No. 2 – He fills a positional need
During the NBA Draft, I would prefer to draft the best player over basing it off of positional needs. In this case, Washington was Charlotte’s top option, and he just so happens to play a position in which the Hornets need some help in, the power forward spot.
Like I briefly touched on earlier, Marvin Williams is in the final year of his contract and will be a free agent after the 2019-20 season. As of now, Williams and Washington are the only true power forwards on the roster, but you will probably see some more small-ball from the Hornets next season.
Miles Bridges and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist are two players who can slide over to the four spot, and it wouldn’t even surprise me if Washington is used as a small-ball five man. James Borrego has been known to switch up his rotations quite often, so we could see quite a few lineup variations throughout the season, which is fun.
Washington is a very versatile player, so his ability to play and guard multiple positions could be key in his development as an NBA player. Charlotte walked away with a very well-rounded player 12th overall, and I see him getting a nice opportunity fairly quickly.