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As we rush into the final week before Thursday's NBA Draft, the arguments will get stronger and the debate will get testier. The Washington Wizards have a big decision to make with the No. 3 pick and it's still not clear which player is right for them and which players they'll even have to choose from.
But before we get to that point, I wanted to offer a quick reminder: the Wizards are lucky to even be in this position, and that should be noted.
Picking at No. 8 in this draft, as was initially expected, would have been a nightmare. The talent pool is so evenly-spread, particularly once you get past the top six or seven picks. The Wizards would have been forced to hope that one of those top seven fell to them (and, really, that one of those players wasn't Trey Burke). Otherwise, we're looking at a choice between Cody Zeller, Shabazz Muhammad, C.J. McCollum, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and others. Those players may indeed become good pros, but they are beneath the top tier for a reason.
At No. 3, though, the Wizards have options. Otto Porter and Anthony Bennett both have a lot to offer, even though my preference is clearly Porter. Nerlens Noel, a potential game-changing defensive presence, could even fall to No. 3 if the Cavaliers are indeed considering Alex Len or someone else. Victor Oladipo and Ben McLemore play Bradley Beal's position, but each has star potential.
The Wizards could still mess things up, of course. Any team could with a top pick. But choosing from the pool at No. 3 beats selecting from the pool at No. 8.