Best draft picks in Washington Wizards history
The draft is a seminal moment for many incoming players. Putting aside competitive stakes, each young athlete's life is irreversibly altered by the fame and fortune that comes with being an NBA player. The exorbitant contract values ensures these players almost never have to worry about personal finances. Plus, these young guns get to play alongside some of their basketball idols for a living. With these high stakes, it's easy to see why the draft is so revered.
Likewise, the fortunes of a city and franchise can be completely transformed by a draft pick. LeBron James, for instance, brought Cleveland its first sports championship in 52 years and was also to the city's downtown economy. It almost goes without saying that Michael Jordan built the Chicago Bulls from the ground up into a championship team whose dynamic would reverberate through the decades.
With that in mind, 黑料社 compiled a list of the best draft picks in Washington Wizards history using data from . Players were ranked according to a formula that approximates their career achievements, career value, and play quality. The formula encompasses Basketball-Reference.com's , career win shares, and value over replacement player, aka VORP. For players drafted before data is available for VORP, half of the player's win shares were used in its place to calculate their 黑料社 score.
Basketball Hall of Fame inductees were given a minimum of 60% for their Hall of Fame probability, indicating a worthy r茅sum茅 for their time but not up to par with some modern players. Scores were normalized to 100 based on the scoring leader. Keep reading to see where your favorite players fall on the list.
#50. Darren Daye
- 黑料社 score: 2.0
- 57th overall pick in 1983
- Played three seasons with Washington Bullets
- Career averages: 6.8 PTS, 2.6 REB, 2.0 AST
- Advanced statistics: 9.3 win shares, -0.3 box plus/minus, 2.2 VORP
#49. Calbert Cheaney
- 黑料社 score: 2.0
- Sixth overall pick in 1993
- Played four seasons with Washington Bullets and two seasons with Washington Wizards
- Career averages: 9.5 PTS, 3.2 REB, 1.7 AST
- Advanced statistics: 23.1 win shares, -2.5 box plus/minus, -2.9 VORP
#48. Bill McGill
- 黑料社 score: 2.0
- First overall pick in 1962
- Played one season with Chicago Zephyrs and one season with Baltimore Bullets
- Career averages: 10.5 PTS, 4.4 REB, 1.1 AST
- Advanced statistics: 6.7 win shares
#47. Wes Matthews
- 黑料社 score: 2.0
- 14th overall pick in 1980
- Played one season with Washington Bullets
- Career averages: 7.9 PTS, 1.3 REB, 4.2 AST
- Advanced statistics: 11.0 win shares, -1.3 box plus/minus, 1.8 VORP
- Accolades
--- 2x NBA Champ
#46. Nick Young
- 黑料社 score: 2.1
- 16th overall pick in 2007
- Played five seasons with Washington Wizards
- Career averages: 11.4 PTS, 2.0 REB, 1.0 AST
- Advanced statistics: 18.6 win shares, -2.2 box plus/minus, -0.8 VORP
- Accolades
--- 2018 NBA Champ
#45. Kwame Brown
- 黑料社 score: 2.2
- First overall pick in 2001
- Played four seasons with Washington Wizards
- Career averages: 6.6 PTS, 5.5 REB, 0.9 AST
- Advanced statistics: 20.8 win shares, -2.4 box plus/minus, -1.3 VORP
#44. Len Elmore
- 黑料社 score: 2.3
- 13th overall pick in 1974
- Career averages: 6.0 PTS, 5.1 REB, 0.9 AST
- Advanced statistics: 13.3 win shares, -1.2 box plus/minus, 1.6 VORP
#43. Brent Price
- 黑料社 score: 2.3
- 32nd overall pick in 1992
- Played three seasons with Washington Bullets
- Career averages: 5.9 PTS, 1.6 REB, 3.0 AST
- Advanced statistics: 12.0 win shares, -0.8 box plus/minus, 2.2 VORP
#42. Kelly Oubre
- 黑料社 score: 2.8
- 15th overall pick in 2015
- Played four seasons with Washington Wizards
