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Wizards VP of college personnel gives scout’s take on team’s young core

By Chase Hughes

Wizards' VP of college personnel on team's young core originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington

WASHINGTON — Few people can speak to the development of the Wizards’ young players quite like Frank Ross, who serves as the team’s Vice President of College Personnel. He’s a high-ranking front office executive who travels the country to scout prospects in practices and games. He reports back to Wizards president Tommy Sheppard and is part of the group that guides the team’s decision-making on draft night.

Ross has to evaluate young players and project what they can be for the Wizards. And so, he had a direct hand in the drafting of Rui Hachimura, Corey Kispert and others who have joined the organization in recent years.

NBC Sports Washington caught up with Ross this week at the team’s practice facility to discuss the growth of the Wizards’ four most recent first-round picks; Hachimura (2019), Deni Avdija (2020), Kispert (2021) and Johnny Davis (2022).

Ross gave a scout’s take on each of them, in particular areas he believes they have improved entering the 2022-23 season. Hachimura is the most experienced of the four, as he’s going into his fourth year, while Davis has yet to make his regular-season debut as a 2022 first-round pick.

Rui Hachimura

Ross: “I think watching him in his first practice and throughout the week leading up to this, you can see his ball-handling has gotten a little better and he’s more comfortable on the perimeter putting the ball on the floor. Last year, one thing with Rui is when he would put the ball on the floor and he got cut off, he would immediately pick it up and turn to pass the ball. You can see he’s a little more comfortable trying to push the envelope and see that maybe I can still get through the gap. And then, his 3-point shooting where last year he shot at a real high clip and I’m quite sure he’s going to continue on that path. And his body looks good.”

Deni Avdija

“You could see towards the end of last year, Deni was starting to really develop in terms of making plays off the bounce, pushing it in transition and he started shooting a little better from the 3-point line. You could just see his confidence getting better. He played well this year during the summer. I expect big things from him as well because his body’s gotten stronger, and that’s the whole key. [It’s common] once young guys come in, you could see Deni kind of getting knocked off his path. I’m quite sure he will be a better finisher last year because some of those layups around the rim last year he’d end up missing, coming up short. But all that comes with maturity and getting stronger and finishing stronger around the basket.”

Corey Kispert

“Definitely, I think, one of the big things for Corey is going to be, I think we’ll see a better defender. It’s not like he didn’t defend, I think a lot of that was the neck-up part in terms of his defensive IQ; knowing guys’ tendencies. I think as you come through the league, you start to understand like if I can know a guy’s tendencies and some of the things he likes to do, and I can take that away, maybe I’ll have bought myself some time in getting some help, or making him take a shot that he doesn’t want to take. I mean, in this league it’s tough to just stop somebody. Especially the way the rules are, you can’t really touch anybody. Plus, he has to guard the ball on the perimeter. I think defensively [he’s better], and also being more of a knockdown shooter, especially the corner threes. But the one thing when you watched him last year, which you could see that from the neck up he knows how to play. He’s always moving without the ball, so he’s not just a one-dimensional guy, just a catch-and-shoot guy. And he’s got some sneaky athleticism. Just watching him this morning, his body looks as if he’s in great shape. He’s stronger. He looks like he’s ready to go.”

Johnny Davis

“Watching Johnny this morning and from the summer, he made a couple of moves where he didn’t take the blow, he delivered the blow and he didn’t get knocked off his path. During Summer League, you could see him get knocked off his path because the speed of the game with the guys on the floor and the strength of the game, he even looks stronger. But he seems to be a lot more confident and not hesitant, just from the summer to now. And the one thing about him, Johnny, you can see defensively, he understands how to play defense and he’s kind of learning the pro schemes, but he gives great effort. That’s one thing that impressed me this morning with. He stayed attached to his man and he wasn’t afraid to get physical. I think that’s going to be huge for him. Just from the summer to [training camp], it was impressive to see how he made some adjustments, especially with the strength part of the game.”

