Wizards’ Draft CONUNDRUM: Star Potential or Immediate Impact at #6?

Wizards’ Draft CONUNDRUM: Star Potential or Immediate Impact at #6?

The nightmare is real, but what blessings could there be in disguise? Where can the wizards find their star? You are Locked On Wizards, your daily Washington Wizards podcast, part of the Locked On podcast network, your team every day. Hello all and welcome into locked on wizard where myself and Abdullah Aayubi cheer you up about the pretty painful lottery and that’s that’s our hope at least and tell you about the potential newest Wizard who could be a star even if not picked at number one or number two like the Wizards had desired. I’m Leaf Tulin, a credentialed NBA draft analyst, attendee of the last two NBA combines, host of Lockton NBA big board, and beside me is Abdullah Aub, a diehard Wizards fan, here to provide hometown insights and passion for his beloved Wizards and tell you who the Wizards should take at number six. Thanks for making Lockdown Wizards your first listen each and every day. And remember, Lockdown Wizards is free and available on all platforms, including YouTube at Lockdown Wizards, where the best way to help us grow is comment anything below. And today’s question I I have for you guys is similar to yesterday’s. We we talked about who’s the best pick at six, but who’s got the most potential to be a star? So, slightly different. You know, there’s boomer bust in this. So, let’s dive right in. Abdullah, we we gotta move on that the basketball gods slayed the Wizards to fall to six. The Jazz fell to five. All these top teams can be angry with the basketball gods, but we got to come back with a better understanding today on what are the next options for the Wizards. Is there a trade to get them a star? Is there a pick to be there at six? What’s next for the Washington Wizards? and who is going to lead them into the promised land. Yeah. So, like you mentioned, I know the basketball gods was on the weren’t on the Wizards side during that lottery. I mean, it wasn’t the first time, but again, not complaining. You get what you get and it is what it is for us Wizards fans. But pick six. There’s a lot of options there. There’s a possibility of you packaging six and 19 and maybe even a player like Jordan P to move up to the top four. I don’t know if I would do that, but again, a lot of possibilities. Like I mentioned uh not too long ago, Trey Johnson is a guy who I think his ceiling as a scorer is really really good. Um the cool I keep pronouncing his name, but the the big man from Duke um Kamano Malo I got to learn these names, man. But um he’s uh defensively really his ceiling is up there as well. Pain protector. You pair him with Alex Sar, it’ll be really good front court. Also Derek Queen, his game offensively. I mean he really played good last March Madness, you know, had that game winner. So a lot of options there. You know, VJO might fall to six. I think if you’re the Wizards, you got to understand that, hey, we didn’t get picked one, we didn’t get picked two, we didn’t get picked three, we didn’t get picked four, but at the end of the day, you have so much confidence in this front office, they’ll still pick the a guy where even in last year’s draft where they hit on in a weak draft, all three draft picks, they’re definitely going to hit on six and 19 for sure. And that’s a great point you just made that in a weak draft, they hit, but I think number six in last year’s draft could have gone number two. Like I I don’t think Rhys or Sar is that much superior to a guy like you mentioned of Queen Malawatch maybe even a guy like Trey Johnson who we talked about yesterday SEC freshman of the year. I don’t know if it’s a certainty that you’d take Sar Reach ahead. I personally on my board had Stefon Castle at one Sar two and I had Reese at five. that guy went one and I definitely wouldn’t have had him one in in this class and I definitely would have had him even top five and he would he’s solid but you found bright spots in a poor draft. So there is uh a silver lining. I want to bring up a possibility. We’ll get back to the draft in a moment but there are teams that have disgruntled stars under onperforming teams. Is there any world that the Wizards find their star? Because that’s what everyone’s hoping to do in a draft. That’s what they hope that the lottery pans out, that they have their guiding star, the the northstar to say, you know what, we’re going to follow this to the promised land. But is there a a trade possibility for a guy like Trey Young, a Zion Williamson who have who are on disgruntled teams that aren’t performing as well as you possibly could? Is it the home run and getting Giannis? I don’t think you got the ammunition for Giannis, but at the same time, I don’t think that the Wizards are lacking for future picks and young talent to offer some of these teams for a slightly more established NBA star, even if not a superstar. Yeah. Yeah. No, it’s