The Washington Wizards entered night two with the opportunity to land two additional draft picks after landing their face of the franchise in AJ Dybantsa in night one.
Instead, Washington zeroed in on one prospect in specific that they deemed worth both of their available second-round picks, trading both the No. 51 overall pick and the No. 60 pick to land Felix Okpara from the Orlando Magic at No. 46.
Not many people are familiar with Okpara's game, but he's the exact type of player the Wizards felt could be worth the swing to add to their frontcourt, finalizing their draft haul.
Felix Okpara offers the defensive dominance the Wizards are searching for
Okpara's style of play is for an acquired taste, but it's clear that his strengths are exactly what the Wizards are searching for.
The 6-foot-11 big man only averaged 8.0 points and 6.3 rebounds during his final season at Tennessee, while shooting 59.7% from field goal range and 36.4% from three on minimal attempts.
Okpara doesn't offer much on the offensive side of the floor, but what he offers defensively is exactly what the Wizards are searching for.
The big man runs the floor, he hustles for extra plays, and he's a capable rim protector that will immediately relieve the pressure for his teammates.
On the off chance that Washington's developmental system can help him expand his offensive game, there's genuine upside that the Wizards clearly feel comfortable taking a swing on.
The absolute worst-case scenario is that Okpara could be just a defensive-minded relief big who proves to be a lob threat when he's on the floor, but given the talent on Washington's squad, that's all the Wizards would ever need him to be.
Washington took a swing in the late-second, which is exactly what they need to do at this point in the draft, and although Okpara could spend a lot of his time at first with the Capital City Go-Go, patience in his development will be vital to begin with.
Not to mention, taking a defensive prospect to be mentored by a future Hall of Famer in Anthony Davis, along with the opportunity to develop alongside another versatile defender in Alex Sarr, makes landing in D.C. the perfect spot for Okpara.
Falling to No. 46 means every team in the league passed on the big man at least once, and with Washington being the first to take a swing, it proves they see something in his potential.
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