NBA Draft 2019: 5 targets for the Washington Wizards

ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 30: Brandon Clarke #15 of the Gonzaga Bulldogs dunks the ball against the Texas Tech Red Raiders during the second half of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament West Regional at Honda Center on March 30, 2019 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /

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CHAPEL HILL, NC – FEBRUARY 11: Coby White #2 of the North Carolina Tar Heels dribbles the ball during a game against the Virginia Cavaliers on February 11, 2019 at the Dean Smith Center in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Virginia won 61-69. (Photo by Peyton Williams/UNC/Getty Images) /

5. Coby White, PG, UNC

The Step Back Big Board Ranking: 4

The draft could shake out in a way that Coby White is available for the Wizards at 9. If the Lakers don’t draft Darius Garland at four, he could fall into the six or seven spot to the Phoenix Suns and Chicago Bulls, where White is projected to go. If he falls to Washington, he could be an interesting option for the Wizards’ rebuild.

White’s transition playmaking and pull-up shooting are legitimate weapons, and he has upside as a playmaker as he becomes more comfortable at the point guard position, where he doesn’t have a ton of experience prior to this year at North Carolina. He also should have the best defensive viability of any point guard in the class, offering the ability to fight through screens and match up with bigger two-guards on drives. He might not be a sure starting-level point guard in the NBA, but he seems to have a very good skill set for being a team’s third guard, and that’s something Washington has struggled to find behind Beal and Wall.

White would offer the Wizards a viable point guard to cover for Wall while he recovers from injury, especially since Satoransky doesn’t figure to be back in a Washington uniform next year. He would get thrown into the fire this season, but could probably give minutes with both Beal and Wall once he returns from injury. In his most positive outcome, he replaces Wall if he’s never the same post-injury, and in the team’s most positive outcome, they get a quality player filling that Satoransky/Austin Rivers/Brandon Jennings/Ramon Sessions role that Washington has struggled to figure out during the Wall years. While spending a draft pick on another point guard doesn’t sound the most palatable, it’s a functional solution to the team’s immediate situation at the position.

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