an interesting question, Leif, cuz I think Ryan Knight for the Wizards, especially Zion Williamson, I mean, we all know like off when he’s on the court and healthy and he’s playing at his peak, he’s really really good. But I think off the court issues and again like being able to maintain his body weight has been a key uh issue. And coming here to DC, there’s a lot of restaurants here in DC. So, I think that’ll be a problem for him. But again, I think down the line like make that Donovan Mitchell type of move where you have so much young talent and you want to get that one piece to take you to the promise. Then I know the Cavs haven’t gone anywhere. I know they got limited today which is insane. The Pacers are doing amazing right now. But that’s besides the point. I think if you’re the Wizards right now, it wouldn’t make sense to trade for a guy like Zion Williamson. More putting more emphasis on Zion because again the whole off the court issue. You’re going to have to give up a lot for a first overall pick. Trey Young. Again, I think what Atlanta’s doing, I think I think they’re going to be content with him. And I just feel like keep the guys that you have here. No, don’t uh switch up the chemistry. Don’t alter it because I think if you if in a way if you bring in a guy like that right now it just goes to show that oh this front office doesn’t have confidence in this young core right now. Give it a year or two and then make that trade like that Donovan Mitchell trade where get that superstar to take you over the leap and make you contender in the Eastern Conference. But I wouldn’t be opposed to it but it just goes back to how much are you giving up and is it really worth it altering the young timeline that you have here in DC. Yeah, it’s an interesting perspective because at the same time, Trey Young, for instance, isn’t old. He is difficult to build around because there’s not too many teams that are built around a dimminionive small guard who’s a liability defensively, but at the same time, the dude can score. The guy dishes out assists at an elite rate and really elevates those around him. You look at Tyres Hallebertton, I have two two points about Hallebertton, like you mentioned that they’re going to the Eastern Conference Finals two straight years. Hallebertton was traded, so that would be point one. He was traded. It’s beauties in the eye of the beholder. Obviously, he was uh with Darren Fox. Darren Fox was with the Kings and they said, “You know what? We can get a guy like Sabonis, but the younger talent went to uh Indiana, and now they’re they’re looking good.” So, a trade perpetuated a team upward through the Eastern Conference. But secondly, Tyres Hallebertton fell in the draft. I thought I had a number five in my draft board that season. And that was a draft board that could have gone everywhere. Everyone had different boards. Maybe I got lucky. But the the team like in the Kings case, it wasn’t the Pacers, but beauties in the eye of the beholder for that reason too because you can find a guy at six like the Wizards have or as low as Hallebertton went and he turns into a guy that many said overrated, but look, he’s got his team backtoback Eastern Conference Finals out of nowhere. So, let’s go back to the draft. Who is the guy? And I asked you this similarly yesterday about like who who is the best case scenario. But I guess my question is, you know, let’s say you don’t have to worry about busting. You you can just go off potential. Who’s the guy that you think has the most franchise altering potential that can be there at six for the Wizards? Um for me it’s again like I mentioned Trey Johnson, but since I’ve already given some Trey Johnson, I want to talk about Derrick Queen. I think he could definitely be a guy where you pair him up with Alex Sar. Uh Derrick Queen a 610 and could arguably go down as the best big man um in the draft. His uh offensive game is just there and I think his defense can definitely get better as well, but his ability as a scoring threat 610, averaged 16 and a half, nine rebounds and 1.9 assists this past season with shooting 52.6% from the field. Again, he can be offensively a serious threat. You pair him up with Alex Sar, I think they could be an interesting front court. And again, you bring him the hometown kid back. Why not? Why not? He’s done on the big stage in March Madness and you you really haven’t had a front court like a a potential like Alex Sar and a Derek Queen. So, as much as I love Trey Johnson, if you really want to beef up also getting rebounds, the rebounds has been a key key issue. I mean, the Wizards have been uh bottom five in rebounding for so many years and it’s just been getting out rebounded every night. It gets frustrating. So, if you’re bringing a guy like Derrick Queen will definitely um help the issue. Yeah, Derek Queen to me I would say has the highest ceiling in terms of most likelihood to be a star. We’re going