Washington Wizards NBA Draft: 3 Baylor players the Wizards could draft

Davion Mitchell; Guard; Junior

Jared Butler is one half of the outstanding backcourt that has led Baylor to its first NCAA Championship game in over 60 years. Davion Mitchell is the other half.

Since transferring from Auburn to Baylor in 2018, Mithcell has been a defensive force in the Big-12. He made the Big 12 All-Defensive team each of the last two seasons and was the Defensive Player of the Year in the Big 12 this season. And if that wasn’t enough, he was named the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year. This guy plays defense.

Mitchell does what Butler does, but just a bit better. And he’s not just a defense force. This season, Mitchell was significantly better from beyond the arc than his backcourt counterpart (45.3 percent vs. 41.5 percent) on similar volume (4.7 attempts per game vs. 6.1). He’s a multi-level scoring threat, with the ability to blow by defenders in addition to his three-point shot. But he’s also more than willing to defer to his teammates. In the Final Four win over Houston, Mithcell had 11 assists and 0 turnovers.

Mitchell finished his junior season averaging 14.0 points, 2.6 rebounds, 5.5 assists (team-high), and 1.9 steals per game.

The only knock on Mitchell is that he hasn’t played like this throughout his college career. His draft stock has soared this season, especially during this NCAA Tournament. This season alone, Mithell’s two-point field goal percentage shot up to 57.3 percent from 46.7 percent last season. His three-point percentage also jumped significantly, up from 32.4 last season to 45.3 this season.

There’s no question you’re getting a great defender in Mitchell. But is his offensive improvement legit? Or was it a one-year wonder? That’s the big question.

Mitchell is projected as a mid to late lottery pick. The way his stock has been rising, it could very well go higher, but the Wizards would need to slip in the lottery or a bit to justify taking Mitchell.