With a new head coach finally in place, the Washington Wizards can now turn their attention to the 2021 NBA draft. This year, the Wizards will be selecting 15th after picking 9th the previous two seasons. Washington also had the 15th overall selection in 2018 when they drafted Troy Brown Jr. out of Oregon. I don’t know if it’s a coincidence, but in the last 6 years, the Wizards have had the same spot on the draft board five times (9th pick: 2020 & 2019 and 15th pick: 2021, 2018 & 2015).
Technically, Washington didn’t go into the 2015 NBA Draft with the 15th pick. They traded two 2nd round picks and the 19th overall pick to the Atlanta Hawks for the draft rights to Kelly Oubre Jr. Both Kelly Oubre Jr. and Troy Brown Jr. only spent three and a half seasons with the Wizards before they were traded away to other teams. They were solid contributors but didn’t quite do enough to secure second contracts and stick around long-term. Hopefully, Washington has more luck this year, and their 15th pick becomes a building block for the future and not just trade bait.
The Washington Wizards need some more athleticism on the wing. Could they find it in the 2021 NBA Draft?
The 2021 NBA Draft class is expected to be one of the deepest classes in recent memory! This class is headlined by potential future All-Stars in Cade Cunningham, Jalen Green, Evan Mobley, and Jalen Suggs. However, there is a ton of talent throughout the entire class! The Wizards just have to do their due diligence and make the right choice for their franchise moving forward. It’s still up in the air what direction they’re leaning towards, but Tommy Sheppard did make one thing clear in his end of the year press conference: “… more athleticism on the wing.”
After this statement, I wouldn’t be surprised to see them select a forward when draft night finally arrives on Thursday.