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Chase Hughes from Monumental Sports joins The Kevin Sheehan Show to talk about how good AJ Dybantsa will be on the Washington Wizards with his skillset and how the team could look next season if everyone is fully healthy to make a playoff push.
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00:00by Chase Hughes, who joins us right now.
00:02Chase, of course, covers the Wizards
00:04and has for a while now for Monumental Sports.
00:08You can follow Chase on X at ChaseDCSports.
00:15Do you think, when do you think,
00:17just a hunch if you don't have this specific answer,
00:21when do you think they became the Wizards,
00:25sold, and absolutely, he was their guy?
00:30Did that happen late in the process
00:32or earlier in the process?
00:34I'm just curious how close Darren Peterson was.
00:39Well, first of all, listening back to that quote,
00:42I think we can maybe update the line,
00:44I fill seats to I fill suites,
00:47because he's going to be playing in NBA arenas now.
00:51Yeah, I think it was probably a few weeks ago
00:55you know, I had been saying coming out of the combine
00:58that it was 50-50, and I think it was a lot closer
01:01than people thought on the night of the lottery.
01:04They did like Darren Peterson, and they liked Cam Boozer,
01:07and they had to do their due diligence.
01:09But as we got close to the draft,
01:10it seemed unrealistic that they hadn't met.
01:15I think it was probably several weeks ago
01:18after they were in the building
01:20and were able to sit down with them
01:21and really get to know them,
01:22because as Will Dawkins says,
01:24you know, they draft people, not players,
01:26and that's a really important part of what they do.
01:29Yeah, all right.
01:30I mean, I can't imagine that it wasn't
01:33from a basketball evaluation standpoint close.
01:37But yeah, of course, they draft people as well.
01:42And ultimately, do you think
01:44just a lot of the smoke around Darren Peterson
01:47just made him almost a non-starter?
01:51I think it's more about the Bonsa,
01:55and as much as these guys were close,
01:58I think the way that Will Dawkins framed it
02:00the night of the draft,
02:03something along the lines of, like,
02:05it's hard to talk yourself out of a guy like this.
02:07You know, if the feelings are similar skill set-wise,
02:12they're both unbelievable offensive talents,
02:14then you see what the guy did at the Combine,
02:17talking about the Bonsa.
02:18He's legitimately one of the most athletic prospects
02:21we've ever seen test at the Combine.
02:23And then, I don't know how you really poke holes
02:26whatsoever in terms of his intangibles.
02:28He's got this huge personality,
02:30but he's also very clearly very serious about the game.
02:35I know some has been made about his offensive play style,
02:38but when you really dive into it,
02:40he plays the right way.
02:42I mean, he's an appreciably better passer,
02:45I think, than Darren Peterson.
02:47I think Cam Boozer probably was the best passer
02:49at the top of the draft.
02:50But if you really watch the Bonsa,
02:51he's a very talented playmaker.
02:54And the first time I started to notice that
02:56was when he was toward the end of his high school career,
02:59and it was in showcase games,
03:01like the McDonald's All-American game.
03:03And I'm like, this guy's playing the right way
03:06in a game where it's usually just a free-for-all.
03:09And I remember just, you know,
03:10checking the box score at the end of those games
03:12and realizing, like, you know,
03:13he didn't necessarily jump off the screen,
03:15but he just filled up the box score
03:18and, you know, was making the right reads.
03:21So I think there was just,
03:23when you really dived into it,
03:25you know, you just couldn't find really any reason
03:27not to take the guy.
03:28You know, you said something,
03:29and it just, it sparked something for me
03:32because when the Skins drafted Sonny Styles,
03:36he had had the best combine workout ever
03:40for a linebacker.
03:41And I said after that draft,
03:44I'm like, he's a really good athlete,
03:46but I don't think he is the athlete
03:49that the Indy Combine results reflect.
03:52Like, he's not, like,
03:54he's not going to be just one of the fastest,
03:57you know, hardest hitting, most athletic.
03:59Like a Sean Taylor-like.
