Wizards introduce 2025 NBA Draft class | Monumental Sports Network

Wizards introduce 2025 NBA Draft class | Monumental Sports Network

let’s head down to the wharf Chris Miller, the play by play voice. You’re watching the Wizards standing by at the podium. Take it away Chris. Good morning everybody. How’s everyone. We’re good. We want to welcome you to the official press conference to say hello and greetings to the Wizards draft class of 2025. We appreciate all of you joining us here today in person. And we want to say hello to everyone that’s watching us on Monumental Sports Network. I’m Chris Miller, the television voice of the Washington Wizards. And joining us on the stage is Wizards general manager Will Dawkins, the sixth overall pick in the draft. Trey Johnson from the University of Texas. The SEC freshman of the year. Trey led the SEC in scoring and really impressive to me. Minutes played in the conference. Will Riley selected 21st overall from the University of Illinois, will earned Big Ten Sixth Man of the year honors and is a multi-sport athlete and had a massive growth spurt. We’ll get to that in a moment. And the second round pick in the 43rd overall selection, Jamir Watkins from Florida State. Jamir was a second team all ACC player and recently graduated. Will will get it started with you. Just your opening thoughts as we get set for a new era of Wizards basketball with these three young men. Thank you. Like the beard by the way. Thank you sir. First off thank you all for coming. Thank you to everyone tuning in as well as we usher in this next wave of Washington Wizards basketball, we are really excited and very fortunate to be adding these three young men that I have next to me. I’ll touch on them in a little bit here in a moment, but I think first, I do want to acknowledge this venue. Cisco’s been able to give us this venue. These guys saw the draft room and the people working in behind it. But to start your career with this beautiful venue, take these pictures on top of DC. I think it’s a pretty cool spot. So thank you guys for that. Second, our fans, ever since draft night in the draft party, we’ve been like checking and monitoring in. And you guys have really welcomed these guys and got behind them and gave them support and some energy. So please continue to support them, their teammates and you guys do a really good job for all of us. Third, it’s a really, really long draft process. I think last few nights when I got up to speak, I was able to thank strategy, thank evaluation, but there’s so many more hands that go behind this, the really helping hands that allow us to put everything together so that they can get here. They can go through their draft process, whether that’s equipment, whether that’s travel logistics, player pathways and enrichment, making sure that their families get here, reminding your crew do a tremendous job. So I want to thank everybody that plays a part in getting them here and getting the draft process going for us and sustaining all the way through. And then lastly, probably and most importantly, I want to thank the people who support these young men, the friends, the families, the coaches, the representation, those who aren’t here as well couldn’t make it. Let’s give them a round of applause for helping get them start their journey. I would basically I think the Wizards got better. We got better the last couple nights. You guys know we seek people, we seek professionals and we seek basketball players. And we feel like we got that in these three young men, in Trey and Will and Jameer. They all bring a serious competitiveness. They all bring a workman like mentality. They all have a passion to improve and they bring a scoring ability with upside to our basketball team. So we’re we’re super excited to have that. We go through the draft process and spend a lot of time with them. We go to meals, we watch film sessions. Obviously they go through the workouts, they have legitimate interviews where we’re asking questions and we really just learn as much about them as we can. We picked their brain and try to figure out what motivates them, and these three gentlemen align with our core values as people and as players. So we’re really, really excited to add them. As Chris talked about, they’ve each had individual success within a team setting, and that’s what we’re looking to get here. So without further ado, I would like to really welcome you guys. Get you in the red, white and blue get you in the Wizards colors. But before that, let’s hand you your jersey so you guys can at least get your first look. You guys can stand up. Thank you. Yeah. That’s great. Will, a quick question about all three of these young men. And maybe it’s a collective question is the character part of it. We all know that they can play basketball. But when you were doing your evaluation of really all three of them, where did that fit in in terms of what you wanted out of these players? Yeah, I think we’ve done a really good job as an organization targeting people that we talked about, and we have the attributes that we look for in the 94 by 50, what happens on the court. And they obviously have those. But we also talk about environment and our environmental habits and things we look for. And Travis Schlenk, Amber Nichols, make sure that our group of evaluators are out there asking questions. And it’s not just high school, it’s not just college. We’re digging deeper and finding as many sources as possible. And when they come in, they usually just confirm who they are. And that’s what these three did during their visit. Trey, I want to ask you about what the last 48 hours have been like before I do that, your dad loved the glasses. We have to talk afterwards. Trey, what’s it been like for you to leave Brooklyn, an NBA player, and then spending the last couple of days here in DC? It’s just been great. Especially having my family down here, getting to tour around the city and then just gel and meet these guys for sure. It’s just been great. Leaving Brooklyn high emotions and getting here still with high emotions, still happy about being in the