Texas Longhorns Star Tre Johnson Projected As High NBA Draft Pick

In the mock, ESPN elected to send Johnson to the Washington Wizards with the No. 6 overall pick, giving the Longhorns their highest pick since Mo Bamba went sixth overall to the Magic in 2018.

"The NBA's youngest team, the Wizards have completely turned over their roster, front office and coaching staff over the past two years," ESPN's Jonathon Givony wrote. "And they still have plenty more room to grow, with several strong building blocks in place. Dropping four spots to the No. 6 pick can't be viewed as anything but a massive disappointment for their fan base, which endured an 18-64 season a year after sporting the NBA's worst record (15-67) and dropping to the No. 2 pick."

"The Wizards will likely need to take a swing on the scoring talent of a player such as Johnson here and then take another run at next year's loaded lottery and hope that the basketball gods smile more favorably on them."

The Wizards, having finished last in the Eastern Conference, could heavily benefit from an elite scorer like Johnson.

The Wizards, with an 18-64 record, finished bottom five in the Eastern Conference standings for the fourth consecutive year. The team also finished bottom five in the NBA in points per game, field goal percentage and three point percentage according to NBA.com. As the Wizards deal with scoring problems, Johnson just might be the answer.

At Shooting guard, Johnson was one of the top playmakers in the country in his lone season with the Longhorns. As a freshman he lead the SEC with 19.9 points per game, was fourth in the conference with a 39.7 three-point percentage, and twelfth in the SEC in field goal percentage according to SECsports.com.

"Johnson is one of the draft's top scorers, capable of knocking down tough shots from all over the floor with a shoot-first mindset," ESPN's scouting report said.

Now, having finished last this season in the Eastern Conference, and second to last in the 2023-24 season, the Wizards are in need of a change. To their advantage, the Wizards have one of the youngest rosters in the NBA with an average age of around 25-years-old and time for a rebuild.

Last season the Wizards had the number two overall pick in the NBA draft and selected center Alex Sarr. According to Statmuse, Sarr was second among rookies in scoring this season with 13.0 points per game, trailing only Rookie of the Year winner, Stephon Castle. Sarr was also only one of five rookies in NBA history to have 15 or more games with multiple blocks and multiple threes according to the NBA's KIA Rookie Ladder.

Now with an opportunity to draft another top scorer like Johnson, the Wizards could slowly see an uptick in their offensive capabilities next season.