The Washington... Winnners?

Bryson Akins and Henry Brown hop on to discuss some key things during the Wizards' recent winning stretch. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

SPEAKER_04 0:00

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SPEAKER_03 0:27

Welcome back to All Wizards Talk Podcast on the All Sports Talk Network. I'm one of your co-hosts, Bryce Nakens, shown alongside, as always, by Henry Brown. We got a few things to talk about. We haven't been on for a little bit, alright? Some that is schedules not being able to line up a little bit. Some of us getting food poisoning, you know, some of us needed a little break. It happens, you know? You got food poisoning? I had food poisoning, yeah. I don't know what I got it from, but I'm pretty sure it was food poisoning. I mean, like, after you eat chicken and then like an hour later you start throwing up profusely, I think that's I think that's food poisoning.

SPEAKER_05 0:59

I hope you can eat chicken tonight's skin. I know guys who've had that and it's like messed up the food for them for a while.

SPEAKER_03 1:03

And so I'm feeling good now though, but it's just I I had that meal and oh I was thinking back like what I had. I was like, it was just chicken and rice. Like I ordered it from I can't remember where I ordered it from, someplace here in Stillwater. And like obviously the rice isn't gonna give me food poisoning. So it had to have been the chicken. Maybe it wasn't cooked all the way. Maybe there was something in it. I don't know. Yeah, you know, poison your Uber each cyber bag. I know, I know that too. But uh a few things we gotta talk about. There was a research winning stretch uh that the Wizards went on. I know some fans are kind of worried about that winning stretch, but I am I'm not too worried, but we're gonna start with a little big guy, big man, tricky, Tristan Vuksevich, getting a standard deal. He's no longer on that two-way contract. And Henry, I know you're probably a bigger fan than of him than I am, and so I want to hold off my kind of gripes, I guess to say, until we get the positives out. And so let me know what you personally think of the contract. And you know, like if you think it was, you know, just right, if you thought maybe it should have just been a one-year deal, let's see how he finishes out the season. Let me know what you think.

SPEAKER_05 2:08

Um, I I'm not even like a huge fan of him, but um this front office is run by low risk, high reward contracts and trades and acquisitions, and I think this was right in line with that. Three years, uh nine mil. That's that's chump change today. And I would say after I mean, he's talented, you know, he the shot comes and goes, but there's clearly something there. Um, and even though I know the defense is not good, um they seem to feel like he really is improving. And he does have decent hands, and I feel like I don't know, like he's he's slow footed, but if he shows strong instincts or continues to show strong instincts, then I can see him, I don't know, being I don't know, not a not a train wreck as like a backup big. I don't know. I see the vision. Um first member of the Young Court to get extended, and it doesn't take that much to get it done.

SPEAKER_03 3:00

I know you pointed that out yesterday. Oh, he was the first guy to get drafted or brought in by you know Will Dawkins and company to get this, you know, get a con essentially contract extension. I mean, it it's not on paper, it's not an extension. It's just oh, you got a standard deal.

SPEAKER_04 3:16

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 3:16

All right, it is like he was a two-way guy, he just got you know promoted to a standard deal. It's not an extension by any means, but essentially he is the first guy under this administration um to get a new contract with the Wizards, you know, and not be just shipped off like you, you know, like you know, chop liver. And that's definitely something interesting to look at because we have some other guys that are gonna be due for extensions here soon. Bilal Kulabali. That's gonna be a big thing, I feel like, this summer talking about what's his extension gonna be looking like because I feel like that one kind of dictates okay, oh, what are we gonna do about the other extensions and other players on this team with what Bilal Kulabali signs to? I'm thinking it'll be around like the 15 million range. That's around 8% of the cap. Makes sense. But my thing with Vuksevich is he's a great offensive player. All right. Does his three-point shot need to improve a little bit? Yeah, I'm not telling him to be a 36, 37 shooter from distance, be 33, be reliable. We're like, okay, we know like a one out of three shots, you're gonna knock it down from distance. He's just shooting 27 from distance this season, which is isn't great numbers if you're trying to have someone be you know more of an offensive stretch five. What I envision for him with the Wizards. I don't envision him as a guy that's gonna be banging down low a ton. I think it's never been who he is, yeah. Yeah, it's never been who he is. He's gonna be so in that, he's gonna do a bunch of pick and pops, shoot the three ball. If he has any sort of separation, he's letting it fly. You know that off the bench, you'll put up like 12 shots a game if he has the opportunity. And so my it's just like we were talking earlier. My problem with him is he's a code on on defense. He is just, and my biggest thing with that is it just doesn't look like he knows how to use his body. That's the thing. He doesn't know how to use his body, he doesn't know how to use his size, he doesn't know how to use his strength, and it just causes him to get blown by a ton. It causes him to get bullied down low, even though he's a big guy. He's what seven foot, two hundred something pounds, 230, 240, something like that. It's not like he's small, it's not like he's skinny, like you know, like Alex Saarr was for a bit. It's not like he's a skinny guy like Chet Holmgren. I mean, I he's he's not he's not not skinny. He's not not skinny, but it's not like you know, he's just sticks and bones down there. He's got he's got some meat to him.