- Career averages: 12.8 PTS, 4.4 REB, 1.0 AST
- Advanced statistics: 19.2 win shares, -1.7 box plus/minus, 0.9 VORP
#41. Frank Johnson
- 黑料社 score: 3.0
- 11th overall pick in 1981
- Played seven seasons with Washington Bullets
- Career averages: 8.3 PTS, 1.7 REB, 4.2 AST
- Advanced statistics: 17.2 win shares, -1.3 box plus/minus, 2.4 VORP
#40. Tom谩拧 Satoransk媒
- 黑料社 score: 3.1
- 32nd overall pick in 2012
- Played four seasons with Washington Wizards
- Career averages: 6.9 PTS, 2.9 REB, 4.1 AST
- Advanced statistics: 17.9 win shares, -0.9 box plus/minus, 2.4 VORP
#39. Manute Bol
- 黑料社 score: 3.1
- 31st overall pick in 1985
- Played four seasons with Washington Bullets
- Career averages: 2.6 PTS, 4.2 REB, 0.3 AST
- Advanced statistics: 12.3 win shares, -0.5 box plus/minus, 4.5 VORP
- Accolades
--- 2x BLK Champ
--- 1985-86 All-Defensive
#38. Gheorghe Mure葯an
- 黑料社 score: 3.4
- 30th overall pick in 1993
- Played four seasons with Washington Bullets
- Career averages: 9.8 PTS, 6.4 REB, 0.5 AST
- Advanced statistics: 19.0 win shares, -0.3 box plus/minus, 2.9 VORP
#37. Andray Blatche
- 黑料社 score: 3.8
- 49th overall pick in 2005
- Played seven seasons with Washington Wizards
- Career averages: 10.1 PTS, 5.4 REB, 1.4 AST
- Advanced statistics: 19.2 win shares, -0.8 box plus/minus, 3.8 VORP
#36. Bobby Simmons
- 黑料社 score: 3.8
- 42nd overall pick in 2001
- Played two seasons with Washington Wizards
- Career averages: 9.0 PTS, 3.8 REB, 1.5 AST
- Advanced statistics: 20.1 win shares, -0.7 box plus/minus, 3.6 VORP
#35. Stan McKenzie
- 黑料社 score: 4.4
- 94th overall pick in 1966
- Played one season with Baltimore Bullets
- Career averages: 9.0 PTS, 2.8 REB, 1.5 AST
- Advanced statistics: 14.5 win shares
#34. Kevin Grevey
- 黑料社 score: 4.4
- 18th overall pick in 1975
- Played eight seasons with Washington Bullets
- Career averages: 11.0 PTS, 2.4 REB, 1.9 AST
- Advanced statistics: 26.5 win shares, -1.2 box plus/minus, 2.9 VORP
- Accolades
--- 1978 NBA Champ
#33. Fred Carter
- 黑料社 score: 4.5
- 43rd overall pick in 1969
- Played three seasons with Baltimore Bullets
- Career averages: 15.2 PTS, 3.9 REB, 3.5 AST
- Advanced statistics: 14.8 win shares
#32. Mitch Kupchak
- 黑料社 score: 4.6
- 13th overall pick in 1976
- Played five seasons with Washington Bullets
- Career averages: 10.2 PTS, 5.4 REB, 0.7 AST
- Advanced statistics: 27.1 win shares, -0.7 box plus/minus, 3.2 VORP
- Accolades
--- 2x NBA Champ
#31. Trevor Booker
- 黑料社 score: 4.8
- 23rd overall pick in 2010
- Played four seasons with Washington Wizards
- Career averages: 6.9 PTS, 5.5 REB, 1.1 AST
- Advanced statistics: 26.2 win shares, -0.5 box plus/minus, 4.2 VORP
#30. Rod Thorn
- 黑料社 score: 5.2
- Second overall pick in 1963
- Played one season with Baltimore Bullets
- Career averages: 10.8 PTS, 3.1 REB, 2.6 AST
- Advanced statistics: 17.2 win shares
- Accolade
--- Basketball Hall of Fame inductee
#29. Steve Blake
- 黑料社 score: 5.2
- 38th overall pick in 2003
- Played two seasons with Washington Wizards
- Career averages: 6.5 PTS, 2.1 REB, 4.0 AST
- Advanced statistics: 29.1 win shares, -1.2 box plus/minus, 4.2 VORP
#28. John Williams
- 黑料社 score: 5.6
- 12th overall pick in 1986
- Played five seasons with Washington Bullets
- Career averages: 10.1 PTS, 5.1 REB, 2.9 AST
- Advanced statistics: 19.9 win shares, 1.2 box plus/minus, 8.8 VORP
#27. Brendan Haywood
- 黑料社 score: 6.6
- 20th overall pick in 2001
- Played nine seasons with Washington Wizards
- Career averages: 6.8 PTS, 6.0 REB, 0.5 AST
- Advanced statistics: 43.8 win shares, -1.4 box plus/minus, 2.9 VORP
- Accolades
--- 2011 NBA Champ
#26. Harvey Grant
- 黑料社 score: 6.6
