- 18 hours ago
The Sports Junkies debate who the Washington Wizards should draft.
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00:00We can get into the playoffs, get into what the Wizards are going to do in the draft.
00:04He's got a great article they put out where he surveyed a bunch of NBA execs and scouts.
00:10And anonymously, they chime in on what they think the Wizards should do with that number one pick.
00:15It's interesting.
00:16Yeah, we'll talk to them about that.
00:18My wife was doing a workout on the plaza where I used to live in Crown Farm for charity.
00:28Amanda Zimmer, who we know from now Monumental Sports, was doing a charity thing for cancer and had a couple
00:35trainers put on a class.
00:37And there's like 25 people.
00:38And Wes Hall came out.
00:40He didn't take the class.
00:41He was just chilling, I guess, supporting Amanda, who's one of his colleagues.
00:45Wes Hall, of course, works at Monumental, covers the Wizards.
00:47And he said, he came up to me and he's like, what do you think, AJ?
00:52I get the vibe that the people around the Wizards, just simply from that one little interaction.
00:57I think AJ's going to be the guy.
00:59I mean, yeah, yeah, AJ's going to be the guy.
01:01You get that from the Wizards?
01:02I kind of get the opposite.
01:05That was just simply from my interaction with Wes Hall.
01:07And he might say that he wasn't saying that.
01:09I'm just saying that he was like, what do you think?
01:13And I was like, what do you mean?
01:13And he was like, Wizards, AJ?
01:15I think my thought is the fans all think AJ, including myself.
01:20I think I would take AJ.
01:22I've said that from day one.
01:24But tell me where the logic in my thinking is wrong.
01:26I keep saying the same thing over and over, but you guys aren't correcting my logic.
01:30And I'm certain that you can find flaws in it.
01:34I'm not saying that it's perfect logic.
01:37But when everybody says it's AJ, AJ, AJ, and the Wizards publicly say, wait a second, guys.
01:43This is not a clear-cut one draft.
01:46To me, that tells you immediately that they're into other guys.
01:51Like, AJ's fine, but there are certainly other guys right there in their opinion.
01:55Or they want to appear to be into other guys.
01:57They want the illusion that they're into other guys.
02:00To try to get someone else to move up.
02:02Sure.
02:03To take.
02:05Whoever.
02:06Devonso.
02:07Peterson.
02:07They're in the position of power.
02:09I know, but if the assumption.
02:10I totally understand that, Cakes.
02:14If the assumption is that AJ is just the number one guy by everybody, I don't understand the logic.
02:23I guess they're trying to get somebody who thinks they might take Peterson one to move up.
02:28Yes.
02:29Well, I just don't think a GM is going to go out there and say, yeah, AJ's our guy.
02:33We might not say anything.
02:33Three weeks before the draft.
02:35But they might not say it's anybody.
02:36It could be anybody.
02:37Like, everybody.
02:38Well, that part could be true.
02:40Like, Cooper Flag, people didn't really debate it.
02:41Like, everyone knew Cooper Flag was going to go one.
02:44It didn't really debate it.
02:45Him being Cooper are different.
02:47Yeah, right, right.
02:47It's not that draft.
02:49But I don't remember what the Dallas Mavericks GM said.
02:52Did he say Cooper's our guy?
02:54We might have said nothing.
02:56But he didn't say it could be anybody.
02:58I mean, that's just.
02:59It would have been laughable.
03:00That could just be Will Dawkins.
03:01I mean, another GM could be saying something different if they had the number one pick.
03:04I've already forgotten.
03:05Was it 12 out of 15 thought that the Wizards were going to take AJ DeBonso?
03:09I think I saw 7 out of 10 who said that what they would do.
03:13Okay.
03:13Then maybe 2 out of 10 said they would take Peterson.
03:16Maybe one person said Boozer.
03:18Okay.
03:18Then others said, did you make the case for Wilson?
03:21You know, so 7 out of 10.
03:23There's a difference of opinion.
03:24But there is a difference of opinion.
03:25It's not universal.
03:26Yeah, I saw maybe it was a different poll.
03:29And it was 12 out of 15 had DeBonso going to the Wizards with the other three being Darren Peterson.
03:38So it was pretty convincing in DeBonso's favor.
03:42But that was, I think, a polling of what they thought was going to happen.
