Is the Wizards’ Best Chance at a SUPERSTAR in the 2026 NBA Draft? | Washington Wizards Podcast

Is the Wizards’ Best Chance at a SUPERSTAR in the 2026 NBA Draft? | Washington Wizards Podcast

Is the transcendent franchise changing talent coming to DC in next year’s draft? The 2026 draft? Meet the stars of the tomorrow. Next on Locked on Wizards. You are Locked On Wizards, your daily Washington Wizards podcast, part of the Locked On Network. Your team every day. Hello and welcome in to Locked on Wizards where myself and Abdullah Iubi analyze the prospects that headline the loaded 2026 NBA draft class. We’ve told you all about the prospects who could be picked number six and maybe the Wizards trade up, trade down, find themselves guys in 25, but is 26 the year for the Wizards to find their guy? And what I mean by their guy, I mean the superstar, the face of the franchise? I’m Leaf Tulin, a credentialed NBA draft analyst, attendee of the past two NBA combines and a host of locked on NBA big board. And beside me is Abdul Aubi, diehard Wizards fan, and he’s here to provide hometown insights, passion for his beloved Wizards, and insight and analysis on guys that could be the face of his beloved franchise, the Washington Wizards. 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 to comment anything below. And today’s question is, which prospect is your favorite from the 2026 NBA draft class? We’re going to talk about BYU forward AJ Debonsa, Kansas guard Darren Peterson, Duke forward Cam Boozer, and Tennessee’s Nate Ament. So, let’s dive right in. Abdullah, AJ’s been the guy who’s gotten the most acclaim. People have seen the most of his highlights. uh is he the guy for you? And and if not, uh who is it? But but tell me your read on AJ Debansza, who’s been the guy that you know, everyone said it’s capture the flag. I don’t know what the acronym is going to be next year for AJ. Uh but is he the guy for you? Yeah, AJ Debonsza, 69 small for power forward, can basically play one through five, can move like a guard, can dribble, Utah prep, and now committed to BYU. It’s going to be really interesting to see if he can transcend that program at BYU. again, a guy like him who was getting offers from Kentucky, Duke, all these elite programs and choosing BYU was just something that you’re going to have to definitely look into and to see how much of impact he has on that program. I think there are some things that you might have to look at. Uh sometimes, and this is very nitpicky because again, I’m you want to look at everything, but on the court there are times we can be a little dramatic. He can be that type of oh like where’s the foul at or can be a little hard-headed, but I mean again, he’s a young guy. He’s going into college basketball. Maybe he can learning. That’s a learning curve for any young guy. I mean, we’re not talking about AJ Debonds. Probably a lot of young guys deal with that situation. But when there’s so much spotlight on you, there’s going to be a lot of criticism on you. That’s one thing you have to harp on. And I think another thing for the Wizards is that this is a lot of talent. You mentioned all those guys, but will the Wizards be in the position to even get a top five pick? I think we have the predict prediction of the Wizards winning potentially 25 to 30 games. So, that could alter that situation. But whatever um whatever if they get that top five picker, if they follow the top five, just know that this 2026 draft class is loaded with a capital L. Well, you said it right there, loaded with a capital L. And this year’s class is considered very good, meaning the 2025 one. And especially when you compare it to 24, which was devoid of topend talent, but I think all draft evaluators, if you were to be asked on the teams, they’d say, “Yeah, 2026 is the one where we want to make sure that we have our pick. We don’t want to have a protected pick go missing and and you miss out on getting one of these type of guys who can be transcendent talents. Uh it’s it’s guys like AJ, Darren Peterson, Camboozer that you spend years tanking with for the chance to get. So the Wizards maybe they get lucky and they’re above 25 wins but yet they get lucky in the lottery unlike this season and you move up four or five spots as opposed to falling. Prior seasons there was no luck either. Well time you got to give yourselves opportunities. I’ve said that numerous times. You got to give yourselves opportunities and when you provide opportunity there, the chance happens. But I sympathize. I understand that. So the question I’ve got for you is it was commonly thought that AJ Debons was the best prospect in America regardless of age coming up because Cooper flag everyone was saying capture the flag. How incredible is he? And then he had a year that was better than anyone could have imagined. Like I’m a college basketball guru. I look at all this stuff incessantly. I