Wizards invite Zhaire Smith and Troy Brown, among others, to pre-draft workout

The Wizards announced Zhaire Smith and Troy Brown, who both project to go in the middle of the first in the 2018 NBA Draft, will be among six players in Washington for a pre-draft workout on Monday.

Smith is currently projected to go 15th on NBADraft.net, where the Wizards are slated to pick. He’s projected to go 16th in ESPN’s latest mock and 18th on The Ringer. The 6-5 wing shot 45 percent from deep last season with Texas Tech, but only attempted 40 shots from deep all season, so he probably won’t be much of a floor spacer to start his career. His immediate impact would come on the defensive end, where he can use his length to deny shots and passing lanes.

Troy Brown, the 6-7 wing out of Oregon, fits a similar profile. He’s less effective than Smith from deep, but he’s a better playmaker and ballhandler, which makes him an interesting fit with Washington, considering their creating offense off the bench. He’s currently projected to go 20th on NBADraft.net, 18th on ESPN, and 13th on The Ringer.

Washington needs some more pop on the perimeter, so both Brown and Smith would be useful. However, it’s interesting that both players fit the profile of someone like Kelly Oubre more than they fit the role of Jodie Meeks, who will miss the first 19 games of the season while serving out his suspension. Going that direction in the draft could suggest they’re not quite ready to commit to a long-term future with Oubre, or at least that they’re trying to keep their options open if he gets too pricey.

The other player to keep an eye out for at Monday’s workout is Elie Okobo, out of France. The 6-3 point guard is projected to go 26th on NBADraft.net’s board, 23rd on ESPN’s mock, and 19th on The Ringer. He’s shot up draft boards recently thanks to a strong close to his season with Pau-Orthez, including this 44 point outburst.

The three other prospects—Angel Delgado, Alan Herndon, and Jaylen Adams—are all projected to go undrafted but could be in line for a contract for Summer League, training camp, or the G-League.