Washington Wizards: 5 paths Wizards can take with 9th pick in NBA draft

The Draft Day Miracle: James Wiseman drops to the Washington Wizards and they get a modern big man who can play next to both John Wall and Bradley Beal

What if there was a situation where the Wizards could go all-in on the upcoming season and build for a bright future simultaneously? In James Wiseman, the Wizards would have just that person. Wiseman was the front runner for the number one overall pick before an NCAA investigation over his acceptance of improper benefits effectively ended his season.

Wiseman was limited to three games in his lone season at Memphis and his draft stock has taken a hit. The concern within the industry about Wiseman, although tremendously talented, hinged on his iffy shot selection and defensive intensity in high school.

Concerns that he was unable to alleviate in such a limited amount of game action. Could he fall all the way to the 9th pick? It would be unlikely, but Michael Porter Jr. of the Denver Nuggets was a presumed top-three overall pick when his first collegiate season started before a back injury caused him to fall to 14th in the 2018 NBA draft.

While Wiseman doesn’t carry the same injury concerns, some teams may be scared off by the fact that they have seen him play so little. Here’s why that shouldn’t scare off the Wizards. If you erase the past year and pretend that Wiseman was entering the draft right out of high school, without the lost season, he would probably be the number one pick.

There are questions about his game but his upside is higher than any player in this draft. If he is available at nine, the Wizards would be wise to make Wiseman their man.