Washington Wizards: Players in the Draft That Can Fulfill the Wizards' SF Need
When people look at normal lottery teams they tend to have the same reaction when it comes to the future, either the team needs more players or they just suck.
The Wizards are actually a team that may very well have it's starting lineup for the future with the exception of the small forward position. Last year the Wizards drafted their point guard for the future after drafting the most likely center of the future in JaVale McGee in the 2008 draft and scorer of the future in Nick Young in the 2007 draft.
Andray Blatche is still a big question mark as to whether or not he has the work ethic to get better and help this team at least reach a playoff berth. One of the biggest holes the Wizards must fill this off-season is the depth and future of the small forward position. This past season the Wizards had numerous starting lineups of different small forwards from Josh Howard to Larry Owens, who was called up from the D-League.
The Wizards need to get a young piece that isn't injury prone and can play the position for long term being that this team is so young. Here are some possible players the Wizards could draft.
Tyler Honeycutt
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Tyler Honeycutt is arguably one of the best NBA prospect in the Pac-10 who has the ability to play on the next level but just hasn't found his niche yet. Right now, he looks like the type of player that will be used like Richard Hamilton, running around without the ball through screens trying to get open for an opportunity to catch and shoot. A lot of times he gets those opportunities and becomes passive with the ball.
Another strong skill of Honeycutt is what he can do on the defensive end. He is one of the best perimeter defenders in this draft and his length causes a problem among ball handlers. Honeycutt is the type of defender that creates turnovers and blocks shots whenever needed.
All in all, Honeycutt is a great all-around player that contributes in just about every part in a game. He has the ball-handling skills to create his own shot but didn't do much this year with him being so passive. A lot of times where he did create his shot off the dribble they were a bad selection of shots, which shows that Honeycutt will need to improve getting separation. If he were to forgo his sophmore season with UCLA I would expect his scoring average to go up.
With all the great NBA upside, he would fit well with the Wizards being that he doesn't have to be the star but can come off of screens for an easy Wall assist or create a shot when the offense on the court appears to be dead.
Jordan Hamilton
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Jordan Hamilton is one of the best scorers in this year's draft, but the reason he isn't as high as the other top scorers in the draft is because of his shot selection and lack of aggressiveness on defense. If he can improve those two parts of his game, he could very well end up being a steal for any team picking him past the 10th overall pick.
Hamilton has the mentality of a scorer, and excels at it with his ability to take defenders off the dribble in one-on-one situations. Since he has the mentality of a scorer, Hamilton can sometimes be profiled as a "ball-hog" in regards to the number of bad shots he takes during games. Although he isn't know as the toughest guy on the court; his length and athleticism has helped him grab about seven rebounds per game for the Longhorns.
The Wizards seem like a great fit for Hamilton on the offensive side due to their lack of scorers on the team, but Hamilton may still cause a tremendous amount of defensive problems when guarding the Lebron's and Durant's of this league. If the Wizards are able to draft a big man with their first pick in the draft and Hamilton happens to fall to the 18th pick then I don't see any reason why the Wizards would pass up on him.
Jan Vesely
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With all of the withdraws in the draft, the European prospects are on the rise when it comes to the individual skill rankings of players. Jan Vesely has a mold of many recent Euro prospects to be evaluated, a 6'11" wing player that is as skinny and soft. What makes Vesely different from the others is his athletic ability he possesses with his size.
The Washington Wizards' whole playing style changed after drafted John Wall and investing the future into JaVale McGee, therefore it is important to get a player that "fits". Vesely is a fastbreak player that has a lot of energy, which can make him very useful for the Wizards.
A major concern that the Wizards may have is how weak he is. Last year General Manager Ernie Grunsfeld made it very clear that the Wizards want to lose to label of being a soft team and add some "beef" to the team. Of course, with drafting Vesely, that will take the Wizards in an opposite direction than they were headed in terms of being able to physically compete in this league.
Chris Singleton
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First off, let me say that I think Chris Singleton is the perfect player for the Wizards, he brings defense, athleticism, and shooting. His game is a lot like Tyler Honeycutt in the previous slide but there is still a slight difference.
Singleton is the better athlete, he has NBA athleticism, and will be great in transition from day one. He should be able to catch his fair share of alley oop passes from John Wall. He is the better catch-and-shoot 3-point shooter and has a NBA-ready body.
His versatility should give defenses many problems because of his ability to play on the perimeter and play inside the paint. His size, height, and strength should translate his defensive abilities well to the NBA where he may have a height and strength advantage over most NBA Small Forwards, obviously excluding LeBron.
Singleton is by far one of the best defenders I've seen in college basketball in a long time; after being slowed down this season from injury, he returned just as good as he left leaving the durability questions to rest.
Derrick Williams
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Where do I get started?
Derrick Williams is a flat-out beast. In the NCAA tournament he looked like the next NBA superstar in the making, with the body of Lebron James and the shooting abilities of Jason Kidd. Williams played Power Forward in Arizona but will likely convert to Small Forward in the NBA that can go into the post whenever needed. He has an amazing first step, finishes with contact, and can dribble the ball well, which also helps his transition to the perimeter much more easier.
Even though the prospects in this year's draft are sub-par at best, Williams is one of the players that presents superstar potential and is ready to make an immediate impact in the league starting on day one. One of the main questions to his game is whether or not he can guard NBA Small Forwards on the perimeter.
If the Wizards get lucky and land the number one overall pick, Williams is an obvious choice and could excel in the Wizards' fastbreak style of play. John Wall and Derrick Williams could be a similar cornerstone to the franchise like Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook are to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
