Six players the Washington Wizards should consider with the 18th pick

Six players the Washington Wizards should consider with the 18th pick

What is up Wizards fans? Welcome in to another Believe in Wizards podcast. I’m Matt Madno. Joining me here today, my good buddy Erson Demir talking NBA draft stuff. He’s an amazing follow. His newsletter is terrific. It’s a ton of great information. Basically on everybody in this draft at some point at some level, uh this man has looked at, talked about, uh scouted. So, uh great great source for information. Erison, how you doing? And tell people up front here where they can find you and your work. Hey man, thanks for having me on man. It’s an honor. I think it’s year three in a row now. So, you know, I’m kind of rooting for the wizards in the lottery as well on Monday. I appreciate it. We need all the help we can get. Yeah, I think it’s going to be the jazz or the wizards. Yeah, the newslet. I think I wrote about 200 pieces, 200 plus in 2.5 years. It’s crazy, man. But I try to stay consistent and the focus is on the less covered guy. So you know the first and 80 think won’t be covered that much but the second round and undrafted free agency that’s why I try to take my sh. So that’s me doing what I do in a nutshell. I I love that too because you know how many pieces about Cooper flag do we need in one draft cycle? We all know he’s Exactly. And that’s my thing as well. Try to find these less coveted guys that no one heard about. Yeah, that that I think that’s perfect. We’re going to talk about guys for the Wizards with the 18th pick, but that’s not totally unheralded nobodyies, but it’s not like the no-brainer, you know, Dylan Harper, Cooper Flag guys. So, I think we’re going to talk about just three guys each and just go through what we like about them and why we think they make sense for the Wizards or just, you know, in that general range um why they should be kind of on the list here. So, Arison, I’m going to let you start us off here. Who’s your first guy? Man, what I did try to do in this thesis is uh okay, what did the Wizards do the last two years? Yeah, what are the type of guys that they bet on? And one of the things is the Wizards are not trying to win now. So player development is a big one. So I think I will go with underassman in 100% of the times, you know, unless you have a big opportunity with an older player. But sure, the the main thought for my is okay, I’m I’m looking for roster versatility and a bit row versatility as well. Smart. And that’s what I would approach it. Mhm. The first guy I would choose and that’s saying, okay, you won the number one pick, you didn’t pick a guard in the top 10 is Nolan. I think he’s perfect for what the Witcher tried to do. The, you know, Nolan is a kind of a buy low option at 18. Yeah. And at one point of time it was in the preseason he was a top five pick herald the top three pick and now he declined during the season and what I like about Nola Tor is you know the of the ability to lead a team that’s what the Wizards need I think Caran is more of a of a scorer guard more of a creative scores dribble penetration guard rather than someone who can orchestrate an offense and it’s not really an overkill to have no throw there as well. I think he has some good size. He has improving handles is not really tight and you know that was one of his weaknesses in the pros because one of the background information is that St. Quinton is they really play as a local team. You know these college kids go to to games by planes etc. And this guy most of the time they went by bus in France. So let’s say they play in the south and over in the north he go by bus everywhere. So, it’s kind of a different environment and you know, playing among pros is if you have a weaker handle, if you have a one-dimensional type of player, it’s easier to take you away. And the earliest stop season was that he guys found him out early. So, you know, bad defensive teams, that’s where he played good against, but you know, against teams who did their homework, he struggled. So I got you. The the I think the the guys that play against grown men, it’s kind of overused that term because now college gets so old, you know, everyone’s playing grown men. Yeah. But in in his situation, he learned how to lead a team. Mhm. By trial and error. And his team did quite well actually. You know, the European campaign, they won some games and the league as well. And with Nolan Throw, they, you know, they continue the French trend. And I I think the Dawkins is a pen of, you know, players from outside Europe. Good point. They have three guys that speak French already. A fourth guy wouldn’t uh wouldn’t be a bad thing. Yeah, compared to Masai Judy from the Raptors, you know, Masai is great in Africa and I think Dawkins is trying to, you know, unlock some of these European countries, you know, having a bow option at 18 for a for a leading player at guard. I think that’s the opportunity with no throw. I think he has to improve his handles, but that will be better with NBA spacing, you know, especially it’s a pick and roll league and that’s what you’re buying the talent with, man. And at the rim, he has to, you know, work on getting more of it as a two-handed finish, more as a as a creative finisher. What I like about Trayore is that’s why he stickked against pros. He has some good core strength, man. And his footwork improves. So on his last step, he can, you know, if he can maintain his balance, better, he’s going to be a great scorer with different penetration. you know, the Wizards, I don’t have the stats in front of me, but they don’t we’re not a good three-point shooting team, but with guys like him, you can create open opportunities, man, because he’s going to, you know, draw help defense toward him, and he’s one of the best passers in in the draft. So, at 18, it would be a no-brainer for me, man, for the Wizards. I dig that. Yeah, I I I think that’s um an interesting one for the Wizards because like you mentioned the the Bob Carrington is not really like a super great penetrator. I wouldn’t say at this point here and it’s not really Jordan Pool’s greatest strength either of like breaking down the defense. Uh if Trey can do that and and create wide open threes for some of these other guys that haven’t made a ton of threes so far, like maybe it just makes their lives easy enough that the percentages go up. So, I’m not mad at it. We got a question here in the chat from Noah. He wants to know about Trayor’s defense. Can can this guy guard anybody yet or at least does he project out to be a high level or at least I don’t know where do you see the defense long term? Yeah, that was one of the struggles, man. Because, you know, among his age group, it really really bothered him because he was so good on the offensive end. But, you know, on the defensive end, it’s the screen devisation has to be better and he has