Washington Wizards Work Out UMBC’s Jarius Lyles and Five Other Prospects

The Washington Wizards hosted UMBC’s Jairus Lyles, Kentucky’s Hamidou Diallo and Flordia’s Chris Chiozza among the list of NBA draft prospects to work out for Wizards.

After making history in the 2018 NCAA Tournament, the Washington Wizards hosted NBA draft prospect Jairus Lyles of UMBC on Tuesday as his journey to the NBA has become a reality.

Other NBA draft prospects to work out for the Washington Wizards Tuesday include Chris Chiozza of Florida, Hamidou Diallo of Kentucky, Morgan State’s Tiwian Kendley, Wake Forest’s Doral Moore and Ray Spalding of Louisville.

After one year at VCU, Lyles transferred to UMBC and finished his collegiate career as UMBC’s second all-time leading scorer with 1,751 points. Lyles played heavy minutes throughout his time at UMBC and averaged 34.9 minutes per game in his senior season, along with 20.4 points per game, which set a UMBC all-time record.

At the moment, Lyles seems to be a projected late second-round draft pick or not drafted at all. If Lyles ends up not being drafted in the 2018 NBA draft, he could join an NBA team during the summer league where he can showcase his abilities to NBA scouts.

Among the group of NBA draft prospects in the first of many Wizards pre-draft workouts, Kentucky freshman Diallo is the only prospect to land in the latest mock draft by NBADraft.net at No. 52 to the Utah Jazz.

The freshman guard averaged 24.8 minutes and shot 33.8 percent from beyond the arc at Kentucky last season. The 6-foot-5 guard has great size and with a wide wingspan.

Next: Washington Wizards NBA Mock Draft Roundup

Diallo’s NBA comparison is Iman Shumpert and Archie Goodwin, per NBAdraft.net. With Kelly Oubre Jr. in a contract year and the massive contract of Otto Porter Jr., Diallo could become a viable option who can make an impact with the Wizards in a couple of years after he gets some NBA experience under his belt.