- 15 hours ago
The Wizards have the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft, and thus, their choice of any player out there. Will it be AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, or someone else heading to DC next season?
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00:00Still doesn't feel real.
00:01The Washington Wizards will pick first overall in the 2026 NBA Draft.
00:07We are live here on 106.7 The Fan,
00:09taking you up to 6 p.m. of our NBA Draft Lottery coverage.
00:12Ben Strober alongside Linnell Willingham.
00:14We're live on YouTube as well.
00:17Programming note, Will Dawkins, the general manager of the Wizards,
00:20he will pick first overall, but he will be on the air
00:24with the sports junkies at 8 a.m. tomorrow.
00:27Maybe we'll just get a clue of who the Wizards will take number one overall.
00:30That's the question we're asking you at 800-636-1067.
00:34The Fan, who do you want at number one overall?
00:37How does this change your perception of Wizards fandom here in this city?
00:41It feels like DeBonsa is the consensus for number one,
00:45but I know we were saying during the break
00:47that they've been looking at Darren Peterson for a little while here.
00:51So there's a point of emphasis that this organization has had
00:54with grassroots scouts and really doing your due diligence
00:58when it comes to your scouting process.
01:00It starts at the high school level.
01:01They are watching these guys as early as 14 to 15 years old.
01:04This was written, first of all.
01:06C.J. McCollum is a massive Darren Peterson friend.
01:10He is practically Darren Peterson's mentor.
01:12And I think from the entire time that C.J. McCollum was here,
01:15he was telling people in this city,
01:17hey, Darren Peterson could play in the NBA right now
01:20back when he was in high school.
01:21I know they've been taking a look at this guy for quite some time.
01:24With that being said,
01:25Will Riley was a guy that they have watched closely
01:27through the circuits he played in,
01:29playing basketball in Canada in high school,
01:31ultimately before he was a freshman at Illinois.
01:33They took him 21st over after they traded three spots back to get him.
01:38I think with the grassroots scout thing being a part of this,
01:41Darren Peterson is very much, I believe,
01:42in play for number one overall for the Wizards.
01:44I'm right on board with you.
01:46For no other reason than the grassroots stuff that you mentioned,
01:49but, like, the brother can ball.
01:51Like, I hope this past college basketball season,
01:54with him having to miss the time that he did,
01:56I hope it's not coloring the way that the fans view him.
02:01That kid eats, breathes, sleeps basketball.
02:04He was one of the best guards in the country coming out of his class in high school.
02:09The kid can play.
02:10He overdosed on creatine, guys.
02:12It's nothing to worry about.
02:13I think coming up in Chicago this week,
02:15we're going to have the scouting combines.
02:17If his medicals are clear and there's no red flags there,
02:22there are going to be a litany of teams that have him as that number one prospect.
02:26And let's point this out.
02:27At 6'6", one, the perfect size for a guy that you could morph into your lead guard,
02:31whether he's playing at the two, 6'10", wingspan.
02:34If he truly measures in with a plus at a 6'10", wingspan,
02:38you're looking at the guy that has the same wingspan as Shea Gildress Alexander,
02:41one of the premier perimeter defenders in the NBA, DP gets after it defensively.
02:46He gets in the passing lanes.
02:47He deflects balls.
02:48He is incredible on that side of the basketball.
02:51And I think that's something that went a little bit overlooked from his college season
02:55because they saw the effortless tape of him getting to his spot,
02:58him rising up for threes off the dribble and scoring 25 points per game
03:01and finishing in the NCAA tournament, winning a game against St. John's.
03:06They fall short in the Sweet 16.
03:08People forget about that dude's defense,
03:10and that's what is supposed to be the foundation of this Wizards team is defense.
03:14And that's what I love about both DeBonsa and Peterson
03:17is being both the top prospects.
03:19They're both two-way guys that have a lot of upside on the defensive end of the floor.
03:231-800-636-1067.
03:26CB is in Gatethysburg wanting to chime in.
03:28Merry Christmas.
03:31Gentlemen, gentlemen, I am so happy.