04:01But he's athletic, but he just,
04:03it's not what it is based on the Indy Combine.
04:06And I feel that way about A.J. DeBonsa.
04:08When you just said, you know,
04:09he's one of the best tested athletes ever,
04:12I don't see him as Dominique Wilkins
04:15or Michael Jordan,
04:16or even, like, in recent years,
04:18people like Russell Westbrook.
04:20You know, I see him as athletic,
04:22don't get me wrong,
04:23but I see him much more as a crafty,
04:27methodical at times,
04:29getting to his spots,
04:30hitting the mid-range,
04:31versus the truly explosive athlete
04:35at that position.
04:36Do you agree or disagree?
04:38I think I agree if I'm picking up
04:41what you're putting down,
04:42because his numbers surprised me.
04:45I mean, as I watched him,
04:46the thing that jumped out most
04:47was just the skill,
04:48the offensive feel.
04:50I mean, he's so bendy and flexible
04:52and shifty in the way he moves
04:54in the mid-range.
04:55There's no secret why he averaged
04:57about eight and a half free throw attempts
04:59per game last year.
05:01You know, had the most free throw attempts
05:02of any player in Division I,
05:04drew the second most shooting fouls,
05:06had the most and ones.
05:07Like, this guy is really hard
05:09to stay in front of.
05:10He's really shifty.
05:11He's extremely good at getting
05:13to the free throw line.
05:14So when I say most athletic prospects
05:17at the Combine,
05:18I think I can take that
05:19a little bit further
05:20and say most athletic top prospects
05:23at the Combine.
05:24Because usually,
05:24when you see guys put up numbers
05:27like he did,
05:28they don't know how to shoot.
05:29They don't know how to dribble.
05:31You're bringing in a guy
05:32and you're just hoping
05:33that you can sort of mold him
05:34into a basketball player.
05:36This is a basketball player
05:37that once he went to the Combine,
05:39you start to see the hard data
05:41that there are ways
05:42this guy has separation
05:44from your average,
05:45even elite athlete
05:46at the NBA level.
05:47This guy's a one percenter
05:48and he's got the skill set
05:50and he's got the intangibles
05:52and he happens to have
05:53a big personality.
05:54So there's just so many boxes
05:55that he checks off.
05:56Yeah, I just think people,
05:58you know,
05:58are fans that maybe
05:59didn't watch him a lot
06:01at BYU.
06:01When they hear that,
06:04I think to me,
06:05he's more skilled
06:06than he is athletic.
06:08Like, you're not,
06:09this isn't Vince Carter.
06:11You know,
06:12this isn't,
06:12you know,
06:13Dr. J.
06:14This isn't Blake Griffin,
06:16you know,
06:16for, you know,
06:17a bigger guy.
06:18But it's not that
06:19he's unathletic.
06:20No, he is athletic.
06:21It's just not
06:22like the explosive,
06:24like that's what we're going
06:25to be talking about
06:26every night.
06:26He's not going to be
06:28more likely than not
06:29the highlight reel
06:32for, you know,
06:33for dunks
06:34and acrobatic plays.
06:35I think the skill level there,
06:37the IQ is there
06:39and that's,
06:41yeah,
06:41I think sometimes
06:42when you hear
06:43those athletic numbers,
06:45people overlook
06:45that part of it.
06:47All right,
06:47how does he fit in?
06:48Tell me right now,
06:50let's fast forward
06:51to the middle
06:51of next season
06:52and let's just say
06:54that Trey Young
06:54and Anthony Davis
06:55are not only on the team,
06:57but they're thriving
06:58because they are healthy.
06:59The team is
07:00in the playoff race
07:02in the Eastern Conference.
07:03Give me your starting five
07:05and how it shakes out.
07:08Starting five,
07:09Trey Young at the one,
07:11I'd put Keyshawn George
07:12at the two,
07:14DeBonsa at the three,
07:16AD at the four
07:17and Alex Saar at the five
07:19and for me,
07:19it's just a question,
07:20you know,
07:21if DeBonsa is in the
07:22starting lineup,
07:23we'll see.
