Washington Wizards: 5 options for pick No. 52 in 2017 NBA Draft

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Mar 25, 2017; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas Jayhawks guard Frank Mason III (0) shoots as Oregon Ducks guard Casey Benson (2) guards during the first half in the finals of the Midwest Regional of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at Sprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports /

1. Frank Mason III, PG, Kansas

The Washington Wizards and Frank Mason III would be a match made in heaven, giving them a reasonable backup to John Wall in the second round. The four-year starter from the Kansas Jayhawks has the pedigree of good backup point guard, at least to start out as a rookie in the NBA.

Mason averaged 20.9 points, 5.2 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game in his final season with the Jayhawks. He was this year’s Big 12 Player of the Year, AP Player of the Year, Naismith Award winner and First Team All-American for his stellar play.

He also won the Naismith Award in the 2015-16 season, which is awarded nationally to the men’s and women’s collegiate basketball player.

Mason scored in double figures in all but one of Kansas’ 36 games a season ago. In the NCAA Tournament, he averaged 22.3 points, 6.0 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 1.0 steals in four contests. One of his more underrated skills is his three-point shooting ability. He shot 47.1 percent from three this past season, and 37.5 percent in the NCAA Tournament.

Next: 2017 NBA Mock Draft: Post-Lottery edition

It’s no secret the Wizards aren’t the best three-point shooting team without Otto Porter and Bradley Beal on the floor. Add Mason to the mix and the Wizards could be on to building something special in Washington. Mason isn’t the tallest guard, listed at 5’10”, but he makes up for that in other ways.

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