SPEAKER_05 5:29

Yeah, I mean, I'm I'm gonna concede that. Like if he were a better defender, that's why he would have gotten signed to a bigger deal earlier. He wouldn't have to be on three years of two-way deals. Yeah. Uh, I think it's just an upside swing. Maybe he'll figure out how to be a bit more productive on that side.

SPEAKER_03 5:40

Yeah, that's the biggest thing for me. Is like he just needs to improve as a defender. I'm not worried about the offensive game. We know the offensive game is there. We we know he's a good offensive talent.

SPEAKER_05 5:49

We know he's a good talent, but yeah, he also needs more time to find some consistency on that end, too. Like the he really has had a tough start, not even start, majority of the season. Outside of the last two weeks, it's been shooting like the last two weeks have actually raised his stats by a lot. He's I think over his last five games, he's had like 20 buckets or something. And that account that's counted for like half of his made threes on the season.

SPEAKER_03 6:12

Well, he he hasn't been bad the past few games, and of course, it's gonna come when you're getting a little bit more time when you're not just playing like five or six minutes a game when you're playing, you know. Well, I think he's started a few games as well, right?

SPEAKER_05 6:26

Yeah, he's never cared though. Like he he'll he'll shoot it immediately. He doesn't care what part of the game it is. And he I think he makes the first shot. He and Bub are both guys who are good at like making the first random heat check they take.

SPEAKER_03 6:34

And in February, he's averaging almost 14 points a game. He he scored 14 in every game besides one in February.

SPEAKER_05 6:41

Yeah, and he scored a dozen that game, I believe.

SPEAKER_03 6:43

Yeah, like it's he's been good offensively this season overall. I mean, like, there's been only realistically, you know, when we want to talk about a down month one in November where he almost averaged five points a game and didn't have the greatest shooting splits, 41 and 26. But other than that, he's been solid as an offensive player. In December, he you know averaged 10 points a game on 50% shooting.

SPEAKER_05 7:10

Like consistency, yes. He has he has he has he's had signs, but maybe maybe with more reps, maybe, maybe something will happen. We'll see.

SPEAKER_03 7:18

Yeah, it's just he's gotta get better defensively. And I'm not just talking like counting stats as his stats show he's almost averaging a block a game. I'm not talking counting stats because you can't judge if someone's a good defender just based off of how many blocks or steals they get. You can't. You have to look at them on the court and see how much they get blown by, how much they're allowing easy bucks, buckets to happen, how good of a contest they're putting up, that sort of stuff. How many deflections they're getting, which is another big thing I know the Wizards are big on. Brian Keefe, apparently, he tracks that as a stat, as like we track him how many deflections we get in a game, which I would like them to implement that into the NBA in general. As I feel like that's gonna open eyes on who are actually good defensive players in the league. Yeah, I think they do that, it's just not available on like basketball reference to the same degree. It's like you have to dive deep to figure that out. But it's one of those things where like if he just learns how to use his body a little bit more, the the you can see the potential for him being a backup big. And we knew he had to get the standard deal. And you mentioned it third year of a two-way, he can't get any more two-way contracts for you know league rules. He needed to sign a standard deal. Makes sense to go ahead and do it now. Go ahead and put him on there. It's essentially gonna be a one plus one deal where, like, okay, we we got 20 games left this year, all right. Not really counting this as like your first year of the contract, next year will be it, and then you have that team option. Makes sense to do it. Team option at the end of that year to see what's going on. And I don't see I don't envision him making anything over like eight mil a year, if I'm being honest. If if he like if it's just it's just like the biggest thing I said is develop that defense, prove that you're a solid backup big, you'll be fine. I think he knows he's not a starter for the wizards right now, and that's fine.

SPEAKER_05 9:02

No, I'm not sure he'll I'm not sure he'll ever be. So if this is just for a backup that he's a pretty good success. I mean, the wizards aren't really known for like developing second-round picks. Like this has to, I have to check the last time that a second round pick got an extension. Like, even their first round picks don't usually get extended. And I know, again, not a technical extension, but it's it's a sign of faith that one of their first drafts picks, they're down to keep him for the longer term and you know, willing to put effort into trying to developing him and making him look like an enemy.

SPEAKER_03 9:31

Yeah, and it won't surprise me if they do kind of I I use the word reward when we talk about these second-round picks with you know standard deals when really it's just like, okay, you proved yourself. Here you go. Um, I wouldn't be surprised if this front office does that starting now because you look at the past, you know, um administration that was here in Washington, of course, they were worried about star power. They weren't worried about really just second-round picks, get first round talent, try to develop them. We don't care. And like I said earlier, you know, about chop liver. They viewed the second-round draft picks as chop liver as like you're not gonna do anything for us. Where Will Dawkins comes from a system where look, they developed a ton of second-round draft picks in OKC. You you look at their Russia right now, half their guys getting playing time. Our second round picks are undrafted guys. And so I could see this happening for the wizards going, you know, going into the future, where you see three guys in the rotation taken in the second round.

SPEAKER_05 10:28

Yeah, I mean, if you know how to find these guys, then you why why not use them? Like second-round picks, they're only really valuable in the hands of the right GM. Like I just checked the Wizards did not have the right GM for a while. The last time they uh drafted a second round guy and he actually came over to play was Tomas Saturansky in 2012. Oh, and that's just a guy who came over to play, not necessarily get extended or get you know bought in for longer term. It this just doesn't happen then often for this franchise.

