- 19 hours ago
The Sports Junkies debate who the Washington Wizards should draft.
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00:00In just about two hours, Paul Toboni, president of baseball ops for the Washington Nationals, will join us.
00:06They're coming off a nice comeback win against the Reds last night, so he will be on at 9 o
00:11'clock.
00:12But right now, we wanted to get back into the Wizards, who of course landed the number one overall pick
00:17in the upcoming NBA draft
00:20during the NBA draft lottery this past weekend.
00:23And specifically wanted to get into this article by Adam Finkelstein from CBSSports.com.
00:30Where he is diving into the intel that he's getting from the NBA scouting combine.
00:37Specifically about A.J. DeBonsa.
00:40Does he want to go to Utah?
00:41Is he going to try to force his hand with the Wizards and engineer some sort of trade with the
00:48Utah Jazz?
00:50So he said, first as it relates to Washington during his article on CBSSports.com,
00:56he asked a high-ranking scout on one of the other lottery teams if they considered Washington's selection of DeBonsa
01:03a certainty
01:04and if that would impact their own preparation.
01:06He said, I got a more direct response than I expected.
01:12Quote, absolutely not, the scout told CBSSports.
01:15We were surprised the broadcast made it seem like such a foregone conclusion that the Wizards were just a lock
01:23to select DeBonsa at the top of the draft.
01:26I mean, Will Dawkins came on this show and basically said it's wide open.
01:29Right.
01:30I don't think it's wide open 10 guys, but it's wide open a couple of guys.
01:34I think those top two guys is probably where it's going to be.
01:37But I just think it's farcical at this point.
01:40I think A.J. DeBonsa has, I mean, yesterday he flat out said it'd be great.
01:43D.C.'s a great city when he was asked about playing for the Wizards.
01:46I don't think it's farcical.
01:47I reject it completely out of hand that he would make a stink about it.
01:52Would he prefer in a perfect world that's easier because his family's in Utah and he knows all those people?
01:56Sure.
01:56He's not going to make a stink about it.
01:58He'll be perfectly fine here.
02:00I'm not so confident.
02:01Let me just say this.
02:02I'm 100% confident.
02:03And rumors are ridiculous, by the way.
02:05It's just farcical.
02:06I mean, we don't know what agents do behind the scenes.
02:11He may not want to be here in Washington, maybe saying all the right things.
02:15Now, I agree.
02:18He may also have been won over.
02:19He's saying nice things.
02:20We don't know.
02:22My only worry would be, you already got one guy who doesn't want to be here.
02:26In my opinion, his name's Anthony Davis.
02:28Do you want two guys that don't want to be here?
02:32Yeah, but Davis is easier to move.
02:34You can move him.
02:35About DeBonce.
02:36Well, you can also just move down to number two and take Darren Peterson.
02:40Not if you like DeBonce better than Peterson.
02:42That's the point.
02:43If you think DeBonce is the best player in the draft, I don't care what he says.
02:47You draft him.
02:48If I'm Will Dawkins or if I'm in a position of power to draft and they won the right to
02:53choose number one overall,
02:55I don't care if the player wants to play for me or not.
02:57Like, if I were the Hawks a couple years ago and I heard that Alex Saar didn't want to play
03:02in Atlanta and I knew he was a better player than Rhys Ache.
03:06Of course.
03:07I'm going to be like, of course.
03:08I don't care about your feelings.
03:10It's basically an unfactor.
03:11If you're a better player, I'm picking you.
03:13Same thing happened in Utah last year.
03:15Ace Bailey didn't want to play in Utah.
03:16Right.
03:16They drafted him.
03:17He played in Utah.
03:18Yeah.
03:19It doesn't matter.
03:20The system is set up so these guys, they can agitate, but at the end of the day, if you
03:23pick them, they're going to play for you.
03:25I don't want to characterize him as agitating.
03:27It's fake news.
03:29He's not agitating.
03:30So you think Finkelstein's making up the report?
03:32No, I think that there might be some preference in a perfect world, but that he's perfectly fine for playing
03:37in D.C.
03:37I take him at his word.
03:39D.C. would be great.
03:40It's a fantastic city.
03:42And he would love it.
03:44He would love it.
03:45He's been raised, by all accounts, great parents.
03:48We had a friend that met the mom.
03:51Fantastic, wonderful person.
03:53I don't see him being an agitator.
03:56Yeah, he just has a preference.
03:58Maybe, but that might have already been squashed by his visit here in D.C.
