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Wizards Reporter Chase Hughes from Monumental Sports joins The Kevin Sheehan Show to analyze how the Wizards will use the first overall pick in the NBA Draft this year, what are the next steps in the rebuild and how will the lineups look next season.
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00:00Chase Hughes has been covering the Wizards for several years now.
00:04Works for Monumental Sports.
00:06He's out in Chicago for the NBA Draft Combine,
00:10where he's seen a lot of testing of some of these elite players,
00:14Peterson, DeBonsa, Boozer, et cetera, Caleb Wilson.
00:17By the way, DeBonsa registered the highest vertical leap
00:22at just over 42 inches.
00:26Chase is with us right now.
00:28So, great news.
00:31They got number one overall.
00:32The bad news is there's choice, and there's not an obvious number one.
00:37Most people feel that way.
00:39Maybe you feel differently.
00:40You and I have talked about DeBonsa and Peterson going back
00:43to the early portion of the basketball season.
00:47But let me ask you as we sit today and we ponder what might happen
00:53on June 23rd, the night of, or even beforehand,
00:56just give me sort of the percent chance that they take DeBonsa, Peterson,
01:02somebody else, or trade.
01:06Well, I'll give you that in a second.
01:08First of all, I think it's actually good news there's no consensus number one pick.
01:12I've long had a theory that there can be a lot of groupthink with a consensus number one,
01:16and if you look back at drafts of the past, the vast majority of the time,
01:21that guy doesn't end up being the number one pick.
01:23So, I think sometimes you're sort of backed into a corner.
01:26You take the guy.
01:27You're crazy not to, but if you know the history of the draft,
01:30you know that guy's probably not going to be the best pick.
01:32So, I think they have a little bit of more room for creative thinking,
01:35and I think that could work to their advantage.
01:38But right now, in terms of percentage, I honestly, I'm not trying to cop out of this.
01:43I think it's 50-50 between DeBonsa and Peterson.
01:45I was more certain yesterday that DeBonsa, you know, looking at mock drafts,
01:49maybe it was 60-40, but, you know, I keep hearing that they like both of these guys.
01:54And I think, you know, they wanted the power of choice.
01:57They know that this is a really good draft.
01:58And I think it's as simple as you're splitting hairs between two,
02:02possibly three guys that are worthy of a number one pick in the average year.
02:06And so, they really feel like they need to take their time, do their due diligence.
02:10My guess is that a consensus won't form until a couple weeks before the draft,
02:14kind of like it did with Anthony Edwards six years ago.
02:18If they remain, you know, 50-50 on those two players,
02:22and Utah isn't 50-50, they're 100-0 on DeBonsa,
02:27do you think they would consider a trade back?
02:32Oh, 100% they would consider it.
02:34I think that falls into just the due diligence.
02:37You know, you'd be crazy not to pick up the phone.
02:39It kind of reminds me, you know, as you know, I used to cover the Nationals,
02:43and I remember Mike Rizzo, people would ask him,
02:45would you listen to trade offers for like Bryce Harper or whatever?
02:47And he would always say, I'm never not going to pick up the phone.
02:49I'll always listen.
02:51And the first time I heard it, I was kind of surprised,
02:52but he would say it every year.
02:53And then it just kind of started to, you know, click for me.
02:56Of course, you've got to pick up the phone.
02:58You never know what a team's going to offer.
03:00You know, look at the Lakers and how they got Luka.
03:03Have you contemplated what that trade would look like?
03:06I'm just curious.
03:09I mean, I've taken a look at the Jazz roster, of course.
03:14You know, the Wizards, whenever they make trades,
03:16the last few years they've favored future draft capital.
03:19The Jazz have a ton of that, right?
03:20You know, they triggered a rebuild by trading Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell,
03:25so they got a bunch of draft picks.
03:27But, you know, what's an interesting wild card in all of this is
03:30so much was made about the proposed draft lottery rules
03:33that could be voted in later this month.
03:35And I think what's gotten a little underrated
03:38is the potential ramifications and domino effects
03:41in terms of the trade value.
03:42Like, first-round picks are going to have a different set of value
03:45if those rules go through.
03:47Veteran players who can help teams compete for the play-in,
03:49and, you know, maybe teams otherwise would have stripped their roster down.
03:52Like, a lot of stuff's going to change.
03:54So I think it's a little difficult at this moment
03:56to predict trade value and try to predict trades.
03:59All right, back to them staying at one and picking.
