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The Washington Wizards find themselves in an interesting spot as a franchise. Despite the stubborn loyalty from Bradley Beal, the Wizards have been unable to win a playoff series since the 2016-17 season. The status of Bradley Beal is still uncertain and is the biggest domino that needs to fall this offseason.
The Wizards' first focus will be on building through the draft. The franchise holds the 10th and 54th picks in the upcoming draft. There are still plenty of needs on Washington's roster as they hope to take another step toward contending. There are several quality options for the franchise to target with the 10th pick. However, here are two names the franchise must avoid at the 10th draft slot.
2 players Wizards must avoid in 2022 NBA Draft
Ousmane Dieng
A standout from the New Zealand Breakers, Ousmane Dieng was sure to be a draft riser in this class. Standing 6'9″ with a 7-foot wingspan, Dieng has an intriguing overall skillset. The Frenchman has impressive length and good team and individual defensive instincts. He is a capable ball-handler who likes to get out in transition. Dieng has intriguing shot creation and solid reads as a passer. The 19-year-old makes some advanced reads and is able to manipulate the defense at times.
His averages don't jump off the page as he saw some limited minutes as a professional. Over the course of the season, he averaged 8.9 points, 3.2 rebounds, 1.1 assists, and 1.4 turnovers. The forward shot 39.8% from the field and 27.1% on three-point attempts. He also only connected on 66.7% of his free-throw attempts. Dieng came on strong to end the season and looked better with the more isolation opportunity.
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While he projects well in the long term, Ousmane Dieng is not the missing piece the Wizards should be searching for. He must continue to add weight to his frame as he oftentimes gets overpowered to the rim. His overall consistency must be improved and he has some real difficulty navigating screens. He is an interesting long-term project but does not fill the needs that the Wizards should be targeting.
AJ Griffin
It will be interesting to see where AJ Griffin lands in the draft. He has some major fans among NBA circles with some projecting him to rank as high as the fifth pick. The Duke product is a knockdown three-point shooter who plays a nice complementary role on offense. He relocates well and has impressive mechanical consistency. The Duke product averaged 10.4 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.0 assists, and just 0.6 turnovers. Griffin shot 44.7% on three-point attempts and also was the 19th ranked Division One prospect when shooting off the dribble.
While many seem to have AJ Grffin pinned as a three-and-D prospect, he is greatly missing half of this qualification. The 6″6″ guard greatly struggled on the defensive side of the ball in his lone season in college. Griffin lacks lateral quickness and is especially vulnerable to backdoor cuts. He does not have particularly great awareness on the defensive end and allows opponents to get to the angle they desire. The 18-year-old struggles when defending on the perimeter which is what he will be asked to do at the NBA level. As great as Griffin is as a shooter, he also lacks shot creation and burst. This limits his overall ceiling on the offensive end as well.
Regardless of what Bradley Beal's decision is, the Wizards should be targeting a complete prospect with the 10th pick. The franchise needs to show some signs of life in order to retain its superstar and having an effective draft could help this case. Look for them to avoid these two prospects and take a better step toward their long-term future.
