The Washington Wizards were decimated by injuries last season and that severely impacted their season. They finished with a 29-53 record and a third place finish in the Southeast Division. The fact that the team’s best player in John Wall missed nearly half the season was an obvious pitfall that they simply weren’t able to compensate for.

With Wall’s healthy return and the emergence of the newly acquired Bradley Beal, the Wizards would appear to have their backcourt set for the future. Assuming that Emeka Okafor pick up his player option at $14.5 million (and he’d be foolish not to), he along with Nene will once again form a nice duo up front for the Wizards.

Aside from Wall and potentially Beal, the Wizards are stocked with marginal role players. They lack the complementing superstar front court player that can consistently knock down shots and play solid defense against an opponents best forward. With $65 million in salary already committed to the coming season, there is only a little bit of wiggle room to bring new players in without jettying existing contracts.

The rumour du jour does have the Wizards sending Okafor and this third overall selection to Chicago for Luol Deng. If this is even a possibility for Washington they should jump on this opportunity. Deng is coming off an all-star season and he would compliment Wall and Beal nicely. Okafor is in the last year of a huge contract and he isn’t producing up to the value; he failed to average double digit totals in points or rebounds last season and there is little chance of him wanting to resign in Washington come season end.

Areas of Weakness

The Wizards lack a solid small and power forward who can score and be athletic enough to run the floor with Wall and Beal and make plays in transition. Should the Wizards be able to acquire Deng then he would fit the need nicely. Failing in this acquisition would precipitate the Wizards shopping through the draft for a capable player.

Draft Projections

Working on the assumption that the Wizards are keeping this pick and using it for themselves, they would do well to select Georgetown’s Otto Porter. Not only is this kid the best NBA ready prospect from this draft, he is a local of sorts as his alma mater is just down the road. This 6’8” small forward has a 7’1” reach and a 36” vertical leap and despite being still slight of frame this 20-year old could fill out nicely and add bulk without compromising quickness.

Porter is not the most polished scorer, his jump shot is inconsistent and it remains to be seen if he has NBA three-point range. Porter must work on his off-the-dribble ability to score and the NBA demands ball movement and necessitates the ability to create one’s own shot. What Porter does bring is a solid understanding of the game; he is an excellent floor spacer who moves well without the ball. Porter’s defensive is his immediate upside as he could conceivably man-up against a two-guard, small forward or the occasional power forward if necessary. Porter’s versatility and NBA-ready game will translate well to the pro ranks and the Wizards would do well to add him into the fold.