The Washington Wizards are likely to be picking highly in the 2020 NBA Draft and went to great lengths to scout some of the available prospects.
According to NBC Sports Washington’s Chase Hughes, the Wizards sent scouts to Australia to check out LaMelo Ball and RJ Hampton, both of whom were playing in the country rather than going to college. They even hired a full-time scout for the area.
Washington had the 9th-worst record in the NBA at the time the league was suspended. Ball is expected to go in the top few picks, while Hampton may slip out of the lottery. The Wizards would need to have lots of luck in the lottery to get into the territory to draft Ball, but they seem to be prepared in case the opportunity comes.
What’s interesting is that both players are guards. Washington already has Bradley Beal signed to an extension, and they have John Wall coming back from Achilles and other foot injuries. Maybe Washington’s confidence in both their guards being around for a while isn’t so strong. Or maybe the team is merely doing as much diligence as possible in the scouting process.
Last year Washington took Rui Hachimura with the No. 9 overall pick and has been pleased with his play so far.