city. Will, I talked to your basketball coach draft night at Illinois and two things that really kind of stood out to me. One was you had a significant growth spurt during Covid. Can you confirm or deny you went from five 9 to 6 five? Yeah, I can confirm. Yeah, Covid was a little longer in Kansas. I would say so. I would say so. Also the fact that you’re very versatile, your game. And I think it’s because you are a soccer player and you also are a high jumper. Those two sports, how do they correlate with being a basketball player? Yeah, I feel like with high jump, like there’s a lot of technicals to it in a lot of ways. Yeah. You got to you got to be quick off your feet. You know you got to come at an angle jump off one foot. So I feel like that comes in a lot of things in basketball I feel. And also with soccer I was also a goalkeeper. So a lot of hand-eye coordination and you know, you just got to stay, stay, stay sharp and all your positions. So yeah I feel like goalkeeper. Yeah. So that means you’re a good defender. Coach Keefe are you hearing that coach Keith? You got it okay Jameer first of all congratulations on graduating from Florida State University. You went through a lot during your college time. You started with Covid. It was also nil the transfer portal. There were a lot of things that you went through as a college student. What did you learn from those experiences? I think it was a roller coaster ride, you know, throughout college, but just staying blessed and, you know, going day by day with it. I learned a lot. Well, we appreciate all of you guys being here. We cannot wait to see you put on that Wizards jersey out in Las Vegas. We are opening it up for the media. If you please. Just raise your hand. We’ll bring a microphone to you. Just state your name and your affiliation. Hello everybody. I’m Chase from Monumental Sports Network. Jamir, I’ll stick with you. Your tough defense. You know, obviously playing for some schools that are known for that. Can you describe the type of defender you are and your approach on that end of the court? I believe I’m a gritty defender. You know, somebody that’s going to do whatever I got to do to help the team win. I believe it starts on defense, so I think that’s what’s going to get me, you know, on the court faster. You know, being able to guard multiple positions. And you know, I’m going to just do whatever I got to do to get on the floor. The Washington Post for all three of you guys, what do you think you said or did in your interviews or meetings with the team that really made a good impression? I think me just being myself helped confirm what everybody else was saying about me, so I feel like that helped me out. Yeah, like just leaning off that, just being myself, just being open to everybody, just showing that my true character, I feel like that really helped. You have to piggyback off that. You know, just coming in, being myself, showing organization that, you know, I’m I am who I, who I said I am and, you know, coming in and doing what I do, I’ll add to that, Varun, there’s not a lot of fluff with these guys. They they’re serious. They are who they are. And when we brought him in and put him in competitive situations, they answered the bell. So they were true to who they are, like they’re saying, and there’s no fluff to them. Good morning Charita parks with sports. My question is for the young men collectively, what part of your game are you looking forward to showcasing in the NBA? For? For me, I would just say, you know, just being versatile, being able to space the floor and being easy to play with. Yeah, I’d say also just being versatile, being able to make the right reads, also showing my intelligence and my coachability I like I like what they said about being versatile, really just doing whatever the team needs, showcasing what’s needed to win. Just a quick follow up will for you. You mentioned that the team got better, so how did these guys that you drafted complement the current roster that you have? Yeah, I think a lot to be determined on how well they blend and how quick they blend. But the things we look for in terms of the versatility, positional size, willingness to make the right play and compete and hunger to work, I think that blends really well with the group of guys we have. Coach Kieff and his staff do a tremendous job of blending, giving some of our veteran guys opportunity, our younger guys opportunity throughout the year, so it all won’t come at once. They got a lot of work to put in, but knowing these guys, they’re not afraid to put that time in and they’ll get their opportunity. And we look forward to them doing that early in Las Vegas. Fellas. David Aldridge with The Athletic. You all have been at the top of the scouting report for a while. I just wonder how you have handled that over the last couple of years, whether it was high school, going into college and in college, just understanding that you are the focus of other teams attention and what you tried to do not only to win the game, but to incorporate teammates into what you were trying to do? Yeah, I think a lot of it comes into a lot of film work, like studying other players tendencies, studying what they like to do on the defensive end, like just talking to coaches in a lot of ways, seeing what different type of defensive ball screen styles they like to do. I feel like it comes hand in hand with that. It’s most definitely film work that goes into it and also just picking up on the fly because especially at halftime, teams do change defensive schemes and stuff like that. So just being aware of what’s going on and how you’re being guarded and what’s everybody else doing makes it easier for you to get teammates involved. I would say I believe that’s where being versatile comes into play. Knowing who you’re playing with, just being able to play off your teammates and the way that other teams playing you. Brian Albin, Wizards radio Trey for you during Texas games, a lot of the time you could hear the broadcasters talking about the coaches had told them you excelled as a leader, which was impressive considering