07:23I think it makes a lot of sense
07:25if he is in there,
07:25he's so talented.
07:26I think it's,
07:27what do you want to put
07:28next to him and Trey Young
07:30and I think Keyshawn George
07:32is the best combination
07:34of size,
07:36physical defense
07:37and also offensive talent
07:39that they have
07:40among their young players
07:41at this point.
07:42So I think he's
07:43the type of guy
07:43who could play on the ball,
07:44he could play off the ball,
07:46you know,
07:46he could compliment Trey Young
07:47and DeBonsa very well
07:49on both ends of the floor.
07:50He can catch and shoot
07:51from three
07:52and really it's about
07:53the defense.
07:54I mean,
07:54Trey Young,
07:55very talented offensive player,
07:56DeBonsa,
07:57very talented offensively.
07:59DeBonsa has got to
08:00improve defensively,
08:01he'll tell you that.
08:02Keyshawn George
08:03gives you something
08:04that you just have to have
08:05which is someone
08:06who can disrupt things
08:07on the perimeter,
08:08who can switch
08:09and so I think
08:10he makes a lot of sense
08:11but,
08:11you know,
08:12Trey Johnson,
08:13Bilal Kulabal,
08:14I think there's a couple
08:14other players
08:15who would be options
08:16for that role
08:17but Keyshawn George,
08:18even though he's 6'8",
08:19maybe 6'9",
08:20yes,
08:21he is a two guard.
08:23He's played over
08:23a third of his minutes
08:24in the NBA so far
08:26at the two.
08:26He grew up playing guard
08:27before a growth spurt
08:28so that is a reality
08:30of his game.
08:31He can play
08:31in that position.
08:33Tell me what your thoughts
08:35are about Anthony Davis
08:36in terms of
08:37his desire to be here,
08:39the possibility
08:40of a contract extension
08:41in August
08:42and what it looks like
08:44moving forward
08:44with this organization.
08:47Well,
08:48I feel more confident
08:49saying that he's going
08:50to be part of this team
08:51next year
08:51just because
08:52lately we've heard
08:53on the record
08:54both from Michael Winger
08:55and Will Dawkins
08:56expressing confidence
08:57in that
08:58and Will Dawkins
08:59took it a little bit further,
09:00saying in an ESPN interview
09:02that there is
09:04the possibility
09:04of extension talks
09:06in August.
09:06We'll see where that goes.
09:08I like the fit
09:10in terms of
09:11especially on the defensive end
09:13if he is healthy.
09:14The Wizards last year
09:15I think saw
09:16tremendous gain
09:17from Alex Saar
09:18as a rim protector
09:19but they still had
09:20one of the worst defenses
09:21in the league.
09:23He's not quite
09:24at the point
09:24where it's like
09:25a Rudy Gobert situation
09:27where just put him
09:28on the court
09:29and it doesn't matter
09:29who's out there
09:30you're going to have
09:31a top 10 defense.
09:32So I think
09:33having two rim protectors
09:34could be strength
09:35in numbers.
09:36Perhaps it could look
09:37a little bit like Cleveland
09:38with Evan Mobley
09:39and Jared Allen
09:40and so I think
09:42that pushes the ball
09:43down the field
09:44a little bit
09:44in terms of their defense
09:45and that's going to be
09:46really, really important.
09:47I feel pretty confident
09:49that their offense
09:49can take a big step forward
09:51with Trey Young
09:51in the mix.
09:52The defense
09:53is a bit of a question mark
09:54and it's really important
09:56if you want to win
09:58throughout the history
09:59of the NBA
10:00but especially
10:01when you get to the playoffs
10:02you're not really going
10:03to go very far
10:04unless you can defend.
