Wizards GM Will Dawkins prioritizes character over skill, building a sustainable team for the deep 2026 draft. He reveals his long-term building philosophy.
There's no denying that the Washington Wizards have had a forgettable season, but there's always light at the end of the tunnel.
You could argue that seeing the development of Alex Sarr, Kyshawn George, Will Riley and others were the highlight of the season, or that it was acquiring Anthony Davis and Trae Young.
For GM Will Dawkins, he takes tremendous pleasure in the scouting process for the 2026 NBA Draft, as Washington is expected to once again have a top draft pick.
Dawkins took some time to join "The Sports Junkies" on 106.7 The Fan to discuss his initial thoughts on the 2026 NBA draft class.
Washington Wizards General Manager Will Dawkins | © Geoff Burke-Imagn ImagesIn this interview, Dawkins shares how he approaches the NBA Draft as part of a long-term building process with Washington, rather than one (or a few) players to select. Dawkins also mentioned that his mindset is not about seeing immediate success and results, but instead building a competitive and sustainable team through balance, patience and player development.
One of the biggest characteristics Dawkins looks for when evaluating players is not their skill, but instead the type of person they are:
"A big part of it is spending time with them as players, and going on campus and interviewing them and seeing what they're about...It's all about knowing them as people, and we draft people not just players."
The 2026 NBA draft class is also one of the most impressive classes in recent memory, and has left a lot of fans wondering who the number one overall pick will be.
BYU Forward AJ Dybantsa (3) | © Aaron Baker-Imagn ImagesYou have Darryn Peterson from Kansas, AJ Dybantsa from BYU, Cameron Boozer from Duke as the top three. However, late bloomers like Darius Acuff from Arkansas are making strong cases as to why they could be top selections in this class.
With that being said, Dawkins was asked if he knew who he'd select right now if he had the first overall pick, in which he responded, "No. This draft is pretty deep and there's a lot of guys that deserve to go really high. The season still isn't done so you have some evaluation left."
With that being said, it's extremely encouraging to see Washington have a general manager that approaches the "rebuilding" stage in this sort of manner. Great basketball teams are not built in a day, and Dawkins is painting the picture of how basketball teams need to be built from the ground up.