These wings would be my bets to outperform their consensus ranking.
There’s been a lot of talk about how underwhelming this year’s NBA Draft is compared to past years. While I agree it’s not as top heavy, I still feel like teams can find a lot of value in the second round and in the undrafted free agent market.
The Washington Wizards, who hold the 51st pick in the draft and will likely have their two-way contracts at their disposal, need to find as much talent as they can wherever they can get it. With that in mind, here are the wings I would bet on to outperform their likely draft position. Everyone listed here appears in the second round or nowhere in the top-60 of Rookie Scale’s Consensus Big Board, which aggregates the major, reputable draft service’s big boards.
I also discussed all five wings during today’s Bleav in Wizards podcast.
Justin Edwards, Kentucky, 6’7, draft age: 20.5, consensus ranking: 33
Statistics: 8.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, .9 assists, .9 steals, 36.5% 3PT, 77.6% FT
Case for: high-pedigree player who was ranked near the top of his high school class, shoots it well, never seemed to fit into a role on a Kentucky team that had a lot of mouths to feed, may just need more time to develop, had a couple of impressive games where he really popped
Case against: older for a freshman, not elite traits, underwhelming production
Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images
Pelle Larsson, Arizona, 6’6.5, draft age: 23.3, consensus ranking: 50
Statistics: 12.8 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.7 assists, .9 steals, 1.9 turnovers, 42.6% 3PT, 81.3% FT (over his 4-year college career)
Case for: looks like a ready-made NBA role player, can transition seamlessly from his college role into his NBA 3&D role, high IQ, can handle and create for others, can guard multiple positions, shoots well
Case against: older, never really took over games against college competition, older jack-of-all-trades type players without one elite skill don’t always translate
Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images
Jaylen Wells, Washington State, 6’7.75, draft age: 20.8, consensus ranking: 56
Statistics: 12.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 41.7% 3PT, 81.4% FT
Case for: rangy wing, shoots well from the perimeter, relatively young for a junior, late bloomer, looked more comfortable with the ball in his hands as the season went on, solid on-ball defender
Case against: only one season sample size against good competition (spent first two seasons in DII), limited steals + blocks, limited playmaking and shaky handle, needs work as an off-ball defender
Photo by Tyler Schank/NCAA Photos via Getty Images
Isaiah Crawford, Louisiana Tech, 6’5.25, draft age: 22.5, consensus ranking: undrafted
Statistics: 16.3 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 2.1 steals, 1.7 blocks, 2.5 steals, 41.4% 3PT, 72.8% FT
Case for: ideal 3&D mold, likely flew under the radar at Louisiana Tech, solidly built, athletic, projects as a high-end defender, can guard multiple positions, good steals + blocks, relatively young for someone who played five college seasons, got better each year, high-energy and plays hard,
Case against: limited sample size against top competition, marginal free-throw percentage, only 3.1 three-point attempts per game isn’t a huge sample size
Photo by Kamil Krzaczynski/NBAE via Getty Images
Blake Hinson, Pittsburgh, 6’5.75, draft age: 24, consensus ranking: undrafted
Statistics: 18.5 points, 4.4 rebounds, .8 assists, 42.1% 3PT, 66.9% FT
Case for: can get buckets, projects as a microwave scorer, shot a high percentage from three on 7.9 attempts per game, solidly built
Case against: old (spent six seasons in college with two redshirt years), leery of older players who three-point percentages spike late in their careers, doesn’t do much else besides scoring, limited upside
Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images