NBA: A way-too-early reassessment of the top 10 picks in the 2020 draft

Pick No. 9 (WAS): Deni Avdija, F

The Washington Wizards are in the dreaded NBA limbo. They have two ‘stars’ on massive max contracts and a slew of younger guys. At the same time, however, they are 4-13 and last in the Eastern Conference. The odds are they will end up competing ewell enough to cost them a top 3 pick. The Wizards didn’t have any massive holes at the time of the draft (after Thomas Bryant’s ACL tear they need big men BAD) so they went with Deni Avdija out of Israel.

I don’t hate the pick! Hang that in the rafters, Wizards fans. Avdija profiles as a 6-foot-9 forward who if nothing else, can shoot the ball like a menace. The guy is hitting 45 percent of his 3’s on three attempts a game. If he can keep that up he will already be in the upper echelon of non-star shooters in the game. He is also the ideal player to have when your two best players are Bradley Beal and Russell Westbrook.

I don’t know where the Wizards are headed. They remain adamant that they won’t trade Beal this season. If they can get a Jrue Holiday/James Harden type of offer in terms of picks, I think they should absolutely do it. If you can trade your best player for a team’s future in picks while you already have the worst record in the league in a top-heavy draft class…well that’s malpractice to turn it down.

Verdict: Pick still makes sense. No idea what Washington’s roster will look like in a month, let alone by next season.