The Official 2023 Draft Thread

[Dat2U]

Did someone mention Anthony Black? Ok...maybe not.

Watch this absolutely terrific across court pass he makes to an open teammate in the corner in the first few seconds of this video. Don't blink you might miss it.

Read on Twitter

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The fascination Wizards fans & especially Wiztwitter have with these jack-of-all trades, master of none types is wild. I honestly have not seen a player get so much love from this fanbase in the draft process.

Maybe Cam Reddish came close.

[nate33]

The main problem with Hendricks is that he is a role player. If we had a nearly complete team and we were looking to add one more quality starter at the PF position, I'd be pretty happy with him. He seems like a guy who you could plug into an NBA lineup almost immediately. If he fills out a bit more and improves a bit as a rebounder, he is a starter.

But that's not where we are. We are at the precipice of a complete rebuild. There is no player on our roster that projects to be one of our top 2 players 4-5 years down the road when we are (hopefully) back in the playoffs. We probably don't even have our 3rd best player, though there's a small chance that Deni develops into an Aaron Gordon tier guy or Kispert develops into a Bojan Bogdanovic tier guy.

We need to draft a guy who could conceivably become a star. That's not Hendricks.

This would rule out everyone, wouldn't it?

Who's the star player available at 8?

I'd say Ausar Thompson has some chance of becoming a star. Not a #1 superstar, but perhaps a Jaylen Brown tier #2 guy. He has a higher ceiling than Hendricks, but admittedly a lower floor.

[nate33]

Did someone mention Anthony Black? Ok...maybe not.

Watch this absolutely terrific across court pass he makes to an open teammate in the corner in the first few seconds of this video. Don't blink you might miss it.

Read on Twitter

The fascination Wizards fans & especially Wiztwitter have with these jack-of-all trades, master of none types is wild. I honestly have not seen a player get so much love from this fanbase in the draft process.

Maybe Cam Reddish came close.

Yeah, the more I look at Black, the less impressed I am. Yeah, he has basketball IQ and he's an above-average NBA athlete, but he doesn't shoot nearly well enough to be an off ball player, and he doesn't get any separation as an on-ball player. I just see no way he projects as a positive offensive player.

[nate33]

Did someone mention Anthony Black? Ok...maybe not.

Watch this absolutely terrific across court pass he makes to an open teammate in the corner in the first few seconds of this video. Don't blink you might miss it.

Read on Twitter

It doesn't matter. He can't play PG because he gets no separation one-on-one and teams will go under the screen in the pick-and-roll. And he definitely can't play off ball because he can't shoot.

The only way he is a quality offensive player is if he has a MASSIVE improvement in his jumper. Anything is possible, but those types of improvement in shooting are extraordinarily rare.

[gambitx777]

Yeah, and I think he has first option/volume potential, he’s just closer to elite role player right now.

If he goes top 10, comes to America, and works with top level trainers, there’s all kinds of potential for tightening an already good handle, and improving his off the dribble shooting+playmaking.

No great direct comparisons for Coulibaly, but his floor is more like the Otto Porter/Mikal Bridges types, with a Kawhi-level ceiling.

He’s still 18 for another month and a half. Brandon Miller is almost 2 full years older than this guy. Argument to be made that Coulibaly is #2 in the draft.

A young Jimmy Butler. Jimmy was a senior when he was drafted. This kids 18

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[mhd]

Some tidbits from Givony & Woo in their latest mock:

Asuar Thompson (has going 6 to Orlando): "Thompson isn't expected to fall much further, as he's thought to be strongly in play for Indiana and Washington, as well"

Has us taking Anthony Black: "The Wizards are believed to be primarily eyeing guards at this spot, as they enter what could be a full rebuild under new boss Michael Winger. Black's playmaking ability, defensive qualities and untapped upside as a 6-7 lead guard could make him an excellent player to build around, and he'd enter a situation that would give him plenty of room to grow into a high-usage role. NBA teams are constantly searching for the type of two-way perimeter versatility Black offers, and his range appears to begin as high as No. 6 with Orlando. He's conducted or will conduct workouts for teams throughout the lottery, including Houston, Utah and Dallas in addition to the Magic"

"Washington and Utah appear to be candidates to select guards at No. 8 and No. 9"

"[Cason] Wallace is a player with one of the biggest draft ranges of any prospect in the class, starting with Washington, Utah and Dallas in the top 10 and continuing through the late teens depending on how the night evolves"

"[Nick] Smith is another guard with a wide range on draft night, starting with Washington (No. 8) and drawing serious interest from Orlando (No. 11), Toronto (No. 13) and New Orleans' (No. 14)."

