Wizards Legend Looks Back on Major Draft Mistake

The Washington Wizards made a costly error nearly 15 years ago that has led up to this moment.

Nov 26, 2013; Washington, DC, USA; Los Angeles Lakers point guard Jordan Farmar (1) battles for the ball with Washington Wizards point guard John Wall (2) and Wizards power forward Jan Vesely (24) in the fourth quarter at Verizon Center. The Wizards won 116-111. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

The Washington Wizards are in the midst of a rebuild, where they will have many chances to hit on draft picks to launch them back into relevancy.

The Wizards can learn lessons from the previous core of the team, led by star point guard John Wall, who was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft. Wall was a massive hit in 2010, but the team hit a wall when drafting in 2011. Wall mentions that the Wizards could have drafted Golden State Warriors legend Klay Thompson when the team was on the clock at No. 6.

"I think we missed out on some pieces. Like, we could have drafted Klay [Thompson]," Wall said on "The Draymond Green Show with Baron Davis."

"We took Jan Vesely — we thought he was the overseas Blake Griffin at the time. That's what they said when they drafted him. They called him the overseas Blake Griffin. That was it. He had bounce, for sure, because he was athletic."

While Vesely looked like the next Griffin in Europe, he never lived up to those expectations and was out of the NBA in three seasons. Vesely, however, has enjoyed an outstanding decade in Europe with Fenerbahce and FC Barcelona.

If Wall had Thompson in the backcourt with him, and then Bradley Beal came along a year later, that may have been what the Wizards needed to get over the hump. It's also possible that the Wizards might have lasted a lot longer as a core if Thompson was picked over Vesely.

This is one of the many examples in the NBA where one draft pick makes all the difference, and the Wizards' new regime should try and learn from the previous one's mistakes to ensure a different outcome happens this time.

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