Inside The Wizards

Wizards Potential Top Pick Drills Amazing Buzzer Beater

The Washington Wizards could look to change their big board for the 2025 NBA Draft.

Jeremy Brener

Dec 14, 2024; Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; Rutgers Scarlet Knights guard Dylan Harper (2) and guard Ace Bailey (4) celebrate after defeating the Seton Hall Pirates at Jersey Mike's Arena. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
Dec 14, 2024; Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; Rutgers Scarlet Knights guard Dylan Harper (2) and guard Ace Bailey (4) celebrate after defeating the Seton Hall Pirates at Jersey Mike's Arena. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
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The Washington Wizards are keeping an eye on potential players who could be considered for the top pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, and their interest may have been piqued after what Rutgers guard Dylan Harper did against the Seton Hall Pirates.

With the game tied at 63 with 6.4 seconds left, Harper dribbled the ball up the court, pulled up from an NBA-range 3-pointer and casually sunk the shot to give Rutgers the three-point win.

Here's a look at the play:

While Duke freshman forward Cooper Flagg is still the leading candidate to be the top overall selection, Harper is also making quite the case. He likely would have been considered as the top pick more in the 2024 NBA Draft against weaker top prospects in Atlanta Hawks forward Zaccharie Risacher and Wizards big man Alex Sarr.

There's no guarantee that the Wizards end up with the No. 1 overall pick, even though the team is 3-20 and holds the worst record in the NBA. That's why it's important to look at more than just Flagg when finding top prospects, and Harper could be the right fit.

While Harper could force the Wizards to make a change in the backcourt with either Jordan Poole or Bub Carrington, he would be the best player on the team while also occupying the highest ceiling.

There's still a lot of time between now and the end of June, giving the top prospects a chance to shuffle around the order, but plays like Harper's game-winner prove that the Wizards should have several strong options going into the 2025 NBA Draft.

The Wizards are back in action tonight as they play the defending champion Boston Celtics at home. Tipoff for the game is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET from Capital One Arena.

Make sure you bookmark Washington Wizards on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.

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