to touch on ceiling versus floor. Which one is better to attack when you’re picking six? History suggests that picking six doesn’t always get you an all-star obviously, but it gets you more than you’d think. I think Queen’s got the possibility to play like Alper and Shangon or like the affforementioned Deon Damont Sabonis in the sense that he’s slowooted. There might be deficiencies defensively. That’s where you trust Alex Sar’s proficiency defensively and you say, “You know what? We we’re going to trust you and your rebounding ability, your passing, your touch around the basket and your footwork to be our effective offensive source and someone that we can play through as a distributor and hub offensively. You look at some of these guys, obviously Jokic is the prime example, but Sabonis and Shangoon have been all-stars and all NBA level guys in recent seasons. And if you build the team properly around them, like the Kings were not too long ago a high seed in the Western Conference. And I don’t think Sabonis is a top 15 player in the NBA, but I do think there’s a pathway for effectiveness in that type of player despite the limitations defensively. So I I’m with you as the highest ceiling. What do you think his highest outcome is? Like what does it look like career trajectory or even let’s say by the end of his rookie deal four years from now, what do those stats look like? Yeah. I know. I think if all goes well, I definitely think within uh maybe year two or year three, you can definitely hit um that all-star range. Again, it will be difficult with the amount of talent in this league, but I think DQ I I just think especially since we’ve lacked such a big men here in DC for so long. Alexar definitely made it uh made it known that he’s he got better every single uh after every single game, but you pair him with DQ again, I don’t know. I don’t want to say maybe like that 15 point range his rookie year. If all goes well and he’s he gets better offensively, I think especially if um Coach Kee decides to run the offense through him and Alex Sar, I think they could definitely be a really good big man tandem. Not comparing it to Demarcus Cousins or Anthony Davis. But the way that they can play with each other and complement each other, I think that will be really key. And that’s just something like I mentioned that hasn’t been here in DC for so long. It’s not never about the young guys, but now you have two young bigs who offensively are going to be really, really good. And defensively, they’re going to be really really good as well with the potential. And you pair them up with guys like Keshan George, Belali who really good high motor guys and also can be really good defenders. And I think the sky’s is the limit for DQ and I I don’t see why not at pick six. It also makes sense because again you don’t have to trade up for him. I think he’s going to be there at pick six. So again it really goes back it goes back to the Wizards organization this front office saying hey do you really think we should go with this big man or do you think we should get a wing especially if Balai doesn’t take that year three uh jump offensively? Yeah, we got more on Derek Queen, more on common Malawatch who I I think we should talk about them as foils. Queen maybe of the highest potential, but maybe Malawatch has hidden potential as someone who’s seen as a project, but also a high floor. A lot of that debate coming up next on Locked Down Wizards. Today, today the days are getting longer, the weather’s warming up, and people are spending more time outside, which means the perfect time to refresh your outdoor space. Whether you’re working with a big backyard or a small balcony, Wayfair has everything you need to make it feel more like you. Wayfair’s massive selection of outdoor essentials makes it easy to transform any space into your ideal summer setup. From comfy conversation sets to sleek dining tables and outdoor decor, they’ve got it all and all at prices that fit your b your personal budget. 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Leaf Tulene here with Abdullah Aubie. And we talked about Derek Queen as the guy with the highest potential to be a star. But now let’s talk about the benefits. The benefit and the cost maybe of taking someone with a high ceiling versus someone with a high floor. And I mentioned at the as we headed to break that a guy like common Malawatch was seen as a project. He’s raw. He’s long. He measured in at seven over 7 feet barefoot crazy long wingspan. 