to be stronger. And that’s what one of the issues, man, because in the half court, these defenders, you know, they would exactly attack him in the pick and roll. Defensively, it’s an issue. And for me it’s not a problem because the Wizards are bad and they are, you know, likely going to stay bad for one or two seasons more. He’s got some time to work on that end without hurting them too much. Yeah. Yeah. So that’s where he tried to find a way to not hurt the defensive rating too much with him on the floor, but defensively need some work and especially on the footwork side and on the screen side. But that will make okay in my opinion because you know at the other end you know these NBA stars they value the professional experience. and he has gotten better throughout the season, but defensively, you know, that’s what’s really where you’re buying qualities with him. So, that’s the other side of the coin. Uh, Byron Man 12 asks, “Who do you see as the better point guard prospect, Jaggor Deon, Nolan Trayori or Jeremiah Fierce?” I think if you look at, you know, purely the passing stuff, I think Deon is the best by far. Yeah. I think the most offensively creative, you know, with the best handles is Fierce by a by a landslide. 100%. But in terms of, you know, kind of the role versatility stuff, you know, no Nolan has decided to play off of another guard as well, I think he’s the best player among the three because Deian is selective in getting downhill and he’s good downhill. You know, Fierce is he kind of needs the ball to make it happen. And for me, the challenge is how does he play without the ball and that’s what team has to do. But Nolan, he he found a niche. you can’t wait to, you know, not uh to play with 30% usage. So, in terms of, you know, pro play, in terms of, you know, how he’s going to play in the NBA, Nolan has the best chances to to succeed in a lesser role among the three. I I’ve watched him the least, so I I won’t feel educated, but I am higher than consensus on both Demen and Fierce. So, he would probably finish three for me just by by virtue of that. The question I have, I guess, is just like related to his height. I I’ve seen the height listed anywhere from like 61 to 6’4. I don’t know. Do you have a great sense for how tall he actually is? And I think the measurement is going to be crucial, man. I think he’s what 62 in socks. So what 63 and uh so in shoes? Yep. Yeah. That’s you know that’s the that’s the other side of the coin man because of some guys get away with it. You know, the Bob has the hair to compensate for it, but Fierce is I think he can measure out 6’4 and socks 6’5 issues. I He’s much taller but much skinnier. Yeah. Yeah. And Demond, I think he’s a legit 68, 69, man. There’s no question. I agree. For sure. Yeah. Demond’s big. I I’ve seen Fears in person. You know, he’s been, you know, within 5T of me. I’m exactly 6 feet tall. He looked like he was three or four inches taller than me. So, if he’s, you know, 6’3 and a half, you know, on draft night, I think that’ll be big for him. So, Treyor, that’s the thing I kept wondering about. So, I appreciate the input there. Uh, all right, let’s head over to the next guy here for first one on my list. This might actually not be realistic come draft night given the buzz we’ve heard recently. We started putting this together about a week ago and even since then, the intel has been that this guy’s going up draft boards, but it’s Arizona freshman Carter Bryant. Uh, 6’8, three4, could probably do a little bit of either depending on how he fills out. Uh, 7 foot wingspan. Uh the numbers don’t look great for for uh Carter Bryant on like counting stats. Essentially, he averaged six and a half points per game, four rebounds, made 46% of his field goals, 37% of his threes, and was just kind of content to be in that sort of freshman, you know, fifth fifth six option kind of role here. But the upside for Brian is really intriguing. I think the shot is like legitimate. I really buy that longer term and I think he’ll just be a really versatile defender. Uh, so if he’s already just like a guaranteed 3 and D kind of guy plus some upside, I think he puts the ball on the floor better than he gets credit for. And you know, a lot of like the mistakes defensively were just like freshman lapses. Like his probably two biggest defensive highlights of the year came against Akran in their first round tournament game. Carter Bryan had these two monster like weak side blocks or like one was a a rotation uh that was kind of late, but they were also kind of caused by him getting beat back door because he was sleeping on somebody. So, it’s like the things he’s got to clean up are coachable things and you kind of can’t teach the tools that someone like that has. Like not the craziest length with the seven foot wingspan, give or take. We’ll see what the measurements are, but really solid athlete and just uses it pretty well in my opinion. Like you see real plays at the rim. Uh, so I I think he’s gonna try to catch lobs and dunk on people and able to roll, but can also step out, put the ball on the floor, attack close outs a little bit. He he just seems to me to be the kind of guy that fits into that Will Dawkins archetype. Like, can he be kind of like a Bilal Kulabali Jr. type with already a more projectable jump shot? Like that’s what you’re hoping for. So, if he’s there on 18, you know, at this point in the draft based on what we’re hearing, I would be shocked. But, you know, maybe you can package a couple things to get up to the tail end of the lottery and uh hopefully he’ll be available for you there. So, um Ericson, what do you think about Carter Bryant? Yeah, I’m a big fan, man. The crazy part is, you know, we haven’t had basketball in over a month now. Yep. That’s the time where he had the biggest prize. That’s true. Yeah. I think the process makes a lot of sense, man. McDonald’s All-American and he embraced taking on a smaller role at Arizona and the build is NBA ready. The body is NBA ready. It’s crazy, man. with his 68. I think he is what type of guy he can still grow. If you look at his face, he kind of look like a kid. Yeah. Even though he’s was 68, 220. And what I like about him most is, you know, how adaptive I he was at Arizona, embracing that smaller role. He he looked like the ultimate guy for me to, you know, to make to be creative out of out of closeouts and be that versatile defender, man. You mentioned the helpside defense. I think that’s the type of stuff that you have to have on a team. Yeah. But the other side of it is he has a lot of long-term potential and you have to compensate for that and you know give him a lease to develop more. So know at Washington it would be great for him and he’s not the type of guy that will you know be great in year one. I think he still has to improve his game, improve you know the the rotational stuff and you know the best way is to do it on a