Wizards Still Unsure on who to Draft

Josh Robbins of The Athletic recently reported that the Wizards have not yet solidified a prospect for the first pick. With the draft just a few days away, this can sound scary. This is completely normal, though, and the team has made some progress on who they would take.

In his recent report, Robbins stated that a source close to him says that the team is down to two prospects. The full quote goes, “A team source said the prevailing opinion among team officials is that two prospects have separated themselves from everyone else.”

The question is, who are these two prospects? Well, we do not know that, and we may never know both of them. We will know who one of those players is: whoever is drafted first overall. That second player may remain a mystery forever, but based on past drafts, we can take a guess at who these two players are.

Will Dawkins loves his long and athletic wings. This was evident when he drafted Bilal Coulibaly and traded for Will Riley. It is just a player archetype he loves to draft. This suggests that AJ Dybantsa is one of those players. He also seems like the most likely to be drafted first overall at the moment.

The last two guys in the top tier of players, though, do not fit into the player archetype the team usually goes for. Darryn Peterson is an explosive guard, but many questions remain about his health. Cameron Boozer is a known winner, but scouts question whether he is athletic enough for the NBA. There is one variable, though, that can lead to a good guess about who the second player is: position.

This team lacks solid big-man depth. Peterson is a guard, whereas Boozer is a modern-day center or power forward. He can pass, score at three levels, and has an amazing offensive IQ. While Peterson is very explosive, this team is more likely to take Boozer due to his size and the fact that he plays a position the team needs to bolster.

We are never going to know who the second player is who created the separation, only the first. Whatever happens at the draft, though, Wizards fans can bet on the fact that any of the top three players will change the whole trajectory of the franchise.