watch tons of game, watch the film, talk about the NBA draft. And I was high on Cooper Flag coming in. I watched him for a couple weeks as a 17-year-old became higher and then from 17 to 18 when he turned 18 mid-season in December, he took another leap forward and he became the guy. And I think he’s a better prospect than AJ. But to put this in reference, there was an anonymous poll surveying a bunch of executives at the college and NBA level, and AJ Monzo was considered the best prospect in youth basketball ahead of a guy in Cooper Flag that has everyone salivating, changing the course of their their team’s direction and trajectory to get him. So, how much optimism does that provide you for if the Wizards were to get a guy like AJ Bonsa? Yeah, that’s uh it’s insane to think about that Cooper Flag was supposed to be in this draft class. I mean that just again adds more talent to this loaded draft class already. But the fact that there were scouts saying that AJ Deanza is could be giving him that edge over Cooper Flag. I mean to me that’s insane. We all know how talented Cooper Flag is. I mean he ball out this year as a 17 18 year old and now Adrian Debons gained that much credit. Again is the hype too much? Who knows? We’ll see down the line. Again one thing that I’m still a little questionable on is the whole attitude the character. I mean, again, you’re you’re playing you’re going to play in the bright lights of DC or whatever city you’re in and it’s going to be in a losing situation. You’re going to go into a team that’s was losing a lot this the season before you because again, there’s a reason why they got a draft pick. So, at the end of the day, if you’re a team and you’re looking at Adri Debonsza with his size, his skill set, the ability to shoot from all three, score from all three levels, can defend, it’s really really special. And it just you better you got to hope that you fall into that top three, top five luck when it comes to the lottery. And if the Wizards, whatever pick they get, I just know again going back to this whole 24 draft class, a weak draft class, you hit on all three draft picks and Bub Carrington, Keshan George, and Alex Sar. So, but that by the time of 2026, I think Mike Wingle, White, Michael Winger, Will Dawkins, they’ll definitely figure out a way to land their guy, even if it’s none of these guys that we’re talking about today. Yeah. And there’s plenty of depth. We’re talking about the guys that we think teams are going to salivate over and get the guys. So, you you mentioned the the tendency to be a little dramatic, a bit of a primadonna. What makes AJ Debonsa so talented that it doesn’t matter that he’s a little dramatic? Like you you may want to cut that out, but you’re not going to not draft him because of that. He’s got such gamechanging talent. He’s drawn comparisons to Tracy McGrady, uh more modern Paul George. Like what does he do that makes you say, “Oh, so be it. There’s there’s this complaining. There’s, hey, I’m the number one prospect in the country, but you’d still take him in a heartbeat.” Why why is he so good to you, Abdullah? because just his size, god-given ability at 68, 69, can dribble like a guard, very very explosive, can shoot from three and he’s only going to get better at it. And again, he’s just a guy who’s willing to learn. I think he’s gotten better throughout his college career. I think I started hearing his name more as a sophomore in high school, but then he just kept on getting better. Then again, he went up against guys like Anita Met, like Darren Peterson in high school. So again, when it comes to playing against uh the competition, he always he’s always coming up and he’s shining the brightest. And I think that’s what really truly matters, especially in the NBA when you’re playing against the best of the best. You want to see young guys go out there and ball out. I think a guy like AJ Dezer, no matter what situation he’s put in, I think he’ll definitely find a way to shine. AJ to me will be the most interesting one to watch in college basketball because he’s inheriting a roster that’s not just, hey, it’s AJ and the rest of these guys. like Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper were the only two players that were competent on Rutgers. This year he’s joining a team that just made the Sweet 16. Their best player, Richie Saunders, came back. It was first team all Big 12, likely a probable all-American, I’d have to guess. And they brought in Rob Wright for over $3 million from Baylor, who was a teammate with Cooper Flag and that fabulous uh starting five at Mont Verde. I’m very curious to see what the role is for AJ. Is he going to have the ball in his hands all the time at BYU or is he going to fit in? And which one would benefit him more? AJ’s the one I’m most curious to watch and I I’m going to have a front row seat. I’m going to get credentials to BYU uh living in