What Should Wizards Fans Expect at #6 in the Draft?

The Washington Wizards have more NBA Draft research ahead of them than they may have expected after Monday evening's live draft lottery order drawing left them with the most devastating result of the night.

The Wizards' promise that they could finish no lower than the number six pick after sealing the second-worst regular season of anyone did them exactly that much good. After weeks fan excitement about a potential top overall pick coming to Washington, they'll have to settle for the sixth pick in the 2025 draft.

It's the first time the Wizards have held that draft position since taking noted draft bust Jan Vesely there in 2011, square in between lucking out on John Wall in 2010 and taking Bradley Beal in 2012.

Damian Lillard was taken with that spot just one year later, but the results since then have been just as spotty, without those same extremes. Marcus Smart was a good pickup in 2014, but Willie Cauley-Stein the next year was not. Jarrett Culver and Mo Bamba have already washed out of the league, and reigning sixth overall prospect Tidjane Salaun didn't exactly turn in the cleanest rookie season of all time in 2023-24.

There's much less of a guarantee that whoever the Wizards go with will be nearly as good as everyone is guessing Cooper Flagg and Dylan Harper will be, but the order in which the remaining prospects will fall is still far from determined.

Even with their sound recent draft history and strong draft values, it's still worth taking a look at all of the likely available players. VJ Edgecombe, Tre Johnson and Ace Bailey have each made their cases as score-first wings with upside, while Derik Queen profiles more as the draft's big swing at an offensive hub.

The Wizards are currently untethered by expectations at drafting a specific guy. This may have been a nightmare ending for fans of the team, but the team has to bounce back and do their research before they make their draft night call.