Washington’s front office prioritizes personality just as much as highlights, while AJ Dybantsa’s elite athleticism and historic vertical leap solidified his status as a potential top pick.
After the Washington Wizards found out they'd pick first overall last Sunday, they didn't have much time to celebrate. Just a day later, the annual NBA combine began, opening a new window of opportunity for potential draft choices to impress teams.
Not only do players get to test, but they also meet with teams, which is a vastly important part of the process for executives. Here's some things we learned from the last week.
The Wizards Spent Plenty of Time Learning Player Personalities
Wizards general manager Will Dawkins has been on record multiple times saying the team drafts people, "not just players." Potential-number one pick Darryn Peterson's words validate this principle.
Peterson, the 6-foot-5 guard out of Kansas, has provided plenty of reasons to indicate he could be worthy of the first overall pick. However, he also finds himself in a situation where teams were expected to have questions about his polarizing freshman season.
"I was surprised by how much they wanted to talk about Darryn as a person instead of basketball.... that's pretty cool," Peterson said when asked about his interview with the Wizards.
Peterson was in the headlines often this year, as questions about his health rose. He battled a hamstring injury early in the season, then played limited minutes in plenty of games where he requested to sit out. It later came out that he sat out due to issues he had in the fall regarding full body cramps, which he later attributed to high doses of creatine he took in an effort to bulk up.
In terms of his basketball ability, he doesn't leave a lot of questions. It's not surprising the Wizards tried to dig in as much as possible beyond just the court.
AJ Dybantsa is a Pretty Rare Athlete
Many see AJ Dybantsa as the favorite to go first overall. His measurements certainly lived up to the hype. Dybantsa measured in at 6-foot-8 1/2 barefoot, which means he'll play at around an inch greater than that in shoes. His wingspan was equally impressive at 7 foot and a half inch. His size and reach gives him impeccable potential on both ends of the floor.
His defensive work wasn't overly impressive in his freshman season at BYU, as he failed to generate high totals in the steals and blocks department. Whether or not this was due to his super demanding offensive load remains to be seen.
He can jump with the best of them. His 42 inch vertical leap stole the show. He tested higher than some impressive jumpers, including Zach Lavine, John Wall, Derrick Rose, and Aaron Gordon.
His high-flying impact off the wing is what tags him as a top-two prospect in this class. Additionally, he clocked a 3.14 second three quarter court sprint, which was the same as Wall's time back in 2010. I'm sure most people reading this remember how fast he was with the ball in his hands.
Dybantsa was asked numerous times about his attitude toward Washington. Did he hope for Utah? His answers likely eased any nerves Wizards fans may have had.
When asked about potentially playing in Washington, he appeared knowledgeable about the city and the players already on the roster. Dybantsa has previously played in Washington for the Jordan Brand Classic last year.
It would be great. DC is a great city," Dybantsa said.
Dybantsa wasn't afraid to tell reporters his biggest sell.
“I’m super versatile as a player…I think I can guard one through four, play one through four. I think that I can play a little bit of combo guard if you need me to," Dybantsa said. "I can be that jumbo wing if you need me to. I play the game the right way. So I try to play to win, try to make my teammates better. But I’m super exciting as a player, super explosive. I fill seats.”
Cam Boozer and Caleb Wilson Did Not Disappoint
Although these two prospects aren't viewed as favorites to end up in Washington, they've firmly planted themselves as top-four prospects in the class. Boozer going first overall would not be as shocking as some believe, in my opinion. According to The Athletic's poll conducted of anonymous NBA Executives, one of ten said they'd take Boozer first overall.
In terms of measurements and testing, the results weren't shocking, but still impressive. Boozer measured in shorter than Dybantsa, but made up for it with a nine-foot standing reach.
Wilson measured in at 6-foot-9 1/2, and posted an impressive 39.5 inch max vertical jump. He and Boozer both met with the Wizards.
"If a team wants to hang a banner in the rafters, I’m definitely the guy," Boozer told the media at the combine.
Up next in the process is when the front office begins hosting prospects for pre-draft workouts.
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