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Wemby World
2025 NBA Draft Thread
- Thread in 'Sports & Training' Thread starter Started by addict4sneakers,
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last thing houston needs is the thompson twins
Wemby pls
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How Overtime Elite became a college basketball ally instead of a threat
In May 2021, John Calipari was ranting to reporters, as he is wont to do, about the future of college basketball and what was best for the sport (especially his Kentucky program). At the time, an upstart professional league, Overtime Elite, was gobbling up five-star high school talent by offering six-figure contracts, and this obviously had the Hall of Fame coach’s attention.
“We are not just competing against other colleges. We are competing against that too,” Calipari said then. “Because the kids they are going after are the kids that we would recruit.”
Like the five-star Thompson twins, Amen and Ausar, who would become the face of OTE over the last two years and who will likely both be NBA Draft lottery picks in June. They recently told The Athletic that Kentucky was once their dream school, but being able to turn pro before their senior year in high school changed the dream. So there was Calipari two summers ago, workshopping his competing pitch in real time, citing TV ratings and the value of branding when you play for a highly visible blueblood versus a nascent pro league with (at the time) no TV deal. He’d just held a staff retreat where strategizing how to combat this new recruiting threat was a major topic.
Dan Porter, OTE’s co-founder and CEO, responded to Calipari’s comments on Twitter that day:
Less than two years later, Calipari visited OTE’s state-of-the-art, 103,000 square foot facility in midtown Atlanta to see five-star Kentucky signee Robert Dillingham, who is playing his senior high school season there. Calipari looked right into one of Overtime’s many, many cameras and gave a full-throated endorsement of the league and its developmental value. He basically filmed a free commercial for his one-time nemesis. In the blink of an eye, OTE went from foe to friend of college basketball.
“The structure and all that is needed to prepare a young man for college is there,” Calipari told The Athletic recently.
In Year 1, all of Overtime’s players (most of them still in high school) signed professional contracts and were paid handsomely, thus forfeiting their NCAA eligibility. Thanks in part to the passage of NIL legislation, which allows college athletes to profit from their own personal brand, Year 2 has brought a second option for OTE players. Now, they can either take the guaranteed money and be pros or sign as scholarship students of the league’s in-house academy, where educational expenses are covered and they’re free to pursue NIL deals to earn income, thus maintaining NCAA eligibility.
A dozen players, including eight top-75 recruits from the 2023, 2024 and 2025 classes, chose the latter, turning Overtime Elite’s tricked-out building into a must-see attraction for college coaches. Three OTE players have already signed with schools for next season: Dillingham at Kentucky, Kanaan Carlyle at Stanford and Trey Parker at NC State. Naas Cunningham (2024) and Bryson Tiller (2025) are both top-five players being recruited by almost every major program. Coaches from Duke, Kansas, Alabama, Tennessee, Arkansas, Texas, Indiana, Michigan, Memphis, Auburn, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Louisville, LSU, Mississippi State and Ole Miss, just to name some, have stopped in to see what the fuss is about.
Now that they’re in a mutually beneficial relationship, college coaches can see the appeal of Overtime Elite. Backed by the big bucks of Jeff Bezos, the rapper Drake and a number of NBA players, including Kevin Durant and Devin Booker, OTE has everything in its building. There’s an accredited, NCAA-approved school. There’s a massive practice gym equipped with the same Noah System that most NBA teams use to track shots. There’s a modern weight room and nutrition center, a full-time therapist, a shot doctor and an accomplished coaching staff.
Introducing the scholarship option was “a game changer,” NC State coach Kevin Keatts says. He’s watched Wolfpack signee Parker blossom into a tantalizing prospect since joining that league. He started this season alongside UK’s Dillingham, then got traded to a team featuring the Thompson twins. Playing with and against a heap of blue-chip recruits, Parker has stood out with jaw-dropping athleticism and explosiveness — there might not be a more exciting finisher in OTE.
“Because of the fact that he’s played against some really good players and been in a system and they run it like a college or pro program, I think you get a kid who is a lot more prepared than he probably would be at a normal high school,” Keatts said. “I’ve seen him grow in areas where I really thought he needed to get better. He’ll have the experience of already being away from home, he’ll have the experience of already traveling, he’ll have the experience of playing with good players, and then obviously being in the classroom and everything else. Those are things that really help freshmen when they come in the door, where the adjustment is not as big as a guy who hasn’t been through some of that stuff.”
Kevin Ollie, a 13-year NBA vet who won two national titles (one as an assistant, one as head coach) at Connecticut, is head of coaching and basketball development. Dave Leitao, who spent 13 years as a head coach at DePaul and Virginia, coaches one of OTE’s teams. Ryan Gomes, an All-American at Providence and longtime NBA player, coaches another. Damien Wilkins, son of Gerald and nephew of Dominique, a former McDonald’s All-American and 10-year NBA veteran, is the general manager. College coaches appreciate the professionalism of the approach.