03:33I'm so ecstatic.
03:34When I saw them go to commercial, I was like, please don't call our name until number one.
03:41Please.
03:41And it happened, and I just jumped out of my chair.
03:44I'm so happy.
03:45But I want DeBonsa for sure.
03:48And I think I am paired with Saar and Keyshawn and Trey with that nice jumper.
03:55I mean, who knows where they can go.
03:57I mean, they could go all the way.
03:59So I am just so excited about this.
04:01There's a lot of questions that need to be answered about rotationally, where he fits in.
04:05But when you have a guy of this caliber, you don't ask questions about drafting A.J. DeBonsa.
04:10Do you have any thoughts, CB, on Peterson?
04:13You know, I have problems with where his head is.
04:17I know I just heard you explain about the creatine and all that.
04:20But I want guys with good attitude.
04:22And I feel like DeBonsa, he's got a great attitude.
04:25And when he takes that jumper, when he drives and then he elevates, my God, that guy can elevate.
04:32And he can hit that J.
04:33I'm just, I want that guy.
04:35Man, it's incredible.
04:36We appreciate the call, CB.
04:37I'm going to make it my duty.
04:39I'm going to make it my civic duty over the next month, two months, to change the perception here in
04:46the DMV about Darren Peterson.
04:48He is 110% the most misunderstood prospect, maybe in the past decade plus.
04:55The kid needed to do IV sessions for an hour to two hours nights before the game because he overdosed
05:02on creatine is what we're finding out now.
05:04His body didn't react to it.
05:06He was doing too much, trying to put on weight, and it dehydrated the hell out of him.
05:10There was never a situation where this kid could play and chose not to.
05:14Look, there's elements of being a professional athlete, include the way you take care of yourself, hydration, what you eat.
05:21That's supposedly something the Wizards have worked on as well, is making sure people are in the right mindset.
05:25They stole that from the OKC model.
05:28Guys show up for their jump season every single day throughout the summer.
05:31Are you eating the right things?
05:32Are you showing up?
05:32Are you lifting with intensity?
05:34Are you taking 500 shots a day?
05:36Are you putting in the 10,000 hours that you need to be a true professional?
05:40If the Wizards conduct their interviews, which obviously they're going to interview everybody, even though you're picking first, you're bringing
05:46in Cameron Boozer, you're bringing in Caleb Wilson.
05:48You need to collect data points on everyone, first of all.
05:51It's intel that you can get throughout this process in case someone becomes available in the trade market at some
05:56point in free agency.
05:57They need to bring everybody in for the interviews.
05:59And I know from talking to people in the organization, the Wizards have these prospects speak with everyone, not just
06:05Will Dawkins, not just Michael Winger.
06:06They talk to the PR staff.
06:08They talk to the people that work in the conditioning facilities, the people that fold the laundry.
06:12They meet everybody.
06:13They try to get as many data points as possible.
06:15So if they go Darren Peterson, number one overall, I will feel comfortable.
06:19They know his head is in the right place to do so.
06:21I was about to say, because of their process, and this goes back to what we talked about, their process
06:27over the past several years, they've shown you they're drafting dudes that want to win.
06:32They're drafting dudes that eat, breathe, and sleep basketball.
06:35Well, I think Darren Peterson falls in that exact bucket.
06:38No matter who they pick, whether it's Peterson or DeBonsa, the one thing that I love, and it goes back
06:45to what they did prior to the trade deadline.
06:46I mentioned this earlier.
06:49Now that you have Anthony Davis, Trey Young, Saar, Keyshawn George, the number one pick that you bring in, no
06:58matter who it is, there is no immediate rush to be that guy right away.
07:04You can develop.
07:06You can have patience.
07:07You can put them in ideal circumstances.
07:09So I think it's a win-win, no matter who they end up with.
07:11And real quick, before we get to the calls, the goal is not to win the NBA championship next year.
07:16That's not going to be the expectation.
07:18The goal is to win every year, but realistically, we know you still need another year of growth, because this
07:23team just won 17 games.
07:24You're not going to win 55 next year.