rebuilding team. So I would like him man. I think uh for car Bryant if I have some preferences I would choose him for for example the Jazz same thing you know they need size they need versatility but you know for the Wizards it’s perfect if you have a guy like that comp you know complimenting the the stars Kali and then you know I’m not sure what direction Alexar is going to be in terms of his role but you don’t have another mouth to feed because he can you know compensate for the rest so I like that one man I think just him not being a ball stopper is big, too. I actually would have liked if he were a little more aggressive, and that’s a thing I do worry about with some of the guys the Wizards have picked that they are a little more differential, but he he fit into a role. He’s not going to rock the boat, and you’re going to like we’ll be able to naturally kind of let him grow into more responsibilities over time. So, uh I’m looking forward to it. Again, the things that he’s not good at right now, I think are things that are all going to be things that fill out over time. like not crazy physical of a player right now given the tools he already has, but that’s something that that guys get more comfortable doing over time. And honestly, sometimes college basketball is more physical than NBA basketball anyway. But there were definitely moments when you saw it like in the tournament he guarded Nate Bidd from from Oregon and he was a huge human being and you’re like oh god like he’s holding up on a center uh who’s trying to like back him down from the three-point line but then he also guarded uh Jackson Salad their point guard like five minutes later. So just really um somebody that can kind of do those sorts of things strikes me as a guy they they’re really going to look for. Uh let’s keep it rolling here. Who do you have at number two on your list? Yeah, it’s not it’s not really that something that I was thinking about putting all the French kids to Washington, but this one’s too good to pass up, man. Moxy Marino from Stanford at 18. That’s high for most people. I do like him, by the way, but I I just want to throw that out like it’s a little on the the high end of his projected range. I’m a big fan, man. I’m a big fan because if you look at everything what NBA tries to do today, he has it, man. He’s a legit sevenfooter with skill, you know, with handles, with the the ability to create plays. Mhm. And what I saw from Wizard stuff is that you want to play four out of the five out type of type of style. Yeah. And with him, you have such such a big opportunity to have more skill, the more ball on the perimeter. Mhm. And what I like about Moxy Moreno is you know the the stuff that you know the five years ago he would be called a unicorn because skilled sevenfooters who can you know dribble penetrate their way good three-point shooters. Mhm. And that’s what I think I would do if I were dockets and more skill and let’s see where it brings him man because yeah Maxim know he grew into Yeah. If Cooper flag wasn’t there, he was ACC player of the year and he contributed to winning their basketball. You know, they weren’t a good team, but thanks to him, they had kind of a if they if they played in SEC or something, they would be in the tournament or something because that conference sucks and they didn’t have good wins. So, they had no chance to get in. And for Maxim Reno is this the size the skill and the ability to scale his roll up and down. It makes it the perfect bat to compensate and to you know add to the strength that S brings for the more of a defender more of that interior force. Mhm. And with RO the worrying part is he’s not really a good defender and he can switch. He slides his feet a little bit, but he doesn’t really have that good defensive footwork and the lateral quickness to match up against the smaller explosive guards, for example, in the NBA. I think that’s definitely a drop coverage big man. I I think but but a good one. I think he’ll be fine at that because he has real height and you know Yeah. And the skill, man. I think that’s the most vital stuff that these MVs scouts are trying to fight. Skillsh. Mhm. And if I look purely at what the league seeks, I don’t understand why this guy is not high income. I think that the reason is he’s a senior and he didn’t have, you know, a good couple of years in the in at the beginning. So, it was really he got better every year. So, that says something about his will to get better as well. And maybe it’s kind of a way to compensate for that that one ball that they missed from Bambyama. Not trying to, you know, cause more pain with the Wizards fans. Yeah, this guy is going to be best friend as well. So maybe it’s softened the pain a little bit because you missed Yeah, you missed that guy by one bone, but you get his best friend a couple of years later. Not the worst consolation prize. Uh you mentioned this, he’s crazy productive this year. 20 points, over 10 rebounds per game. Uh blocked a little like a little under a shot and a half, almost two assists per game. Like really upticked the three-point volume this year. only made about 35% but on five and a half attempts as a sevenfooter. Uh shot about 77% you know the last two years from the free throw line. The touch is real. This is a guy another guy I see in person this year at Stanford which is an interesting venue to go see a game if anybody ever gets the chance. But he was as big as advertised. He’s definitely a legitimate sevenfooter. And the thing that was kind of most striking was just talking to him postgame for a few minutes in in the press conference like was just a very thoughtful person and and just like got into some technical detail and like his postgame breakdown which thought was interesting just hear him talk about how they’re thinking game and it was a game they blow out blew out Utah Valley who was a pretty good team. So, uh, yeah, I I like Renault more than, um, than most. And hey, just, uh, Stephen Fine said in the chat, Maxi Meno is very good at basketball. I think that is an underrated skill sometime is just taking guys that are really good and really productive. He’ll be 22 years old on draft night. So, I think that’s, you’re right, that’s the reason he’ll drop. Uh, but yeah, I wouldn’t be mad at you could probably even trade back from from 18 and get a guy like this late first round or maybe even trade up from their pick at 40 and and still try to catch him on the flip side here, too. So, he’s definitely somebody I would have on my board. Uh, so so I like the shout out. Uh, all right. Next guy here, let’s transition. Second guy on my list, Rashier Fleming from St. Joe’s. 6’9, uh, 74ish wingspan based on past measurements. averaged 15 points per game this year, about nine rebounds, 1.3 assists, one and a half steals, one and a half blocks, made 40% of his threes, which is something he’s really improved at. Will be 21 years