- 12th overall pick in 1988
- Played six seasons with Washington Bullets and one season with Washington Wizards
- Career averages: 9.9 PTS, 4.4 REB, 1.6 AST
- Advanced statistics: 36.4 win shares, -0.9 box plus/minus, 5.7 VORP
#25. Dave Corzine
- 黑料社 score: 7.2
- 18th overall pick in 1978
- Played two seasons with Washington Bullets
- Career averages: 8.5 PTS, 5.9 REB, 1.7 AST
- Advanced statistics: 37.3 win shares, -0.7 box plus/minus, 7.0 VORP
#24. JaVale McGee
- 黑料社 score: 8.0
- 18th overall pick in 2008
- Played four seasons with Washington Wizards
- Career averages: 7.8 PTS, 5.2 REB, 0.4 AST
- Advanced statistics: 43.0 win shares, 0.0 box plus/minus, 7.3 VORP
- Hall of Fame probability: 0.1%
- Accolades
--- 3x NBA Champ
#23. Rick Mahorn
- 黑料社 score: 8.2
- 35th overall pick in 1980
- Played five seasons with Washington Bullets
- Career averages: 6.9 PTS, 6.2 REB, 1.0 AST
- Advanced statistics: 51.7 win shares, -1.3 box plus/minus, 4.5 VORP
- Accolades
--- 1989 NBA Champ
--- 1989-90 All-Defensive
#22. Jeff Malone
- 黑料社 score: 8.3
- 10th overall pick in 1983
- Played seven seasons with Washington Bullets
- Career averages: 19.0 PTS, 2.6 REB, 2.4 AST
- Advanced statistics: 54.2 win shares, -1.5 box plus/minus, 4.0 VORP
- Accolades
--- 2x All Star
#21. Truck Robinson
- 黑料社 score: 8.9
- 22nd overall pick in 1974
- Played three seasons with Washington Bullets
- Career averages: 15.5 PTS, 9.4 REB, 1.7 AST
- Advanced statistics: 52.7 win shares, -1.0 box plus/minus, 6.1 VORP
- Accolades
--- 1977-78 TRB Champ
--- 1977-78 All-NBA
--- 2x All Star
#20. Juwan Howard
- 黑料社 score: 8.9
- Fifth overall pick in 1994
- Played three seasons with Washington Bullets and four seasons with Washington Wizards
- Career averages: 13.4 PTS, 6.1 REB, 2.2 AST
- Advanced statistics: 59.4 win shares, -1.6 box plus/minus, 3.8 VORP
- Accolades
--- 2x NBA Champ
--- 1995-96 All-NBA
--- 1x All Star
#19. Otto Porter
- 黑料社 score: 9.0
- Third overall pick in 2013
- Played six seasons with Washington Wizards
- Career averages: 10.5 PTS, 5.0 REB, 1.5 AST
- Advanced statistics: 36.5 win shares, 1.8 box plus/minus, 12.6 VORP
- Accolades
--- 2022 NBA Champ
#18. Tom Gugliotta
- 黑料社 score: 10.4
- Sixth overall pick in 1992
- Played three seasons with Washington Bullets
- Career averages: 13.0 PTS, 7.3 REB, 2.8 AST
- Advanced statistics: 40.2 win shares, 0.6 box plus/minus, 15.3 VORP
- Accolades
--- 1x All Star
#17. Don Kojis
- 黑料社 score: 10.8
- 13th overall pick in 1961
- Played one season with Baltimore Bullets
- Career averages: 12.2 PTS, 5.6 REB, 1.4 AST
- Advanced statistics: 35.8 win shares
- Accolades
--- 2x All Star
#16. Kevin Porter
- 黑料社 score: 10.8
- 39th overall pick in 1972
- Played one season with Baltimore Bullets, one season with Capital Bullets, and four seasons with Washington Bullets
- Career averages: 11.6 PTS, 1.8 REB, 8.1 AST
- Advanced statistics: 36.0 win shares
- Accolades
--- 4x AST Champ
#15. Richard Hamilton
- 黑料社 score: 12.9
- Seventh overall pick in 1999
- Played three seasons with Washington Wizards
- Career averages: 17.1 PTS, 3.1 REB, 3.4 AST
- Advanced statistics: 62.8 win shares, -0.2 box plus/minus, 13.2 VORP
- Hall of Fame probability: 1.8%
- Accolades
--- 2004 NBA Champ
--- 3x All Star
#14. Muggsy Bogues
- 黑料社 score: 13.1
- 12th overall pick in 1987
- Played one season with Washington Bullets
- Career averages: 7.7 PTS, 2.6 REB, 7.6 AST
- Advanced statistics: 54.0 win shares, 0.8 box plus/minus, 17.9 VORP
#13. Greg Ballard
- 黑料社 score: 13.2
- Fourth overall pick in 1977
- Played eight seasons with Washington Bullets
- Career averages: 12.4 PTS, 6.1 REB, 2.2 AST
