Grading the Wizards draft

Written by Thomas Threlkeld on Friday, 25 June 2010 07:44. Posted in Washington Wizards

What follows is a grade of the 2010 Washington Wizards draft. I grade each pick individually and then provide an overall grade for the draft. Read on...

01. PG John Wall -- What's not to like about this pick? It's the obvious pick and the correct one. Wall will be the next great point guard in the NBA; the next Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Derrick Rose. This is increasingly a league about getting great play from your back court and the Wizards just took a quantum leap forward in that area. He will take over as the starting point guard immediately, moving Gilbert Arenas [who CAN play with Wall] over to his natural position at shooting guard. Every player on the team will be made better by playing with Wall, who will set a great example with his work ethic. If the Wizards are going to win an NBA title in the next 10 years, John Wall is the man who will lead them there. GRADE: A+

Here is the ESPN analysis of Wall:

Positives	Freakish athletic point guard Great size for his position Explosive leaping ability Very quick first step Flies up and down the court Big-time penetrator and finisher at the rim Solid passer, can be creative Decent midrange jumper Great rebounder for a guard
Negatives	Needs to improve his 3-point jump shot Still needs to improve his decision-making skills with the ball Needs more intensity on the defensive end

17. PF Kevin Seraphin -- This big fella [no kidding -- he's 6'10" and 260 lbs.] played in France so I confess -- unlike Wall and the other Wizards picks last night -- I haven't seen him play. Seraphin is technically a Chicago Bull until July 8, when the trade of Kirk Hinrich, $3 million and the 17th pick [Seraphin] in exchange for a 2nd round pick will become official. He appears to be a super-athletic guy with a huge upside as a big, physical defender and rebounder on the offensive and defensive glass. You have to like the potential of a big man who can run and has a 7'3" wingspan. His offensive post game is completely unrefined at this point. There were some players left on the board [James Anderson, Damion Jones, Quincy Pondexter] who could also help the Wiz so I'm pushing the grade down for that reason. GRADE: B

Here is the ESPN analysis of Seraphin:

Positives	Long, athletic player 7-foot-3 wingspan NBA body Excellent leaper Good shot-blocker Runs the floor well, mobile Finishes strong at the basket
Negatives	Low basketball IQ No offensive game outside 5 feet from the basket Struggles with defensive rotations Lacks general experience playing basketball

Here is the Draft Express profile of Seraphin:

23. PF/QF Trevor Booker -- I thought the Wizards could have waited to see if he fell to them at 30 so I'm not crazy about the trade that got him in Washington. I have nothing against Booker, though, he would have gone later, he is still a solid selection. Booker fits what the team needs as far as getting tougher, stronger, nastier and more aggressive on defense and the glass. He's a magnificent athlete and has a ferocious mentality and will really fight for the ball and position. I think he could turn into a Carl Landry/Paul Millsap/Jason Maxiell kind of player and that's a very good thing. He's got long arms so his lack of height won't hurt him as much as people think. Booker has a great court mentality in that he works hard constantly and will not demand the ball or that plays be run for him. Every team needs players like this one. I realize a lot of Wiz fans don't like this pick so my view and grade will be controversial, but I'm sticking with it until proven wrong. I think Booker fits a team need and is ready to play immediately. GRADE: A-

Here is the ESPN analysis of Booker:

Positives	Tough, physical player Excellent rounder Excellent athlete Great motor Improving offensive game Some range on his jump shot Developing low-post game Big wingspan makes up for some lack of size
Negatives	Undersized for his position Still raw offensively

56. C Hamady N'diaye -- A very tall man [7' feet tall with a 7'6" wingspan] from Senegal, N'diaye improved every year in college, going from 2.7 ppg and 2.9 rpg as a freshman to 9.4 ppg and 7.1 rpg as a senior at Rutgers. He was the Big East defensive player of the year He's a good teammate who can move his feet well and impressed everyone with his shot-blocking skills at the Portsmouth Invitational in April. He looks like he could be a real defensive presence in the NBA, though asking him to score on anything but an offensive rebound is probably asking too much. If brought along correctly, though, I can see N'diaye being able to give the Wiz 10 or so quality minutes a night as a shot-blocker and defensive stopper. GRADE: B

Here is the ESPN analysis of N'diaye:

Positives	Long, athletic big man Excellent shotblocker Solid rebounder Very active Defensive presence
Negatives	Very raw on offensive end Needs to add strength

SUMMARY: I thought the Wizards did a good job addressing the team's needs. Specifically, they used the first overall pick on the best player, who plays a position of great need on the team and in the NBA. After that, they got tougher and more physical with guys like Kevin Seraphin and Trevor Booker. Hamady N'diaye adds another shot-blocking presence, meaning the Wizards should be able to put at least one big shot-blocker on the floor at all times. Although I'm sure he would deny it, GM Ernie Grunfeld clearly ditched the best-player-available strategy later in the draft and simply went after need. I think it mostly worked. I didn't like having to trade for Booker and I thought they probably gave up one early 2nd round pick by doing so. Nevertheless, I liked the selection of Booker and I liked the willingness to take a chance with Seraphin.

OVERALL DRAFT GRADE: A-

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Grading the Wizards draft

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