old on draft night. Just like a bouncy vertical guy, I think plays really hard, which I like. I think that’ll fit in with this Wizards core. And he’s versatile enough, I think, that you can play him around some of the other pieces. Like, he rebounds pretty well for his position. So if you can get a stretch four, I think Alex Arb played his best basketball as a five this year. So someone like Fleming that can take a little of the rebounding, you know, responsibility off of his plate, but also step out and hit some threes and allow them to play five out. You know, I don’t know what his ceiling is long term. I think he’s probably like a low-end starter. Uh like he’s not going to be your number one, two, or three option, but can he just be like a really solid member of the rotation? you know, is he Jan Jared Vanderbilt plus like a, you know, a 40% three-point shooter? Like that to me is is a valuable guy in that 18 range. He does sort of disappear for stretches sometimes, which is why I I’ve kind of softened on him a little bit. I had him like just outside the lottery for most of the year. Same thing. Got to see him in person a couple times in the A10 tournament and he just coasted. He also in in the second one of those games uh didn’t shoot particularly well, but just was everywhere attacking the boards, trying to get a lot of rebounds and just like impose himself on the game by running the floor really hard. So, uh I think uh the effort is a thing I like from an athletic guy. He’s gotten better every year. Can he put the ball on the floor at this point in his career? Probably not a ton, but that’s something you can try to develop, and if you do, that’s a little bit of icing on the cake. So, where you at with Rashier Fleming? I’m a big fan. That guy got better every year and it’s gotten a lot better every year. Yeah. And the role that I see for him is uh that’s one of the Carson roles in NBA. So that raises in value especially despite him being upset. I think that’s why he’s mostly being covered as a late lottery guy is the combination of strength, skill, and the physical tools at what 69. I think his wingspan is going to measure out like crazy, man. Like 74, 75, something like that. He’s he’s a long dude. Yeah, man. The length and you know the the processing of the game is very good. He can effectively play the passing lanes but switch and play as a smaller five as well. You know the deeps love to put more shooting on the floor and then the five position. It’s basically by default. Yeah, he can be a smaller five. That’s the lab that they always put on the guy. But this guy has the length and the strength to really switch against, you know, ver vertical off threat, but also against floor stretchers, man. And what I like about him the most is the footwork defensively. He’s so patient. And if you put him in the pick and roll, he can play against the ball ender. And he has some decent view for how to, you know, attack screens with the screen awareness, tag players because he’s much much stronger. And he play if he plays drop he has the lateral quickness to you know to really make something happen against what something with the jump stop shooting step back shooting his length helps him a lot man and processing of game defensively got them much better and the Wiz are not really good defensive team so that’s the route that they might choose as well I like him a lot they had two small guards that just were sort of indifferent to defense at different points in the year for St. and he cleaned up a lot of mistakes for them. Uh so I think that’s another thing that that makes sense here and another guy that’s not going to stop the ball. Not like a prolific passer, but you know, assist and a half per game isn’t bad for a forward that didn’t have a particularly high usage. So he’s not afraid to move the ball, make the right plays, and this is a guy that’s not going to like, you know, lose his mind if he’s not the top option or something. So I think he’ll fit in well uh with what they’re trying to do. And I I I heard a name mentioned the other day from from a scout. Uh his comp for him was like a Nas Reed kind of player and that’s a kind of guy I would love to get on this Wizards. So like you said, he could be maybe a five in some situations, even guard all the way up to the three. Uh so that versatility I think really fits in with where Will Dawkins and company want to go. Uh all right, let’s keep this rolling. Er, what do you got number three on your list here? I had several guys, man, because but I tried to go a different route. I like it. I tried to go the route of, you know, dribble penetration, okay, and great touch at the rim. These type of players, I think the shooting is Yeah, it’s it’s important, but if you draft a shooter, you really have to know what you’re drafting. And honestly, if I look at uh what this player should do at 18, it’s more so playing a complimentary role. more so play as a a complimentary two. Okay. I like Jay Swiss man for the Wizards. I think he’s a perfect pick for the Wizards actually because the things that I like the most about him is I try to stay away from the efficiency stuff because, you know, maybe I’m not really a numbers guy. I don’t really like to use numbers to, you know, to project 10 seasons if a guy plays one season. With a freshman, too, because he could really just like change a few little things and it and totally shifts that narrative. Yeah, exactly. It’s all context based. The Michigan team, Michigan State, did they really have a star? Yeah, he became it by default, but he’s so skilled and so good. What I like about him is how easily he gets downhill, man. This is not a player comparison by any means. So, in just a style, I think he is crafty like Don. He’s not really a good athlete, but the handles and the creativity and the way he uses, you know, body positioning with fakes, head fakes, with, for example, jump stops and then, you know, make a pass out of these or score for himself. It’s so good, man. And the the core strength is the best among the young guards in this draft. He’s out of in balance every time. It’s it’s crazy. It helped that he had good athletes around him at Michigan State, but to touch it around the rim. Yeah, man. If people told me he would finish 80% of his rim attempts, I would believe it, man. Because he’s really looks so natural. I think he’s more of an old old school scorer in a modern frame, in a modern style because of, you know, how well he masters the fundamentals. I think that’s the the advantage of these guys with pro fathers. They Yeah, they they tend to learn the game the right way. I really do. Yeah, I like him a lot, man. Because he’s not going to be uh a star for for Washington Wizards. Sure. He might be a fringe starter in the next few years, but having a guy like him off the bench with his offense creativity, with his, you know, his slashing, his way to make plays