03:47Eric, let me ask you a question.
03:48If this was a Cooper flag draft or Wemby draft, do you think the Wizards would have the same opinion?
03:54I don't think they would have said publicly it could be.
03:57They might not have said Cooper's our guy, but it's just kind of under.
03:59Maybe they wouldn't even be asked.
04:01You know what I mean?
04:02It's just a different deal.
04:03I don't think they would have said, oh, we could take anybody there.
04:07Which is kind of what they're saying.
04:08They're saying, hey, this is not a clear-cut number one, guys.
04:11Just so you know.
04:12Now, maybe they're doing it because, like you say, they just want to be open for business.
04:15And they have their, you know, they're going to take, they're going to hope that DeBonso slips to two?
04:21Or that they could trade?
04:24I don't know if they would do that.
04:26I think if they really love DeBonso, I think they're just going to take DeBonso.
04:30That's what I think, too.
04:31I agree.
04:32100%.
04:32And they might like some of these other players, but they probably like DeBonso a little bit better.
04:36I don't know why you think that.
04:39Because Peterson was the one guy.
04:41And if you watch Peterson's highlights.
04:43I've watched Peterson play.
04:44No, no.
04:44I don't watch the high school stuff.
04:46It's totally different than the college stuff.
04:48Yeah, I know.
04:48Look, Peterson's a great player.
04:50Yeah.
04:51I just don't think they're going to take Peterson over DeBonso.
04:53Well, Peterson against DeBonso this year.
04:55Now, Peterson only played basically the first half.
04:57Did he play a little bit in the second half?
04:59Maybe.
05:00He played 20 minutes.
05:00He was the better player.
05:03Here's the thing about DeBonso.
05:04Well, they also had the better team.
05:05One of the execs, I thought, made a great comparison.
05:09And I do think that DeBonso could be – it's untapped, potentially.
05:13You don't know where he's going to go.
05:15Somebody said he thinks the floor is pretty high, too, but it's a floor that's not sexy.
05:20He compared him to Andrew Wiggins, who's had a very fine career.
05:25You would not be ashamed of it.
05:27Made one all-star game.
05:29But he's Andrew Wiggins.
05:30I've seen comparisons of Peterson to Kobe.
05:33But you want a higher-impact player than Andrew Wiggins.
05:36By the way, if you're in your brain, think, you know what, he's very good.
05:40But I see he might just be more Andrew Wiggins than he is, potentially like, I don't know,
05:46Karl Malone or whoever you want to – some superstar Hall of Famer.
05:50And you say, Peterson, though, the upside is so absurd that we might have to just err on that.
05:57I could see it.
05:58The guy he reminds me of that's currently playing, that's young, who was drafted very high.
06:04I'd have to check exactly where he was drafted.
06:06I think he was the third pick, is Jabari Smith Jr.
06:09So Jabari Smith Jr. is 6'11", maybe a little taller.
06:13But he knocks down threes.
06:15He can jump.
06:16He can fly.
06:17And this year, he averaged 16-7.
06:20That's good.
06:21His third year, he should be getting better and better.
06:23I don't think he's as explosive as DeBonsa, but maybe.
06:26I don't know.
06:27Yeah, I don't think so either.
06:27I found this report this past weekend from Mike Schmitz, who used to be like an NBA draft guru guy.
06:34And I think he was just named general manager of the Mavericks.
06:38He said that the way they view prospects now is changing.
06:42In the past, it was all about athleticism.
06:44That was considered your upside, whether you were long, how explosive you were.
06:48He says they're not viewing it that way anymore.
06:50They're viewing your mind and your skill set.
06:52And he specifically pointed out Jokic and Luka and how nobody would ever say those guys had great upside coming
06:58out of the draft.
06:58So are you making the case for Boozer 1, potentially?
07:01Well, I'm telling you, there's a lot of people.
07:02You guys are sleeping on Boozer.
07:04There's those models, and people are talking about the people in the front of NBA front offices have Boozer as
07:10the top guy.
07:10I am snoozing on Boozer.
07:12I will trust them.
07:13I'm telling you, you're snoozing on Boozer.
07:14I said snoozing.
07:15I am to an extent.
07:15I will trust them, and I will not criticize it if they pick Boozer, because I do think that this
07:20is an excellent group.
07:21But that would not be my choice.
07:24But I will...
