My Wizards' NBA draft board

It's that time of year again. Time to get down with the draft. This here is my own Wizards draft board. The first thing I did was look at some aggregate drafts, then I focused on players who would be there in our estimated draft range or later ( which I see to be from 8-15 currently. Hopefully it drops a little lower but I don't see Indiana or Portland having a better record then us ). If we for sure look like we'll drop lower then I'll adjust my board accordingly(he's hoping for lottery luck). Also, players may move up or down in aggregate drafts and that may change things too. I mostly place these guys by reading or listening to a bunch of draft content and synthesizing what I read/hear into my perspective. While I don't remember everything I consumed draft wise, these are prominent sources. The Athletic, The Ringer, Locked on NBA Big Board Podcast, NBA Draft Room, Game Theory Podcast, NBA Scouting Live.

Here's my draft board. Note I didn't include Wemby, Scoot, Thompson Twins, Nick Smith, or Cam Whitmire as they were projected in the top 7, ergo above the range I used.

1. Jarace Walker-PF

2. Cason Wallace-PG/SG

3. Anthony Black-PG

4. Rayan Rupert-SF

5. Grady Dick-SF

6. Kris Murray-PF/SF

7. Jonathan Hawkins-SG

Jarace Walker-PF

Walker is a massive guy at 6'8 and 240, yet he is still pretty agile and can defend a lot of different players. His size, strength, athleticism, and quickness help him excel there. He's a solid rebounder. His athletic gifts also help to make him a great slasher. He has a solid handle and can pass. His shot is a work in progress. He'll hit some but the 3pt and FT percentages aren't there yet. He's not really the focus of the offense so some don't think he has the same offensive upside as other prospects. Still his ceiling looks like Giannis super lite with more potential for sustained shooting. He'd be a perfect fit next to Porzingas. The aggregate draft had him at 8 so at the top of our range. I think he may climb higher and be drafted 4-6. Regardless, I think we should explore trade ups for him.

Cason Wallace-PG/SG

I'll admit I'm a sucker for players like this. I love Jrue Holiday and any player that looks like they could be like him or is compared to him. This is Cason. Cason is known for his great defense and looks like he can guard 1-3. He is very quick defensively with very quick hands and is pretty strong too. While he is strong, he's still a little light so that may make it hard to guard bigger stronger guys. He had solid height for a PG at 6'4. His handle and passing, while solid, could stand to improve, he's not really primary ball handler material yet. He'd benefit from being around another ball dominant player or two, so he'd fit with the Wizards. His shot is pretty solid at NBA range. He's the type of guard the Wizards were looking for last year. Because I tend to like guys like this I have him above Black who most consider a better prospect.

Anthony Black-PG

Black is considered to be a great ball handler and passer. His basketball IQ is very high. He is pretty quick and uses that change of pace to get to the rim. His defense is pretty good and he'll probably be a plus there in the NBA. His height, 6'7, is a real advantage for a PG on offense and defense. His shooting is suspect and the main reason that he is lower on draft boards. He's a classic, "if he can learn to shoot he'll be really good player". The Wizards might be able to utilize him better by playing him with Porzingas at center and 3 other shooters. Regardless the dude

Rayan Rupert-SF

Rayan has great size and length at 6'7 with a 7'3 wingspan. He is also a great defender who hustles like crazy. He earned minutes on one of the best teams in the NBL, mostly because of his great defense. It's his offense you have to worry about. He was a point guard when he was younger and thus is a solid ball handler and passer, but isn't great at creating his shot and his shooting numbers aren't great. There is nothing obviously wrong with his shot mechanics though. His defense is intriguing to me. I think that he could become one of the best defenders in the NBA. There's some crossover with what Deni currently gives us but I still love this guy. Also, by all accounts he is a crazy hard worker.

Gradey Dick-SF

Grady is an elite shooter. Considered to be the best or second best in the draft. He's tall at 6'8 and he uses his height well, in particular it makes it easy for him to shoot. He's light at 205ish and will need to bulk up a little so as to be able to defend bigger and stronger guys. Still he's a good team defender. He's a ball mover but not really a ball handler, but can attack off close out. He's also a good cutter. I see him as a better Cory Kispert with potential to be a much better defender then Cory.

Kris Murray-PF/SF

"Steady role player" is basically what everyone says about Murray's NBA potential. They seem to think he'll have a long career, but just isn't quite as good as his twin brother Keegan. Basically, he can do a bit of everything. He'd probably be our best young player immediately.

Jordan Hawkins-SG

Hawkins is the other guy considered to be one of the top two shooters in this draft. He is probably the best at shooting on the move as he's constantly sprinting around screens all over the court to make 3 pointers. He's pretty good in transition or attacking close outs too. He's a solid defender but only an average athlete. He doesn't have the skills to play PG, but he does keep the ball moving really well. He's noted to be a fierce competitor.

Notable exceptions

The two most notable are probably Keynote George and Taylor Hendricks. There's not any particular reason I didn't include them. They just don't stand out to me now. I'll dig more into them and very probably include them in future boards.

So what do you think? Who's on your Wizards draft board l?