7 foot seven wingspan. Demonstrated a very good shooting touch. There’s a surface video that’s talking about him hitting 14 straight threes as someone who can play as a drop coverage big who can make the Wizards front court incredibly formidable defensively. Someone who can stretch the floor a little bit and is certainly a great role threat. I’ve got a stat for you. 99th percentile as a role man in collegiate basketball. That’s pretty darn good. So you’d say, is he a high potential guy, a high ceiling guy because he’s a bit of a project? He’s young. He’s a bit raw. But somehow I feel like he’s got a high floor too. Am I leading people astray by saying a guy that’s a bit of a project has a high floor in the sense that you put him in the defense is going to be great because he’s such a innate natural defender. somebody who can switch on defense and recover or play the more natural big uh drop coverage, follow the the pathway let out by the Cavaliers where the Cavs employ Jared Allen to be the common model watch in this case and then the more versatile uh guy who can slide his feet more easily being Evan Mobley in this case being Alex Sar. Uh, I see a pathway where his floor and ceiling are fairly high and you’re you’re kind of not having to choose, but it’s just perceived differently because he’s young and he played at Duke and there were other players stealing his limelight. What do you think about that? Yeah, so I think uh defensively like I like you mentioned, I think he could be the the best defender coming out of this draft. Definitely the best defensive prospect. Um, I think with his mix of length, mobility, finishing, and paint protection at such a young age really makes him a high-end prospect. And I think for a lot of teams, especially the Wizards, it’s been a lot of losing in the paint for so many years as I’ve been a Wizards fan. And I think you bring in a guy like Malu who can definitely make his presence known. And playing in the big stages of Duke, again, they didn’t win the national championship, but again, playing in a a high and program like that definitely um and brings your game to a whole different level. And I think rim protection, it’s just a guy like him who can protect the rim, it alters a team’s offensive game because it’s going to be hard to get around him and get a shot over him. So, I think defensively I think really high ceiling. Offensively, it’s going to be interesting to see. I know you mentioned the 14 threes in a row. That that’s that’s really that’s really cool. I think if you’re the Wizards, that is intriguing to look at. But again, like you want to make sure that a guy like him who can be a traditional center like Rudy Goar or Steven Adams has to also make sure that he has that offensive game because in today’s NBA, a lot of big men are shooting threes now. They’re they’re shooting off the dribble. So, uh it’s going to be really interesting to see how Mal how how it’s coming down to the draft where people teams rank Malu. And I think if you’re the Wizards, uh, comparing him to DQ, you got to give offensively the the tip off to Derrick Queen. But I think if you give, uh, him, if you’re looking at defense, I aluh definitely has a higher ceiling than him. Yeah. And it’s interesting in general regardless if we’re talking two centers in this case which just so happened to be the guy we thought had the highest potential versus a guy that I think personally has a very high floor in Malawatch but also someone who has a pretty high ceiling if he figures out the offensive game to complement his defensive floor where he’s going to be very good. But the general question is do you think going for a a home run at six is prudent or going for safety? Because I’m going to give you some history here for Wizards fans. This might not feel good because the six pick hasn’t yielded great results, but a lot of these guys I would say were the ones that have been misses were project type picks versus the ones that have hit have been projected to play roles. So, here are the six picks recently. Tan Salon went to the Hornets. Thus far, not particularly impressive of a showing, but you know, too too early to determine. Anthony Black’s been solid for the Magic, but not a home run. Benedict Matherin has been solid for the Pacers, but I never felt like that was a home run pick. Uh Josh Giddy to the Thunder. He was good, but he obviously didn’t fit their timeline. Ona Kongwa has become the starting center on the Hawks team that’s perennially decent. Jared Culver was a bust. Mo Bomba a bust. Jonathan Isaac I actually think’s excellent if healthy, but he’s never healthy. Buddy Heold’s been a journeyman though prolific for three. And then Willie Kystein. However, if you go two years, three years beyond that, you go Marcus Smart, who is defensive player of the year one year. So, very good player, but still role player. Nerlin Snowell injured. And then you have Damen Lillard, your first all-star. So, you got to go back a while. You also have Brandon Roy as a hit if you go back 19 years. But my point in saying all that, the the ones that I would say had the most success were projected to be guys who excel in a role. Does that given you any pause in trying to hit the home run by selecting a guy like Queen or maybe you feel uh wonderfully about someone else? Uh is is there a pick in your mind that that fits the boomer bust so much so