SB Nation has come out with the latest installment of their 2011 NBA Mock Draft, and they still have the Wizards going with international small forward Jan Vesely with the sixth overall pick. Here is their rationale.
Oh my god, Steve Buckhantz is going to have a field day with the sly "Czech" puns. And if he refuses to, at least he can keep Vesely from suffering the indignation of the Maloofs' sly "Czech Into Cash" ad tie-in.
We've already discussed how Vesely would help the Wizards, particularly on the fast break. But he also has the athleticism to be an elite defensive player, and we know the Wizards have had their problems there as well. With their second first round pick, they have the Wizards taking Klay Thompson, a fast rising shooting guard out of Washington State.
Thompson has pulled the ol' 180 on a weed violation -- he's responded to questions so openly and maturely that it's almost turned into a positive. The NBA: where explaining an arrest effectively boosts your draft stock.
Thompson is quickly moving up draft boards, but I'm not sure he helps with a big need the Wizards have. Assuming that Nick Young comes back, and that Jordan Crawford continues to get better, Thompson does a lot of the same things those two players do. He is a come off the screen scorer, and with those two guys on the roster, that isn't a huge need. But he is good value, so it's hard to argue with.