you had a lot of four year, five year guys on your team. So I was wondering, how do you see yourself as a leader, and how do you think it will translate to the next level? I see myself as a pretty good leader, still learning and still being better at being a leader, because there’s just steps that I still got to take to become a great leader, but it lead different ways by example vocally, more of a by example type of guy. But it’s however, however it needs to be to help the team, I would say. Hey guys, welcome to DC Bijan Todd, Monumental Sports Network. Will, this question’s for you. I believe your Illinois head coach, Brad Underwood, told our very own Chris Miller that the Wizards had more people tapped in to watch you play and scout you than any other NBA team did to Illinois. What does that say about an organization? You think that they were so tapped in and wanting to see you so closely over the course of the last year? Yeah, just just coming here for the visit, like the pre-draft. Like you could just see how much they knew about my game and how tapped in they were with me. And you know, it speaks volume of how they are as a program. They just are really tapped in with their guys, and they know each and every one of them for sure. And then this one goes for all three of you. How much do you know about the Wizards roster, and is there anybody you’re excited to go up against in practice? I know a little bit about the roster just from watching just from watching games and then seeing it on paper, and I’m really excited to go against everybody in practice and make everybody better. Yeah, I know, I know a good amount about the roster. I feel like it’s a very young group, so I’m just super excited to grow all together. Just knowing that we’re all young guys coming in. I’m super excited for that. Yeah, I would say it’s a young group. I think it’s a mixture of vets and young guys, so I’ll be able to learn from both and, you know, pick everybody’s brain, get get out there and practice. Hey fellas. Craig Hoffman, the team 980 here in DC for all three of you. Your work ethic has been touted a lot, both by will, by your college coaches, by folks around you. Was there a moment during your youth careers that you remember realizing like, oh, I’m I’m doing this a little bit differently than my friends. I’m doing this a little bit differently than my teammates. I think I realized that when, like, I’d be in the gym and I’d always be the last one there, I feel like that’s when I really realized that. Yeah, I would say just like in high school and stuff, you know, leading up to it, you know, the amount of hours you put in and, you know, you see yourself in the gym by yourself or, you know, working out a bunch of times during the day, you know, you kind of see people start to wanting, wanting to go home and things like that. You know, all the work you put in, it kind of pays off. Kind of like what Will said. Just being like, you’re the last one in the gym, you’re the first one in the gym. And then also as I got older, I started to think about it more differently, started to be more detailed about it, especially about basketball just in general. So I feel like that part was more different. And when we do our work, I know we say that these guys work hard, but this college coaches are telling us like, no, they’re in the gym at like 536 in the morning before we even do their individuals at ten, before we start practice at 11. Like that’s when you know it’s real and it’s authentic because they’re putting their time in by themselves. And that was pretty consistent with this entire group. And along those lines will specifically I guess Brad talked to a lot of people, your college coaches, I talked to him, too. Said you took 70,000 threes last year. Was there a point during that work where you felt like you had any kind of breakthrough with your shot, where you’re very specifically to that skill? You felt like there was, you know, that hard work was really paying off. Yeah, I feel like it showed a lot during the end of the season, like just staying consistent through it all. I was able to show my talents through that. And, you know, I just accepted the work and accepted that this is what I needed to do to get better right here. Martin Johnson with ESPN. This question for all three of you, you talked about what you want to bring to the team, but also where do you see improvement for yourself going from college to the pros defensively? My fault. I can most definitely see myself improving defensively. I would say the same for sure. I would just say the same thing all around. I think I could improve my game. Any other questions? All right. Right behind you. Why did you guys pick the numbers that you guys did? 30? I’ll say just just because, you know, getting off to a new start. I never wore number 30 before. And, you know, it’s a new journey that we’re stepping into. So I wanted to start off fresh. Yeah I was always number seven growing up. And my family, especially my dad, he was always number two. So I just felt, you know, I just got to combine the two make 27. I kind of just stared at the list and see which one grew on me. How did it feel? Great answer. Thanks everyone for the questions. There’ll be some one on ones. We’ll do a photo op also Will and the players will conduct those one on ones. If you’re not doing those interviews, please enjoy the food real quick. The parents I think we saw it during the draft this year, maybe more than any other year that I can remember being there, just the emotion and the journey it takes to get these young men up here on this podium. So for the parents, thank you. Thank you for raising these young men who just so happen to put a ball in the hoop. We got quality young men, which is really important for this organization and this city. So a round of applause for the families.

General manager Will Dawkins and the Washington Wizards introduced their 2025 rookie class, featuring Tre Johnson, Will Riley and Jamir Watkins.

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Wizards introduce 2025 NBA Draft class | Monumental Sports Network