07:25I know, I know.
07:26But I'm trying to defer to them and say they know better.
07:29I'm bringing you up to speed on what they think.
07:31No, no, no.
07:32I get it.
07:32I think he's definitely a really smart basketball player.
07:36He just doesn't have the athleticism that those other guys have.
07:41That's why I don't think they'll take Boozer.
07:43But his point is, like, Jokic doesn't either, if he could be a Jokic-like player.
07:49Now, no one's comparing him to Jokic, but athletically...
07:51I still think you want a guy who's talented, who's got skills, but is also a really good athlete.
07:55By the way, Javari Smith had a 40-inch vertical, from what I see.
07:59So, not quite the Bonsa, who had a 42, which is ridiculous.
08:02I think Boozer would be a great player.
08:04A 40 is absurd.
08:06I just don't think they're going to take him.
08:07I also think, and I said this before, and you guys kind of mocked me, but I was just
08:12thinking outside the box, just trying to think on the cuff here, on the fly, while we're doing
08:18the show, that there's a part of me that thought, throughout this whole process, they never really
08:24conceived they'd get the one pick.
08:25So, they're looking at the other guys.
08:27So, it could have been whoever.
08:30They could be in love with Caleb Wilson, because they've been watching him for a year and a
08:34half, thinking they were not going to get one, but maybe they'll have a chance to get
08:38like a kid.
08:39I don't know if they approached.
08:39And then you fall in love with a guy.
08:42I don't know if they approached it the same way we do.
08:44We're notoriously negative.
08:45They probably thought, there's a good chance.
08:47We have the best chance of all the teams to get the one.
08:50Yeah, but they're realistic.
08:51We had Will Dawkins on, and he talked about the fifth pick, and how it has the most likely
08:56scenario.
08:57Like, they're not, they were aware of where they stood.
08:59Yeah, I watched Winger be interviewed.
09:00I think they were preparing for five.
09:01I think they were preparing for five also.
09:03Sure, but they're bored.
09:03Okay, but they don't know who's going on.
09:05And he said, now they can dive, especially this year.
09:08Yeah, they don't know who's going on.
09:09I actually find it fascinating, and part of me, even though I think I would roll the dice
09:13on DeBansa, because I do think all of these are a little bit of a dice roll, it would
09:18please me if they picked somebody else just to show that we don't know anything.
09:26Who do you think has the potential to be the biggest superstar?
09:28I think it's Darren Peterson.
09:30He could also bust.
09:31It might be.
09:32I think it might be Peterson.
09:33There's a difference between guys who make all-star teams and superstars, right?
09:37Like, DeMar DeRozan, great player.
09:40Not a superstar, really.
09:42You know, there are guys that I'm sure, out of that group of four, I kind of feel like
09:50they're all going to develop into all-stars.
09:52But who's the one that's going to be next level?
09:56I think any of them could.
09:57I think the next level guys.
09:58I think multiple guys could be next level.
09:59I think Caleb Wilson could be next level.
10:01Yeah, I think Wilson could be.
10:02I think Peterson.
10:04I think AJ could be, too.
10:06Boozer, maybe.
10:07Hope the Wizards pick the guy that becomes what you're talking about.
10:10That exact guy.
10:11But the problem is, there could be the lower floor or whatever that they say, like for
10:15somebody like Darren Peterson.
10:17Because what if he, what if the whole creatine, sitting out games thing persists throughout
10:25his career?
10:25I'm not saying specifically creatine, and who knows if it really was creatine.
10:29Or he's just, he's fragile, he's injury prone.
10:30Well, no, he's a little bit of a head case, he's flighty, who knows, doesn't really want
10:35it.
10:35Like, that's the thing, we never know what's inside these guys.
10:37If that happens and they pick him, it's a major disaster.
10:39Well, if you don't have to get this one right.
10:41This is more like problems with the law, but J.R.
10:44Ryder.
10:44Right.
10:44Had the physical talent of somebody like Kobe Bryant, but he never became that type of player.
10:50Vince Carter, very good player, had the physical abilities of somebody like Kobe Bryant, but
10:57he didn't become Kobe Bryant.
10:58Like, there's a separator.
11:00Well, I think that's why it's interesting, there's a clip of Peterson going viral, where
11:05he was at the Combine, and they asked him about the Wizards, and he said it was so interesting
11:09to him, and he thought it was refreshing, that they wanted to know all about him, the person.