04:01So what is the buzz out there?
04:03You think they're probably 50-50, DeBonsa, Peterson.
04:08What's the buzz overall about DeBonsa, Peterson, Boozer, Caleb Wilson, etc.?
04:15Is there a chance?
04:17I mean, like you said, things will change between now and the 23rd.
04:21But what are you sort of sensing is the lean for most people out there?
04:28I would say the lean for most people is DeBonsa.
04:31But, you know, ultimately, it's the Wizards' call.
04:34And, you know, they, I think, have a pretty strong track record in the draft,
04:37especially when you look at, like, Will Riley and Keyshawn George.
04:40Some of these cases where they've been able to see something other teams didn't.
04:43So it ultimately does come down to them.
04:45But I would say the buzz coming out of yesterday,
04:48you mentioned it, the DeBonsa vertical leap is unbelievable.
04:5142 inches at basically 6'9 without shoes.
04:54Like, I think if you were to rank the best athletes to come into the draft this century,
05:00DeBonsa wouldn't be too far behind LeBron and Wemby.
05:02Like, how many guys have those types of measurables and explosive?
05:06What about Bancaro?
05:07What about Edwards?
05:08I think this is well beyond Bancaro.
05:12Edwards, sure.
05:13But Edwards wasn't 6'9 without shoes.
05:15Like, I think you're probably talking Dwight Howard.
05:18I think Derrick Rose would be one of the most explosive athletes, obviously.
05:21But DeBonsa's in that category.
05:23So that was crazy.
05:25I think Boozer beating all these guys in some of the quickness drills was surprising.
05:31Wilson, you know, measured out really well, of course.
05:33He's taller than I expected.
05:35Peterson's taller than I expected.
05:36You know, people were comparing him.
05:38Former players were comparing him to Bradley Beal, but then he measured in at 6'4 1⁄2 without shoes.
05:43So he's going to be about 6'6 on the court.
05:45Like, that's a different type of player than Bradley Beal, who was about 6'3".
05:51So it just, I think, further convinced everyone that this is a special class because all these guys had pretty
05:57strong selling points coming out of measurement day.
05:59I'm reading something that you just tweeted, I guess, yesterday, and I totally agree with it.
06:05DeBonsa's three-point shooting percentage wasn't great, but the stroke is solid.
06:11And you saw some of that, right, yesterday at the Combine.
06:16Yeah, yeah.
06:18I was tweeting some additional context because I had a video people were attaching to the misses that he made,
06:24even though he made more than he missed in the video.
06:27But, yeah, I'm a believer in his shooting ability.
06:30He was extremely efficient overall.
06:32And I don't have it in front of me.
06:33I think he shot, like, 32%, 33% from three.
06:36It's not like it was, like, 20%.
06:37And then I remember looking at his game logs, and there was a chunk of 17 games in the middle
06:42of the season.
06:42He played 35 games.
06:44This is half of the year where he shot about 39% from three on five attempts a game.
06:48So he started slow.
06:51I saw he looked a little tired at the end of the season in the tournament, even though he scored
06:54a bunch of points against Texas.
06:56So you never know what fatigue can do to shooting numbers.
07:00It's still ultimately a small sample size, but for half of his season to shoot about 39% from three
07:05on five attempts, that was convincing to me.
07:07And as you mentioned, just the shooting touch all over the floor.
07:10Like, you know, he hits shots from all over.
07:12It's just, you know, he wasn't shooting 40% from three, but there's no reason to believe that he can't
07:16develop a three-point shot.
07:18At Chase DC Sports on X.
07:21So what are you hearing in terms of the kind of due diligence, the depth of the due diligence on
07:28Darren Peterson that will be required between now and the 23rd?
07:34Well, it goes way back to when these guys are, like, 14 years old, if you ask Will Dawkins.
07:39So they've done a lot of their due diligence.
07:41But sitting down and interviewing these guys at the Combine, bringing them in for a visit, we'll see what a
07:47workout looks like.
07:48It always depends with the top players.
07:50You know, usually it's an individual thing.
07:52They don't want to go against each other.
07:55But, you know, this is an important runway because the Wizards now know they have an opportunity to get these
08:00guys.
08:00And the way Will Dawkins likes to say is that they draft people, not players.
08:04So they've got to make sure that the intangibles are what they're looking for.
08:07And I think it's probably more important this year than maybe your average year because, as we've said, you're splitting
08:12hairs between two really, really good prospects, potentially three.
