Wizards rookie shows star potential with explosive dunks vs. Raptors
03/25/2025 02:03 AM
Washington Wizards rookie AJ Johnson doesn’t have the fanfare of Jordan Poole or Alex Sarr, but he will soon if he keeps playing like he did against the Toronto Raptors on Monday. The 20-year-old notched a career-high 17 points (5-9 FG, 1-2 3 PT) with six rebounds, three assists, and one steal across 28 minutes in the 112-104 loss.
Johnson showed his athleticism in the second quarter with a ferocious one-handed slam off a lob from Tristan Vukcevic.
AJ Johnson showing off the HOPS with this monster alley-oop jam pic.twitter.com/eEypaS8hHi
— Wizards Nation (@WizardsNationCP) March 24, 2025
The Wizards (15-56) acquired the combo guard from the Milwaukee Bucks along with Khris Middleton for Kyle Kuzma at the trade deadline, and they may have gotten a steal. He and fellow rookie Bub Carrington showed off what could be the start of a prolific connection in the fourth quarter.
AJ Johnson showing off the hops once again pic.twitter.com/rdzmZCh1CY
— Wizards Nation (@WizardsNationCP) March 25, 2025
Johnson was seen as a raw prospect coming out of the draft, as he played just 7.7 minutes per game for the NBL’s (Australian league) Illawarra Hawks in the 2023-24 campaign. The 6-foot-5-inch, 160-pounder was a high-school senior the year before, initially playing for Kanye West’s Donda Academy and finishing the season at Southern California Academy after the former closed.
Johnson was the second-ever player to join Illawarra out of high school as a part of the NBL’s Next Stars program, following LaMelo Ball in 2019. The latter made the NBA All-Star team in 2022 and is averaging 25.2 points on 40.1 percent shooting with 7.3 assists and five rebounds for the Charlotte Hornets this season.
Johnson may never reach Ball’s heights, but there’s no telling what could happen if and when he fully realizes his potential. The No. 23 overall pick acknowledged that he still has room for improvement after Monday’s game.
Wizards rookie AJ Johnson told me that he wants to work on his shooting/his floater the most, but he's still focusing on all areas of his game. He had a career-high 17 points with six rebounds and three assists tonight. pic.twitter.com/VPZ64BmPzq
— Joshua Valdez (@joshvaldez100) March 25, 2025
“[I want to work on my] shooting, off the catch, off the dribble, all of them,” he said. “I would probably say the floater as well, but really all parts of my game. I just wanna grow in every single part of my game, honestly.”
Johnson’s done just that recently, as he’s scored double-digit points in three of his last four outings after playing just 45 total minutes for the Bucks to start the season. The California native mentioned chemistry with his teammates and the energy of D.C. as factors that have helped him adjust to a new environment and an expanded role on the court.
“My teammates are all super chill honestly, super cool,” he said. “It’s been easy settling in with them…And then the city’s super energized and stuff like that, super diverse. It’s pretty cool.”
Johnson’s played 30 G League games this season, 25 for the Wisconsin Herd (Bucks’ affiliate) and five for the Capital City Go-Go (Washington’s affiliate). He’s averaging 13.9 points on 43.4 percent shooting (37.7 percent 3 PT) across 28.8 minutes at the lower level, and that work appears to have paid off already. He’s shooting even better in the NBA, as he sports a 43.9 percent field-goal clip in 10 games with the Wizards.
Johnson’s made a good first impression, and he has plenty more time to show that he can be a main ingredient in Washington’s rebuild.
Wizards’ Bub Carrington, Alex Sarr maintain consistency
Meanwhile, Carrington registered his fourth career double-double with 13 points and a career-high 11 rebounds, marking his third-ever game with double-figure boards. The No. 14 overall pick also added six assists with two steals in 31 minutes.
Head coach Brian Keefe spoke on Carrington’s rebounding skills in the post-game presser.
“That’s one of the things he’s got a knack for is rebounding for a guard…When your guards can rebound, it can start your break,” he said. “So when he’s doing that, he’s the one that can kick it ahead and get some easy transitions. Nice to see Bub have a good game today. Happy for him.”
That’s exactly what happened with Carrington’s alley-oop to Johnson, as the former got the board, pushed the ball upcourt, and tossed it to the latter.
Carrington continues to be one of the league’s most versatile rookies, as he became the third in this class to post a 15/10/5 game with Monday’s performance. It was also the first of likely many more such outings for him.
Finally, Alex Sarr didn’t have his most efficient night but showed more flashes against Toronto (25-47). The No. 2 overall pick scored 16 points (6-19 FG, 1-7 3 PT), with five rebounds, three blocks, two assists, and one steal. He blocked Raptors center Orlando Robinson twice on the same play in the second quarter, which led to Jordan Poole also blocking him after.
You're invited to Alex Sarr's block party pic.twitter.com/FDIdtfb9dL
— Wizards Nation (@WizardsNationCP) March 25, 2025
Sarr is hot and cold offensively, as he’s now 9-of-29 from the field in his last two games after shooting over 40 percent in his previous five, including two at 50-plus. However, the 19-year-old leads all rookies with 27 multi-block games, so he’s lived up to the elite rim-protecting expectations that he had as a prospect.
One day, the Wiz Kids will turn these flashes into consistent, season-long developments. For now, they must hone their crafts while the organization rebuilds. Ideally, the mixture of young talent will eventually blossom enough to get the team to the playoffs in 2027 and championship contention in ’29.
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