Ultimate 5: The best Wizards lineup since '95

While hoops remain on hiatus, theScore's NBA editors will be compiling ultimate starting lineups for each team in the Association. The catch: Only players who have been in the league since the 1995-96 season can be included.

Whether playing as the Bullets or Wizards, it's been an uneventful past 25 seasons for Washington, excluding Michael Jordan's brief NBA return. The club was on pace for its 14th losing campaign in the last two-and-a-half decades before play was suspended in March, and the team hasn't made the conference finals since losing in the 1979 NBA Finals.

Despite the Wizards' postseason shortcomings, the franchise has produced noteworthy talent. Some of those players have seen their primes shortened due to injury while others have shined despite a lack of support. Here's Washington's best five-man unit over the last quarter-century.

Guards

John Wall

It's easy to forget how electrifying Wall was before injuries struck. The Kentucky product made an instant impact during his 2010-11 rookie campaign by notching 26 double-doubles, which was the most by a first-year guard since Damon Stoudamire posted 37 in 1995-96.

Wall earned four straight All-Star nods from 2013-17 and finished each of those seasons ranked in the top three in total assists - including a league-leading 721 in 2013-14. The former No. 1 overall pick also made the NBA All-Defensive second team and the All-NBA third team during that span.

Despite missing a considerable amount of time over the past three seasons, Wall remains the Wizards' all-time leader in total assists and steals.

Gilbert Arenas

Arenas never shied away from the moment, producing his share of dramatic game-winners throughout his Wizards tenure. From 2004-07, "Agent Zero" was among the Association's most explosive scorers, averaging 27.7 points per game and registering 40 points or more on 26 occasions.

The former second-round pick was also an All-Star and All-NBA selection in each of those seasons. While Washington managed just a single postseason series victory during Arenas' stint, the 6-foot-3 guard did all he could.

Arenas' 34 points per game in the 2006 playoffs weren't enough to avoid elimination in Game 6 of the Wizards' first-round series against LeBron James' Cleveland Cavaliers. Injuries and off-court issues later put a damper on his thrilling time in D.C.

Wing

Bradley Beal

Beal has taken his game to new heights during Wall's extended absence. The 6-foot-3 wing has blossomed into a two-time All-Star and was second in the NBA at 30.5 points per contest when the 2019-20 campaign was put on hold.

Since Washington selected Beal third overall in 2012, he has established himself as one of the league's premier outside threats. Beal's a career 38% 3-point shooter and is the youngest player in NBA history to reach 1,000 career triples.

At the age of 26, Beal has already made more threes than any other player in team history and trails only Elvin Hayes in points scored.

Forward

Antawn Jamison

The acquisition of Jamison ahead of the 2004-05 season coincided with the Wizards' first playoff series victory in 23 years. After winning Sixth Man honors the previous campaign, Jamison flourished as Washington's starting power forward and earned his first of two All-Star appearances with the club.

As Arenas struggled to stay healthy, Jamison emerged as the team's lead horse. From 2007-09, the North Carolina product averaged 21.8 points and 9.5 boards as injuries limited Arenas to 15 regular-season games.

Perhaps Jamison's most admirable performance came in 2007-08, when he willed the Wizards to 43 wins and the East's 5-seed with running mate Caron Butler joining Arenas on the shelf for nearly a third of the season. Jamison ranks third on the franchise's all-time list in 3-pointers made and fourth in defensive rebounds.

Big

Juwan Howard

Howard enjoyed a successful 19-year NBA career across eight different clubs, but he enjoyed his best playing days where it all began. The 6-foot-9 forward was drafted fifth overall by Washington in 1994 and was an All-Star and All-NBA selection in his sophomore season after totaling the sixth-most points in the Association.

Howard was a steady post presence that could step out onto the perimeter and hit mid-range jumpers. His ability to slide from the three-spot through the five provided defensive flexibility. Howard averaged 18.4 points and 7.4 boards in parts of seven seasons with the franchise, forming a potent frontcourt duo with former Michigan teammate Chris Webber for part of his stay in D.C.

Just missed

Chris Webber

Webber was narrowly edged out by his "Fab Five" co-star largely due to the latter's lengthy Wizards tenure. Before becoming a perennial All-Star with the Sacramento Kings, Webber was one of the game's rising power forwards in Washington. After an injury-shortened 1995-96 campaign, he bounced back to average 21 points, 9.9 boards, 4.2 dimes, 1.8 blocks, and 1.6 steals over the next two seasons.

Caron Butler

"Tuff Juice" rounded out Washington's fearsome trio of the mid-to-late 2000s. Butler played his best basketball in the nation's capital, averaging 19 points, 6.6 boards, and 1.8 steals across five seasons for the Wizards. He earned back-to-back All-Star nods in 2007 and 2008, finishing both campaigns in the NBA's top five in steals per game.

Rod Strickland

Strickland was among the Association's top playmakers during the '90s, recording three of his six top-five finishes in assists per game while with Washington. He averaged a league-leading 10.5 dimes en route to earning All-NBA second-team honors in 1997-98.