SPEAKER_03 10:57

No, definitely not. Sorry, I had to get a drink. I have something sucking my throat right now. But food poisoning. What food poisoning, yes, food poisoning. Um, but no, like it's a good deal. We expected it. So Lois here probably gonna go for the deal, anyways. Did he did he earn that contract? I'm gonna go and say yeah, he did because of that offensive potential. He stuck it out so long on a two-way deal as well. He definitely earned it, deserved that contract. It's just now is the time he's got to prove that he's gonna get another one here in practically a season. Because if he does what if he does good enough you know this upcoming season, next season, they'll probably just decline that team option and extend him again.

SPEAKER_05 11:38

That's the time. I mean, everyone's that's gonna be money-making time for everyone, I feel like it's gonna be it is plenty of players showing that they can actually perform for the long term and on a big stage.

SPEAKER_03 11:46

It is, and then um we'll talk about the other guy that they signed to that two-way deal, leaky black, who honestly I was really high on him going into the league when he was drafted, and he hasn't really lived up to the hype. But I I do want to talk about him a little bit as I think it was a good two-way pickup. I'm gonna be honest. I I really liked it.

SPEAKER_05 12:05

I don't have a ton of leaky thoughts. Hit me.

SPEAKER_03 12:08

Well, he's he's only 6'6, but I view him kind of as like a Justin Champagne kind of player. Where, you know, like he's not gonna get you, you know, 15 points a night. He'll get you around like seven or eight points a night. Okay. But like in the G League right now, he's averaging 10 and 8 a game. Pretty solid. Take that. Of course, the scoring thing, you know, the scoring numbers aren't there to be like, oh, this is you know, like, this is really impressive. Like, this is why he got you know signed a two-way deal. It's just kind of he does everything when I look at it. The only downside with them is he's not a good three-point shooter. He sucks. I'm gonna be honest, he sucks at three-point shooter. It's funny because for his career, he's 45% on uh only 20 attempts script. Yeah, he he's this year with the go-go, he's shooting 21% from three. Oof. On 3.6 attempts per game. So, like, it's not good numbers, not not good numbers whatsoever. But he is shooting 43.5 percent from the field on almost 10 attempts per game. So, like, don't you take that 4.3 you know, made buckets a game. You you take that for 10 points a game, and he's also averaging 2.1 steals. Wow, like he's he's been solid. He he has been solid is a thing. It's just got like I just uh I was big on him when he was in college over at North Carolina. I thought he was gonna be some mid-second round pick. He went undrafted. Charlotte tossed him to the side. I'm I'm excited for him to get this opportunity on a two-way deal because this is his second two-way deal now. He'll have another one next season. It'd be interesting to see if they bring him back on another. I'm not sure if they will considering he's 26, almost 27.

SPEAKER_05 13:48

Ah, yes, I'm looking at that now. Um, yeah, you know, he's another hustler.

SPEAKER_03 13:52

Once they know to that, yeah, and so another hustler, another guy trying to live out that NBA dream. I was super eye on him coming out of the draft. Really loved his game in college. I'm I'm excited to see him get this two-way deal. I am. Is this gonna be something where it's like, oh, well, he's gonna stick it out forever here in Washington? No, they might, after the season, they might just put him back down on a G-League contract. And so it's just they needed someone to fill that hole. And when you look at the Capitol City Go Go roster on guys that haven't been on 10 days yet, I mean, leaky black made the most sense to sign to a you know two-way deal. I mean, it was that or like you look at Keyshawn Gilbert gets a two-way deal. One of those two guys, honestly.

SPEAKER_05 14:36

Yeah, and the fans have come to know that Julie Grasser pretty well because they've become the Wizards that keeps clutching up wins.

SPEAKER_03 14:44

Bast few games, they have become that roster. And so, like I said, it just came down to like who would you rather have that two-way deal right now? Would you rather have, you know, Keyshawn? Would you rather have Leaky? Um, and look, Keyshawn, he's averaging 15 points a game in the G-League right now. It's his first season there. He's 22 years old. Makes sense on paper. Like when you look at age, he hasn't been on a two-way yet. Makes sense to give him that two-way since you can then use two other years if you need a guy to fill up a two-way spot. But it's just, I mean, he's shooting 30% from three as well, uh, and averaging 13 points a game, and then he's not doing much anywhere else either. Defensively, he's a little bit worse as well. So it just it looked like it was a defensive pickup when I look at leaky black averaging the eight rebounds and two steals a game. That's what it looked like to me. Yeah, sure. I don't have a ton of leaky black thoughts, so I'm I'm yeah, you know. I was just big on him in college, and so I'm excited to see him get that. Oh my goodness! What?

SPEAKER_02 15:48

USA won!

SPEAKER_05 15:50

Oh, what events on USA won? What if it's on this?

SPEAKER_02 15:55

Now ice football, baby! It's no longer ice hockey! It's ice football.

SPEAKER_05 16:00

Was it men's it was men's hockey? Oh yeah, there's my brother tweeting about this. Appreciate it.

SPEAKER_03 16:16

Oh my goodness.

SPEAKER_05 16:18

I think you're gonna say another wizard got like extended or something like that.