[DCZards]

Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo:

The Wizards are believed to be primarily eyeing guards at this spot, as they enter what could be a full rebuild under new boss Michael Winger. Black's playmaking ability, defensive qualities and untapped upside as a 6-7 lead guard could make him an excellent player to build around, and he'd enter a situation that would give him plenty of room to grow into a high-usage role. NBA teams are constantly searching for the type of two-way perimeter versatility Black offers, and his range appears to begin as high as No. 6 with Orlando.

[80sballboy]

The key here is not to take a safe pick with great character as Tommy has done over the last few years. It's to take a guy with star potential but has some flaws that could improve with time. Nobody is getting a flawless player at 8, but you need that guy with huge upside like one of the Thompsons who I assume will not be there.

[machu46]

The key here is not to take a safe pick with great character as Tommy has done over the last few years. It's to take a guy with star potential but has some flaws that could improve with time. Nobody is getting a flawless player at 8, but you need that guy with huge upside like one of the Thompsons who I assume will not be there.

See, I think as superstars demand trades more and more often, it behooves teams to focus more on the safer prospects. If all your picks turn into Kuminga/Moody/Wiseman, you'll never really get anywhere, but if you hit a bunch of singles and doubles (and god forbid you hit a Bane, Haliburton, etc. that turn into a home run), you'll be in good shape whenever a star comes available.

The real issue is that Washington's front office thought Johnny Davis was a safe option when in reality, he wasn't since he didn't do anything particularly well.

There's certainly room to reach for the stars still; I have Amen as my #5 prospect for example. But I'd put Jarace Walker, Gradey Dick, Anthony Black, Cason Wallace, and Taylor Hendricks all ahead of Ausur as I think they all have bankable skills that I trust far more than anything Ausur currently provides and they're all younger than him too.

[NatP4]

Davis was a safe pick, and has only played 400 minutes in the NBA. The high upside play would’ve been someone like Ousmane Dieng.

The Wiz FO was overly obsessed with looking for high character players with all the intangibles, but also bad at evaluating players in general. That’s how you draft Isaiah Todd at 31. 100% an upside play, but the guy never had a chance to be a NBA player.

[tleikheen]

If Beal (x your fingers) is moved before the draft then Ausar Thompson would be a great pick .Instantly he'd be the most athletic player on the Wiz and probably their best defender with his speed ,insane athleticism,and hops.

[Dat2U]

Davis was a safe pick, and has only played 400 minutes in the NBA. The high upside play would’ve been someone like Ousmane Dieng.

The Wiz FO was overly obsessed with looking for high character players with all the intangibles, but also bad at evaluating players in general. That’s how you draft Isaiah Todd at 31. 100% an upside play, but the guy never had a chance to be a NBA player.

How in hell was Johnny a safe pick when he wasn't even performing at a replacement G-league level this past season? He only got 400 minutes because he was wholly unplayable.

[gambitx777]

Davis was a safe pick, and has only played 400 minutes in the NBA. The high upside play would’ve been someone like Ousmane Dieng.

The Wiz FO was overly obsessed with looking for high character players with all the intangibles, but also bad at evaluating players in general. That’s how you draft Isaiah Todd at 31. 100% an upside play, but the guy never had a chance to be a NBA player.

How in hell was Johnny a safe pick when he wasn't even performing at a replacement G-league level this past season? He only got 400 minutes because he was wholly unplayable.

Johnny got better near the end of the year and earn minutes and played pretty ok. He was the safe pick because he had decent college numbers and was a solid mulit year mature guy. I wanted to trade mack but most mocks had him in the loto so Tommy was not the only guy who missed the eye test most of us saw.

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[Dat2U]

Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo:

The Wizards are believed to be primarily eyeing guards at this spot, as they enter what could be a full rebuild under new boss Michael Winger. Black's playmaking ability, defensive qualities and untapped upside as a 6-7 lead guard could make him an excellent player to build around, and he'd enter a situation that would give him plenty of room to grow into a high-usage role. NBA teams are constantly searching for the type of two-way perimeter versatility Black offers, and his range appears to begin as high as No. 6 with Orlando.

I'd rather err leaning on shooting skill or game changing athleticism. I'll take a guy like Gradey Dick or Taylor Hendricks all day over Black because they both excel at shooting versatility and ultimately shooting skill helps teams win games. I'd take Wallace over Black because of the shooting & he's even a better defender than Black. I'd take Lively over Black becuase I see an easier path for Lively to be a top 15 C than I do Black being a top 15 PG in the league.

