Washington Wizards Stayed Busy After NBA Draft

The Washington Wizards wound up making two selections in the 2019 NBA Draft. However, they weren’t done after that.

The Washington Wizards were full of surprises on the night of the 2019 NBA Draft. When they were on the clock with the ninth pick, Cam Reddish was still in the midst of his draft day slide and available. Nassir Little, who impressed the Wizards in his pre-draft workout, was there for the taking. Even international prospect Sekou Doumbouya who was predicted to be the Wizards first-round pick in many mock drafts was still undrafted.

Instead, the Wizards chose Rui Hachimura out of Gonzaga.

Then, as the first round was winding down, the Wizards decided to get back in on the action and traded cash considerations to the Philadelphia 76ers for Jonathon Simmons and the 42nd overall pick. At 42, the Wizards drafted Tennessee guard/forward Admiral Schofield.

But even after picking up an unexpected second-round pick, the Wizards weren’t done for the night. After all the picks had been made, the Wizards went to work, striking deals with Justin Robinson out of Virginia Tech and Garrison Matthews out of Lipscomb.

Both are four-year college players that showed significant improvements each and every year. Plus, both can spray from outside. In their combined eight seasons of college basketball, neither of them shot less than 34.9 percent from three for an entire season. And each of them has at least two seasons shooting 38 percent or better.

As a senior, Matthews averaged eight three-point attempts per game and still managed to shoot over 40 percent (0.403). Only Steph Curry took eight or more attempts from three last season and still shot over 40 percent.

Robinson actually shot better percentage-wise than Matthews. Despite taking about half as many attempts (4.1), he shot a full percentage point and a half better than Matthews did: 41.8 percent. In today’s NBA, you can never have enough shooters.

Both Robinson and Matthews worked out with the Wizards earlier this month.

Matthews has been signed to a two-way deal. It’s an interesting signing given what we know and have heard about the Wizards and the Capitol City Go-Go. In their inaugural season, the Wizards leaned heavily on the Go-Go as a training ground, letting Thomas Bryant, Troy Brown Jr, and Jordan McRae all spend significant amounts of time down there last season. Expect to see the Wizards experimenting even more with how they can use the Go-Go as a breeding ground.

The Wizards also signed Armoni Brooks (Houston) and Corey Davis Jr (Houston), presumably to help fill out their Summer League roster.