SPEAKER_03 16:21

No, no, no, no, no, no. No, this is big for me because the other media company I work for, uh like our entire like main staff are all Canadians. And they're uh so like it's been a big like trash talk week for us. And they were talking about how like we were gonna lose like the Rio. Some people said we weren't even gonna make the medal game. Oh my goodness. Oh huge. Now I can close that off and get back to basketball. And we can die in peace.

SPEAKER_05 16:48

Yeah, but um let's talk about the um these these G Leaguers who just have to beat the Pacers every time. They can't lose this back-to-back wins, and now they have the fifth worst record. Is that right?

SPEAKER_03 17:00

The Wizards, fifth worst record, yes. However, I wanna I want to make it known real quick for every Wizards fan out there that has been complaining about oh my goodness, we now have a 0.6% chance of losing that pick. You know how many pingball ping pong ball combinations it takes to drop to ninth? Like three, yeah, but three out of like 10,000 combinations, by the way.

SPEAKER_05 17:26

You're talking to Wizards fans here, though. Like, like these people are just hurt, and things just haven't gone their way with the lottery drawing. So I there's reason to be skeptical because every like the worst case scenario just keeps happening.

SPEAKER_03 17:39

Like, I I get it's scary to think like, oh my goodness, like there is now a you know slim chance we lose our pick. I am simming it right now on Tankathon. They have only dropped once for me, and I am now on sim number 10. That's second, and they dropped to six. That's the lowest they've dropped in all this. Another one, they just jumped to first, another one, they jumped to second, another one, they jumped back to first. Like, it's like the odd, like, really, I've talked about this in the past in articles. You don't really want to be top three because you have better odds of dropping out of the top three than staying in the top three.

SPEAKER_05 18:15

I don't I don't know. I've I've been a fan of the wizards, and like, you know, I've seen them drop a few times, and it sucks. Like, I don't want to, I don't want to be in a worst chance to drop.

SPEAKER_03 18:24

I I get that, but I'm just saying, like, being you know, being honest here and being realistic, if you have the worst record, you have a uh let me do the math real quick in my head. 27.4 plus 0.7 of that would be 28.1 plus 12, it'd be 40 point, you have a 40.1% chance to be in the top three. Pretty good odds, all right? But you also have a near 48% chance to draft fifth. You have better odds to draft fifth than in the top three if you have the worst record. Whereas the Wizards, there is only a 2.2% chance you draft fifth, and then nearly a 50% chance you draft top top four.

SPEAKER_05 19:10

Yeah, but the problem is there's so much of the season left that it's it's hard to you know pick and choose which spot in the order you're gonna end up in. You're just fans are just thinking about are they gonna stay with their pick or are they gonna lose their pick?

SPEAKER_03 19:20

I yeah, I I get that. Are they gonna stay with it? Are they gonna lose it? Like just being honest with it. It's one of those things where I look at it and you like you have to be a little bit careful with it. You do, I get that, but man, just looking at it, you you want like you don't like really. I'm being honest here, I don't like being, you know, with and I hate to say this because you can drop his fifth. Yeah, really, you want to be four or five because you honestly have higher odds to jump up than drop back. I know it's weird to say, but that's just how the lottery system is set up now because they've tried to combat tanking like that, and they just made it harder where it's you know hard to tank.

SPEAKER_05 20:10

The the probabilities in your favor, I just I just can't get there.

SPEAKER_03 20:13

I I get that, I I get that. And but also for people that are still worried about it, if you go to remaining strength of schedule, the wizards have the fourth hardest schedule remaining.

SPEAKER_05 20:24

The issue is the G-Leaguers won't lose. They've played too hard, and they're all on the same page as the regular Wizards. Um it's it's it's ethical what they're doing. You can't you can't call it anything else.

SPEAKER_03 20:37

It it's it's ethical, and hopefully Silver rewards the Wizards for some ethical tanking. All right. But like I'm just looking at some of the teams that they have left. Okay, it's not like in Indiana where they're gonna play against teams that have gone through some injury problems and might get lucky here and there because the team might wrest their star guys because they don't want them to get injured going to the playoffs, like a Spurs who have rested their guys this season, a Cavs who have had some injury problems, you know, the Lakers. Like, you see my point, like those are some of the teams that they have to finish out playing against. Whereas the Wizards, they have two games against the Pistons, a game against the Thunder, a game against the Celtics, a game against the Knicks. Like, they they have really tough opponents coming up, and then it's crazy to say their easiest game left on the schedule is a game against the Pelicans, but that's only one game.

SPEAKER_05 21:32

Okay, and the Pelicans are already they won their only matchup so far against the Wizards.

SPEAKER_03 21:36

So they won their only matchup, and it's not like the Pelicans are out here trying to tank and get the first overall pick because they don't have a pick. Yeah, no incentive to lose. So they they have to win. There's no incentive for them to lose. There's only incentive for them to win, so they kind of have to go out there and win. And that's how it is with some of these other teams as well in the draft. Like, you know, when you see them competing against them, the Jazz, they have to. Lose. I mean, gonna be honest, they they have to lose two matchups left against them. Uh the Nets, it is really weird what they're trying to do. I'm not sure if they're trying to tank, if they're trying to win. Right now, they're at third. I feel like they just kind of lucked their way into that because they were at like the eighth worst record in the NBA, I feel like three weeks ago.

