Washington Wizards Draft John Wall With 1st Pick In SB Nation NBA Mock Draft

by Scott Schroeder on Jun 16, 2025 11:00 AM EDT in NBA Draft 2010 Comment 9 comments

Dave Martin - AP

Kentucky guard John Wall is obviously excited to be picked by the Washington Wizards first overall in the SB Nation NBA Mock Draft.

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The 2010 SB Nation NBA Mock Draft is now officially underway, with each SB Nation blogger making selections for their respective teams. Mike Prada, the lead editor at SB Nation's Washington Wizards blog Bullets Forever, checks in to make the first overall selection in this year's mock. Take it away, sir!

With the first overall pick in the 2010 SB Nation NBA Mock Draft, the Washington Wizards have selected John Wall, PG, Kentucky Wildcats.

Prada explains: John Wall is the best talent in this draft. Sure, his numbers in college could have been better. Sure, he and Gilbert Arenas may not be the most ideal fit in the world. But for a team desperately needing that A-list superstar to lead them into the next generation, John Wall is the shot in the arm.

His open-court style is best suited for the NBA game, and while he still needs to work on his pick and roll game and his defensive intensity, all the tools to dominate in both spots are there. His jumper is still a work in progress, but it's also the easiest thing a player can improve, so there's hope there. Most importantly, Wall is a great kid, a leader and a joy to be around, the kind of guy that turns potential malcontents into choir boys and attracts all sorts of great players to want to play with him.

Few players drafted in the last 10 years offer as much potential to be a building block as John Wall. It might take a couple years for him to develop, but he will, and when he does, he will be one of the best players in the NBA.

Ridiculous Upside reacts: Duh? It seems everyone is on board this pick - even Evan Turner.

SB Nation's Kentucky blog weighs in: A Sea Of Blue's Truzenzuzex did a podcast with Prada a couple of weeks ago that should easily tell you everything you'll ever need to know about John Wall and the Wizards. In April, Truzenzuzex also did a great profile chronicling Wall's lone season as a Wildcat.

Ridiculous Upside's Top 5 remaining prospects: 1 - Evan Turner, SG/SF, Ohio State. 2 - Derrick Favors, PF, Georgia Tech. 3 - DeMarcus Cousins, C, Kentucky. 4 - Wesley Johnson, SF, Syracuse. 5 - Al-Farouq Aminu, F, Wake Forest.

Sound off, SB Nation! What say you of the Wall-to-Washington pick? Please be sure to check out Bullets Forever for all of your Wizards needs and SB Nation DC for all of your Washington, D.C. sports needs.

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Grade the Washington Wizards' selection of John Wall

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Read More: 2010 nba draft, nba draft 2010, John Wall (G - Kentucky), Kentucky Wildcats, Washington Wizards

Comments

Way to go out on a limb, Prada

Liberty Ballers / Ridiculous Upside / @TAFKAMikeBourn

by TheArtistFormerlyKnownAsMichaelBourn on Jun 16, 2025 11:13 AM EDT reply actions

Is that why you voted F?

I write about basketball players with Ridiculous Upside. I know you'll love it.

by Scott Schroeder on Jun 16, 2025 2:25 PM EDT up reply actions

I voted A, some other Tim the Toolman voted F

Liberty Ballers / Ridiculous Upside / @TAFKAMikeBourn

by TheArtistFormerlyKnownAsMichaelBourn on Jun 16, 2025 2:59 PM EDT up reply actions

I voted C, just because it was a no-brainer. A is “ohmigod, the guys above you passed him up?” or “You definitely made the right decision between two equally hyped picks.” Not really possible in this situation.

In my book, Dwight Howard over Emeka Okafor was a B - probably right. Darko Milicic over Anthony, Bosh, Wade, and Kaman was an F. Given his injury concerns, Greg Oden over Kevin Durant was a D. Rose at #1 was a B; Beasley at #2 a C or D, and Mayo at #3 a B - I would have rated Rose and Mayo as 1a and 1b, Beasley as 3.

Honor is no substitute for victory.

by The Dark on Jun 16, 2025 3:12 PM EDT up reply actions

So what’s an A?

Liberty Ballers / Ridiculous Upside / @TAFKAMikeBourn

by TheArtistFormerlyKnownAsMichaelBourn on Jun 16, 2025 3:31 PM EDT up reply actions

Spurs getting Blair at 37 after his ACL-less free fall?

by BlaseE on Jun 16, 2025 3:33 PM EDT up reply actions

To be honest, I couldn’t see any when I looked at the recent top 10 picks. Michael Redd probably would have been an A - played well as a sophomore and junior, but slid to #43 overall. David Lee would have been an A based on the omigod factor. I’d consider Ryan Anderson an A - he and Mayo led the PAC-10 in scoring, and he was right behind Kevin Love in rebounding, yet slid to #21 overall?

And I’ll admit I’m a really tough grader - I expect most draft picks to be a C, with a few Bs, and maybe 1 or 2 As, but possibly 0. There’s no GPA to worry about, so I’m not going to be concerned with ruining a students’ cum laude run. It’s not criticism of the pick to make it a C, it’s just saying that it’s what I expected with the pick.

Honor is no substitute for victory.

by The Dark on Jun 16, 2025 4:37 PM EDT up reply actions