“They came, they saw, they watched practice and the light bulb went off,” Porter said of college coaches. “Everything is done with an incredible amount of seriousness and rigor. So when you see the physical development, the skill development, the basketball IQ development — now we’re friends. It starts with seeing it, and then it goes to relationships, and then it goes to them feeling really good about players they’ve recruited since 10th or 11th grade being with us.
“And by the way, the opposite happens too. I sit down and talk to these coaches and I say, ‘What do you want to see when so-and-so steps on your campus?’ Then we fold that back into our curriculum. Our goal has always been for when our players make the NBA, people would say, ‘Oh, that’s an OTE player. They operate at a different level.’ That’s our goal with college coaches too. We want them to say, ‘Wow, that player got to my campus and he was ready.’”
Calipari and Porter have had multiple conversations, first to clear up misconceptions Porter says Calipari had about the league’s intentions. He worried that OTE would try to convince his signees to go pro and skip college, which Porter assured him won’t happen. Then Calipari shared the kinds of skills he would like to see developed and the emphasis on being a team player he hopes to see instilled in Dillingham and future Kentucky recruits with Overtime. Calipari liked that the league was already heavily focused on developing fully formed people, including mental health and financial literacy initiatives — and he was sold by their commitment to upholding players’ NCAA eligibility. OTE hired former NCAA investigator Tim Nevius as its vice president of regulatory affairs and athlete advocacy to be certain everything about its new scholarship program passes muster with college basketball’s governing body.
Nevius spent five years at the NCAA, where he was the lead investigator on the 2012 Ohio State “tattoo gate” case, which ultimately cost Jim Tressel his job and dragged several players through the mud for (in retrospect) laughably innocuous violations. That was a turning point for Nevius, who then switched sides, joining antitrust lawyer Jeff Kessler in the fight for athletes’ rights. He helped assemble the landmark class-action lawsuit Alston vs. NCAA, which led to a unanimous Supreme Court ruling in favor of college athletes in June 2021. That same year, Nevius gave a TEDx talk called “The exploitation of US college athletes.” After two years as outside counsel for Overtime, he moved in-house last year to help spearhead OTE’s move to the scholarship model. His job was dotting all the i’s and crossing all the t’s.
“If the scholarship players joined a program that included professional players, what guardrails did we have to put in place to ensure they’re going to maintain their amateur status and be able to continue on to college?” Nevius said. “It’s fairly straightforward, because players are allowed to get their expenses paid for — what the NCAA calls ‘actual and necessary expenses,’ which are in connection with their basketball competition. Financial aid covers room, board, books, tuition, and then their actual necessary expenses related to basketball. The academic component was also a priority. Fortunately, OTE already prioritized academics, so it was really just making sure the program met initial NCAA requirements.”
Overtime’s academic program is registered and cleared with the NCAA’s eligibility center. In addition to poring over the rulebook, Nevius also had proactive conversations with his former employer at its Indianapolis headquarters and checked in with college compliance offices to be certain he wasn’t missing anything and everyone was comfortable with OTE’s new model.
“We felt very confident,” he said, “but of course we wanted to have a dialogue with the NCAA just to make sure they were aware of it and there were no misunderstandings or hidden pitfalls that we weren’t aware of. Rules have been on the books for years about this, but something we wanted to be sure we were interpreting correctly was that it wasn’t going to be an issue to have high school kids on the same team with, in the same league as, players who were being paid as professionals.
“The reception from almost everyone (in college programs) has been especially positive, because I think there’s a comfort they get from knowing that we are tracking everything, every step along the way.”
From OTE’s perspective, this evolution was an easy, obvious choice. It widens the talent pool the program can pick from, now that players don’t have to choose between them and going to college. As an added benefit, five-star players who sign with OTE can still be of great interest to massive and passionate college fan bases. The league has a new deal with Amazon Prime Video to stream its games, and now Kentucky fans have a reason to watch Dillingham go head-to-head with the NBA-ready Thompson twins.
“I don’t think that I had personally appreciated that or tuned into that as much, and then when I realized that signing certain players who are being followed by all these blogs — Kentucky Wire or whatever they’re called — it’s like, oh, yeah, that’s a whole other realm,” Porter said. “Because the reality is we have a couple players the audience knows and cares about, but the question we ask over and over again is why somebody should watch us. There has to be some story or some reason to watch, like that the Thompson twins are going to be the first lottery pick twins. So bringing all of those college fans into the tent has been a real plus. I can’t tell you I was intentional about it. It snuck up on me and hit me on the head, and then I woke up and realized, oh, yeah, that’s valuable.”
If getting Calipari’s blessing gave OTE credibility as a place to nurture elite players, landing a Stanford signee was a major win for the program’s academic reputation. Cardinal coach Jerod Haase echoed Calipari’s and Keatts’ sentiments about the growth he’s seen in top-50 recruit Carlyle’s game while at Overtime, but none of that matters if he can’t get into Stanford.