he scares you away? No, honestly, I think I have so much confidence in this Wizards team that there’s not so much pressure to uh be that franchise changing player where it’s all the pressure is on you. uh whether it’s Queen, Trey Johnson or Malu, I think if you’re the Wizards, you get you get a young guy who can definitely help you um offensively and defensively, but you also have to realize that you have other young guys. Keshan George, Alex Sar, Bub Carrington, Jordan Pool, I think is on the edge of being at that all-star. So, I think when it comes to situation, and I a lot of people disagree with me on this, at least I’ve seen on social media and stuff. I think the Wizards have a really good uh situation right now because again you you come you bring in a young guy who it’s just you play your game and you be you there’s no expectations of winning and that’s what makes this Wizard team so nice is that right now there’s not that much pressure on winning that championship down the line a year two or year three or year four year five of this rebuild then there’s where like okay let’s we got to make the plan we got to make some we got to be winning 30 35 plus games. So, but right now what whatever young prospect comes in and gets drafted at six or they move up or move back, there’s not that much pressure on them and that’s what makes this an ideal situation for any prospect. So, the whole boomer bust thing I’m not really a fan of or understand. Yeah. And so, I think that’s a good perspective in the sense that the Wizards can afford to go for a swing. Uh I do think there’s some statistics indicated in that history. Uh the other history is that there’s 20% of six picks from 1989 to 2019 if for the every day. I mentioned that stat on on Monday, but uh the sixth pick yields 20% all-star. So that’s about what we saw right there. Two of the 10 in uh Damen Lord and Brandon Roy. So it stays true. I think scouting is getting better. So you may may find more success more recently. However, you’ve seen some guys be projects. A guy that I think does fit the Boomer Bus label and I think I’d be very curious. I doubt the Wizards would take him because Bub Carrington fits a similar description as a point guard. Uh, pick and roll heavy would be Jeremiah Fierce, who I think’s got potential if the if he has the ball in his hands, but he does have some warning signs as an inefficient jump shooter and someone who played on a poor team at Oklahoma and just had the ball in his hands. I I think Derek Queen has less warning signs in terms of being a bust. Uh, and I do think he has the highest potential. So, I think we’re on the same page at Queen. If they were to take Maw Watch, how would you feel? And how do you think most Wizards fans would feel as someone who sees the appeal of the defensive side, but maybe not the long-term upside as a all-star type player, rather more of a Derek Lively, a Mark Williams, a defensive anchor? Yeah. No, that’s again like for me like I think defensively it’s just been a a common thing that we need to get better here in DC. I think offensively you would like to see that, but if the guy is just so good defensively, I really wouldn’t mind because again uh you want to get that rim protector. you want to get that guy who can um change the game when it matters at last I can block to win the game. So if a guy like Malu and the Wizards organization has so much faith that he could be that guy I don’t see why not. Yeah you I would be a little bit surprised if he doesn’t go in the top six. I don’t know what order but I the draft stock and the community that I uh speak with seems to think he’s rising and I believe it because the measurables are fantastic. He’s going to interview very well. He’s one of the happiest, nicest people I’ve ever uh I wouldn’t say interacted with, but have seen in people interact with. And then I would also say his potential is high and I believe his floor is high. So the Wizards don’t only have the six pick, they have the 19th pick. We’re going to talk about that and some players that are rising up through the NBA combines ranks and potentially putting themselves in the conversation for pick 19. We’ll head there next on Lockdown Wizards. Shopping for a car should be exciting and not exhausting, but between the confusing prices and the hidden fees, it can feel overwhelming. That’s why I love using Car Gurus. They help you cut through the noise and show you the best deals with full confidence. I definitely needed it when recently shopping for a car. I was going through the rigomearroll of listening to one person say one price and then all of a sudden finding a totally different price. But not with CarGurus. If you need a deal you can trust, CarGurus makes it easy for to compare vehicles side by side with unbiased deal ratings. And the best feature in my opinion, the price drop alerts so you know exactly when the perfect car is available for your budget and you time it to perfection. 