The Washington Wizards are days away from finding out where they'll select with their top pick in the upcoming NBA Draft.
Tied with the Utah Jazz and Charlotte Hornets for the highest-odds to earn the No. 1 overall pick, Washington has the opportunity to potentially land a franchise-altering talent to boost their long-awaited rebuild.
And while it's become pretty evident that Cooper Flagg and Dylan Harper are two of the most coveted prospects in this upcoming draft class, it's worth debating who would be the best fit for the Wizards moving forward, assuming they are in position to land one of the two talents.
With plenty of investment in Alex Sarr by selecting him at No. 2 overall in last year's NBA Draft, bringing out the potential in their French product is without a doubt a focus for the Wizards future plans.
Considering the goal is to build a core of young players who can maximize one another's talent, between Flagg and Harper, who would be the best fit alongside Sarr? Let's break it down.
Why Flagg fits best alongside Sarr
Cooper Flagg is one of those generational talents that every team in the league envy's for the opportunity to land in the NBA Draft. Looking back at the last generational talent in Victor Wembanyama, team's began to tank early for the potential to land Wemby.
This season, it felt like that's what the Wizards were doing for Flagg.
At 6-foot-9, the Duke star has it all. Not only is he a dynamic scorer on offense, but he's a polished ball handler and his skillset as a facilitator makes him the all-around talent Washington needs. Not to mention his versatility on the defensive end of the floor.
Alongside Sarr, Flagg would be the perfect fit to help him expand his game to the perimeter by drawing not only the top defenders into coverage on him, but the top wing defenders.
With Sarr's game seeming to have more potential working as a stretch big, having a dominant wing alongside him with guard abilities could be exactly what the Wizards need to get the best out of their 7-footer.
Furthermore, you have to factor in the fact that Flagg is a far better prospect than Sarr and the importance behind finding a building block would make selecting the Maine native a no-brainer to begin with.
Why Harper fits best alongside Sarr
Having a dynamic guard in the NBA isn't as important as it used to be in today's game. However, it's still a luxury that many teams look for, especially when there's the potential to land a talent like Dylan Harper.
At 6-foot-6, Harper has the size to pose a mismatch for many of the top backcourt players in the league, and that's not even factoring in the potential he has to develop into a star player at the next level.
Having a talent like Harper in the backcourt may not help draw in the top wing defenders as often as Flagg could, but his ability to manipulate a defense and draw attention to alleviate pressure on Sarr would be vital. For every talented big man in the league, the connection with their starting point guard seems vital.
Looking at Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren, the build the Oklahoma City Thunder have put together with that young core is essentially what I believe a fit with Harper and Sarr could look like.
Obviously the supporting cast and roster make-up of the two rosters is vastly different, but in terms of potential maximization of Sarr's game, Harper could bring that out of him like SGA does Holmgren.
Verdict
Without a doubt, positioning matters the most in this draft for the Wizards. At No. 1 overall, there's no world where the Wizards should take Harper or anyone for that matter over Flagg. However, if they're at No. 2, Harper would still be an ideal fit alongside sarr.
That said, for this debate, Flagg's fit alongside Sarr still feels like it would be the best chance for the Wizards to get the best out of their former No. 2 overall pick.