11:14And they asked about basketball stuff, they're trying to get to, and they're trying to get
11:17at what disorder you're talking about.
11:19And I think Will said that.
11:20What makes this guy tick?
11:20Yeah, Will kind of said that.
11:22Yeah.
11:22Because there's a lot of guys who have the physical gifts.
11:24Tons of guys have the physical gifts.
11:25What does that tell you?
11:26I'm telling you.
11:27I think this is more wide open than we think, than the publics think, and even some of these
11:33NBA execs.
11:34I'll say this, talking to Wes a little bit yesterday, he did say, and I agree with him,
11:40he's excited, and he said it's a sleeping giant.
11:44The Wizards fan base, they're ready to explode.
11:47You could already see the reaction when they got the number one pick, because it's been
11:51so bad for so long, and it's a downtrodden fan base.
11:56People have been waiting for four plus decades for this team to be relevant.
12:00Yeah.
12:01And now with the number one pick, along with the tanking that led up to it.
12:04But like you've said many times, got to get it right.
12:06And if you remember...
12:07And there could be multiple guys that get it right.
12:09Yeah.
12:09For two or three...
12:10But there's going to be, we're always talking about the top four, for good reason, but there's
12:14going to be a superstar drafted five or below.
12:17Sure.
12:17Probably.
12:18I don't know if it's going to be Flemings, or Acuff, or Buries, or one of those guys is
12:22going to become a superstar that's drafted outside the top four.
12:24But you know, for two or three years, there was excitement during the heyday of John Wall,
12:29and they were making the playoffs and making little runs.
12:33We can't say that they made a long run, because it didn't happen.
12:36Nothing was sustained.
12:37But it is a sleeping giant, the fan base.
12:41And if they do land the superstar, whether it's DeBonsa, or it's Peterson, or maybe it's
12:48even Boozer, then this town could explode.
12:52What is your confidence...
12:53I'll go first.
12:54What is your confidence level that they'll get it right?
12:57I'm at 90 plus percent.
13:00I would say I'm around there, but the get right thing, you can get it right and get
13:06the best player, but they might not turn into that superstar that I'm talking about.
13:11You mean like Alex Starr was the right pick?
13:14I think Alex Starr was the right.
13:15Whether he's a superstar probably remains to be seen.
13:18That's a different issue.
13:19They can't control that.
13:20Get it right is get the best player for them, and for the moment, and for the next five,
13:26ten years.
13:26Get the right player.
13:26I don't know if it's going to completely turn the franchise into a championship contender.
13:31Yeah, yeah.
13:31But I think they'll get it right.
13:32I think it's too much to ask for it.
13:34But I don't know if there's a wrong.
13:35I think if you believe these comparisons, Caleb Wilson, they're comparing them to Kevin
13:42Garnett, potentially.
13:43Yeah.
13:45AJ DeBonsa gets compared to Tracy McGrady.
13:47Yeah.
13:48Peterson, whether it's Anthony Edwards, he's not quite as athletic or Kobe Bryant.
13:54He's not going to be Kobe.
13:55He's not going to be Kobe.
13:56All right.
13:56But if...
13:57Kobe's a top ten player.
13:57He's not going to be Kobe.
13:58But if DeBonsa does turn into...
13:59I'm telling you, it really polluted my mind.
14:01If he turns into Andrew Wiggins, that's a good player.
14:05Right.
14:05That's a good player.
14:06But that still might be the right pick.
14:08I mean, he averaged 18 in his career.
14:10Still playing, but he's averaging...
14:12Right.
14:12That's not superstar level, but it's very good player level.
14:15You know who else I think...
14:18I'll probably be wrong.
14:19But there was a period of time where Harvey Grant was averaging about 18 a game.
14:22Yeah.
14:23So take a look at how many guys averaged 18 this year.
14:25Probably a lot.
14:26Probably 70 guys in the NBA.
14:28So anyway, I don't want to be down on DeBonsa because he came in...
14:32The one thing I have, and I said this to...
14:33Because everyone is talking about it.
14:35I go in a locker room in Norbeck and just hear guys talking.
14:38They're all talking about it.
14:38Who should it be?
14:39There's a buzz.
14:40Everyone's talking about it.