Utah. I I think it’ll be very interesting to watch him duel Darren Peterson. We’re going to talk about him in a little bit. So, one last question about AJ. You you talk about just the god-given ability that he is he is big, he is long, he’s got a handle, his his heavy pull-ups super great. My initial comparison I came up for it when I first saw him a couple years ago was Andrew Wiggins with a better jump shot. And Andrew Wiggins, for those of you who remember, had like one of the coldest mixtapes of all time and everyone thought he was going to be amazing. He was a number one pick. He’s been an all-star. He’s been a good player. Uh does that inspire a lot of faith to you saying the Wizards get number one. Are you going up to the clock and saying I want AJ Debonsa? Yeah. I know I think obviously Andrew Wiggins there was a lot of hype going him coming out of college but the way he transitioned he’s still a really good NBA player and he won a championship but if you’re the Wizards if you get a guy like AJ Debonsza definitely trans sends this young core that you have already with um Bal Kulabali Alex Sar Bub Carrington um Keshan George you got young guys in Justin Champany Tristan Vuchich it just adds more to this young core the youth movement that we have here in DC and on top of that you’re going to have the as he took the year before. Upcoming in a couple weeks was pick six, pick 18. And who knows, will um JP 13, we made a video about him being potentially traded. Will he be on the roster? We don’t know. But a guy like AJ Deanza could definitely be that superstar the Wizards have been wanting for so long here in DC. AJ is certainly the guy that I would say can be an offensive number one. talked about how Sar might be an offensive number two and a defensive number one and that’s a really good basketball player, but you need someone to be the standard bearer on offense, the torch torch carrier going forward, scoring the basketball. AJ can body that and and then some. He can be a 25 to 30 point per game scorer in the NBA. And that’s the appeal. Coming up next, we’re going to talk about a guy who according to some ranking services has usurped AJ as the number one player in high school heading into college. That’s Darren Peterson. He’s heading to Kansas and they’ll play against each other in college and I can’t wait for that matchup. But we’re going to talk about that and potential Wizards guard Darren Peterson coming your way next on Locked on Wizards. 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Shop a huge selection of outdoor furniture online this summer, get outside with Wayfair. So head to wayfair.com right now. That’s wfir.com. Wayfair, every style, every home. Welcome back to Lockdown Wizards. Leaf Julene and Abdullah Yubi talking to you about the 2026 NBA draft. So 2025 draft has not happened yet. Who knows where the Wizards will be drafting, but I’m going to ask you a question. The Wizards get the number one pick in 2026 and they’re going to the podium. Are you tempted to take a guy named Darren Peterson, a guard who has been compared to the likes of a bigger Damen Lillard? I’ve even I’ve even heard him heard him compared to Kobe Bryant or you taken a guy in AJ Debonsa who many have compared to Tracy McGrady uh Paul George and many others that fit the modern archetype of right now big wings dominating who who’s taken the number one pick according to general manager Abdullah Iubi. Yeah. So I think with Darren Peterson a guy who’s going into Kansas I mean 6’5 like you mentioned his size his rare trait of passing and playmaking is just amazing. He’s been a point guard that’s been off the charts these past couple years in high school. And as much as I it’s hard to compare the two because again, two different players, two different uh guys that are both talented, but I go back to the fit. I think in in DC, you need a wing. And I think that’s why you kind of favor more of AJ Debons more than a guy in Darren Pearson. Darren Pearson very very talented. Again, a loaded load of draft class. It’s probably going to be a lot of um depends on who get the number one pick, but it’s going to be a lot of oh, AJ versus Darren. Obviously, if Cooper Flag was in this draft class, it would be against those three three-headed monsters. So, a guy like Darren Pearson, very, very talented, but again, since you already have a guy, Bob Carrington that we are kind of really high on, you were especially high on going into a 20 2024 draft class, I just think it wouldn’t make sense to go and lean towards Debza. I I don’t personally think it matters too much on what’s on the roster because if you’re drafted number one, you might as well take the guy you think is the best regardless of roster. I do agree in terms of fit. AJ’s the one that I think is you can p you can pencil in and say, “Oh, that’s a great fit.” But I think the best player available, however you evaluate, and