Washington Wizards: 4 Players to Watch in the Sweet 16
By Ethan Smith
The NCAA Tournament starts back up tonight. With only 16 teams left, here are some players to keep an eye on. They might end up in a Washington Wizards uniform next season.
With only five players (including Dwight Howard) under contract for next season, the Wizards will be busy filling out their roster this off-season. What they decide to do with pending free agents like Bobby Portis, Trevor Ariza, Tomas Satoransky, and Jeff Green could largely impact their draft strategy. But one thing’s for sure. They need just about everything.
Unfortunately, they’ll only have one draft pick to help them address their long list of roster needs. Luckily, it will be a lottery pick. And it’ll almost definitely be a top-10 pick. Top-five would be even better.
While the Wizards have a couple current examples of lottery success (John Wall and Bradley Beal), there’s also Jan Vesely. Plus Otto Porter didn’t exactly pan out in Washington after being selected no. 3 overall in the 2013 NBA Draft.
Hopefully, the Wizards can get it right this time around. I think a lot of people would have more confidence in that happening if Ernie Grunfeld wasn’t making the call or involved in any way. But, regardless, this draft class is heavy with talent.
The one good thing about a disastrous season is the hope of a high draft pick. With Wall set to miss all of next season, they’ll need all the hope and help they can get.
Here are four prospects you should keep an eye on during the Sweet 16 games. Who knows, they might just end up in a Washington Wizards uniform.