 2024
Washington Wizards Odds
The Wizards are projected for the second-lowest win total in the NBA next year with 20.5 wins. Going over this line would be a six-win improvement from last season. Valanciunas and Brogdon will help improve the team, but developing rookie Sarr and young players like Coulibaly could make things difficult. A bounce-back season from Poole could also help the Wizards season immensely.
The Wizards have gone under their projected win total in both of the last two seasons. Winning 21 games in the Eastern Conference shouldn’t be that hard. That being said, with Cooper Flagg waiting as the prize of the lottery this season, the Wizards could be incentivized to tank hard once again.