SPEAKER_05 22:18

I mean, they're definitely there's some tanking there, like they've they've rested guys at convenient points against like the Wizards. We saw we saw that. Um, but they just have so many young guys that they can just get it with playing them, and it doesn't look like anything suspicious.

SPEAKER_03 22:30

Yeah, it's it's definitely interesting. I like looking at what they're doing. Plus, it's not like the Wizards are oh, let's you know, it's not like the Wizards are five games back from the second worst record in the league. They're two games back. That's that's it. They are a game back from the third worst record in the league, and another game back from the um fourth worst record. So it's like it's not like they have to lose five games in a row to jump back into you know bottom four in the league. It's literally lose one more game when you're back in the bottom four.

SPEAKER_05 23:08

Issue is now they're out running the Kings, who are basically resting everyone for the rest of the season.

SPEAKER_03 23:13

Or they're well, I feel like I feel like we know the Kings at this point are going in front of the worst.

SPEAKER_05 23:18

But now, now that there's no Levine and there's no Sabonis, you're like, oh man, like they're they're going all in on this.

SPEAKER_03 23:23

Oh, yeah, they they definitely are. Um, it'll be interesting to see what happens as they do still have some guys that are like balling out, if I'm being honest.

SPEAKER_05 23:32

Yeah, the rookie Rayneau, he's pretty good.

SPEAKER_03 23:35

And so, like, that's they they still got some guys. Russ is still gonna give it his all. We know Russ. Yeah, anytime he has a chance to win a game, he's gonna try and go and win that game.

SPEAKER_05 23:45

Yeah, Cardwell's pretty good.

SPEAKER_03 23:47

They have good young guys, like they have good young guys, and it wouldn't really surprise me if somehow they came away with a few wins remaining in the year. Let's let's look at their strength of schedule. They have the second easiest strength to schedule left in the league. And that's like that's that's what I'm trying to get at for like the tanking stuff. There's only one other team in the that is like truly tanking left in the top ten of hardest schedule with the wizards, and it's the pacers at six.

SPEAKER_05 24:20

Man, they just completely ran laps around the wizards this weekend. Like, just the level they went to for tanking was ridiculous. Like the Siakam didn't play. Um, they rested guys between games one and two um just because it was too competitive during during points. Um, but I think some of the guys in the Wizards, I don't know, like some guys need these these these games. Like Bilal has to show that he can do stuff on offense. And the fact that he he's shown some production, a little passing here and there, some some play finishing.

SPEAKER_03 24:50

He hasn't been too bad. I'll say it. He's uh the more the season's gone on, the more impressed I've been with him. I'll say that.

SPEAKER_05 24:59

Interesting. Elaborate on that.

SPEAKER_03 25:01

I just feel like he's getting more comfortable throughout the season. When we're watching him play, I feel like he's getting more comfortable. I feel like he's getting a little bit more confidence, even though the shooting numbers don't really show that. But I mean, like, look at the past few games. Last two games against Indiana, he's averaging 12.5 points on nearly 50% shooting and 33% from distance. Much better than what he's been like he started the season at in like the month of November, where he just struggled nine points a game on 36.9% shooting. We're like jumping up now here in February, he's really turning around 11 points a game, 43 uh point five percent shooting from the field. The three-point shot is still a struggle, but it's not like he's struggling taking five or six shots a game. He's taking, you know, on average, like three shots a game from distance.

SPEAKER_05 25:50

Yeah, it's it's he's he's I'm looking at his numbers right now. It's about three or four a game uh from three. He he knows that that's just not his game, but he still has to shoot him somehow just to show that you can punch.

SPEAKER_03 25:59

He's still he still has to shoot in some capacity. It's just his defense, it's so good. You gotta like try to extend him and just hope, you know, like the shot develops a little bit. And I feel like it's the same with Vuksevich. We're not asking him to be a near 40% shooter from distance. Give us 33%, and we can live with that, especially off the bench. Yeah, because if we're if we're being honest, dude, and you're looking at how this roster is being set up and built, especially for next season when you have a healthy Trey and AD and potentially a top three pick, is Bilal starting?

SPEAKER_05 26:34

At his present stage of his offense, probably not.

SPEAKER_03 26:37

Probably not. Just being honest, if like so let's say number one pick, number one on my big board right now is AJ DeBonsa. All right. Let's say they draft him. The starting lineup, for sure, what you know of guys gonna be in the starting lineup is gonna be Trey Young, okay? He's for sure gonna be starting. You're going to start the first overall pick, AJ DeBonsa, as he's already gonna be a top five player on your team. Okay? Then you have Alex Sarr and Anthony Davis. You have to fill out that last roster spot. It comes down between three guys Trey Johnson, Keyson George, or Balakulabali. You have to pick one of those three guys. It's clearly Keyshawn to me. I think there's just no way Keyshawn says. I think it's Trey that starts.

SPEAKER_01 27:21

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SPEAKER_03 27:37

I I think it's Trey that starts because I'm worried it's going, and this sounds really strange, I'm worried it's gonna be too much size on the court.

SPEAKER_05 27:46

I I feel like Keyshawn has a way better chance of starting than whoever they pick in the first round from day one. Like maybe that guy will force way in later, but from the opening day, I don't know. It's gonna be Keyshawn. I don't think there's any way Keish Keyshawn is gonna be the fourth best guy on the team. I I just I just think he's gonna he's gonna be starting.