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But I also wouldn’t mind if they take a swing on like a if they go guard with a six pick and maybe take a swing on Ozen New a big man who could def definitely um is draft stock is going up recently as it’s being on draft board. So that could be a guy where again if you take a swing on a big man I don’t see why not. Also Danny Wolf out of Michigan I think I’ve been talking about him for a while but he is like Nicole Joish 2.0 when it comes to his way the way he moves offensively. So um Danny Wolf at 19 if he’s there I don’t see why not but again a lot of options man. And this was so great organization that you really have so many options and whatever way you do it and the way way you attack it. I think this front office can definitely hit just because of how the reason why I’m just so confident about them I think a lot of fans should be is how they executed last year’s draft. So this year’s draft in a stronger draft class pick 19 why not swing and go for a guy or even if you want plug and play I think Danny Wolf can be that guy as well. Would you have seen Keshan George as a swing last year or more of a plugandplay? because I think there was a discourse about him of, oh, this guy’s slowfooted and he shot well, but he’s old for a freshman. So, I thought some people thought he was a swing because he was super talented and had great size. And some people would have told you, “Oh, this guy’s plugandplay because he can play pick and roll.” And I think finding the middle points the best. But what what was your personal assessment of of was he a swing or was he a home a swing or a you know, a bunt, you know, playing it safe, plugandplay? Yeah, I think with Keshan like uh the three-point shot, I think that’s what we’re looking for. But I think if you’re the the Wizards, I mean the way he moves defensively, I think that’s I that’s what’s surprising and he got better as the year went on last year. So if you’re uh the Wizards and he’s I think the emergence of Kehan George is a big reason why Cory Kiss’s tenure in Washington is coming to an end. So, I think his emergence has been great and um I think I don’t know if I don’t know if it’s a swing, but I think when when it came to him and his playing role, he came through. Yeah, I like Keshan George a lot. He was, you know, an interesting guy to talk about during the combine. So, with that said, Cory Kispert’s tenure probably coming to an end. Uh do you feel like the wing is the selection? Because if you look at the board, uh I think the wing is the position that is most conducive to success around that because you look at some of the success stories picked, you know, later after the lottery, they’re typically wings that are plug-and-play either defensively oriented or very good shooters and you hope for the you hope for both. Uh there’s a guy a a guy named Cedric Coward who’s taken draft Twitter by storm because he had a 7 foot two and a half wingspan and shot the cover off the ball to the tune of being top of the leaderboard in the star drill and and he’s a guy that fits the athletic and shooting parameters. So maybe offense and defense. There’s guys like Yaka Landenorg like you talked about Danny Wolf. Uh you know there’s wings galore in this spot. you you’ve got Will Riley, someone who who measured in at nearly 69 as a freshman who shoots the cover off the basketball. What what direction would you go of of these wings if not a big like Danny Wolf? Um, and does it change if you take, let’s say, you take Derek Queen at six, do you do you say, “Okay, good riddens with Wolf.” Or if you take Trey Johnson, do you say you must get a big here? Does the position positional need outweigh best player available when picking at 19? Yeah. And again, I’m always like in the middle between fit and best player available, but I think if you go guard and that um in the realm of pick six, I think you got to go getting the for me I I think I have so much confidence in Beladi hitting that year three uh offensive uh game uh averaging more points per game. I think him being more consistent. I think he’s going to be able to do that. That’s why I’m more uh and I again I wouldn’t be so upset if you get Derek Queen maybe even double down on um the center the big man position because again I think if you’re the Wizards they have a good guard rotation and you have a solid uh wing rotation as well. Obviously can that could get better but um if you want to pair up Queen and Sar and you also have Tristan Bhuvich off the bench really a really good big man rotation potentially for the Wizards if they go double down on big man. Yeah, my my philosophy is that you can get a plug-and-play wing and you potentially if you if you bank on traits well enough, you might be able to get a steel uh who could be more than plug-and-play and exceed expectations because like I mentioned, Cedric Coward’s the draft darling of of the NBA combine. There’s