out of closeouts, his creativity as a passer, he’s not a full-time playmaker. And defensively, that’s why I like him a lot is, you know, he’s strong enough to defend. It’s not really that he has to rely on team defense. He’s strong enough to defend especially against ones and twos. That would be my main dash, you know, and adding strength to his frame is not an issue. I think he’s going to get much stronger. He’s going to be one of these power power guards, you know, despite not having the size or the really athleticism for it. But he has the footwork, man. I like what I do when evaluating talent. always focusing on the footwork because you know the footwork can compensate for so much and these guys have to play against all the players instead of college and it’s going to be maybe as physical but the level of skill is you know is difference between day and night and that’s why most of these guys can’t play because they’re getting rammed out out of the floor because you know they lose it on skill they lose the foot lose on angles but that’s not the type of thing you really buy the the IQ the angle create creation and the angle recognition, man. And he can play in a small role. I I like him a lot, but not only because of the numbers, but because of, you know, sometimes it’s easest. If you look at a guy for 10 minutes, damn, that guy, no doubt. I I appreciate this is a guy that’s been a winner. He played with the Boozers in high school. They won pretty much everything they could. And then he gets to Michigan State. Nobody really expected a lot from them going into the season, and they definitely overachieved. And he didn’t really rock the boat at all. only started 15 of 36 games as the son of a, you know, a fringe all-star level player and and just was lowmaintenance. And I think that’s a really great thing as well that would fit into sort of the character vibes this front office is going for. Average 12 points, three uh three rebounds, about two assists. Kind of reminds me of Bub a little bit in that sense of just, you know, going to do a little bit of everything. Not a crazy athlete. I think he’ll score at a pretty high level. not like really a point guard though, you know, like a pure point guard kind of guy, but shot 41% from three this year on on three attempts, but also was an 84% free throw shooter. So, I I think this guy’s got real touch. I would have liked to see him drive right a little bit more. That was my one thing I sort of noticed, you know, in a couple games watching him play, especially against Maryland. Like, he just only seemed to drive left, uh, which is something that’ll come over time and they’ll work on in the lab and and do some skill development on. Uh, yeah, he did get downhill pretty well. For a guy that’s not a crazy athlete and I don’t know, if you’re him and you see what your dad did in some All-Star games and things like that or dunk contests, I would have been bummed about being three inches shorter than him and and not nearly the same kind of athlete. So, he’s just not really what you would expect from from Jason Richardson’s son, but but Jace, I think, is a really interesting player, and I’m a little lower on him than than you are, but I think this is definitely the range he’s going to go. And, you know, he he could make some sense uh for this Washington team. is another guy who who does seem to get into the paint pretty well. So, um that would be something I think this team definitely needs. Uh question here in the chat again from Noah. Would you take Jace if the Wizards took another guard with the first pick? Like if they went Harper, Edgecomb or Trey Johnson, would you still consider a um a Jace Richardson at 18? It’s yes and no. The no part is you have to have some experience eventually and too many of these young guards is might be a risk and the yes is yeah the wizards are developing and they are developing you know roles and long-term potential. So that’s why I would understand if you put more younger pro players on the floor but Jason is not really projected in my opin to be a starter is more so to be a rotational piece at 18 and that’s great value. Yeah. His role shouldn’t be, you know, he shouldn’t have a big role because he thrives in, you know, as a complimentary guard. That that’s what made him great at Michigan State. And compared to last year, they never made threes when they had to, right? But with him, they gave a little bit more of, you know, confidence that they can uh, you know, make defenders pay or make defense pay for letting them open. Mhm. So, you’re buying a mature player with who understands the role and the the craft and IQ, that’s the main buy. So, I would I would do it. I would do it, but he won’t be the starter because that’s the Harper. It kind of stays above. So, that’s not really something he should compete for. I I’m a big believer in like best player available in terms of like if this guy is clearly the top dude on your board, then you just take him and you figure out all the rest of it. But I also do believe like you have to find minutes for these guys to develop. Like they’re never going to turn into the best player available if you can’t get them on the court. So it’s sort of a balance, right? Like you’ve if you take too many young guards and none of them play, they’re not all going to develop and you’re almost like, you know, shooting yourself in in the foot here a little bit. Exactly. So they got I would hope that they would move pool eventually. Let’s say you have good opportunity middle of the season, you trade them for more assets or something. They’d have to find room somewhere. And even Jace is probably a guy that isn’t going to be super thrilled about I mean maybe not playing a ton of G-League minutes though. Like I think AJ Johnson, you can keep starting the year in the G- League and transition over to the big club later in the year as he continues to develop his skill set and stuff like that too. But but Jace is a guy I think you would want to get minutes forward right away and you could maybe scale him up as you move some of those veteran guys like you said at the deadline here. Uh, Iron Man 12 asked about uh, Trey Johnson. Trey is going to be on the list of guys we talk about for that first pick in the draft. So, we’ll do him in a future episode for you. Uh, this one we’re we’re starting a little bit lower in the draft here. So, um, let’s keep rolling here with the next guy. I’ve got going bigger for this one. Uh, and we’re going Georgetown Freshman Center. Uh, Thomas Sorber. This is a guy I I loved from day one. I got to be there for their media day opening practice and he just moved different than everybody else on the court right away. You could just feel like, oh, this is an NBA guy from the way he was running the floor, you know, just just out there with other dudes that were, you know, relatively competitive. They were more athletic team this year