I you may well be right. It may be AJ anyway. And I do think his max outcome is probably higher. So, let’s talk about Darren Peterson, though, and what he does well. To me, it’s just how calm, cool, and collected he is in the sense that nothing phases him. He’s able to score being at his own pace. He’s able to blow by bigger guys when a smaller guy’s on him. He’s able to use his size, elevate over the top. He plays at his own pace, goes off of screens, shoots threes beautifully, which is where I think he’s likened to Damen Lillard appropriately, which is obviously high praise. I’ve even heard him compared to Kobe because he’s got this high release and almost uh effortless pullup mid-range game. And you just don’t see too many scorers wired like him to score the basketball. He and AJ played each other and Darren Peterson’s team won narrowly over Utah Prep which features a couple other collegiate players and Derek Peterson plays for uh Prolific Prep in Napa, California and they they feature college players as well but it was really AJ versus versus Darren. Darren Peterson won that battle for some reason that matters to me and also he scored 57 points in that game and that really matters to me. I just I just by his scoring it wasn’t like AJ had a bad game. I think he had 49. Just a poultry 49. But Darren Peterson, when it mattered most, hit game winners in Geico Nationals. He scored 57 in a head-to-head against he and AJ. Uh he’s my number one right now, but I’m very very tentatively saying that just because I do think it matters on the upside and how likely you are to be a super duper star and a guy who’s a first team allNNBA guy routinely. and maybe AJ has an edge there, but just watching them play right now and what the role I envision for Kansas, I lean Darren Peterson ever so slightly. Yeah. No, definitely. I think this year in college basketball, it’s going to be exciting. AJ Leons at BYU, Darren Peterson at Kansas, I I it goes back to what I always talk about when it comes to watching college uh basketball players, March Madness. I mean, can they get their team to the tournament? And how well do you do in the tournament? How well do you do under the bright lights? You talked about how when Debons and Peterson matched up, Peterson was 57. That’s that’s insane. But let’s see you do it in the collegiate level that eventually you’re going to have to do in the NBA. But yeah, that that conversation of uh who’s going to go up one between Debons and Peterson is going to be something that we’re going to be talking about for the next couple of months going into the 2026 draft class. Yeah, it’s going to be a big time conversation and I don’t even think it’s a two-horse race. I think there’s a world where Cam Boozer is the best collegiate player of them all. And then the question is, well, does it matter more that he’s better collegiately or do you want a guy who you think might have more NBA potential because he’s a better athlete? Speaking of AJ Debonsa, and that’s going to be very interesting. Uh, do you favor a guy in Camboozer who I think might be the most productive and he’s in the most conducive for success situation. So, one more thought on AJ or Darren Peterson. The Wizards had John Wall, they had Bradley Beal, and both those guys were awesome. They were both all-stars. Bradley Beal a three-time all-star. John Wall, an even better player, unfortunately flamed out with injuries at some point. Is there a world where you believe that this guy can be the best Wizards guard, maybe even more than Agent Zero, Gilbert Arenas? Oh man, I mean, I think a little too soon, Le, I got to see him play college basketball, but I definitely the potential is kind of through the roof with um how he’s been how he performed in high school. Is one of the best guards as of recently in a long time. So, it’s going to I think it’s a little too soon to compare him to Agent Zero and John Wall. I have love for John Wall. John Wall is the reason why I started watching basketball. Big reason why I’m a Wizards fan. Oh, sorry, Wizards fan. So, I don’t know. It might be a little too soon. But the fact that again, you we’re making having that discussion now just goes to show how much potential this kid has. And here’s the crazy thing. I’m I’m usually a believer in cautious optimism in the sense that I want to see the best, but I’m not going to scream from the rooftops about this guy’s an all-star. I’ll say this. I think that the three of these guys, AJ, Darren, and Cam, I think you’re getting three all-stars and potentially two allNBA guys. Like, I’m that certain of their NBA translation. And I very very rarely watch this much high school film, much less praise high school film and say, “Yeah, this is the real deal. They’re going to turn out fine.” Uh, they’re going to be more than just fine. They’re they’re going to be fantastic in the NBA. And I can see Darren Peterson, if he were