- Advanced statistics: 54.0 win shares, 1.2 box plus/minus, 18.1 VORP
- Accolades
--- 1978 NBA Champ
#12. Bradley Beal
- 黑料社 score: 14.9
- Third overall pick in 2012
- Played 11 seasons with Washington Wizards
- Career averages: 22.1 PTS, 4.1 REB, 4.3 AST
- Advanced statistics: 52.2 win shares, 1.7 box plus/minus, 22.6 VORP
- Hall of Fame probability: 2.3%
- Accolades
--- 2020-21 All-NBA
--- 3x All Star
#11. Jerry Sloan
- 黑料社 score: 14.9
- Sixth overall pick in 1965
- Played one season with Baltimore Bullets
- Career averages: 14.0 PTS, 7.4 REB, 2.5 AST
- Advanced statistics: 49.5 win shares
- Accolades
--- 6x All-Defensive
--- 2x All Star
--- Basketball Hall of Fame inductee
#10. Terry Dischinger
- 黑料社 score: 17.4
- 10th overall pick in 1962
- Played one season with Chicago Zephyrs and one season with Baltimore Bullets
- Career averages: 13.8 PTS, 5.6 REB, 1.8 AST
- Advanced statistics: 56.3 win shares
- Hall of Fame probability: 2.7%
- Accolades
--- 1962-63 ROY
--- 3x All Star
#9. Jack Marin
- 黑料社 score: 17.8
- Fifth overall pick in 1966
- Played six seasons with Baltimore Bullets
- Career averages: 14.8 PTS, 5.2 REB, 2.1 AST
- Advanced statistics: 59.3 win shares
- Accolades
--- 2x All Star
#8. Bill Bridges
- 黑料社 score: 18.8
- 32nd overall pick in 1961
- Career averages: 11.9 PTS, 11.9 REB, 2.8 AST
- Advanced statistics: 59.9 win shares
- Hall of Fame probability: 4.4%
- Accolades
--- 1975 NBA Champ
--- 2x All-Defensive
--- 3x All Star
#7. John Wall
- 黑料社 score: 19.4
- First overall pick in 2010
- Played nine seasons with Washington Wizards
- Career averages: 18.7 PTS, 4.2 REB, 8.9 AST
- Advanced statistics: 44.5 win shares, 2.2 box plus/minus, 24.1 VORP
- Hall of Fame probability: 32.4%
- Accolades
--- 2016-17 All-NBA
--- 2014-15 All-Defensive
--- 5x All Star
#6. Gus Johnson
- 黑料社 score: 20.8
- 11th overall pick in 1963
- Played nine seasons with Baltimore Bullets
- Career averages: 16.2 PTS, 12.1 REB, 2.5 AST
- Advanced statistics: 35.8 win shares
- Accolades
--- 1973 ABA Champ
--- 4x All-NBA
--- 2x All-Defensive
--- Basketball Hall of Fame inductee
#5. Rasheed Wallace
- 黑料社 score: 28.1
- Fourth overall pick in 1995
- Played one season with Washington Bullets
- Career averages: 14.4 PTS, 6.7 REB, 1.8 AST
- Advanced statistics: 105.1 win shares, 2.2 box plus/minus, 38.3 VORP
- Hall of Fame probability: 8.6%
- Accolades
--- 2004 NBA Champ
--- 4x All Star
#4. Don Nelson
- 黑料社 score: 32.4
- 19th overall pick in 1962
- Played one season with Chicago Zephyrs
- Career averages: 10.3 PTS, 4.9 REB, 1.4 AST
- Advanced statistics: 74.6 win shares
- Accolades
--- 5x NBA Champ
--- Basketball Hall of Fame inductee
#3. Earl Monroe
- 黑料社 score: 33.3
- Second overall pick in 1967
- Played five seasons with Baltimore Bullets
- Career averages: 18.8 PTS, 3.0 REB, 3.9 AST
- Advanced statistics: 77.4 win shares
- Accolades
--- 1973 NBA Champ
--- 1967-68 ROY
--- 1968-69 All-NBA
--- Basketball Hall of Fame inductee
#2. Wes Unseld
- 黑料社 score: 43.1
- Second overall pick in 1968
- Played five seasons with Baltimore Bullets, one season with Capital Bullets, and seven seasons with Washington Bullets
- Career averages: 10.8 PTS, 14.0 REB, 3.9 AST
- Advanced statistics: 110.1 win shares
- Accolades
--- 1978 NBA Champ
--- 1968-69 MVP
--- 1977-78 Finals MVP
--- Basketball Hall of Fame inductee
#1. Walt Bellamy
- 黑料社 score: 49.8
- First overall pick in 1961
- Played one season with Chicago Packers, one season with Chicago Zephyrs, and three seasons with Baltimore Bullets
- Career averages: 20.1 PTS, 13.7 REB, 2.4 AST
- Advanced statistics: 130.0 win shares
- Accolades
--- 1961-62 ROY
--- 4x All Star
--- Basketball Hall of Fame inductee