and and he still just sort of stood out. I think he’s got really good touch around the rim for a younger guy already. He runs the floor hard. He’s got some go-to post moves, which is cool to see. I think he’d just be a good compliment for Alex Sar. Like, you know, like I said, Sar is probably best as a five, especially closing games, but Sorberg could come in and eat up a lot of those minutes uh next to SAR. I also think he moves his feet just well enough to be able to to not just be a a um drop coverage big only. I mean, he’s probably not going to be, you know, switching on to point guards and you’re going to feel comfortable with that every time, but I think he’s moves his feet enough that that you could put those guys out there together and not get killed for it. Uh, runs the floor really hard, good rim runner already, uh, and just had like good defensive instincts, had some steals, and I think that’s like part of his just ability to see the game and feel the game. I thought he was like a really underrated passer. A lot of what they did offensively relied on him being able to move the ball. if somebody doubled him, he could keep, you know, keep the ball moving to the right people. Uh, not I think he’s got touch, but he’s not a shooter at this point. So, that’s that’s really a question if you think he’ll um, you know, extend uh that range out further longer term here. Uh, but I think he’s going to measure really well from a wingspan perspective. And again, just a freshman in the Big East that averaged 14 and a half points, eight and a half rebounds, two and a half assists. Like I said, is really good uh for a freshman big. two blocks, one and a half steals. So, everybody loves those stocks numbers and have three and a half of them as a center, I think, is is pretty good. Made 53% of his field goals, only 16% of his threes, but on almost no volume, and was a low70s free throw shooter. Like a decent touch. I I just like him. He’s a likable dude. He’s like a nice kid. Uh but like got a little mean streak to him out on the court. And I think that’s like the right blend of guy. They’re looking for a dude that will kill you on the court, but is going to be a really good teammate. good locker room guy off the court. So that’s my take on Thomas Sorber. Erson, what what do you think about Sorber as a prospect for the Wizards? Yeah, again season I totally missed the boat on Sber. You know they had the guy from New Zealand, Julius. Yep. I was all in on him. Maybe this year might be the year for because he because talk about Halifona but I was only focused on him man. I didn’t even know about then I was like see this guy is not getting minutes. Why? Okay. Sober freshman. Who the hell is that? And then you saw it, man. I think the best thing about Sober is the natural strength. He, if you look at his face, is just a kid. If you look purely, you won’t believe he’s 18 years old, for example. Because he really looks like a little kid, but 250 lbs. I think it’s a legit 250 pounds. Really, really strong and with great footwork, man. As a scorer. Yeah, that’s what I like about him. He knew how to duck in the paint, how to create out of post. Seals guys really well, which is like a freaking freshman don’t do particularly well. That was a crazy one because in the Big East, this is the series. I think it’s a big man’s league actually. The Big East and Georgetown is always was a center school. So that’s something that will make the Georgetown fans happy of course that they finally found a way to get one of these elite centers again potentially. Mhm. And Sber is Yeah, man. It’s just the skill level and then the interior force. You’re buying you’re buying interior defense with him. Yeah. He shouldn’t really be closing out much onto the perimeter. Although that should be a part of his role, but his main buy is the strength at 18 and he can be a monster in the NBA if everything clicks, but the ankle juice and S is always a risk. Sure. So I think he will lose some draft stuff because of that. That’s very unfortunate. Of course, teams are trying to buy in the medical stuff and you know, we don’t know that. I think no one know that because it’s all privacy, etc. But the ankles are always in a risk with big man. So, would be a good buy low situation. Yeah, I like that too. Uh just if this is a team that wants to push the pace and run hard as a center, he’s going to do that, but also be able to guard bigger dudes. And you just need somebody to eat up some of those minutes next to uh next to Sar. I don’t think he’ll measure out super tall. like he’s not going to be maybe more than like just under a shade under 610ish, but again, huge wingspan I think is pretty likely. The standing reach is going to be big. So, uh I I think he’ll more than make up for it. So, big Sber guy and obviously nice to have a couple local guys here and haven’t had a uh depends what Washington does, right? You know, Bump is always local. That’s true. That that’s our one. Be nice to have a you know, a guy that played in DC. I think was from New Jersey originally here, but uh I don’t think we’ve had a Georgetown center on the roster since uh my guy Jiadi White, so it’ be nice to get a little uh Georgetown footprint here again. Uh that’s our six guys so far. Any other guys you had on your list? I know you mentioned a couple names in consideration here, but maybe just rapid fire a couple other ones off for us here as we wrap up. It’s more so rolls that you’re buying and athleticism and physical tools to develop in the long run. Really, it’s not really planned, man. But this is another French guy, Yoan Behringer. Okay. So, I’ve watched about I’m really excited to hear about this this from you. Yeah, this this guy is absurd, man, because he plays in Slovenia and two years ago, you know, someone told me about him, this guy, you have to check him out in France. He’s going to be crazy. He’s going to play at the pros and he’s going to be good in the year. Let’s see what happens. And then this year at Sedita, he was projected to play a bigger role. I wrote about him very early in the cycle. I think it was just when the season started and what I saw is this guy can’t so shoot free throws for nothing. So under 50% and the touch is horrible. And the stuff is that you buy a vertical lob thread, you know, this pick and roll, pick and dive, you know, this offball screener and then dive and then basically it’s Mitchell Robinson but much younger. He never he was always ignored in terms of when he goes to the B in the NBA because in Europe they know how to play off of that and for Yan Barer to succeed is and that’s where it will help Bob Carrington a lot is this guy is such a natural screener insane hips man insane footwork for his age and the physical tools is he’s really you know those gopes I don’t know if that’s the correct English but if you look at his how he moves on the floor there that’s it’s really know