This time last year, the Washington Wizards were grieving the heartbreak of missing out on generational talent Cooper Flagg.
After an abysmal 82-game campaign, the Wizards' reputation of bad luck carried over into the offseason when they not only missed out on Flagg, but they slid to the lowest possible spot in the NBA Draft, which led them to take a swing on upside with guard Tre Johnson.
Courtesy of the team losing the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes last offseason, the Wizards and their fanbase entered this offseason hoping for the best, while expecting the worse to come on Sunday's NBA Draft Lottery.
However, between general manager Will Dawkins' wish for good luck, the team's momentum boost of John Wall representing them at the lottery, and the Anthony Davis effect, the Wizards have come out of the NBA Draft Lottery holding the rights to the No. 1 overall pick for the first time since 2010.
Wizards' Cooper Flagg disaster led them to AJ Dybantsa
Flagg was the dream, there's no doubt about it.
The versatile forward proved just how impactful he can be in this league this season, averaging 21.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 4.5 assists, while shooting 46.8% from field goal range and 29.5% from beyond the arc, during his Rookie of the Year campaign in Dallas.
And while the Duke product would have likely been a major boost to the Wizards' rebuild, there's an argument to be made that he wasn't the type of player the Wizards needed, at least not in comparison to how the team's current roster is built.
Dybantsa, though, is exactly what the Wizards need.
Dybantsa fits the Wizards current roster perfectly
Despite the low points of this year, Washington's struggling season came with some positives.
The Wizards saw strides from their young core, with Alex Sarr and Kyshawn George taking a leap, and several rookies showing flashes of how solid they can be with Tre Johnson, Will Riley, and Julian Reese coming to mind.
In addition, the team also formed a superstar duo with the trade deadline additions of Trae Young and Anthony Davis.
Young seems to be fully on board with the team's future plans, and while Davis is still sorting things out, Washington is moving forward with the expectation that he'll be a part of the team's plans.
Looking at the current roster, Dybantsa's dominant downhill playing style with his ability to effectively space the floor, is the exact type of prospect that can elevate the personnel on this roster.
No doubt missing out on Flagg hurt, but fast forward to the position the Wizards are in now, it's fair to say they made it out on the better end.
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