SPEAKER_03 28:02

Hey, AJ legit could be like coming, like any of those top three guys could come in and be a top three guy on the team. Like, that's the thing.

SPEAKER_05 28:08

I don't know if we're gonna go there. Maybe maybe with time that'll happen.

SPEAKER_03 28:11

I like I think AJ is that legit. I think Boozer is that legit, although I have been talking about it lately on the timeline about people who are like, oh, you and which really pisses me off.

SPEAKER_05 28:24

Let's hear it.

SPEAKER_03 28:25

Like, and this will go ahead and be my rant, as we've already been recording for about 30 minutes now, and I gotta I gotta head out soon. Um, so I'm gonna go and get my rant out. I understand if you draft top, if you have a top three pick, you just take the best player available. I get that. All right. Once you leave the top three, all those players are so similar and talent-wise. Pick who you personally think is you know gonna be the best in your system. I have people telling me, oh, if you draft for fit, that's how you end up with a Johnny Davis on your team. I don't think people understand. At 10th overall, Johnny Davis was the best player available. He truly was. He was a bowler in college.

SPEAKER_05 29:07

He was, he was. Even though looking back, some some of some of what happened. I know the shot changed, but like the shots he was taking. Looking back, I was like, okay, that was probably never gonna be a great translation.

SPEAKER_03 29:18

But like just truly looking at it in college, when you were at Wizards Draft and 10th overall, he was the best player available. All right, Durin was not, you know, no one thought Durin was gonna be the player he is now.

SPEAKER_05 29:31

With you on that one. Even though, even though, even though, even though when he got traded for Mark Williams, I feel like even then, people were like, really?

SPEAKER_03 29:37

Yeah. People were like, really? What's going on here? Uzman Jang, everyone knew was a raw prospect. Everyone knew he wasn't raw prospect. And Jalen Williams, J Dub, wasn't even projected to go lottery. He was projected to go late first round, and the Thunder took a chance on him. Yeah, I knew nothing about that when that happened. Like, he like everyone had him going, like he had a great combine, and that's why people are like, oh, some team might take a chance on him in the lottery or in a lottery at like 15 to 18. Everyone was projecting him to go like 25 or 30, though, because they're like, he played at Santa Clara. It's in a weak conference, you're not playing against the best, you know, talent in the world. Yeah. So does it really translate to the NBA level? When you're looking at who was available left in that lottery, you know, picks. I know everyone talks about oh, those three picks after Johnny Davis. Donny Johnny Davis was truly the best player available. He was. Okay. I I get people who are like, just take best player available. It doesn't matter if they can't fit in the system and are not going to get playing time because of it.

SPEAKER_05 30:35

But that's part of what makes the player the best.

SPEAKER_03 30:37

Can they can they adapt? I just, and that's when I go into like talking with people is like, look, I understand you think, you know, like, oh, best player available at four is gonna be Caleb Wilson. Personally, I'm not sold on Wilson at the fourth best player in this draft. Mainly because of his hand injury. Hand injuries really mess up a player on offense. They do. They can change an entire shot, they can change your confidence. All right, like I like I don't like I'm worried what he's gonna look like coming back from a fractured hand. It's not like it was just a few fingers that got fractured or like a little part of it. The hand is fractured.

unknown 31:15

Ah, yeah.

SPEAKER_05 31:16

That's not a forever thing, though.

SPEAKER_03 31:18

It's not a forever thing, it's just I mean, I'm worried what it's like if he's gonna let's like because it's the lingering stuff, uh, especially mentally, of like, man, I'm worried about it getting injured again, so let's play it safe. You know what I mean?

SPEAKER_05 31:31

Yeah, I mean, I've been thinking about that a lot recently because but by by the same note. Um, I was seeing some footage of Darren Peterson hooping in high school, and you you really can't see what the difference that the the hamstring injury makes or whatever's going on. Like he was getting higher than the jumper is different, like the burst is I don't know. Like some of the stuff you you forget. They hooped in high-level situations before this, so there is more of a sample size than the tiny one that we are using.

SPEAKER_03 31:55

Yes, 100%. I mean, Peterson would face off against DeBonsa all the time in high school. We've we've seen those samples, and I just I think the Bonsa is the best player right now in the draft class because A, his length, his athleticism, but B, no one's getting to the line as much as him. He translated to the NBA as a starter. I think he will get, you know, will be a free throw shooter in the NBA that's getting in the line nine to ten times every single season, and you you'll love to have that in your squad.

SPEAKER_05 32:22

Oh my god, that'll be incredible as a rookie.

SPEAKER_03 32:23

I don't know if we ever started getting on the line nine times per game in college. In college, we know college whistles.

SPEAKER_05 32:29

Yeah, yeah, but I just can't imagine the NBA refs just not giving him the rookie treatment to start. Like, I think he'll probably get like like seven or or like nine or ten will be really something. That would be that'll be fun.

SPEAKER_03 32:42

And so I just view him as that. And then I have Boozer as the second best guy because I see a lot of K Love in his game, and I think so many teams could thrive with a player like Kevin Love on their team, like prime Kevin Love, we're talking about here, Timberwolves K Love. Yeah, okay, a guy that's gonna give you, you know, a really a solid 18 and 12 a game, but also be able to dish you out four assists. Like I I love it.