this guy’s an NBA player and he can have five missed field goals, zero points, three rebounds, five turns. You don’t care because natural tools are so good, man. And this is the type of guy that give only guesses for some reason the lottery. I was like, man, man, I know I had Behringer for 2026 when I did my stuff on him because he the free throw touch is horrible. It’s really, if you look at it, look at this guy is uh I don’t need any more guys that can’t shoot. I would hack him every time. He can’t close games, but the visible tools are insane. Insane. That it it’s really if he goes next year, I think he’s going to be a Larry pick to put it like that. Okay. But yeah, Giboni is the man of the insides and he has in what around 15 20 years. Okay. These NBA teams there are on the octive, so no chance. So to develop guards, that’s the type of, you know, verb that I would put on the floor. Yeah, I hope that he goes to Atlanta for Trey, but yeah, that’d be good too. the w the witches they they recognize talent man that’s what Dark has very well and he has an idea he’s not really you know they’re not really rolling the dice let’s let me pick this guy and not really compensate or you know give him leash to develop give him the minutes to develop he does that very well so I think if I were the Washington Wizards with 18 and you go okay they were going to swing for the fence a little bit this is I go for five okay I dig Uh, got a request here for a little breakdown on Noah SN if you don’t mind too. It’s another guy I’ve watched very little international tape so far this year. So, if you could do a quick breakdown of him, I’d appreciate that, too. The crazy part is, okay, you have a clean blueprint. What do you want to do? I think that’s Noah in a in a nutshell. Okay. You know, Noah was never the star when he grew up. He always played in a complimentary role, but he find ways to make himself, you know, contribute to winning. Mhm. And you have this in every draft class. This, you know, big forwards, big wing type of players who fit in that mold. And Sen is not a good shooter yet. If he shot 40%, I would say the same thing because if you look at the jumper is not good. The shot process is not really good. It needs to adjust. But he’s skilled, man. and he’s really, you know, strong for his age. He’s has a will with a thin frame, but this is type of player that can easily gain 20 or 30 pounds in one or two seasons of muscle. And then it really didn’t really hurt him. He can be a four, he can be three, whatever you want. But it’s right now it’s it’s a long-term type of decision to put him like that. Okay. And he’s a great athlete. He’s creative out of pick and rolls. I like his handles actually for his uh for his size. is not tight and he can’t dribble out of pressure, out of blitzes or hard edges or something, but that’s not his role. But if he makes plays out of closeouts, he makes the right decision. He’s really good at, you know, using, you know, fakes with his feet, reverse pivots, and then has good burst and finds ways to get downhill. And he’s aggressive and he’s tough. And that’s not really something that you see with many French players, but he’s really tough, man. He really embraces physicality and that’s why he plays against much older players and he’s tried to dunk everything home. That’s what I like about it. I do like that we could use some of that in the front court here too as a guy next to attitude that you seek in you know what makes NBA stars really stars because they don’t they care and he has so much potential man but it’s really you really roll the dice with him. You have really have to have an idea. My favorite landing spot for him is the the Raptors actually because they have so they can bet on the complimentary type they can develop into multiple ways just like OJ for example they developed him as well and development is the main thing with him. So if he goes to a team like the Warriors or something yeah man no chance I think he’s not one maybe the Warriors not the best example but but Dallas or something there’s no chance that they will develop him the same like rebuilding teams do like the Wizards. Yeah, that makes sense. This game. Uh, all right. Last last guy for you here. Anyone else you got on on the list here that we haven’t talked about yet? No, honestly, I think we touched the most of guys for the Wizards. My main idea is, and that’s not really to uh give the easy answer, but the Wizards, what I saw is they draft roles and they want role versatility and they want guys who can play in multiple roles. Yeah, that’s the direction they will go in during the draft. They will go with an underassman unless they have really elite skill sets just like the guys that you mentioned, you know, with me Bruno and you with you know with Rashir Fleming. Mhm. I wouldn’t be shocked if they I would be shocked if they draft a guy like if they draft Jour Demon to put it like that. I would be shocked if they draft him. Okay. Because it’s really one-dimensional the passing the rest is Yeah. He’s a big passer. Uncertain what’s gonna happen. Sure. Yeah. You have to really buy the shooting I think which I I do but uh it’s it’s still a question mark like it’s by no means like a lock kind of thing. I just I think they will stay away from guys like that but role versatility that’s what the direction I will go in. Uh I’ve got a request for a little Will Riley breakdown here in the chat as well. For me is a guy I would have loved to see go back to school for one more year. I think he could have blown up next year. It was just really kind of up and down for him. Uh yeah, I’m I’m not as big a Will Riley guy as some people. I think there’s there definitely some talent there, but was just a little too streaky, you know, for my liking and I’m usually the take all wings kind of guy. I I’m not as sold on the shooting overall here as you would like to be. Was really productive, you know, for a first year guy, so I’ll give him some credit there. But uh 12 and a half points per game, four rebounds, two assists, which is which is all solid, but 43% from the field, 32 1.5% from the three-point line, low7s from the free throw line. So I think he was good in transition. He benefited early from from some of the looks that that um Kasparus Yakonis set up for him. benefited from from the spacing from Thomas Lava Visich. So, he was able to get to the rim and some of those things, but uh he would have been a guy that I think could use more seasoning and it’s just not my favorite guy for the Wizards, you know, in this 18 range. Now, if they ended up if he’s still there at 40 or something like that, I would definitely take a shot on it at that point, but uh 18 is a little too high for me personally. The same thing for me, man. I think the going back to school and working on getting stronger would be the main investment I would do. I think he he is skilled is a legit baller