a guy like I mentioned, Will Riley is doing very well. There’s an international player named Ben Saraf who the Wizards have not shied away from going the international route in in seasons past. uh does the NBA combine guys who you know play well in the scrimmages that will be happening today tested well do those guys who show it uh allure to you more or guys who had this collegiate track record and maybe don’t play in the scrimmages because they want to hold their stock is there anything that changes your perspective uh in the next couple days yeah know I think for me it’s how you performed uh on the big stage for me I put a little more consideration in March Madness as well how did you play um because that’s the stage in college basketball and when you’re in the NBA it’s the the best of the best. So I think that goes into consideration the combine I agree the measurements is something to note but I think a lot of it just goes back to game tape how you performed when you were given playing time and if you’re the Wizards again you want to get that guy who can perform in the big stage because again you want him you want you want him to be that guy that leads you to the promis winning your championship here you’re in DC. Yeah, I mean you look at this and and I think there’s a ton of wings. And if you’re to take a wing, let’s say you take Derek Queen, a common model watch, and you’re you’re looking wing here, I’ll give you four options. Uh Cedric Coward from Washington State’s been the the darling of the draft Twitter last couple days. Will Riley shot the cover off the ball uh and shows potential measuring in at 6’8. Uh you got Rashier Fleming from St. Joe’s whose wingspan was 7 foot5. He’s the athletic type. Adiero, an athletic type. maybe a guy like Liam McNeely falls from Yukon. Uh, is there a player that stands out there? And the second part of this question would be, do you prioritize athleticism because the Wizards have tons of that and they have in years past, or are you looking more for shooting, especially with the loss or at least potential loss of a guy like Corey Kissper? Yeah. No, I think Man, that’s a good question. for me like I think right now you want athletes here in DC and I think shooting wise you got Keshan George but maybe maybe I think Jordan Pul is a three-point sniper as well. Um maybe Alexar develops a three-point shot. Maybe even Balakali if if gets the mechanics where develops that three-point shot but I think right now you have a good group of athletes in today’s NBA you want uh guys that can shoot from three. So maybe maybe maybe lean towards the side of three-point shooting. And I think a lot of these guys have those high ceilings of being three-point shooters in this draft. It just again goes back to development and I think Wizards coaching staff done a good job of developing the three uh guys that they got from last year’s draft. So I think they can run it back again, especially in this stronger draft class. Yeah. and maybe they they’re able to package up uh night six and 19 move up if someone falls that they think can truly be the guiding star to the Wizards to the promised land of making the playoffs once again. Uh well, we certainly hope for the best for the Wizards in this draft. We’re going to get you all the insights and coverage you need as the NBA combine rolls on today and tomorrow. We’re going to talk about some of the players, the standouts there, more draft talk, and maybe a little bit of what should the Wizards do in the offseason coming up in the days tomorrow. We really appreciate you guys for listening. Thank you for making lockdown wizards your first listen today. And for your second listen, go check out Lockton NBA Game Night every game, every night until an NBA champion is crowned. Get local analysis on a national scale. Find NBA game night on lockown NBA on YouTube or wherever you listen to your podcast. By the time that you listen to this, uh, one of the series has finished. The Pacers are in the Eastern Conference Finals and some of the others could finish as well by the time you listen to this. So, thank you guys for listening. We’ll be back. See you tomorrow.

In this episode of Locked On Wizards, hosts Leaf Thulin and Abdullah Ayubi discuss the Washington Wizards’ options following their sixth overall pick in the NBA draft lottery. They explore potential trade scenarios for disgruntled stars and analyze prospects like Derik Queen and Khaman Maluach. The hosts debate the merits of selecting high-ceiling versus high-floor players at the sixth pick, drawing on historical data of past sixth overall selections. They also consider options for the Wizards’ 19th pick, discussing whether to prioritize potential or immediate impact. The episode provides insights into the Wizards’ draft strategy, player evaluations, and the team’s future direction in light of their recent lottery results.

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