The already-young Wizards core expanded Thursday night as they picked up Jan Vesely, Chris Singleton and Shelvin Mack in the 2011 NBA Draft. Washington is already a young team and has taken chances on foreign players.

This draft only continued those tendencies: building young and adding a foreign flavor to the team.

“We were trying to improve on the defensive end,” Grunfeld said. “We do have a young team, but really, that’s our plan.”

Vesely hails from the Czech Republic and, according to General Manager Ernie Grunfeld, would have been on Washington’s draft board last year had he declared for the draft. Fans at the Verizon Center were content with the pick, but Vesely looked ecstatic, leaning in for a kiss with his girlfriend.

“I was very excited,” Vesely said. “I think she was excited too.”

The kiss got more cheers from the Verizon Center draft party than the pick did.

He is part of a young, fast-paced, defense-oriented group that Grunfeld and Head Coach Flip Saunders are putting together for the 2011-12 season. He could not pinpoint his strength when asked on conference call minutes after the pick, but Grunfeld clearly liked the pick.

“Washington is a fast team,” he said. “They like to play fast basketball. I feel like I can fit inside.”

The 21-year-old is known as a great transition player and should be able to complement the fast-paced style John Wall is known for with his size and finishing power at the basket.

Chris Singleton was taken eighteenth overall and felt like he slipped from where he was projected. Some websites, including NBADraft.net, had him slated for seventeenth. Those in the Verizon Center Thursday night saw it as a steal for their home team.

“I’m just happy to be a Wizard right now. I’m just happy to get drafted,” Singleton said.

But he later commented, “I feel like my value was higher than there.”

He already groups himself with his draft class, showing confidence for all three players.

“I feel like we can contribute right off the bat,” Singleton said.

Grunfeld did not seem too confident in that happening, just because they are rookies. He cited numerous times over the last few days that not too many rookies can have an immediate statistical impact.

“I hope he [Singleton] tries to come in and contribute for a starting job but he has to earn it,” Grunfeld said.

Singleton has the capability of defending three positions on the floor, meaning good things not only for the Wizards defense, but also for Singleton’s playing time as he can come in with an impact in a variety of situations.

“He’s big. He’s strong. He’s long and he’s very active. He can guard multiple positions,” Grunfeld said.

He was on the All-Defensive team for his final two years at Florida State, and his raw athleticism only adds to the success of the pick.

Butler star Shelvin Mack came down thirty-fourth overall, the only pick the Wizards had in the second round. He put up 16 points per game and pulled down 4.5 rebounds per game last season as he went to his second consecutive NCAA Championship.

He comes in to an already-young and overcrowded backcourt, and almost surely will not make the roster for the beginning of the season. The Wizards pulled guards from the NBA’s Developmental League last year and Mack may just find himself in position for that to happen to him.

Local reporters could not reach him on draft night as they could with Vesely and Singleton.

Sporting News named the Wizards as one of their four big draft winners. They addressed their need with frontcourt players without giving up anyone from their backcourt. Rumors flew through the night about the possibility of Jordan Crawford leaving for the Wizards to trade up, but it seems they did not have to.

It was clearly a successful night in Washington.