The Wizards took 21-year old, 6′3″, 215 pound guard Shelvin Mack out of Butler with the 34th overall pick of the 2011 NFL Draft. Mack played in 38 games for Butler last year and he averaged 32.1 minutes, 16.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game. Mack played in 108 games in his three years in college and he averaged 31.2 minutes, 14.1 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.1 steals per game. This was another solid pick for the Wizards as Mack can play either guard slot.

The Wizards took 21-year old, 6′9″, 220 pound forward Chris Singleton with the 18th overall pick in the NBA Draft last night. Singleton played in 28 games for Florida State last year and he averaged 29.1 minutes, 13.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.5 blocked shots per game. Singleton played in 95 games in his three years in college and he averaged 29.1 minutes, 10.3 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.9 steals and 1.4 blocked shots per game. Singleton is a outstanding defensive player and he plays with a high motor. This was another very solid pick for the Wizards.

The Wizards picked 21-year old, 6′11″, 239 pound power forward Jan Vesely out of the Czech Republic with the 6th overall pick of the 2011 NBA Draft. Vesely played in 52 games with three teams in Europe last year and he averaged 23.9 minutes, 10.3 points, 4.4 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.1 steals per game. He played in 221 games in four years in Europe and he averaged 19.2 minutes, 7.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.0 assist and 0.8 steals per game. Vesely called Blake Griffin the American version of himself last night. It will be interesting to see if he can live up to what he said. The Wizards are very excited about him.

The Washington Wizards currently own the #6, #18 and #34 picks in the NBA Draft coming up this Thursday Night. I think the #6 pick comes down to 2 players for the Wizards. If SF Kawhi Leonard is available, I think he will be the pick. If Leonard is not around, I think the Wizards will roll the dice and take center Jonas Valanciunas. Valanciunas might not be able to get out of his European contract for a couple of years, so it’s risky business to take a chance on him despite his upside. The Wizards will likely take the best available player at #20 and that could be shooting guard Josh Selby out of Kansas. With the #34 overall pick, I look for the Wizards to take the best player on the board regardless of position. I think the Wizards are going to be a much better basketball team by this Friday.

The Wizards have acquired forward Trevor Booker (#23 overall) and center Hamady Ndiaye (#56 overall) from the Timberwolves for 23-year old forward Lazar Hayward (#30 overall) and 22-year old forward Nemanja Bjelica (#35 overall). 22-year old Trevor Booker is a 6′7″, 240 pound dynamo as he fills up the stat sheet. Booker played in 32 games (all starts) for Clemson last season and he averaged 15.2 points, 8.4 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.4 blocked shots per game. He played in 134 games (all starts) in his four years in college and he averaged 12.9 points, 7.9 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.9 blocked shots per game. 23-year old center Hamady Ndiaye is a defensive force in the middle. He is 7′0″, 235 pounds and he plays a big man’s game. Ndiaye played in 32 games (25 starts) for Rutgers last season and he averaged 9.4 points, 7.1 rebounds, 0.4 assists and 4.5 blocked shots per game. He played in 124 games (85 starts) in college and he averaged 5.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, 0.4 assists and 2.9 blocked shots per game. The Wizards got a lot of size in this trade and it was needed.