The Washington Wizards enter the 2025-26 NBA season as one of the league’s most intriguing rebuilding projects. Their roster blends aging veterans like C.J. McCollum and Khris Middleton with promising young talents such as Alexandre Sarr, Bilal Coulibaly, and rookie sharpshooter Tre Johnson. Add in recent additions like Marvin Bagley III and a strong Wizards draft class, and you have a team that, at least on paper, should be competitive enough to push for growth in the Eastern Conference. The Wizards were finished at the bottom of the Eastern Conference with an 18-64 record. But when it comes to NBA 2K26, the video game franchise didn’t exactly nail its evaluation of this Wizards squad.
Some players appear underrated based on their skillset and potential, while others were overrated despite inconsistent production. Let’s break down the five Wizards players whose ratings simply don’t make sense.
Alexandre Sarr: Overrated at 81 OVR
Sarr is undeniably one of the most exciting young players on the Wizards’ roster. At 7’1”, his blend of mobility, rim protection, and offensive versatility makes him the kind of modern big man teams crave. However, giving him an 81 OVR already feels like an overcorrection.
DENIED! 🚫 https://t.co/Cf1HCAPY3D pic.twitter.com/ZXT5RATFQD
— Washington Wizards (@WashWizards) July 14, 2025
Sarr has yet to prove himself across a full NBA season. His offensive consistency is still in question, and while his defensive upside is real, he hasn’t shown the dominance that would justify being tied with C.J. McCollum for the team’s highest rating. A more realistic number would be in the 77-78 range, giving him room to grow as he develops into a franchise cornerstone rather than prematurely crowning him as an established star.
Khris Middleton: Underrated at 79 OVR
Middleton’s 79 OVR feels like a slap in the face to his proven track record. Yes, injuries have slowed him in recent years, but when healthy, he remains one of the league’s most reliable two-way wings. Middleton is still an elite shooter, a steady secondary playmaker, and a veteran presence for a young roster badly in need of experience.
Placing him in the range of Sarr, Kispert, and Bub Carrington is difficult to justify. Middleton has a far more complete offensive package than Kispert, a better defensive impact than Carrington, and a résumé that dwarfs both. Realistically, Middleton should be rated in the 82-83 OVR range, cementing his status as Washington’s best current player until Sarr or Tre Johnson prove otherwise.
Kispert is a valuable role player, a floor spacer who has steadily improved since being drafted. His 85 three-point rating makes sense, given his shooting efficiency. However, giving him a 79 OVR overall places him on the same level as Middleton, which is an overstatement of his impact.
Kispert struggles defensively and doesn’t bring much off the dribble, making him more of a specialist than a true all-around contributor. His offensive gravity is important, but he’s still more of a mid-70s OVR type player, closer to 75-76, rather than a near-80 overall.
Bilal Coulibaly: Underrated at 78 OVR
One of the bright spots in Washington’s youth movement, Coulibaly showed flashes of becoming an elite wing defender last season in 59 games for the Wizards. His athleticism, length, and defensive instincts already allow him to guard multiple positions effectively. Pair that with a steadily improving offensive game, and you have a player who should be rated higher than 78.
The 85 dunk rating is fair, but limiting him to a 75 three-point rating feels too low, especially given the strides he made last season as a perimeter shooter. Considering his two-way potential, Coulibaly deserves to be in the 80-81 OVR range, ahead of players like Kispert and Carrington.
Tre Johnson: Underrated at 75 OVR
This is the rating that truly misses the mark. Tre Johnson was one of the top shooters in the 2025 NBA Draft, taken at No. 6 overall by the Wizards. His offensive skill set that consists of a smooth shooting stroke, ability to create space, and range extending well beyond the arc should translate quickly to the NBA.
No. 6 pick Tre Johnson looking SLICK in his Wizards threads 🤩 pic.twitter.com/zyhGkLYkpU
— NBA (@NBA) July 16, 2025
Yet 2K saddled him with a 75 OVR, which doesn’t reflect his draft pedigree or shooting ability. While it’s understandable not to inflate rookies’ ratings, Johnson should realistically be closer to a 77-78 OVR, especially since his shooting instantly fills one of Washington’s biggest needs. His game-breaking ability as a scorer should be properly represented, particularly given that he was one of the most polished offensive players in his draft class.
Other notable cases where the 2K26 ratings were off
C.J. McCollum at 81 OVR, while he’s still a capable scorer and playmaker, McCollum’s defense and durability have declined. An 81 OVR is slightly generous, but at least justifiable given his résumé. Meanwhile, the new addition, Marvin Bagley III, was rated at 75 OVR, a fair rating for an inconsistent big man whose athleticism often overshadows his lack of defensive awareness. In addition, Justin Champagnie at 78 OVR feels slightly high for a player who has yet to carve out a consistent NBA role.
The Wizards’ 2K26 outlook
The Wizards’ NBA 2K26 ratings reflect a roster in flux. Veterans like McCollum and Middleton bring stability, while the franchise’s future clearly rests on Sarr, Coulibaly, and Johnson. But the ratings fail to capture the balance between proven production and raw potential.
If 2K adjusted these evaluations, the Wizards would look less like a lopsided collection of misjudged ratings and more like the intriguing, balanced rebuild they actually are.
The Wizards may not be contenders yet, but their young core and strong 2025 offseason moves should have fans excited. NBA 2K26, however, didn’t quite capture that trajectory. Players like Middleton and Coulibaly deserve more respect, while rookies like Tre Johnson should be spotlighted for their immediate impact.
As it stands, the Wizards’ 2K26 ratings are a mix of missed opportunities and questionable boosts. Fixing these five ratings alone would give fans a more accurate picture of Washington’s present, and a clearer window into their future.