08:17And I think fit into culture and intangibles and play style might be more important this year than it is
08:24in the years past.
08:25I don't think position is really going to matter.
08:27I think they're going to take the best player no matter what position they are.
08:30But certainly they want someone who, you know, has the same priorities that they do.
08:34And I don't think that's going to be easy to decipher because my read on all three of these top
08:39guys, if you're including Boozer, Wilson as well, is that they're all very serious about basketball, especially for their age.
08:45And they love the game and they work hard.
08:46And, like, I don't see major red flags with any of them.
08:51So how would you, like, there was a lot of celebrating and a lot of, you know, justifiable excitement that
08:59the Wizards finally got some lottery luck and ended up with number one overall.
09:04But there was a lot of, at least with my listeners, this feeling like it was the culmination of something.
09:10And I'm like, no, no, no, no, this is just the beginning.
09:12This is the beginning of now trying to take all of these accumulated assets, players, picks, et cetera.
09:21And that part won't stop.
09:22And they need to start winning.
09:25How would you describe where we are in the midst of this rebuild that started three years ago?
09:33I think they were ready to elevate already.
09:36And this just gives them some rocket fuel to shoot forward.
09:41You're right.
09:42It's, you know, the famous Kobe Bryant quote, job's not finished.
09:46I think Michael Winger and Will Dawkins would tell you that, no, this isn't what they started the rebuild for.
09:52Obviously, you wanted high draft picks, but they started the rebuild so that when they come out on the other
09:57end, they're winning 50-plus games.
09:59And, you know, they have a window for deep playoff runs, you know, multiple years on top of multiple years.
10:05So this could very much help them get there.
10:08It's going to potentially fast track some things.
10:11But they still know that, you know, they got bigger goals in mind.
10:16But certainly it's a huge, huge boost.
10:19I mean, I think the difference between picking first this year and fifth, which was their worst case scenario, probably
10:24less so than the average year.
10:26Because I think even at five, you're going to get a potential future star.
10:28But the timeline is pretty important.
10:31I think the guys that you're picking at number one overall are going to make an instant impact and also
10:37present the long-term upside.
10:38When if you were picking fifth, you'd bring in a guy who probably, you know, you'd have to set the
10:42expectations pretty low in year one, maybe even year two.
10:45So this certainly gets the Wizards in a really good spot moving forward.
10:51Yeah, you know, you just sort of described because, you know, I think in trying to define what the end
11:00needs to be to sort of justify the entire process, I think what you just described is what I believe
11:08to be true as well.
11:09Like saying a championship is unrealistic because it's so hard to win one in the NBA, but 50 plus, you
11:16know, 45 to 50 plus win seasons consistently over a several year period with, you know, top three, top four
11:25Eastern Conference finishes with, you know, the opportunity in a year or two or three of those to go deep,
11:32you know, and potentially, you know, be in an Eastern Conference finals or actually a championship series.
11:38That to me sort of is the definition of an end that would justify this entire previous three years.
11:47Is that where you would go with it or would you go further?
11:52No, I think that's correct.
11:54I mean, obviously their goal is to win a championship, but I think you often find talking to executives that,
12:00you know, the best thing you can do is just try to raise the floor of a team to a
12:04degree where you're in the playoffs year after year.
12:07And then you just hope that at least one of those years you break through and win it all.
12:11And if you're here, you know, you're healthy, the stars align, but, you know, you mentioned conference finals and 50
12:16wins.
12:17We all know they haven't done that since the 70s.
12:19So I think that's a fair goal to have in mind.
12:22And I think that's why they really wanted to take the long view and they continue to take the long
12:26view.
12:26You know, they got the first overall pick, but, you know, Wiener and Dawkins have said this many times.
12:31As I said in their opening press conference, they draft guys understanding that it's going to take like eight to
12:36ten years for them to reach their peak.
12:38You know, they're going to have to learn how to play in the NBA and then learn how to win.
12:42And that's usually a multi-year process.
12:44So I don't expect whoever they select first overall to change everything overnight on the court, off the court might
12:51be a different story because I think we've already seen there's a pretty massive jolt of energy that has been
12:55given to this franchise.
12:58Is Anthony Davis going to play for this team next year?
13:03My expectation is yes.
13:05I mean, you know, Will Dawkins has said that on the record multiple times.
13:09Anthony Davis, obviously, he's kind of towed a line in his own comments, but he's also said a lot of
13:14nice things about the organization and the talent that they have.
