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Christopher Boan has been covering sports and sports betting for more than seven years, including stops at ArizonaSports.com, the Tucson Weekly and the Green Valley News.
What to Expect from the Washington Wizards’ No. 6 Overall Pick in the 2025 NBA Draft
Monday night delivered another body blow for a franchise full of them.
The Washington Wizards dropped to the sixth selection in the 2025 NBA Draft during the lottery, despite entering the night tied for the top odds of landing the top pick at 14.3%. Using Basketball-Reference.com, BetVirginia.com found the performance of the past 25 players (2000-2024 Drafts) selected with the No. 6 overall pick in the NBA Draft.
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Historical Performance of No. 6 Overall Picks During Career
Situation | Number | Percentage |
Won Rookie of the Year | 2 of 25 | 8.0% |
Made All-NBA Rookie First Team | 6 of 25 | 24.0% |
Made An All-Star Game | 3 of 25 | 12.0% |
Made An All-NBA First Team | 1 of 25 | 4.0% |
Made An All-NBA Defensive Team | 1 of 25 | 4.0% |
Won An MVP | 0 of 25 | 0.0% |
Won An NBA Championship | 1 of 25 | 4.0% |
Stick with BetVirginia.com for top Virginia sportsbook promos and more NBA content. The list above accounts for all No. 6 overall NBA Draft picks since 2000. Washington will draft in that spot (pending any trades) despite finishing the 2024-25 season with the NBAs second-worst record at 18-64.
Notable No. 6 Picks and Their Impact
While the sixth pick usually doesn’t produce the type of talent that higher draft slots do, that’s not to say that the spot has failed to produce quality players. NBA mainstays such as Josh Giddey of the Oklahoma City Thunder (2021), Jonathan Isaac (Orlando Magic in 2017) and Buddy Hield (New Orleans Pelicans in 2016) all were selected sixth overall in their draft years.
We broke down some trends for Virginia sports betting with the NBA Draft coming next month.
Since 2014, the player taken sixth overall to produce the highest win share total (per Basketball-Reference.com) has been Marcus Smart, who has put up 34.2 win shares across 635 games played. That ranks ahead of Hield (27.7 win shares), Onyeka Okongwu (24.9) and Willie Cauley-Stein (23.3).
Conversely Jarrett Culver had -0.1 win shares in his NBA career after being the sixth overall pick in 2019 and has been out of the league since 2023. Players such as Tidjane Salaun (0.0 win shares in 60 games played), Anthony Black (4.0 WS in 147 games) and Bennedict Mathurin (6.2 WS in 209 games) still have time to become contributors for their teams and NBA betting props.
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No. 6 picks since 2014
With win shares from Basketball-Reference.com
- 2024: Tidjane Salaun (0.0 WS)
- 2023: Anthony Black (4.0 WS)
- 2022: Benedict Mathurin (6.2 WS)
- 2021: Josh Giddey (13.9 WS)
- 2020: Onyeka Okongwu (24.9 WS)
- 2019: Jarrett Culver (-0.1 WS)
- 2018: Mo Bamba (15.6 WS)
- 2017: Jonathan Isaac (14.0 WS)
- 2016: Buddy Hield (27.7 WS)
- 2015: Willie Cauley-Stein (23.3 WS)
- 2014: Marcus Smart (34.2 WS)
The most recent time that Washington chose No. 6 overall was 2011, when forward Jan Vesely was the pick. He played two-plus seasons with the Wizards and was out of the league by 2014.
What This Means for the Washington Wizards in 2025
The past 11 sixth overall picks since 2014 have averaged roughly 14.9 win shares across their respective playing careers. Based on that trend, Wizards fans and the team’s backers at Virginia sportsbook apps might expect a solid but not franchise-altering player when they get on the clock come June 25 in Brooklyn.
That said, few basketball fans in the Nation’s Capital would like bemoan getting someone that can impact a game like Smart, Hield, Cauley-Stein or Issac. Jonathan Givony of ESPN.com projects the Wizards to land Texas shooting guard Tre Johnson, who averaged 19.9 points per game in his lone season in Austin last year.
Given Washington’s need for skill players across the board, it’ll likely take more than a single draft class to turn the tide in D.C. – but that resurrection process could accelerate in June, when the Wizards hope to land an All-Star caliber player sixth overall in the first round.
The bet365 Virginia Sportsbook has props for the NBA Draft and other operators will offer more as the event gets closer.
USA Today photo by Jerome Miron
Washington Wizards 2025 Draft FAQ
Over the past 25 years, only 3 of 25 (12%) became All-Stars. Just 1 player (4%) made the All-NBA First Team. It’s a pick with moderate upside but not consistent star power.
Yes, 2 of 25 players selected No. 6 overall since 2000 were named Rookie of the Year (both from the Portland Trail Blazers), Brandon Roy in 2007 and Damian Lillard in 2013.
Only one since 2000 (Shane Battier) won an NBA Championship, capturing two titles with the Miami Heat in 2012 and 2013.
Based on history, about a 1 in 8 chance (12%). Damian Lillard, Brandon Roy and Marcus Smart are the only players to earn that honor throughout their career after being selected at the No. 6 overall spot.
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