to land with the Wizards, usurping that top spot from agent zero or John Wall. And here’s the question. Would you would would you say the better Wizard was Agent Zero or John Wall? Oh man, that’s a tough one. It’s a tough one. You throw it at me life. I just think cuz both their tenures kind of ended in very awkward situations. John W with injury and uh Agent Zero with you know what happened in the locker room and that situation for me since I grew up with I grew up with John W. I was a little too young for the agent zero the Gilbert Arena’s days. I just had the fact that John Walt had the city on his shoulders. I think that’s that was so like amazing and he had a community behind him, the 360 layups, his ability to pass the ball, the fact that he was doing all that with with a limited jump shot, a jump shot that was just wasn’t consistent. Everyone was saying that at the time if he had that jump shot, he was up to the likes of Kyrie Irving, Steph Curry, Damen Lillard, Chris Ball. So, I got to go with John Wall. I just think he had the city on his back and that shot in game six against the Celtics was just amazing. I mean, I remember I was in I think eighth grade at the time and I just was like I was screaming on the top of my lungs and he was making guys like Marching Gort have good caliber careers at center. If he had the athletic center, we would have be having a different story. But then injuries happen, you know, front office came in the way and it just sucked the way it ended, but it is what it is. I think John Wall will forever be a legend here in Washington. Well, hopefully a guy from the 2025 and the 2026 draft will become Washington Wizards legends and maybe you won’t be complaining if one of these guys you surfs that top guard spot from from that uh from the beloved John Wall. I’m a I’m a Gilbert Arenas believer. I think he was fantastic and you know he talks his big game and he says, “Oh, I’m fantastic, but he might have been even better than he says.” And that’s how crazy his game was. So, another guy who’s going to be following his father’s footsteps. There’s Cam Boozer following after Carlos Boozer. Can he be better than his dad? Can Elijah Arenas be better than Gilbert Arenas? We’re going to talk about that and one other prospect coming up next on Locked on Wizards. Welcome back to Lockdown Wizards. Leaf Chain and Abdullah Aubi guiding you through the crash course of who are going to be the stars in the draft. Not this not a month from right now but a about 13 months from right now. And right now we’ve talked about AJ Debonsa Darren Peterson and now we’re going to Cam Boozer. Camboozer I I made reference I think he might be the most polished of these guys the have the least trans uh transition in a bad way to college basketball. I think he’s going to be right at home. I think he’s going to follow the footsteps of Palo Banero and be a first team all-American at Duke. And he’s going to score, be the ACC player of the year, bully players, have more skill than is recognized, use strength and and coordination to create shots for himself and other players. I think he’s going to be one of the front runners, maybe the top three front runner for national player of the year. And it’s very rare to see freshman be so dominant. We saw Cooper Flag be just the fourth to win the national player of the year joining the likes of Zion KD and uh Zion KD and was it Michael Beasley? Oh no, Anthony Davis. Yeah, Anthony Davis. So there’s there’s just four of those guys and I think that Cam Boozer’s got a good chance. I think he’s got the best chance of these guys. What’s your read on Cam Boozer having seen him dominate at the high school level in Florida? Yeah. No, I think I mean his resume speaks for itself. It is kind of wild at his age between the Florida State Championships, consecutive FIFA MVPs and Peach Jam Championship offense runs through Boozer in every setting. He can operate from the post and create high percentage shots with his strength and footwork. He’s got quick, and I mean quick spin moves and both finesse and power finishes. Uh he can definitely be a beast on the glass. I mean, offensively, the Wizards and defensively, rebounding has been bottom five for as long as I’ve been a fan. So, a guy who can playmake, pass the ball as well, and push the ball in tempo. I mean, he can really do it all. And again, we’re talking about the third guy. I mean, you also have him. It’s just amazing how much talent this draft class has. And I really going to it’s going to be really going to be interesting to see years to come and how this draft class is compared to the uh five last 10, five years because again, this could go down as one of the most talented draft classes that we’ve had in so long here in the NBA. I mean, look, you look at 2003 and that’s obviously the standard. That’s LeBron James and of course one miss and Darkco Milichic. You go to uh