The Washington Wizards and their fans will know on Wednesday night where the team will be picking in the 1st round of the 2012 NBA Draft on June 28. Where the Wizards pick will go a long way toward determining who they pick. The most recent 2012 NBA Mock Draft from Draft Express has the Wizards picking second and drafting another member of the National Championship Kentucky Wildcats team.
Draft Express projects the Wizards to select Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, a 6'7" freshman forward who averaged 11.9 points per game and 7.4 rebounds per game for the Wildcats last season.
This is what Draft Express had to say about Kidd-Gilchrist:
Standing 6-7 ½ in shoes, with a 6-10 wingspan and a chiseled 228 pound frame, he has ideal physical attributes for a NBA wing prospect, and a versatile skill-set to go along with that.
At Bullets Forever, SB Nation's Wizards blog, the verdict on a possible MKG pick is a cautious one, in that he might not be the right fit for what this Wizards team is trying to do.
He's a very solid player, but as great as what he brings to the table is, his lack of an outside shot doesn't mesh that well with the pieces that the team already has in place. It's very possible that Washington acquires a power forward with a three-point shot in the next year or two, but it's a lot harder to find someone who can shoot from the four spot than it is to find a small forward who can shoot and defend. His inability to create shots -- he was the fifth option on an NCAA team, although in all fairness that team was completely stacked -- could cause the Wizards' offense to get bogged down very easily, especially if they don't manage to acquire a stud shooting guard.
Florida freshman shooting guard Bradley Beal is the third pick in mock draft from Draft Express. Beal, as Bullets Forever explains, might be a better pick for the Wizards.
Wednesday's draft lottery will help clarify things, at least a some things, for the Wizards' draft this year.
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