at what 68 measure 68 69. So that’s what all these NBA teams love, right? But I think he’s was kind of overrated before the season and at Illinois he really found a skill set as a scorer but that’s where it ended man. Defensively it didn’t really convince me and Illinois was far from good defensive team. So that’s not really helping me either. But the lack of strength and the lack of, you know, giving any confidence as he can keep balance against stronger players, n it’s not really a decision I would make. I would go back to school and working on getting stronger and continue that skill set in return. There no issue with that. I think he’s getting a lot of buzz, man. Because why would you declare if you don’t get buzz, right, with NL? So he’s going to come buy the skill. Yeah, he’s going to come out. Someone will take him in the first round and take a shot on it. But I agree with you. Like I I think this is somebody that if he made a few more shots, played a little more D next year as he got stronger, uh could have been a fringed lottery kind of guy as opposed to maybe somewhere in the 20s right now, I think is what, you know, he’s kind of generally projected at. Uh Erison, thank you for doing this. Everybody listening and and thanks for all the engagement from the chat. Um hit that like button for us on YouTube. We really really do appreciate that. Blow this thing up. Um but yeah, Erson, you’re always the best, man. Thank you for making time for doing this. I know it’s late at night there for you. So, I appreciate all the time you always give us here and the great insight, especially on a couple guys I really haven’t seen. So, this was super helpful uh for me. And again, just plug the Substack one more time here because it really is like the best resource for for a lot of these deep cut guys, too. Hey, thanks, man. It’s been year three. And I want to shout out you as well, man, because I I said it earlier to you. What I like about your podcast is you combine the draft and league coverage so good, man. I think that’s what made you special in this NBA space. appreciate and more people should subscribe and I think more people will subscribe once the wizards get better. I hope so because right now it’s not really fun to follow the wizards man. If you like player development it’s fun but if you like winning Yeah man I think is not really the the best place for that how you position the podcast. We know with the DMV hoops focusing on the the smaller college stuff. I like it man. Really I like it a lot and people should really take notice on how much you do in basketball. instead of covering your team, you cover the draft. Yeah, man. I appreciate watching the fans that, you know, I, you know, I talked to to a few of them and then the substack is the substance goes really well for me actually because I try to keep it consistent and I recognize that, you know, more people they want to know about these unknown guys. So, it’s not really that no one cares anymore. People start to take notice and start caring and then if you Yeah, man. I I think I I put too much content out there. So, I lose a lot of subscribers and when I ask people, they always say the same thing. So, that’s something that I know do good that I know. But, if you’re okay with three or four times a week, no one those reminders for people that aren’t going to hit it refresh regally. I have it bookmarked. So, it’s the first thing I go to. Someone mentions somebody I’m not familiar with, I always go, “All right, let’s see what Arison thinks about them because I know he’s looked at him at the very least. So you’re my starting point for for anybody when I’m not familiar with them, which is great. That means a lot to me, man, because that’s basically this because what I try to do, but the substack is, you know, my uh handle is e d i rmbba.substack.com, you know, because I want to uh you know, I want to put out the informations, you know, because most of the articles are always open. So if you want to know more about the less coded guys, this is your place. And I I I kind of spam people with that. So in draft season it’s good but you know in November no one cares. So I know I shoot myself in the foot with that then but yeah that’s it’s always it’s labor of love. You don’t really do these things to you know earn money or something unless you’re being hired by the league. Of course that’s the dream but it’s a hobby now. So if something happens five years I’m grateful. If it never happens I’m grateful as well because you know I love hoops. as teams are building out their scouting departments. I I would be absolutely giving you a call, but I I uh I’ll put in a good word if I’m ever in the front office a little bit because this season some NBA front office personnel people even subscribe. So that’s really an eye opener for me as well that I’m at least in a good direction. But yeah, because the end of the day is a labor of love. If you don’t love basketball, you’re not really going to, you know, hold that much for a couple of years. You have to really love the game. And that’s what I do. And that’s why I try to, you know, put in discount reports. No agendas, nothing. It’s just how I how I watch the game. I try to focus on less covered guys because I don’t care about Cooper flag because everything’s been said about it. I don’t want to be the 10 guy that says Cooper flag is really good. Okay. Yeah. Wow. What a Mr. Obviously obvious. Yep. No, I appreciate it. It’s a It’s a service. And I I think these these guys that are less heralded appreciate that too because they getting their name out there and and I I do know teams look at things like this. So I I think that’s huge and I I’m glad to hear all your success, my friend. So thank you for doing this everybody. Thanks for listening. Uh go check Arison out on on both Twitter and Substack and let us know if there are other guys you want to talk about. I will happily uh bug him to come back on here uh anytime. We got some guys you want us to check out. Maybe we’ll do the 40th pick next time. Yeah. and do, you know, even more deep cuts. Yeah. Thanks, man, for having me on again, man. It’s an honor. And shout out to Wizards Nation. The fingers crossed for Monday, man. Let’s get the number one pick. That’s right. We’re do. All right, everybody. You know the drill. Rate, review, subscribe, like this if you’re watching on YouTube. As always, uh we will uh catch y’all next time with hopefully a number one overall pick uh in our back pocket to talk about. All right, peace y’all.

NBA draft analyst with Ersin Demir joins the podcast to discuss 6 prospects the Wizards should consider taking with the 18th pick in the NBA Draft. Main prospects include: Nolan Traore, Carter Bryant, Maxime Raynaud, Rasheer Fleming, Jase Richardson, and Thomas Sorber. Also touched on Joan Beringer, Noa Essengue, and Will Riley.

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