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NBA Draft 2022: Wizards draft Yannick Nzosa at No. 54 overall

The Wizards’ second round pick plays in Malaga, Spain and is looking to naturalize there so he can play with the Spanish team in the future.

By Albert Lee
/ new
U-BT Cluj-Napoca V Unicaja Baloncesto Malaga - Basketball Champions League
Yannick Nzosa is the Wizards’ second round pick.
Photo by Flaviu Buboi/NurPhoto via Getty Images

The Washington Wizards drafted Yannick Nzosa with the No. 54 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft on Thursday evening. Nzosa plays for Unicaja Malaga in Spain and is a native of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

According to the NBA’s draft profile, he did not play organized basketball until he was 12 years old (he is 18 right now) and he has been in Malaga since 2019. According to Malaga Hoy in Spain, Nzosa is looking to naturalize in Spain so he can play for the Spanish men’s national basketball team in the future. Nzosa wouldn’t be the first Congolese player to naturalize as a Spanish citizen. Long-time NBA veteran Serge Ibaka has done the same.

Given Nzosa’s age and lack of professional experience, he seems to be a draft-and-stash option for the Wizards in the short term. He would probably play in Summer League next month, but I’m not sure what to expect of him right now, however.

Let us know your thoughts about Nzosa in the comments below.

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