14:40And I don't want to interject.
14:42I just keep going.
14:43I go pee.
14:43I don't talk.
14:45But I did tell Toby, when Toby asked me the other day, the one thing that I think that
14:50A.J. has in his corner is he had all the pressure in the world on him, and he led
14:55the country
14:55in scoring.
14:56He averaged 25 a game.
14:57He had massive...
14:58He had a bunch of games where he had 6 or 8 or 10 assists.
15:03You know, dominant.
15:04Yeah.
15:05And then Peterson had all the pressure in the world on him, and he was dominant, like
15:08for a half, and then he'd sit out, or he'd miss 11 games.
15:11It wasn't reliable.
15:13Correct.
15:13And he still is an unbelievable talent.
15:15Now, maybe he's corrected that.
15:17Maybe he's gotten healthier.
15:18Yeah, I think he might have.
15:18But the one thing I will give DeBonsa is, DeBonsa delivered.
15:22He had all the hype.
15:23He went to BYU, took all the money, raised everybody's eyebrows, and he led the country in
15:28scoring and put them on the map and had an unbelievable season.
15:31And Will Dawkins touched on that when he was asked.
15:34He said he delivers at every level.
15:35He delivered.
15:36And he's not expecting him not to do it at the pro level.
15:39That's big.
15:40Peterson, like I say, didn't deliver, but a lot of times didn't even show up.
15:45So that's...
15:46It is a question mark.
15:48DeBonsa's the guy.
15:49He's the guy.
15:49He's the guy they're going to pick.
15:51They're going to stick and pick at one.
15:52They're going to entertain offers, but at the end of the day, they're going to pick
15:55their guy.
15:55And by the way, David Aldridge, who's going to be on the show later, he wrote about that.
15:59Right.
16:00I mean, he talked to people.
16:01He talked to more people than we do.
16:03And he said that they think DeBonsa's the guy.
16:06That was my vibe talking to Wes Hall.
16:08Well, 7 out of 10.
16:09And I'm not saying Wes Hall knows.
16:10That's what he said.
16:11But Wes Hall works for the team, covers the team every day.
16:15That's his thing.
16:15They're not telling Wes.
16:16I know Wes doesn't know.
16:17I'm just saying that was my vibe yesterday.
16:19It remains the vibe.
16:21By the way, 41 guys averaged over 18 points per game this year.
16:25So less than I said.
16:27I said 70.
16:28That was overstating it.
16:29But 41 guys averaged 18.
16:32It's fine to average 18.
16:34It's not special.
16:34But they need something beyond.
16:36And these are good players in the Eastern Conference Finals.
16:39Evan Mobley is a good player.
16:41Evan Mobley averaged 18 points this year.
16:44And he blocked shots.
16:46And he's a rebounder.
16:48It would be the right pick if you end up with somebody that develops into Evan Mobley.
16:52But that's not a transcendent pick.
16:54You need somebody that is better than Evan Mobley that's going to really take your team to the next level.
16:58The one thing that I don't understand, and I know we've got to break.
17:00The one thing I don't understand, and I see this a lot.
17:03I've seen it on social media.
17:05And I've interacted a little bit with people that I like or whatever.
17:08And others that have this idea that whatever it is, whoever they like, they could like Mike Barr.
17:16They've got to stick at one and pick.
17:18And that doesn't make any sense to me.
17:19Because if you can move down one or two and still get your guy who we have on one of
17:23your board, of course you should do that.
17:24But they think that the Wizards earned us one pick.
17:27And they have to use it.
17:30That's stubborn.
17:30That's a stubborn streak.
17:32That's just weird.
17:33I'm fine with sticking and picking.
17:35But if you could move down, let's just say, theoretically, you could move down and get more assets.
17:40Of course you should do it.
17:41Of course.
17:41Who cares if it's the one pick?
17:44I don't see them doing that, though.
17:46I don't see anybody giving them enough to move up.
17:48Unless they get a crazy offer.
17:49Unless they get a crazy haul.
17:50Danny Ainge is not going to give them a million guys.
17:52No, no, no.
17:52These guys are smart.
17:53Danny Ainge has been around way too long.
17:55We'll get back into it at 8 o'clock with David Aldridge.
17:57I said we were going to talk about Aaron Rodgers.
17:59We'll tackle that next here on The Junkies.
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