I'm over assuming draftees are going to add significant skill once they get into the league simply because the majority of players 'are who they are' with slight improvements and its completely impossible to project who's going to display the work ethic of a Jimmy Butler or Kawhi Leonard to truly become something they currently aren't.

[NatP4]

Davis was a safe pick, and has only played 400 minutes in the NBA. The high upside play would’ve been someone like Ousmane Dieng.

The Wiz FO was overly obsessed with looking for high character players with all the intangibles, but also bad at evaluating players in general. That’s how you draft Isaiah Todd at 31. 100% an upside play, but the guy never had a chance to be a NBA player.

How in hell was Johnny a safe pick when he wasn't even performing at a replacement G-league level this past season? He only got 400 minutes because he was wholly unplayable.

Well that’s false, of course.

But obviously the draft happens before their rookie season, Otto Porter was a safe pick, had a throwaway rookie season. Happens all the time.

Davis was a safe pick due to multi-year college player, high character, intangibles, floor as a hustle guy/defender, big 10 player of the year. Everyone knows he was a safe play regardless of what happens after the pick.

[DCZards]

Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo:

The Wizards are believed to be primarily eyeing guards at this spot, as they enter what could be a full rebuild under new boss Michael Winger. Black's playmaking ability, defensive qualities and untapped upside as a 6-7 lead guard could make him an excellent player to build around, and he'd enter a situation that would give him plenty of room to grow into a high-usage role. NBA teams are constantly searching for the type of two-way perimeter versatility Black offers, and his range appears to begin as high as No. 6 with Orlando.

I'd rather err leaning on shooting skill or game changing athleticism. I'll take a guy like Gradey Dick or Taylor Hendricks all day over Black because they both excel at shooting versatility and ultimately shooting skill helps teams win games. I'd take Wallace over Black because of the shooting & he's even a better defender than Black. I'd take Lively over Black becuase I see an easier path for Lively to be a top 15 C than I do Black being a top 15 PG in the league.

WTH is “game changing athleticism”? Can you give me a few examples among current NBA players?

Dick, Hendricks or Lively over Black? I totally disagree. But you know that already.

Wallace over Black? Maybe. But I’d probably lean Black.

[closg00]

Davis was a safe pick, and has only played 400 minutes in the NBA. The high upside play would’ve been someone like Ousmane Dieng.

The Wiz FO was overly obsessed with looking for high character players with all the intangibles, but also bad at evaluating players in general. That’s how you draft Isaiah Todd at 31. 100% an upside play, but the guy never had a chance to be a NBA player.

How in hell was Johnny a safe pick when he wasn't even performing at a replacement G-league level this past season? He only got 400 minutes because he was wholly unplayable.

Johnny got better near the end of the year and earn minutes and played pretty ok. He was the safe pick because he had decent college numbers and was a solid mulit year mature guy. I wanted to trade mack but most mocks had him in the loto so Tommy was not the only guy who missed the eye test most of us saw.

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Was he really better, or was it that the season was ending and we were playing glorified street-ball? On the eyeball test he looked better...

[NatP4]

He was night and day. They called him up because he was dominating the G league all of the sudden after the all star break.

Make whatever you want of the last stretch with the wizards. That was a ton of garbage time randomness, some really good games, some not so good. The important part was after his high ankle sprain and the break, he got healthy and confident and was a totally different player. He’s gonna have a huge year 2.

Don’t believe me, look at the numbers, last 5 games in the G: 20.3 points 5.1 rebounds 2.5 assists 1.6 steals 1.6 turnovers. 50/52/75 shooting splits.

[TGW]

This guy says Wes Jr really likes Cason Wallace:

Watch on YouTube

;ab_channel=LockedOnWizards

[nate33]

He was night and day. They called him up because he was dominating the G league all of the sudden after the all star break.

Make whatever you want of the last stretch with the wizards. That was a ton of garbage time randomness, some really good games, some not so good. The important part was after his high ankle sprain and the break, he got healthy and confident and was a totally different player. He’s gonna have a huge year 2.

Don’t believe me, look at the numbers, last 5 games in the G: 20.3 points 5.1 rebounds 2.5 assists 1.6 steals 1.6 turnovers. 50/52/75 shooting splits.

It's worth noting that Davis has several nagging injuries throughout the first half of the season, including a hip issue and a groin injury. Coaches have remarked that one of the reasons he played better late was because he was healthy. They also raved about how hard he works.

I'm glad NatP4 has stayed optimistic on Davis. I think we all fell into a bit too much group think in writing Davis off completely after a terrible rookie season. Let's at least see how he looks this year.