SPEAKER_05 33:07

I love it. I I I changed my order again for the millionth time, uh, like yesterday. So I'm right back where I started. Uh booze, then DP, then AJ.

SPEAKER_03 33:16

Yeah, I just my thing with AJ is I love it when a player knows how to get to the line and like bend the refs to his will to get draw, you know, to draw fouls. And AJ already has that skill, and it's a hard skill to teach.

SPEAKER_05 33:29

You're right. You're right. There's a reason why most players don't do it because it's hard. You need coordination and you need manipulation tactics, and you need to be a strong enough score that people want to guard you that close. You're right.

SPEAKER_03 33:40

I don't care if people say it's unethical. I don't care. It is smart basketball. It is smart, and so, but then, like, you know, I brought up the conversation of like if the Wizards are drafting, you know, like let's say in that four to eight range, right now, number four on my board is Keaton Wagler because I love his offensive output. I think he is an like offensive demon. And being honest, the Wizards, they're going to need a guy that can truly give you buckets off the bench. And this is in a situation I think Trey Johnson is starting. Okay. Like, this is what I'm saying. Like, I'm I'm assuming Trey Johnson is going to be the starter if they take like AJ or Cam. Or maybe they then trade. If they take Cam, maybe they trade Anthony Davis, you know, while he still has some value. I don't know. There's a lot of possibilities going on. But I love Waggler's offensive ability, and I think the bench is just going to need a pure score to run with them. And if Trey's starting, you don't really have that off the bench.

SPEAKER_05 34:36

I mean, there's there's just no way Boozer would start, right? If if AD and Sar were there. There's no way.

SPEAKER_03 34:41

There's no way. There, there's no way they would start all three of them together. Maybe you draft them and it's like, okay, well, AD's gonna play one game and then rest the next, and then you have Boozer starting those off games because that's just how AD is. Yeah, he just does second legs of back to back, so that's his specialty. Yeah, I just I just see, and like I know some people think A D is a long-term move. I really don't think he is. I wouldn't be surprised if he's traded on draft night, I'll be honest. He'll be in his 16th season next year. Yeah, 16th season, going on 34 years old. He realistically has a long list of injuries. He realistically has two to three years left, and you really want to extend that.

SPEAKER_05 35:17

I am really monitoring whether or not he there they won't say like for sure whether or not he shut down for the season. And it's it's worrying. It's worrying me, I have to be honest. As fun as it would be to see on the court, there are 16 wins already, I believe. Um that's too many for my liking at this point. So just play it safe. I don't, but they have to change something about like I I guess I guess just keep seeing what the G-Leaguers have and maybe adapt. If they're winning too much, find a way to adapt to that. But this is probably the way to go. Just keep resting uh the starters in the back halves of these games.

SPEAKER_03 35:49

Definitely, it's just like you said, it's definitely gonna be interesting to see how it goes, how especially you know, May 10th, how the lottery goes. That's gonna be an interesting night. And so, yeah, I'm my my thing is don't be worried about the winning. Like I said, fourth hardest strength of schedule left in the league. Fourth. And two of the teams you're trying to compete to be in the lottery right now with are the Kings, who have the 29th easiest schedule left. So they're they're gonna be bound to win some games. When you have two games against the Nets coming up, and two games uh, no, not two games against the Pelicans, a game against the Pacers, a game against the Jazz, a game against the Mavericks, like more Pacers left. Gosh, I know. Like, I'm just saying, like, games like that, you're they're bound to you know, like win a few of those with how easy of teams left because they're also trying to tank. They're gonna be ugly games, but they'll win half of them and lose half of them, probably. Whereas with the Wizards, the last teams that they have tanking left to play are the Jazz twice, which I honestly think they'll split that series one and one. And then the Nets. They can't do this against the Bait, like with the Pacers thinking they can't do that against the Jazz. I'm gonna lose my mind if they do. No, and then one against the Nets. Those are the only two tanking teams they have left on their schedule.

unknown 37:09

Wow.

SPEAKER_05 37:09

Yeah, there's not much left of the season. There's only a third left. It's a lot, it's still like 25 games. But um, if I could close on this tanking strategy, I think they actually are the fact that they're I mean, it's a lot of G-Liguers towards the end of these games, but I think it's right that they're giving the ball to Bilal as well because you mentioned earlier that he's getting more comfortable. Um, I agree if we're shortening that sample size to the last few games, because he has scored like at least double digits in like five of his last seven games. Um, and he has the most to gain from this, you know, he's extension time soon. And with real ball players coming back soon, just show that you can, I don't know, show what kind of role that you'd be best in.

SPEAKER_03 37:46

So yeah, and I think Wall loves being on the team. I think he loves being in Washington. A lot of guys he's played with a ton in his career as well. Over, you know, in France on the national team. He played with Sarg quite a bit, so he knows how to play with him. So I think any contract they give him, he's gonna be like, Yeah, sign me up. And so that's where like I don't want them to lowball him. I want them to be like, you know, moderate, where it's like, look, like, although, you know, like I know some people want to give him like a$10 to$12 million a year contract. Realistically, I think 15 makes perfect sense.

SPEAKER_05 38:16

He's young enough. I I wouldn't hate it if it's like a three-year kind of thing.

