The Washington Wizards will start their pre-draft workouts on Wednesday. Among the first list of players to work out will be a pair of popular Maryland players.
Guards Eric Ayala and Darryl Morsell will get an opportunity to make a first impression on Wizards general manager Tommy Sheppard and the team’s draft evaluators.
Ayala stands 6-foot-5. He played four seasons with the Terrapins. He had a breakout season in 2020-21 where he averaged 15.1 points while shooting 43.7% from the field, including 33.7% from three.
Ayala scoped around the draft process but returned to Maryland for his senior season last year. He took a step back in some regards to transfer Rhode Island, Fatts Russell. However, Ayala still averaged 14.7 points and a career-best 4.6 rebounds. His shooting percentage drops dramatically to 38.3% as he didn’t get to the paint as much as the season prior. Yet, he was able to shoot the same from three, at 33.9%.
Meanwhile, Morsell was the 2020-21 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. The Baltimore native developed a Marcus Smart-like reputation on the defensive end.
The 6-foot-5 Morsell also flirted with the draft process last year. Looking to improve his draft stock, Morsell transferred to Marquette for his senior season.
In his lone season at Marquette, Morsell raised his scoring average from 8.7 points per game to 13.4. He also shot 34.7% from three which was a drastic jump from 29.9% he shot over three seasons at Maryland.
The Wizards also will work out guard D’Shawn Schwartz out of George Mason and forwards Anthony Duruji (Florida), Grant Golden (Richmond) and Brandon Horvath (Utah State).