Carmelo. Then you get to Chris Bosch and Dwayne Wade. You’re not going to get too much better than that. But this is about as close as you’re going to get. AJ, Darren Peterson, Camboozer, Nate Ament. Uh question for you. What do you think, and you can touch on this for Darren Peterson, too, because I didn’t ask about this, but we talked about with AJ. What do you think a reasonable outcome is for someone in in the early years of their career uh in the in the world of like okay the Wizards draft Camboozer? What is year four? What does his ceiling look like even year eight? Uh is he an allNBA talent? Is he someone that you feel can be one of the all-time greats for Washington? Yeah, I think definitely within year three, year four, you could see that jump of being that allstar AllNBA player. I think again the fact that he’s doing all that I that I just sp spoke about his resume doing all that at such a young age and again he’s doing that with the likes of these guys that we’re mentioning in his draft class draft class. It just goes to show and again he’s playing in an elite program at Duke will want to take on the challenge playing uh in such an elite program against going to put you the put you against the best. It just goes to show that he’s willing to take on the next step and go to the NBA and be that top caliber player no matter where he goes. And if he’s in Washington, I definitely think it’s a good situation because again, we needed a guy who can be a menace off the glass. I mean, we want someone to be nasty in the paint and you have Alex Sar right now. So, Boozer Sar front court would be nasty. I think they complement each other brilliantly. Like, that would be fantastic. Uh, I think that he and Darren Peterson are just as likely to be allstars. I think AJ’s maybe got the highest peak outcome of being an allNBA guy that has the ball in his hands at the end of the game and you say, “Okay, go win us the game.” Because we need a guy who can guard tons of positions, can score the ball with the ball in his hands, can shoot off the ball. But these guys are all fantastic. But that’s not it in this draft class. There’s a guy named Nate Mint, and you’d mentioned him a couple days ago. You mentioned him again uh when we were prepping for this show that you wanted to touch on Native Amen. So, I’m going to turn the floor over to you. Talk about your boy Native Men. Yeah. So, it’s interesting because Name Meta is from my hometown in Manasses, Virginia, and uh played basketball with him a couple times and this was before he went into Highland, the program that he was in. He was in public school before that, but he really trans transitioned himself 69 again, three-level score. Um I think one thing that’s a little people are concerned about him is a skinny frame. He did commit to Tennessee, which is kind of interesting because there was offers from Duke and Kentucky. So, it’s going to be a situation where how is he going to be the number one option right off the bat? his uh freshman year. Is the pressure going to get to him? And he played in a really good program in Highland and they were really good this year and he was uh he put up a good show against Adrian Deanza. So it goes back to these guys are playing high level basketball against high level players and I love to see it and I’m rooting for the guy. I think his frame is just it’s it may be a little concerning but I definitely can pack on some muscle. Uh, I think in today’s NBA, a guy like him, skinny frame, is not that much of a big deal. And I think he’ll figure out a way to manage through it. And again, I think his ability is just shoot from three and wingspan. I mean, he can guard one through four and can dribble the ball, bring it up the court, again, can be a menace off the glass as well. So, a guy like Native Med so so talented and again, you’re on top. This is the fourth fifth guy that we’re talking about and he could be potentially be that maybe number two, number three overall pick. just it’s going to all come down to this first year of college basketball with all these young guys and see how they do and it’s going to be exciting, man. And the one thing I always talk about is how they produce in March Madness. First of all, can you get to the tournament? But then when you get to the tournament, how far do you go and how much are you a contribution to your team success in the tournament? Well, all of these guys will will be primed to go to the tournament. I mean, Duke just made the final four. Tennessee made the Elite 8. Kansas had a down season, but that’s Kansas. That’s one of the winningest programs in basketball history. And Tennessee is an interesting choice for Native Attent because they’re known for defense, they’re known for toughness. So, if there’s any team that can strengthen him, pack on some pounds, become an more versatile defender and add to his stock there because he’s got, like you