Wes Unseld Jr. confident Wizards can find impact player at No. 8
Unseld Jr. confident Wizards can find impact player at No. 8 originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
CHICAGO -- Wes Unseld Jr. found an initial positive after Tuesday night's draft lottery in which his Wizards landed the eighth overall pick, their most likely outcome entering the annual event. That is they didn't move back, which was technically possible.
The Wizards head coach hopes to find more silver linings in the days and weeks ahead as he dives into the pre-draft process as one of the team's key figures. With the Wizards currently in search of a new general manager, Unseld Jr. will naturally be more involved in the evaluation of and interaction with potential draft picks.
At the NBA Draft Combine this week, he will help lead interviews with prospects. He plans to test their basketball IQ with film study and prompt them to draw up plays on a whiteboard.
Unseld Jr. will know much more about this year's draft class soon, but he does have some immediate thoughts about the players who could be available in their range.
"If we can get another guy with length, athleticism, the ability to create his own and create shots for others, can defend multiple positions. I think that’s a wishlist any NBA coach would want. But there are some guys in that space that fit those criteria," he said.
Unseld Jr. also mentioned "wing depth" and "positional size." That could be a nod to players like Cam Whitmore, Gradey Dick, Anthony Black and Cason Wallace. Whitmore and Dick are wings, while Black and Wallace are tall for the point guard position.
Unseld Jr. says his job in the interim has not changed much by the Wizards' dismissal of team president Tommy Sheppard a month ago. He called it "business as usual."
At some point, the Wizards will hire someone to oversee the front office and that person will bring in their own philosophy. But Unseld Jr. believes the range the Wizards are selecting in will dictate a general approach.
"Anywhere you land in the lottery, you want the best available player. It’s easy to think about fit or need-based. I think the most important thing is get the best talent at that spot and figure it out," he said.
Some players like Black and Wallace would fit nicely with the Wizards' long-term needs, as their top two point guards - Monte Morris and Delon Wright - are each one year away from free agency. But setting aside positional needs could open the door for a wide range of possibilities.
Even though the Wizards already have Bradley Beal at shooting guard and drafted Johnny Davis a year ago, several of the best players in their range at No. 8 could be two-guards like Nick Smith Jr. (Arkansas) and Keyonte George (Baylor).
It's also very possible the best prospects will be power forwards, as Jarace Walker (Houston) and Taylor Hendricks (UCF) are widely projected to go in their range. Taking either of them could overlap with Kyle Kuzma and Deni Avdija.
Unseld Jr. should have a much better sense of which players he likes after this week when he sits down with many of them at the combine in Chicago.
"Throw some questions and see how they handle pushing their envelope a little bit, take them out of their comfort zone. You try to do all of that in a 25 minute interview. It’s not a lot of time, but it’s a great opportunity for a first interaction to see what these kids are about," he said.