04:03Well, I think he's gotten money from BYU and the owner of the Jazz is the BYU guy who gave
04:09him that money.
04:09Personally, I don't care about his preference.
04:12Everybody has preferences.
04:13It doesn't mean you get what your preference is all the time.
04:15Do you think anybody wants to get drafted by the Sacramento Kings?
04:18You know what?
04:19I prefer not to drive 55 minutes to work every day.
04:22But I do it.
04:22It's a not.
04:23I do it anyway.
04:24I reject it 100% as a story that means anything.
04:29Yeah, I agree.
04:29I reject it 100%.
04:31What if behind the scenes, they are agitating?
04:36I don't see any evidence of it.
04:38You know what?
04:39I don't care.
04:41Again, if I'm Will Dawkins and Michael Winger, if DeBonsa is above Peterson and Boozer and
04:46everybody else on their draft board, I don't care that he wants to play in Utah.
04:51I don't care that he has family and has a relationship with the Jazz owner.
04:55I'm not going to make their lives easier just because he's played there.
04:59Now look, if Dawkins and Winger and all those guys, they'd like Peterson better?
05:03Okay, that fits.
05:04That's great.
05:05I don't think they do.
05:06Because they can engineer a trade and get an extra.
05:07They might, but it's my gut that they're going to take DeBonsa because they think he's
05:11the best player in the draft.
05:12The reason why I think they might is because the disconnect between, and by the way, I
05:17would pick DeBonsa.
05:19Yeah.
05:19But the reason why I think they might prefer Peterson is the disconnect between the public
05:26perception that DeBonsa is the clear-cut one and their statement, there is no clear-cut
05:30one.
05:32To me, that alone just shows they're not 100% sold.
05:36Because it's too obvious?
05:37Is that what you're saying?
05:39No, I'm not saying that.
05:40Everyone is just assuming it's going to be DeBonsa.
05:42Well, if you look at every other mock, it's like 75% of them are mocking DeBonsa.
05:45You talk to most people.
05:47Now, the NBA heads, the guys that saw Peterson in high school, they're the ones raising their
05:52fingers and saying, no, no, no, no, no.
05:53Don't just let a couple months here in college where he wasn't healthy sway you.
05:57We've been watching this kid since he's 15.
05:58The kid's a superstar.
06:00Plus, I think DeBonsa is saying it louder and better.
06:04Like, I'm the number one pick over Peterson.
06:06Yeah, yeah.
06:07He's really promoting himself as the one.
06:09Yes, exactly.
06:09Like, he's wearing suits during the Combine and speaking to the press a lot more, I feel
06:14like.
06:15Right, right.
06:15And when he's speaking to the press, he's a little more eloquent than Peterson.
06:19Yeah, yeah.
06:19The other guy's a loof, weirdo.
06:21And he's a little louder than Peterson.
06:23Peterson's a loof, weirdo.
06:24It's fine.
06:25He's a superstar, but he's a loof, weirdo.
06:26Self-promoting himself as number one, and people are kind of catching on to that.
06:30Yeah.
06:30What if this is a factor?
06:32Do you know who Carlos Boozer works for?
06:34The jazz.
06:34Yes.
06:35Utah jazz.
06:36Be interesting if Utah is just a swerve at everybody.
06:40I don't think for a second Danny Ainge is going to overpay for DeBonsa.
06:44I don't think for a second.
06:45Now, if he wants him, I think he'll do a fair deal, but I don't think we're going to get
06:50Ace Bailey and a one and some of these things that have been thrown out there.
06:54I don't see that at all.
06:55He'll just take Peterson, who many people think has the higher upside.
06:59Well, he's a better fit on Utah anyway.
07:01Maybe Ainge thinks he's just a better player than DeBonsa.
07:04Utah is loaded with big guys.
07:05Yeah.
07:06If you looked at their roster right now, because they made a trade, part of the whole tanking,
07:10but they're loaded with big guys.
07:13Bailey's tall.
07:15Isn't Bailey like a power forward?
07:17Yeah, he's big.
07:18A point guard would fit better on Utah than DeBonsa.
07:20Yeah, but some of these guys play on the outside.
07:22I mean, those guys can play on the outside.
07:24So just because they're 6'10 doesn't mean he's on the block all day.
07:26No, no, but I'm just saying that they can use a point guard.
07:28Yeah, totally.
07:29So, I mean, Boozer plays a lot on the block, but he can step out and play too.
07:33Yeah.