said, a lengthy build, someone who can dribble the ball, has a very good shooter for his size, and he’s a late bloomer. Sometimes that’s really helpful because Darren Peterson, AJ Debons, and especially Cam Boozer, like you mentioned, his accolades and the FIA ranks. Uh, these guys have been known commodities forever and their games maybe were more polished sooner. Maybe native men’s got more growth curve and there’s more to unpack and there’s more potential that has yet to be seen. Speaking of such, there’s a big-time name and he’s been in the headlines recently for an unfortunate reason because of a car crash. That’s Elijah Arena, son of Agent Zero Gilbert Arenas. Uh he for those who don’t know he got in a car crash and he was hospitalized due to uh smoke inhalation. No no no bodily injuries, no no harm to his bones or anything like that. But this is a guy that that’s very conflicting. Some people say, “Oh, he’s slender. He’s not very quick twitch and and I don’t see it.” And others are all in. Uh you you mentioned that you wanted to talk about him. What’s your read on Elijah Reus and what’s your read on his potential? Yeah. So, uh, definitely is an unfortunate situation, but I think one thing that I want to see is he goes through something like that going into his freshman year. How well does he perform? I think that’s going to be an indicator of how much of a player, how much of a a man Elijah Arenas is. I think, you know, being the son of Gilbert Arenas, you know, especially since, you know, he played in Washington, it’s going to be some headlines about him is going to be a lot of more be under a microscopic level of how much criticism he can get. But a guy like him, I think offensively is really really gifted at his size. Talk about skinny frame. I mean, I brought brought that up with made it met, but again, I don’t think that’s going to be a problem. I think he could figure out a way to manage through it and put on some muscle. But I think offensively, three-level score, I think he’ll he’ll be just fine. And a guy who’s again in this talented draft class who’s going to be not talked about a lot because of the guys that were we mentioned before him. So, if you’re the Wizards, maybe that’s something you can bring in and you bring in a guy who played his father played for this franchise. definitely bring a lot of media, a lot of attention to this team. So, that’s something a positive, you know, get more attention, you know, bringing spotlight back to DC. The Wizards for so long as of recently have been dealing with the lack of media attention and bringing a guy that’s the son of a and Gil a guy like Gilbert Arenz is huge and who knows, we’ll just have to see how he performs this upcoming season and dealing with a life-changing incident or potentially life-changing incident. If we can go out there and ball out and bounce back and say, “Hey, the car crash didn’t affect me. I’m still out there. I’m still going. I’m so ball. I’m going to make the March Madness tournament. I’m going to ball out and I’m going to be the reason why I’m not just the son of uh Gilbert Arenas. I’m a big reason. I’m just on my own. And he took an unconventional route. All these guys played on super teams. They played on loaded AU teams. He played at a public high school. No prep school, no nothing. Played at a public public high school and was that dude on his team. Scored the rock at an elite level. And many of you guys are thinking, “Oh, well, maybe we want someone bigger because Darren Peterson’s the only guard on this list and he’s 6’5, 66.” and and you know, Gilbert wasn’t that big. Elijah’s a lot bigger. He’s about 66 67. Very slender build, but he’s not a dimminionative guard by any stretch of the imagination. So, Abdul, I’m going to put you on the spot here. I didn’t prepare you for this. This is your authentic reaction. You rank these guys one through five in your wish list for the Washington Wizards. Oh, man. Really put me on the spot. Ah, that’s what I got to do, man. Got to put you on the spot and give the Wizard fans what they need. No, I appreciate it, man. I appreciate just because again I think he’s so talented wing and the fact that he was um it was in debate with him and Cooper flag I got to put Debonsza at one and this is for the Wizards correct it’s not just like like okay so I put either or but I’m saying the Wizards just because I I think you you have a specific vision for this team and I I I know you you plan to elaborate upon that as we continue going. So tell us for the Wizards specifically. Yeah, Debonsza I think when it come I love Darren Pearson. I think he’s gonna do great in Kansas, but I think the guard situation is I think settled. I really think we have a a shot at Trey Johnson. You already have B Carrington. So again, as maybe JP 13’s out the window. So I think get I put for me I put Cam Boozer over um Darren Peterson just because again