Ranking The Washington Wizards Lottery Picks Since 2010

No. 2 – 2011 NBA Draft: Wizards Select Bradley Beal 3rd overall

Another current Wizard takes the second spot in the lottery pick player rankings. Beal has been the franchise’s best player for a number of years and it’s become all too popular to talk about them splitting up or them toughing it out despite the team having limited upside.

Somehow, that’s the theme of this offseason more than it ever has been. That can’t change what Beal has done for the franchise since they selected him 3rd overall in the 2011 NBA Draft, though.

Beal brings a change to these rankings, as he’s the point where we have all-star level talent and production. Beal was selected after Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and quickly put his offensive skill set on display for the Wizards and their fans.

His sharp shooting immediately translated from Florida to the NBA. It took until year number four for Beal to become a 20-point-per-game scorer, but he hasn’t looked back since that season. He’s averaged over 20 per night in each of the six seasons since.

Beal is and has been the kind of talent that could be a key player on a very good team. The Wizards have let him down too many times so far in his career and he has come up short a couple of times as well.

The only player that the Wizards missed on in that draft class by selecting Beal is Damian Lillard, who was taken sixth overall. Not only was that just not a real option entering the draft, but it also didn’t make much sense at all due to our number one player on this list.

No.1 – 2010 NBA Draft: Wizards Select John Wall 1st Overall

When the Wizards got the top pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, they just had to avoid overthinking it. They were able to do that, meaning they wound up taking the consensus number one player in the draft, point guard John Wall.

Wall is no longer a Wizard but his impact on the team, the organization and the fan base speaks for itself. He spent nine seasons with the team and racked up quite the list of achievements in those years. Although the teams he led were never able to reach the top, that might have more to do with the rosters built around him than anything else.

Wall made five all-star games during his nine seasons with Washington. He also made an all-defensive team and an all-NBA team.

At his best, Wall was a fierce rim attacker that could finish and facilitate as well as anyone in the game. He was also a menace to opponents when they were on offense with his ability to play passing lanes and swipe the ball from ball handlers.

Wall had special talent at his peak. Eventually, he became too much of a burden on his contract and the Wizards sent him away in a trade. Regardless of the ending, Wall was the Wizards’ best lottery pick over the course of the last 12 years.