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Washington Wizards 2018 NBA Draft Scouting Profile: Lonnie Walker

By Christopher Church

DALLAS, TX - MARCH 15: Lonnie Walker IV #4 of the Miami Hurricanes goes up for a shot against Cameron Krutwig #25 of the Loyola Ramblers in the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at American Airlines Center on March 15, 2018 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
DALLAS, TX - MARCH 15: Lonnie Walker IV #4 of the Miami Hurricanes goes up for a shot against Cameron Krutwig #25 of the Loyola Ramblers in the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at American Airlines Center on March 15, 2018 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /
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The confident and speedy Miami freshman Lonnie Walker IV could be a smart option for the Washington Wizards in the upcoming 2018 NBA draft.

The NBA combine in Chicago has concluded with new sights on possible NBA draft options for the Washington Wizards including freshman guard Lonnie Walker, who declared for the 2018 NBA draft after just one season at the University of Miami.

The 6-foot-4 guard averaged 11.5 points per game and shot 41.5 percent from the field last season in 27.8 minutes per game.

The high-flying Walker looks to be a force with his new NBA team after working out this offseason at Chris Gatson’s basketball academy in California, per Michelle Kaufman of the Miami Herald. With the performance at the NBA combine, it seems as if Walker’s hard work has started to pay off.

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The speed of Walker ranked near the top in several of the NBA combine’s shuttle and sprint drills including a 2.87 time in the shuttle run, good enough for second-place behind Tyus Battle. Walker also finished third-best in the three-quarter sprint with a time of 3.06.

Walker didn’t partake in any of the four NBA combine scrimmages but made a name for himself in the speed drills.

In his freshman season at Miami, Walker improved as the season went on and put up some impressive numbers in Jan. against some of the powerhouses of the ACC.

Walker recorded 20-plus points in back-to-back games, first against Louisville on Jan. 24 when he scored 25 points and was a perfect 3-for-3 from beyond the arc as Miami went on to defeat Louisville in overtime 78-75.

Three days later, Walker recorded 23 points, five assists, and four rebounds in Miami’s overtime loss against Flordia State.

In SI.com’s 2018 NBA Mock Draft 7.0, The Crossover projects Walker to go No. 15 to the Washington Wizards. The article also mentions that with the Wizards salary cap not giving them many options in NBA free agency, it’d be smart for the Wizards to select the best available talent with their first-round pick.

Next: Wizards NBA Mock Draft Roundup

The Washington Wizards lack depth behind their All-Star shooting guard Bradley Beal and Walker is a type of player that can help the Wizards bench with blazing speed and the ability to attack the basket.

NBADraft.net compares Walker to former NBA players OJ Mayo and Rodney Stuckey and notes his long wingspan could make him a defensive stopper at the NBA level.

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