10:05Yeah, I mean
10:06to me, Chase
10:06and I know we've probably
10:07talked about this before
10:09but if they're going
10:10to make a big jump
10:11in this first year
10:12of trying to win games
10:14in the last three years
10:15and they're going
10:16to go from 17
10:17to say 42-43
10:19play in territory
10:20six or five seed
10:22it's going to be
10:23because Anthony Davis
10:24played 65-70 games
10:26it's not going to be
10:27because A.J. DeBonsa
10:28is the rookie of the year
10:30that's not going to
10:30translate into
10:31that kind of a turnaround
10:32I mean, Cooper Flagg
10:34was the rookie of the year
10:35and had a phenomenal
10:36rookie season
10:36Dallas won 26 games
10:38to me
10:39it's all about
10:40A.D.
10:41him being here
10:42him being healthy
10:43and him playing
10:45like he is capable
10:46of playing
10:46and then a big turnaround
10:48a big one-year turnaround
10:50is in play
10:51agree or disagree
10:53I agree
10:54I would add to that
10:55that the young players
10:57the recent high draft picks
10:58excluding DeBonsa
10:59I absolutely agree
11:00you know
11:00first year
11:01he could be incredible
11:02and it's
11:03you know
11:04he's going to have to
11:05learn how to win
11:05I mean
11:05I could add
11:06Victor Wimbanyama
11:07to that conversation
11:08these guys
11:09you know
11:09usually take them
11:10a few years
11:11but you look at
11:12like Trey Johnson
11:13Alex Saar
11:14Keyshawn George
11:14Will Riley
11:16Bilal Kulibaly
11:17Bub Carrington
11:18these guys
11:18that were drafted
11:19because they have
11:20high feeling
11:21we saw last year
11:22with Keyshawn George
11:23and Alex Saar
11:24in particular
11:25you know
11:25a couple guys
11:26make significant
11:27steps forward
11:28and all of a sudden
11:28the picture changes
11:29quite a bit
11:30and they got
11:31a lot of those guys
11:32so I think
11:33if you get
11:33two or three of them
11:34to make leaps
11:35that were similar
11:35to what we saw
11:36from Keyshawn
11:37and Alex
11:37last year
11:38that could change
11:39the outlook
11:40quite a bit
11:40and add
11:41a lot of wins
11:42to their win total
11:43but certainly
11:44the health
11:44of Anthony Davis
11:45is paramount
11:46because of how much
11:47he could impact
11:48not only the defense
11:49but the offense too
11:50I mean this guy
11:51is a very talented
11:52scorer as well
11:53all right
11:54oh I didn't ask you
11:55about Akpara
11:56what did you make
11:57of the second round pick
12:00yeah I mean
12:01it was not surprising
12:02that they packaged
12:03their two draft picks
12:04for a two for one
12:05you know
12:05they're kind of
12:06running out of roster
12:07spots to a certain degree
12:08and I think it makes sense
12:10to get sort of a physical
12:12defensive big man
12:13I wouldn't be surprised
12:14if they try to get
12:15another one
12:15in free agency
12:16and you know
12:18the fact that
12:18he's very big
12:19he's got
12:20a high motor
12:21you know
12:22he's about 240 pounds
12:24he's going to be
12:24the second heaviest
12:25player on the team
12:26next to Anthony Davis
12:27I think that's
12:28actually quite crucial
12:29this was the lightest
12:30team in the league
12:31in terms of average weight
12:32last year
12:33and the year before
12:34I think he could develop
12:35into someone
12:36who could take on
12:36some of those
12:37bigger defensive matchups
12:38and you know
12:39looking long term
12:40that's going to be
12:41really important
12:42look at the complexion
12:43of the Eastern Conference
12:44the New York Knicks
12:45Detroit Pistons
12:46Boston Celtics
12:47Orlando Magic
12:48teams like that
12:49they're very physical
12:50and they have a bunch
12:51of guys on their team
12:51that you know
12:52look like they could
12:53play for the commanders
12:54and the Wizards
12:55are trying to develop
12:57their young players
12:58into more physical guys
13:00I think they got someone
13:00who's got a good
13:01starting point
13:02because he's very big
13:04and he's very physical
13:05and he's got a good motor
13:06and he blocks shots
13:07but he can also switch
13:08so they're very excited
13:09about his defensive ceiling
13:11you
13:11and you
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