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Wings likely to be drafted around the lottery

Modern NBA teams could always use more wings. These are the names to know in the general lottery range.

NCAA Basketball: Villanova at Connecticut
Hawkins drives on Whitmore
David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

Now that the Wizards’ season is over, we will be ramping up our NBA Draft coverage here and on Bleav in Wizards. In our latest episode of the podcast, I was joined by Cooper Klein, a draft analyst from the Upside Swings podcast. We focused specifically on the wings likely to be taken in, or at least near, the first round.

Early in his tenure as general manager, Tommy Sheppard declared he wanted to draft more athletic wings. He never really lived up to that promise and now he won’t get the chance after being dismissed from the job. Fortunately, there are several very athletic wings in this draft for the new GM to evaluate, whenever that person is selected.

For a detailed discussion of all the prospects, check out the full episode. For a high-level look at each of the wings currently projected to go around the lottery, here you go! I’ve also included where they are currently ranked on Rookie Scale’s consensus big board.

Brandon Miller, 6’9, Alabama, consensus ranking: 3

Stats: 18.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists, .9 blocks, .9 steals, 38.4% 3PT, 85.9% FT

Case for: positional versatility on defense, shown flashes of high-level passing/ creation skills, who couldn’t use a 6’9 sharpshooter?

Case against: maybe not the best athlete, slightly built, did the Alabama system artificially inflate some of his production?

NCAA Basketball: NCAA Tournament South Regional-San Diego State vs Alabama
Brandon Miller shooting vs San Diego State
Jamie Rhodes-USA TODAY Sports

Amen Thompson, 6’7 Overtime Elite, consensus ranking: 4

Stats: 16.3 points, 6.4 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 2.4 steals, .8 blocks, 23.3% 3PT, 64.6% FT

Case for: insane athlete, great defensive instincts and potential, high-level playmaking potential, could potentially be a lead facilitator

Case against: cannot shoot currently, slightly built, did playing for OTE make him look better than he actually is?

Basketball: Overtime Elite-Cold Hearts at City Reapers
Amen Thompson dunking
Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Ausar Thompson, 6’7, Overtime Elite, consensus ranking: 5

Stats: 16.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, 6.1 assists, 1.3 blocks, 2.7 steals, 30% 3PT, 67.1% FT

Case for: insane athlete, great defensive instincts and potential, shown some flashes of good playmaking potential, slightly better shooter than his brother

Case against: cannot shoot currently, demonstrated less playmaking chops than his brother, slightly built, did playing for OTE make him look better than he actually is?

Basketball: Overtime Elite-Cold Hearts at City Reapers
Ausar Thompson dunking
Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Cam Whitmore, 6’6, Villanova, consensus ranking: 7

Stats: 12.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.4 steals, 34.3% 3PT, 70.3% FT

Case for: powerful athlete, great finisher, great cutter, high-end defensive potential

Case against: jumpshot is still questionable, bad passer, loose handle at times

NCAA Basketball: Big East Conference Tournament First Round - Villanova vs Georgetown
Whitmore driving against Georgetown
Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Gradey Dick, 6’7, Kansas, consensus ranking: 10

Stats: 14.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.4 steals, 40.3% 3PT, 85.4% FT

Case for: really really shoots it, good positional size, was actually a better college defender than he gets credit for

Case against: needs to get stronger, will the defense hold up against NBA athletes, what else does he bring to the table besides the shooting?

NCAA Basketball: Kansas at Texas
Dick shooting for Kansas
Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports

Jordan Hawkins, 6’5, Connecticut, consensus ranking: 14

Stats: 16.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.3 assists, .5 blocks, .7 steals, 38.8% 3PT, 88.7% FT

Case for: elite movement shooter, not going to be fun for defenses to chase him around

Case against: will the defense hold up against NBA athletes? What else does he bring to the table besides the shooting?

NCAA Basketball: Final Four National Championship-San Diego State vs UCONN
Hawkins shooting a three for Connecticut
Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Jett Howard, 6’8, Michigan, consensus ranking: 15

Stats: 14.2 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2 assists, .7 blocks, .4 steals, 36.8% 3PT, 80% FT

Case for: good size, good shooting, good handle for his size, the Wizards could market drafting the son of a player who used to play for them (sorry, couldn’t resist)

Case against: not a great athlete, he has a good frame and is pretty skilled so why doesn’t he do anything else besides score?

Syndication: Detroit Free Press
Howard shoots for Michigan
Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

Brice Sensabaugh, 6’6, Ohio State, consensus ranking: 17

Stats: 16.3 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 40.5% 3PT, 83% FT

Case for: both a good shooter and good scorer, strong from mid-range, good footwork

Case against: was a bad defender this year, not a great athlete or passer, doesn’t get to the free-throw line much, does he do anything else besides put the ball in the basket? Will NBA teams let him operate from mid-range as much?

Syndication: The Columbus Dispatch
Sensabaugh shoots for Ohio State
Barbara J. Perenic/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

Rayan Rupert, 6’7, New Zealand Breakers, consensus ranking: 19

Stats: 6.8 points, 2.4 rebounds, .8 assists, .2 blocks, .7 steals, 31.2% 3PT, 73.8% FT

Case for: good athlete, crazy wingspan, high-end defensive potential

Case against: not sure he provides anything offensively besides transition finishing, really raw overall, likely will be on his second contract by the time he develops into any kind of offensive threat in the half-court

NBL Rd 5 - Adelaide 36ers v New Zealand Breakers
Rupert drives for the Breakers
Photo by Sarah Reed/Getty Images