The second round of the NBA Draft is a numbers game for those players not good enough to earn the guaranteed contracts meted out to first-rounders.

Take last season, when just seven of 29 second-round picks were on opening day rosters, compared with 24 of 28 first-rounders. Cleveland's Dajuan Wagner (No. 6) was absent because of a kidney condition, and New Jersey's Nenad Kristic (No. 24) spent last season overseas.

But Steve Blake, the 38th pick overall in Thursday's draft and the second Maryland star taken by Washington in as many seasons, is in a different situation. For one thing, the Wizards don't have a legitimate point guard signed to a contract. And the guys they have masquerading as such either don't want to play it (Larry Hughes) or have yet to grasp the nuances of NBA point guard play (Blake's ex-Terrapins teammate, Juan Dixon).

If the Wizards don't re-sign Tyronn Lue, they might pursue free agents like Orlando's Darrell Armstrong or San Antonio's Speedy Claxton. But that's down the road. For now, at least, Washington looks like the perfect fit for the 6-foot-3 Blake, a four-year starter at Maryland.