Wizards believe they are set up well to re-sign Kyle Kuzma

By Chase Hughes
Wizards believe they are set up well to re-sign Kuzma originally appeared on NBC Sports WashingtonWASHINGTON -- Wizards president Tommy Sheppard used the example of Bradley Beal, but he could have gone in a few different directions if he wanted to. By not trading Kyle Kuzma before Thursday's deadline, the Wizards have signaled their intentions to re-sign Kuzma this summer.Kuzma can opt out of his contract to be an unrestricted free agent, so the prospect of losing him is there. But as Sheppard noted, the Wizards have been down this road before, many times actually.Beal had the ability to leave in free agency, and so have others like Davis Bertans. You could go back further, to before Sheppard took over as general manager, during his time as assistant GM, and point to John Wall and Otto Porter Jr.Each time, the Wizards got those players to sign extensions to stay in D.C. Sheppard is now hopeful Kuzma will do the same."He's obviously still a Wizard. I'm not kidding when I say this, we try to be very informed before we do any decision," Sheppard said.Sheppard added he has had frequent conversations with Kuzma, his teammates and others to take the temperature on where things stand. As far as he is concerned, Kuzma likes playing in Washington and, also important, the team's ownership group is "thrilled with what Kyle has brought to the team."As of now, there appears to be a good fit for both sides. If that wasn't the case, Kuzma could have been holding an introductory press conference in another city on Friday."I felt very confident that if we needed to move him because he expressed it or we needed to move it because we didn't believe him, we would have done something. We believe in him and I think he believes in us," Sheppard said.What it will cost to sign Kuzma to a new contract is unclear, but it will surely be for quite a bit more than the $13 million he's currently due for next season. A reasonable prediction would probably double that number and scale it across a multi-year contract.Kuzma, 27, appears to have just entered his prime, this year averaging a career-high 21.3 points, 7.6 rebounds and 4.0 assists (also a career-best) while shooting 45.3% from the field and 33.2% from three. Adding to his value is his approach to the game, as a willing defender and passer.The Wizards traded for an ascending player when they acquired Kuzma in 2021 from the Lakers. He has also found a comfortable place to continue his NBA development. Not only has he continued to improve, but he is also playing with both his childhood best friend, Monte Morris, and college teammate, Delon Wright.Giving Kuzma a substantial raise would not be done in a vacuum. The Wizards will have to manage what could be a very expensive roster with Beal already set to make $46.7 million next season in the second year of his supermax deal and Kristaps Porzingis also potentially in line for a raise. Porzingis, like Kuzma, has a player option for 2023-24, his at $36 million.Even if Porzingis doesn't opt out, the Wizards could owe three players over $100 million combined, leaving little room under what is projected to be a $134 million salary cap."I think keeping Kyle, we made it clear that that's a priority for us in the offseason. Assuming Kristaps were to opt out, he's a priority for us this offseason. That's his decision and we'll address it when we're notified," Sheppard said.Part of the equation in keeping the Wizards' top-three players together is the results in the standings. They are currently 24-29, 11th in the Eastern Conference and outside of the play-in tournament cut-off. Surely, winning would be expected, especially if the Wizards were pushed into the luxury tax. Sheppard believes the health of his top players is paramount to their success. Beal has missed 21 of the team's 53 games this season with various injuries, Kuzma is currently sidelined with an ankle sprain, while Porzingis has had some well-documented issues staying healthy over the years.In the calendar year since Porzingis was acquired from the Mavericks at the 2022 deadline, the Wizards' core three players have appeared in just 25 games together."We can probably do pretty well if one is out for a while, two is very difficult and three is dang near impossible. But that's any team in the league if you take their top three players off. I don't know that you can ever have full confidence and I know the character of those guys and their work habits," Sheppard said.The Wizards have set their plan and made it well known. Ultimately, it will be up to Kuzma to decide.
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