It’s not a secret that the Washington Wizards haven’t had the best draft luck in recent years. From falling several picks to selections that didn’t fill the roster’s needs, the draft hasn’t been historically strong for Washington. However, there was reason to hope that Tre Johnson would shift that narrative relatively quickly. In retrospect, should Washington have gone in a different direction on draft night?
Did The Wizards Make A Mistake Drafting Texas Product?
Johnson has been a solid addition to the Wizards and looks to further his role later this season and into the future. Selected sixth, he was labeled a project player with work needing to be done before taking a real impact role on the roster.
That being said, the Wizards’ rookie has been outplayed by some of the other draftees. There are a few players that the front office passed on who are performing better and more consistently. With that in mind, who are they, and should they be looked at as a real missed opportunity?
Jeremiah Fears
Jeremiah Fears put on a show in the last half of his one-and-done season at Oklahoma. Averaging 17.1 points over his 34 appearances, Fears was another player labeled as a “project.” He has room to grow on both ends, like most rookies from this class. Fears was considered one of Washington’s top targets for his offensive and playmaking abilities, especially after the Jordan Poole trade right before the draft. However, they went with Johnson at sixth, leaving Fears on the board. He would be taken seventh by the New Orleans Pelicans, and has been impressive to say the least.
Now in December, Fears is outpacing Johnson by a rather large margin. He’s currently fourth in rookie points per game (15.4), ninth in assists per game (3.1), tenth in rebounding (3.4), and first in steals per game (1.4), while Johnson only cracks the top ten in scoring, coming in at eighth (11).
Fears has been more impactful on both ends of the floor than Johnson, and it’s not particularly close either. However, he’s not even the only Pelican rookie that Washington could’ve drafted.
Derik Queen
Derik Queen came out of Maryland as the premier big man in the 2025 class. His offensive game was labeled as NBA-ready, while his defensive game was labeled as a weakness. However, the Pelicans have put Queen to work, and he’s playing just as well, if not better than Fears.
Queen is seventh in rookie scoring (12.8), first in rebounds (6.6), second in assists (4), fourth in steals (1), and fifth in blocks (0.9). He’s easily been one of the best rookies this season and is outpacing Johnson by a wide margin in just about every statistical category other than shooting.
What hurts the most is Queen’s roots in the DMV area. He would’ve come into the league already being a fan favorite in Washington. Instead, he moved down to Louisiana and has quickly grown into a house favorite in the Big Easy.
The Last Word
There are plenty of other players who are outpacing Johnson, but Fears and Queen in particular were on Washington’s radar. While Johnson is still one of the better rookies this season, fans must stop and ponder how Fears or Queen would mesh differently with Washington’s current roster.
© Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
The post Did The Wizards Make A Mistake Drafting Texas Product? appeared first on Last Word On Basketball.