It's going to be an interesting 2021-22 NBA season for the Washington Wizards. After all, they got a massive haul from the Russell Westbrook trade. To make things sweeter, they got Corey Kispert as their 15th overall pick. The Gonzaga product is touted as the best pure shooter of his class. So far, so good. Kispert is indeed showing off that stroke.

Interestingly, Kispert has a deeper offensive arsenal than advertised. This pleasantly surprised head coach Wes Unseld Jr. and the legion of Wizards fans.

Before entering the league, Kispert was often compared to Golden State Warriors shooting guard Klay Thompson. There were even rumors that Kispert could actually end up as teammates with the Splash Brother as the Warriors were keeping their tabs on him. Such comparisons weren't just to hype his draft stock up. Like Thompson, Kispert stands 6-foot-6 and is armed with a picture-perfect shooting stroke. Kispert himself admitted in pre-draft interviews that he modeled his game after his idol. He knows about how Thompson dropped 60 points in just 12 dribbles. This is a metric for Kispert. He wants to help his team the way Thompson does.

You can tell from Kispert's game, even from his Gonzaga days, that he's been studying Thompson's game very closely. He's aware of his reputation as a marksman from deep. And Gonzaga, who's floor spacing is bar none the best in the NCAA, gave the players the information they need: when and how to cut to the hoop. From the looks of it, Kispert and his talent for swishing the net was a perfect match for Gonzaga's offense. It reminded him how basketball is a simple sport. When they know you have a lethal stroke, defenses will be literally under your chin all game long. The counter? To constantly move without the ball.

There's a hunch that fans may not see a lot of Kispert when the regular season kicks off. The Wizards are pretty deep in the swingman spot. There's Kyle Kuzma and Davis Bertans at the small forward spot. Of course, in the shooting guard spot, there's star Bradley Beal. Behind him is Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. These are all veterans Unseld can rely on.

The thing about Unseld, before he took on the head coaching post for the Wizards, he was an assistant with the Denver Nuggets from 2015 to 2021. During his tenure, he played a key part in the development of Nikola Jokic — now regarded as one of the best in the NBA. People seem to have forgotten that Jokic was the 41st overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. After Jokic, Unseld had a hand in the development of Michael Porter Jr. too. As such, Unseld is not the type of coach who just benches rookies simply because they have no spot to fill. We may see some interesting tactics by Unseld in developing Kispert.

This all bodes well for the franchise who are still finding their footing in the East. At this point, we can confidently say that the roster is filled to the brim with talent. Bradley Beal, who's been involved in all sorts of trade rumors, will probably stay as he's seen the front office's efforts in trying to make the team better. The Wizards are not just set for the 2021-22 NBA season. With Kispert expected to come into his own, they're set for the long term.