07:33I mean, these guys are just versatile.
07:35Yeah.
07:35But I just think DeBonsa's going to be the guy, and I don't think he is going to hate
07:39D.C.
07:40No, no, no, no.
07:41I think it's going to get sloshed.
07:42I don't think he hates the notion of playing in D.C.
07:43He might have had a preconceived notion and preferred to be in Utah where he's got a
07:47comforter level, but that all subsides.
07:50It takes about one night of sleep, and you make do.
07:54Most normal humans.
07:56By all accounts, the guy's a great kid.
07:58What I was really impressed with was the report that when he went to Utah, and he was obviously
08:04there because he wanted to prepare for the league, and they gave him a bag, but he went
08:08to the women's volleyball games.
08:10He went to the women's basketball games.
08:12He supported the football team.
08:14He was there as a student and embraced the culture.
08:17That's really telling, in my opinion.
08:21Really telling.
08:21Yeah, I mean, even though he knew he was only going to be there for one year maximum, he
08:25was showing by it.
08:27Supporting his friends and his fellow athletes there.
08:29It's a good character trait.
08:30Great character trait.
08:31Especially, he's 19 years old.
08:33Yeah.
08:34He's a kid.
08:34Yeah.
08:36The Peterson one is a little bit dicey for me with the off-the-court stuff.
08:40The off-the-court stuff is fantastic.
08:42The off-the-court stuff is where I have the questions.
08:45Yeah.
08:45But the court stuff is dynamite.
08:47I mean, in three years, you're going to look back at this draft and go, man, there were
08:51some studs.
08:52I think so.
08:52We better look back and say, we got the best of the group.
08:56And I think we're going to say that about what?
08:58I mean, I don't know if he's going to be the best, but he's going to be a stud.
09:01I think he's going to be a stud.
09:02I think he's a plug-and-play guy.
09:04Yeah.
09:06But I also think if you draft Peterson, even though he's a superstar, there's a little bit
09:11of a, with him and Trey Young figuring out, sharing the ball and all that, it's a little
09:16weird.
09:16Yeah, they'll figure that out.
09:18And Trey won't be here for 10 years.
09:19Yeah, right.
09:20You know?
09:20Maybe two years, three tops.
09:22I mean, look, you've got, look at Cleveland, you've got Harden and Mitchell.
09:26Yeah.
09:26I mean, you've got two guards who, they find shots.
09:29They want the ball, yeah, yeah.
09:30Yeah, they find shots.
09:31Yeah.
09:32What number is A.J.
09:33DeBonce going to wear in a Wizards uniform?
09:36What did he wear in college?
09:38Three.
09:38Is it three guy?
09:39I think so.
09:40I can check.
09:43Yeah, definitely a single digit.
09:46It's going to look good.
09:47Yeah, I think it was three.
09:48It's going to look good whenever number he picks.
09:50That's going to be a, that's going to be a big jersey.
09:52That's going to be a big seller.
09:55Big one.
09:55I got a Jordan Poole jersey at home.
09:57You do?
09:58I mean, it's given to me.
09:59I mean, you should, you should throw that in the trash.
10:02I don't want to.
10:03It's a nice jersey.
10:04It's just, unfortunately, it's got Jordan Poole's name on it.
10:06Which, which version is it?
10:08It's like, it's a blue one of that.
10:10Okay.
10:10Like the blue one of that.
10:12I think I might have a Kuzma.
10:14That might be one.
10:15You're going to have to collect some bad Wizards jerseys at your house.
10:17So we're giving it again.
10:19I understand.
10:20Go ahead, Drabs.
10:20Stir the pot.
10:21I'm not stirring the pot, but just for information, if Peterson wants to be the long-term point guard
10:27or on-ball guard, DC is a much better fit than Utah.
10:31Utah has Keontae George, who exploded this past year, and he is their point guard.
10:34He averaged 23 points and six assists.
10:36He's a future all-star.
10:38He's an absolute stud.
10:39From his perspective, but not to say, who cares what he wants?
10:42No, what I'm saying is, if people are working, Trae Young's probably not going to be here
10:46in three years.
10:46We all know that.
10:47I know.
10:47So this is just a temporary thing.
10:49It'll be a temporary thing.
10:50This is a better spot for Peterson than Utah, I think.
10:52For him personally.
10:53Long-term.
10:54But I think for us, the Bonta, I don't know.
10:59I just like that size.
11:01Yeah.
11:02The versatility and the athleticism.
