The 2011 NBA Mock Draft season is upon us and SB Nation D.C. is breaking down possible targets for the Wizards. Next up: Bismack Biyombo, PF/C, Congo.
Bismack Biyombo might be the most intriguing player in the entire draft. He burst onto the scene at the Nike Hoops Summit in Portland, Oregon, where he wowed scouts with his athleticism and "upside." (Ed. note: We're going to start hearing that word a lot with regards to the Wizards selection, so let's get familiar now.)
The mid-to-late lottery seems to be the right place for Biyombo, and so he could come into play even though the Wizards have a defensive, shot-blocking center (ideally) in JaVale McGee and could probably stand for more of a post-scoring threat as a compliment. SB Nation's Tom Ziller recently mulled over the idea of Biyombo at Sactown Royalty:
Biyombo is both inspired and exciting ... to me, at least. Some may fear his lack of institutional notoriety and lack of domestic experience. I can already hear the Hasheem Thabeet and Mouhamed Sene catcalls. But I also hear the Serge Ibaka retorts, and I understand that Biyombo has been a defensive stud in the Spanish league (No. 2 in the world behind the NBA)
The Wizards late-season mini-run of success (fool's gold or not) was built on a foundation of hard-working guys from the D-League. Junk yard dogs, coach Flip Saunders called them. Getting a big who is committed to defending and rebounding would help facilitate that culture.