Wizards interviewed defensive specialist at combine originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
Yves Pons, the SEC Defensive Player of the Year and two-time SEC All-Defense selection, interviewed with one team at last week's NBA Draft combine and that team was the Washington Wizards.
Pons said there was good reason for that, as he was at last year's combine and spoke to many more teams. He has also worked out for four during this year's pre-draft process; the Celtics, Spurs, Timberwolves and Hornets. So, the Wizards aren't the only team interested, but there are also many reasons to see why they would be taking a look at Pons, a 22-year-old originally from France who played at the University of Tennessee each of the last four years.
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Pons is projected to go in the second round, but had a strong combine to add to his unique selling points as a defender. He measured in at nearly 6-foot-7, so taller than his listed height of 6-foot-6, with a 7-foot-1 wingspan. He also had a 42 1/2-inch max vertical leap, third-best at this year's combine and one of the highest in combine history.
"My strengths are my athleticism, my versatility and my defensive hands. Great defense, great defense. I can guard anybody on the floor, one through five. I'm a rim protector," Pons said at the combine.
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Pons' length should help his cause in the NBA as he aims to translate his shot-blocking skills. Pons could guard many positions in college, but also provide protection on the backend. He averaged 2.4 blocks per game as a junior and 1.8 as a senior. Those numbers, combined with his size and projection as a second round pick will naturally invite comparisons to Draymond Green.
Pons says he is being advised through the pre-draft process by some of his former Tennessee teammates including ex-Wizards forward Admiral Schofield and Celtics forward Grant Williams. Both are around 6-foot-6, but play more like forwards than guards, something Pons can relate to. Pons, though, has the speed and quickness to potentially switch onto guards.
Defense will be most important in determining Pons' success in the NBA, but he's hoping to round out the rest of his game. He wasn't much of a scorer in college, averaging 5.7 points for his career. His three-point percentage dropped from 34.9% his junior season to 27.4% as a senior.
"I'm always trying to improve my skill and improve my shooting ability, improve my range. Shooting three-point shots, that's something I've been working on very hard and I'm going to keep going. I'm keeping on working on my feel for the game, my handles and playing good defense. Be the best at it, that's what I want to do," Pons said.
The Wizards do not currently have a second round pick, but can acquire one via trade or with cash considerations. They have done that in two consecutive drafts, including to select Schofield in 2019. Targeting Pons would make sense given the Wizards' continued quest to improve their defense. They happen to need a wing defender entering this offseason.
Pons' combine performance may solidify his chances of being drafted, but if he isn't picked the Wizards could target him for a two-way contract, as they did with Garrison Mathews in 2019. Either way, Pons is clearly on the Wizards' radar and it's easy to see why.