07:26You've got to learn how to win.
07:27And now that you're bringing in a premier talent, whether it's AJ, whether it's Darren, or one of the other
07:31guys in between, you have elite talent now on this team with Trey Young, Anthony Davis.
07:37They're going to take a step forward, and then hopefully after that, it is go time.
07:40We'll talk into the Wizard train, was starting to leave the station.
07:43I think it just sped up just a little bit.
07:45Just a little bit.
07:46Just a little bit.
07:48Jerome is in Phoenix.
07:49What's going on?
07:51Hey.
07:51Hello, gentlemen.
07:52Ben and Linnell, how are you doing today?
07:54Good, man.
07:54I am out here in 103-degree heat, right, in Phoenix.
08:01I'm out here for my job.
08:04I'm originally from D.C., A.D. Wilson grad.
08:08I've been in South Carolina for the last 15 years.
08:10This is what I want to say.
08:11And by the way, Ben, your dude, a doula, he's going crazy.
08:15Oh, man, I can't wait to talk to him later.
08:20He's probably lost his mind.
08:22I'm about to say, man.
08:22He's off his mind.
08:23He's sweating.
08:24He's drinking gallons of water.
08:25He can't do anything right.
08:27So what I want to say real quick, I'll try to get it all in, is that I travel for
08:32a living, right?
08:33So I'm in Phoenix right now.
08:35So this is where I go to.
08:36I support my commanders and Wizards gear everywhere.
08:38So I'm in South Florida when Bam did that modern record on them.
08:45People laughing at me, right?
08:47I'm in Phoenix.
08:48People laughing at me.
08:50Then I go to my church with New Orleans.
08:53They're laughing at me there for wearing my Wizards gear.
08:54Who's got the last laugh now, Jerome?
08:56Right?
08:57So now I'm about to go through the pool in 103 degree weather and support my Wizards gear.
09:02There we go, Robey Rome.
09:03I dig it, man.
09:04I appreciate the call as always.
09:051-800-636-1067.
09:08Scotty is in Maryland.
09:09What's going on, Scotty?
09:11Hey, what's going on, y'all?
09:12How y'all doing?
09:12Doing good, man.
09:13Over the moon.
09:15Man, I'm excited.
09:17My father sent me a screenshot of the ESPN headliner number one pick.
09:22I was like, oh, man.
09:23I was talking to my mother.
09:23I sent a message.
09:24I was like, oh, man.
09:25I had to run out of the room.
09:27Came back.
09:27She's like, what's wrong?
09:28I'm like, man.
09:30I couldn't even explain it to her.
09:31She's on the back.
09:32I'm like, look.
09:33We up.
09:34It's our turn.
09:35You know what I'm saying?
09:37But I'm rocking with AJ.
09:39And I'm going to just say she'll be, not to discredit Darren Peterson,
09:43because he can't hoop.
09:45But I'm liking AJ a little bit more strictly of the intangibles.
09:49The fact he's 6'9".
09:50He limpy.
09:51You know what I mean?
09:52He got off the floor a little bit.
09:53He moved.
09:55I like that.
09:55And I think he has a higher floor than Peterson.
09:58And that's just my opinion.
09:59I think he'll ultimately be a better pro.
10:01And I'm like, why not?
10:02You know what I'm saying?
10:03Like you said, like you mentioned, he don't have to come in and be the guy.
10:07You know what I mean?
10:07He can come in and give us 12 to 15.
10:09That would be solid.
10:11He's a bucket.
10:11He can build on that.
10:12So I'm looking forward to it.
10:14I ain't going to lie.
10:15I ain't going to lie.
10:15He's going to give you more than 12 to 15,
10:17even if they got him as the fourth option.
10:19Multiply that by two.
10:21Dog.
10:21Like, that's the thing that I keep thinking about here.
10:24And we've got a lot more to discuss as we roll throughout the course of the program.
10:28You can chime in at 1-800-636-1067.
10:32The Wizards landing the number one overall pick in the 2026 draft.
10:37Linnell Willingham, Ben Strober, bringing you live reaction here on The Fan.
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