SPEAKER_03 38:19

I I wouldn't hate if it's a four-year, fifteen million dollar deal, because that's like I said, it's just like I understand people are like$15 million. What? It's the end of it. That's eight percent of the cap. And the cap's gonna always increase to where the final year that deal is gonna be like five percent of the cap.

SPEAKER_05 38:34

Yeah, and and and we were missed to mention um Trey Young will also be a topic of the summer for the same extent.

SPEAKER_03 38:41

Well, yeah, I I view him max 40 million a year, which I think that's like 20% of the cap, if I'm not mistaken. 20, 25, somewhere in that range. I think wouldn't be surprised if he got even lower, though. Yeah, it wouldn't surprise me either. My final thing is once again, for the people worried about tanking, this is the upcoming stretch where like they realistically could lose like 12 games in a row here. I am worried. Soothe me, please. So they're they have a game today, as we're recording this Sunday, against the Hornets. The Hornets are making a playoff push. Hornets are good, they're they're making a playoff push. Hornets are gonna try to win that game. Let's be honest.

SPEAKER_05 39:17

I think.

SPEAKER_03 39:17

So let's say Hornets lost two games against Atlanta. Gonna be honest, probably gonna rest a ton of guys those two games. All right, lose both of those against Atlanta. Then you have Toronto, Toronto's been good. Then you have Houston. Although Houston has struggled lately, they are a much better team than Washington this year. They're still not the Wizards, yeah. Yeah, they're still not the Wizards. The Magic. And then you have your you know first game that you might be able to win in this stretch against the Jazz. But like I said, I think the Wizards are going to try to split that series at minimum. So let's say they lose that one game against the Jazz. All right, we are now at one, two, three, four, five, six, seven losses in a row. The Pelicans have no incentive to win. They gotta, you know, or lose. They got they gotta win. That's another loss, eight losses in a row. Miami, another loss, nine, Orlando again, ten, Boston, 11. Golden State, 12, Detroit, back to back, 13, 14, OKC, 15, New York, 16, and then finally you have the Jazz again. This could be worse. Okay, okay, okay, that helps. That helps. Like you you see my point where it's like it's truly a tough stretch uh for them to finish out the year. The fact that you're going against in a week's span, three of like real contenders this year. Like, that's holy crap.

SPEAKER_05 40:44

They're gonna wow, welcome to the big leagues, kids. That's gonna be some welcome to the welcome to the NBA moments.

SPEAKER_03 40:48

They're gonna get and then to finish off the month of April, the games that they have, Sixers, they're gonna win that game. Miami, once again, they're trying to make that playoff push, make it out of the play-in. They'll probably still be in the play-in, lose that game. Do you have you have the Nets gonna try to you're gonna try to lose that game? It'll be interesting. It'll be a dogfight to whoever's gonna tank harder in that one. And then Chicago, Chicago, Miami, Cleveland.

SPEAKER_05 41:11

The Nets have punked us in these tank bowls. So this this has extra meaning.

SPEAKER_03 41:15

Like, I understand the team is right now. Let me go to their ranking, uh, through through the record. They're 16 and 39. I get it. Okay, it's it's scary to think about. Okay, yes. They they might finish with 20 wins. They like that's what I'm saying. They might get four wins here with 27 games left, 26.

SPEAKER_05 41:39

That's about right.

SPEAKER_03 41:40

That's right. I promise you, do not worry because the Pelicans are gonna win games because they also have 16 wins, and they, like I said, no incentive to lose for them. None. So they're gonna try to win games.

unknown 41:54

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 41:54

Uh right now is at 18 and 39. I don't see them really catching up because they also have an easy strength to schedule. I think they have like 18th easiest in the league. Or not 18th easiest, 18th hardest.

SPEAKER_05 42:07

Yeah, they must they must have some okay. Yeah, that means they're just up against like the Western contenders. Well, the Jazz are also in this nightmare division. So they're they're going having to deal with like the wolves and the nuggets and the thunder all the time. Even even the Blazers can kick their buttons sometimes. But uh they only they only got one game left against the Thunder. Thank God for them. Um thank you. I I I needed this because uh the Hornets game today, I sort of assume they're gonna lose that one. But I my mind has been on sort of reckoning with the fact that they might just might lose the pick. So that I it's good hearing how hard it gets, I guess.

SPEAKER_03 42:39

I promise you, I I promise you this. From what I know, the wizards are not going to lose their pick. Dawkins is very well aware of that protection. Yes. I can guarantee you he has some stuff cooking up his sleeve, and I'll leave it off at this. Do not be surprised if they try to trade for another pick on draft night. Sweet. I wouldn't I would not be surprised if they try to trade up into the first round again. What does he know? I'm just I'm just being honest here. From what I'm able to gather and put together, this is why I say don't get comfortable with AD.

unknown 43:14

Woo-hoo!

SPEAKER_05 43:16

On that note, uh we will we will meet you again after a few more uh Wizards Tank Bowl games.

SPEAKER_03 43:22

A few more Wizards Tank Bowl games, probably in the next two or three days, I would assume. Well, you know, Tuesday. Let's let's play for Tuesday. I feel like that's a good day. Bang. Tuesday, Tuesday. We we'll do it then. That's the podcast episode. Thank you guys for always as tuning in and listening, and we'll see you guys in the next one. Peace.

SPEAKER_00 43:39

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