13:17And that was before they got the number one pick.
13:19And then, you know, I think he's reacted, it seems.
13:23You know, it's kind of cryptic what he's posted on social media, but it seems like he likes the news
13:28that they got the number one pick.
13:29So, you know, we'll have to see.
13:30But obviously, you know, the game's been changed a little bit in terms of their roster and their outlook with
13:35this news.
13:36So if they end up having a conversation with Anthony Davis, you know, he's mentioned he wants to have that.
13:40I don't know if it's happened yet, but certainly if the Wizards have another feather in their cap now.
13:44So let's assume that he is on the roster, he's healthy, he plays a lot of the season, 60-plus
13:52games.
13:53Give me your top seven, your five starters, including whomever they pick at number one, first couple of guys off
14:00the bench,
14:00and what their best case in 2026-2027 is in terms of number of wins.
14:08Right now, my guess is that if it's Peterson or DeBonsa at one, they are in the starting lineup.
14:15Boozer or Wilson, you know, those guys play the four.
14:18If you're telling me Anthony Davis is playing 60-plus games, they're probably backing him and Alex Sarr up, right,
14:23realistically.
14:24Right.
14:24So your starting lineup's probably Trey Young, either Keyshawn George or Darren Peterson at the two,
14:30and then either Keyshawn George or DeBonsa at the three, depending on who's the pick.
14:34And then Davis and Sarr is your four and five.
14:38I think coming off the bench, I definitely think Will Riley profiles well as like a microwave score.
14:44We saw what he did down the stretch.
14:46Yep.
14:47You know, Bub Carrington, with the way he shot last year, you know, maybe running the second unit,
14:52I think that makes a lot of sense.
14:53I think Bilal Kulabali still has a role regardless of who they select, even if there's overlap with, you know,
15:00the position because of his defense and because this team wasn't great defensively last year
15:05and can't really afford to, you know, just set aside a guy who can defend on the wing as well
15:10as he can.
15:12And then after that, you know, obviously they're going to have to have a backup big man, ideally, who can
15:16rebound.
15:16You know, perhaps that's Tristan Vukchevich.
15:18Perhaps that's an area they target in free agency.
15:22And I don't want to leave out Justin Champagny.
15:24You know, he is under contract.
15:25I really like the way he plays, the way he rebounds.
15:28His team was dreadful at rebounding last year, has been for several years, and he's a good isolation defender too.
15:34So I think he would find his way into the rotation, but that's a pretty young roster.
15:39So I think we'll have to see what they do in the draft, free agencies after that.
15:43I think they'll kind of take a breath after the draft and say, well, what areas do we need to
15:47augment from here?
15:49And certainly veteran help could be of use if you're trying to make the playoffs.
15:54So that's where I think it would stand right now.
15:57I hope I didn't leave anyone out.
15:59I mean, John.
15:59Trey Johnson.
16:01Yeah.
16:01Oh, Trey Johnson.
16:02I left him out.
16:03Okay.
16:03So Trey Johnson.
16:04Yeah.
16:04Speaking of microwave scorers off the bench, if he's not starting, it's a two.
16:08But I like the idea of him coming off the bench and just lighten it up from three.
16:14And, you know, would they still be playing a year from now in the second round?
16:20Oh, in the second round?
16:22I think that's probably pretty lofty.
16:23I think that would be a really unexpectedly exciting season.
16:27I think the plan sounds good.
16:30I mean, I think what's a little bit underrated is how the bottom of the Eastern Conference got a lot
16:35better this year.
16:36You know, I'm not looking at the standings in the moment, but I believe the Hornets won 43 games and
16:40were the ninth seed, right?
16:41And didn't even make the playoffs.
16:42That's a pretty high bar if you won 17 games last year.
16:46And going back to the lottery rules, if they go through, it might be a more competitive league.
16:50It might be a more competitive Eastern Conference.
16:52So I think, you know, if you're in the 30s, that's great.
16:55And I think that could probably get you on the play-in tournament.
16:58But if it doesn't and the lottery rules go through, you might be in a pretty good spot come next
17:04year for the lottery.
17:06As always, thanks for doing this.
17:08Really appreciate your thoughts and insight.
17:10Enjoy the rest of Chicago, and I'll talk to you probably before the draft.
17:16Absolutely.
17:16Thanks, Kevin.
17:17Chase Hughes, everybody, at Chase DC Sports.
17:21We'll see you next time.
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