11:04The 42 inches.
11:05The 43 inches.
11:06I'm telling you, if any, I've always said, any metric,
11:09that impresses me the most, and who cares what I care about?
11:12Whatever.
11:12I'm just a dummy.
11:13The vertical is a massive metric for me.
11:17That tells so much.
11:19Didn't he also do a standing jump of like 33 inches?
11:21His vertical's 42, and the standing jump, 33.
11:24Yeah, yeah.
11:25So when he takes a step, it was 42.
11:27Yeah.
11:28I'm more impressed by the shooting percentage.
11:30Now, DeMontza's not bad.
11:32It just got back.
11:33It's very, that can improve.
11:35You can rep that out.
11:36It's hard.
11:36Yeah.
11:37Did it for Jan Vesely?
11:39Okay, he's one of the rare birds.
11:40No, there are a lot of guys.
11:42You can go through tons of guys whose shooting percentage don't really improve.
11:46They come into the league.
11:47If they work on it, it will improve.
11:49Magic Johnson came in the league, terrible shooter.
11:51There's a lot of guys came in the league.
11:52He didn't become a great shooter.
11:53He was good enough.
11:54What happened with Russell Westbrook?
11:57Russell Westbrook, unbelievable, phenomenal athlete,
11:59and he's a Hall of Famer.
12:00He's a great player.
12:00He won an MVP.
12:02There are guys you could point to.
12:03The rap on him has always been, make him shoot.
12:06Yeah.
12:06And he never really got better.
12:09I think that's just a situation where his athleticism was so off the charts,
12:13he didn't have to improve it.
12:15Yeah, that's part of it.
12:16I just wouldn't say that a guy becomes a better shooter.
12:20And the thing about the athleticism, his is off the charts.
12:23But there are tons of guys in the NBA who have ridiculous vertical leaps
12:27and aren't necessarily superstars in the league.
12:30There are tons of guys who are uber-athletic that sit on the bench.
12:35100%.
12:35He's got the work ethic, it appears.
12:37He's got the desire.
12:38He wants to be the best.
12:39I think he's going to be a great player.
12:40But I wouldn't just go to the vertical leap.
12:46I'm not saying that means he's going to be a great NBA player.
12:48I'm saying, of all the metrics I care about as far as being an athlete,
12:52it's vertical.
12:52That doesn't mean you're going to be great.
12:54Sonny Stiles has got a great one.
12:56I have no idea if he's going to be great.
12:58Trey Young is very good at pick and roll and lobs.
13:01So he may be perfect for that.
13:06Yeah.
13:07He actually also passes well, too.
13:10Yeah, he's a great player.
13:12I think it's close.
13:14If I watch Darren Peterson highlights, I'm like,
13:16oh, you've got to take Darren Peterson.
13:17And Jonathan Gibney's thing about seeing them six to eight times
13:22or eight to ten times in person,
13:24always thinking that weighs a factor
13:26because I know that's somebody that's an insider
13:28who has said that he's the better player.
13:31But he does seem aloof.
13:33There's no doubt that he seems aloof.
13:35I think he's an aloof weirdo.
13:36But I do think he's better with the ball.
13:38Like, at Kansas, he was off ball.
13:40The high school highlights, now you can say it's high school,
13:42but it gets all-stars.
13:43It's a really elite competition.
13:44When he has the ball in his hands, that's where he shines.
13:47Yeah.
13:48I mean, if you're going to take it based on shooting percentage,
13:50you take Boozer.
13:51Yeah.
13:52I mean, Boozer's shooting percentage is better than both those guys.
13:54I just believe, if the desire is there,
13:57I truly believe anyone can improve shooting.
13:59I think Peterson, see, to me, again,
14:02I've brought this up a few times.
14:03I'm watching the NBA playoffs.
14:05I'm watching the teams that are advancing,
14:07and who are the key players.
14:09You know, Wemby's a freak, but it's Anthony Edwards.
14:13It's Donovan Mitchell.
14:15It's Jalen Brunson.
14:16It's Shea.
14:18These are all guards.
14:19Yeah, you need guards, of course.
14:21All right, coming up later.
14:23They're going to be fine.
14:24Later in the show, Paul Taboney,
14:25president of baseball ops for the Nationals.
14:27He will join us coming up at 9.
14:28When we come back, we'll get into
14:31commander's schedule predictions.
14:33How many primetime games are the commanders
14:35going to appear in in 2026?
14:37We'll give our best guesses on that next.
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