The Washington Wizards ultimately kept their pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. They used it to select Johnny Davis, the combo guard out of Wisconsin that broke out in his second year playing for the Badgers.
Davis went from averaging seven points per game as a freshman to averaging 19.7 as a sophomore. He sealed the deal on his lottery fate with a few big-time performances during the NCAA tournament.
Although Davis made the list of players the Wizards should avoid in the draft, it was not at all a surprising pick once it was clear the Wizards were going to make the pick at ten. Many mock drafts had him landing in Washington and nearly all of them had him going within a few picks of the ten spot.
In terms of talent alone, there seemed to be a consensus that Davis was right around the tenth best player in this draft class. The Wizards add him to a roster that is pretty well filled out but lacks a few key things.
We will soon learn what kind of role Davis will be able to carve out for himself. For now, it looks like he’ll be given the chance to be one of the Wizards key reserves. A scoring role off the bench is ideal for Davis early in his career.
He can certainly score the ball. One concern is his inability to knock down a higher rate of his three-point shots in college. He shot just 30.6 percent from the outside during his sophomore season.
If that proves to be a quality of shot issue more than anything else, Davis could become a key role player for the Wizards in short order. If not, it’s something that will need improvement moving forward.
The Washington Wizards also held the 54th overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. They used that selection on big man Yannick Nzosa. Nzosa is a project big with intriguing physical tools that is a worthy flier so late into the second round.
Also important, Nzosa will be a stash guy, according to Tommy Sheppard. A stash prospect was the only option, considering how many players the Wizards have under contract entering free agency.