Cam Boozer a guy who can a 69 can move the ball um be a a menace off the glass. It’s just he checks more boxes. But don’t get me wrong, Darren Pearson is is a great player. So I put Boozer at two, Darren Pearson at three, and I put Nathan Met at four. I think he’s a guy that can definitely surprise some people. And playing in a school like Tennessee, he’s going to get uh more more looks compared to playing in the bigger programs like Duke or Kentucky. And I’ll put Arenas at five, but I wouldn’t be surprised if in a couple months of college basketball, Arenas is um ch I can change him from five to two or three because again, I think he’s has potential to be a really good player. And again, you mentioned him playing in public school, being that guy. That’s it’s just something you have to mark and just it goes down to March Madness. I want to see how these guys perform. But all in all, I think the Bonsza is going to be the best play out of this draft, but it’s going to be really really close when we go into the 2026 draft. I’m very curious to see how uh conventional wisdom is is approached regarding this. like is AJ going to be the year round favorite to go number one or will Darren Peterson or Cam Boozer have better college seasons and people say oh you know what they’re better in ba at basketball and for the college therefore he’s better at the NBA or does his weight of being the best guy for so long uh carry over enough I I like Darren Peterson as my favorite I think AJ’s got the highest potential I think Cam’s the safest I would go Darren AJ Cam uh Nate Ament and then there’s other guys as well like we we talk about Elijah So Elijah will be number five for me in in this. But I wouldn’t be surprised if two or three of these guys fall to uh the lower half of the top 10. And you’re getting even more guys with all-star potential. So 2026 could be the year the Wizards find their torchbearer, the guiding light, this the franchise, uh the face of the franchise to replace that that’s been gone since John Wall. Like Bradley Bill is an excellent player, but I don’t think he had the city on its back like John Wall did. So is 2026 the year? You guys let us know in the comments below. I don’t know, Liz, if we have Phoenix’s pick swap for this year because I have to look at it, but that could be something that could be huge because again, Phoenix is falling apart. So, who knows? Maybe I mean, I don’t know if you’re going to be better than Phoenix in 2026 because it’s not too long. But, who knows again? And I think it’s also in 2027. So, just something to keep in a factor because a lot of people aren’t talking about those draft picks that they got from Phoenix and that Bradley Bill trade. And if you have multiple picks, uh, you can you can trade up because you can combine picks and find a way to say, you know what, we think these guys are going to be so good that we’re going to combine assets and move up and get a guy that we believe in. And you’ve talked about the utmost faith you have in this front office. So, let us know what you would do in 2026. And for your beloved Washington Wizards, who are you taking and why? Tell us. Tell us who, why, and what your expectations are in the comments below. We’re going to try to engage with you. and also reach out to us on Twitter and let us know if you want to hear about some other prospects in this year’s draft as well as the following drafts. So, thank you guys for making locked ones your first listen today. For your second listen, check out locked on NBA game night every game, every night until an NBA champion is crowned. The Thunder are only one game away from making the NBA Finals. And that’s a youthful team that tanked for a while. So, Wizards fans rejoice. It’s possible to make it to the promise. Marcus was part of that team just just for he sure was. That gives you some optimism as well. So to get the local analysis on a national scale, find NBA game night on locked on NBA or on YouTube or wherever you get your wherever you listen to your podcast. So thank you guys for listening. We appreciate the support and can’t wait to talk to you guys tomorrow.

Guest hosts Leif Thulin and Abdullah Ayubi analyze the top prospects for the 2026 NBA Draft, focusing on potential franchise-changing talents for the Washington Wizards. They discuss AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, Cam Boozer, and Nate Ament, evaluating their skills, potential, and fit with the Wizards. The hosts compare these prospects to NBA legends and current stars, highlighting their unique attributes and projected impacts. They also touch on Alijah Arenas, son of former Wizards star Gilbert Arenas. The conversation explores the draft’s depth, the importance of March Madness performance, and the Wizards’ strategy for securing a transformative player to lead the franchise into a new era.

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