“Our admissions people obviously take that extremely seriously, and they did their own vetting process,” Haase said. “And then when I was there firsthand, I was extremely impressed with how they were handling it. They’ve clearly invested in the basketball part, but I think they’ve invested in the academic part, too, and made sure they’re offering a quality education and they’re doing it the right way.”
He probably never expected to be saying such a thing about a professional league that popped up seemingly overnight two years ago, born of a media company that earned millions of social media followers by posting mixtape-style viral video content. On the other hand, Haase sort of expects the unexpected when it comes to college basketball at this point.
“Everything’s changing, really minute by minute,” he said. “The last four or five years, the only thing that’s constant in our sport is that everything is changing.”
Leitao used to be on the other side, coaching at a prestigious university whose leaders at that time would have no doubt turned their nose up at something ike OTE.
“You’re used to traveling down a certain path and now this new entity comes up and you don’t really know about it and you haven’t seen it, so the first thing you do is say, ehhhh, I don’t know about this,” Leitao said. “It’s a slow process to convince people that something new can be better, but there’s not a college coach that’s come through here that hasn’t raised their eyebrows in awe of what we’re doing. We had one coach who was just marveling, like, why wouldn’t a young man come here? There’s nothing like it in America.”
Overtime Elite’s co-founder Porter — the son of two college professors and nephew of a Nobel Prize-winning economist, a graduate of NYU and Princeton and the former head of digital at William Morris Endeavor talent agency — stops short of told-you-so self-congratulations. He’s just glad to see that his fledgling league is now viewed less like the enemy and more like just another part of the hoops ecosystem.
“It’s not just the coaches, by the way. It was all the college basketball writers on Twitter who just loved to smash us,” Porter said. “Ultimately, I never had any issue with college basketball, and I wasn’t trying to compete with them. I’m just trying to run my business. I’m a college basketball fan. I love the NCAA Tournament. I didn’t look at all these coaches and go, ‘I want to go head-to-head with them.’
“I’m really happy that we can be standing on the sidelines together with all the college coaches and I hope to work with as many as possible, and I hope that they feel like we deliver a great player to their ranks, and that’ll only strengthen our relationship.”
In May 2021, John Calipari was ranting to reporters, as he is wont to do, about the future of college basketball and what was best for the sport (especially his Kentucky program). At the time, an upstart professional league, Overtime Elite, was gobbling up five-star high school talent by offering six-figure contracts, and this obviously had the Hall of Fame coach’s attention.
“We are not just competing against other colleges. We are competing against that too,” Calipari said then. “Because the kids they are going after are the kids that we would recruit.”
Like the five-star Thompson twins, Amen and Ausar, who would become the face of OTE over the last two years and who will likely both be NBA Draft lottery picks in June. They recently told The Athletic that Kentucky was once their dream school, but being able to turn pro before their senior year in high school changed the dream. So there was Calipari two summers ago, workshopping his competing pitch in real time, citing TV ratings and the value of branding when you play for a highly visible blueblood versus a nascent pro league with (at the time) no TV deal. He’d just held a staff retreat where strategizing how to combat this new recruiting threat was a major topic.
Dan Porter, OTE’s co-founder and CEO, responded to Calipari’s comments on Twitter that day:
Less than two years later, Calipari visited OTE’s state-of-the-art, 103,000 square foot facility in midtown Atlanta to see five-star Kentucky signee Robert Dillingham, who is playing his senior high school season there. Calipari looked right into one of Overtime’s many, many cameras and gave a full-throated endorsement of the league and its developmental value. He basically filmed a free commercial for his one-time nemesis. In the blink of an eye, OTE went from foe to friend of college basketball.
“The structure and all that is needed to prepare a young man for college is there,” Calipari told The Athletic recently.
In Year 1, all of Overtime’s players (most of them still in high school) signed professional contracts and were paid handsomely, thus forfeiting their NCAA eligibility. Thanks in part to the passage of NIL legislation, which allows college athletes to profit from their own personal brand, Year 2 has brought a second option for OTE players. Now, they can either take the guaranteed money and be pros or sign as scholarship students of the league’s in-house academy, where educational expenses are covered and they’re free to pursue NIL deals to earn income, thus maintaining NCAA eligibility.
A dozen players, including eight top-75 recruits from the 2023, 2024 and 2025 classes, chose the latter, turning Overtime Elite’s tricked-out building into a must-see attraction for college coaches. Three OTE players have already signed with schools for next season: Dillingham at Kentucky, Kanaan Carlyle at Stanford and Trey Parker at NC State. Naas Cunningham (2024) and Bryson Tiller (2025) are both top-five players being recruited by almost every major program. Coaches from Duke, Kansas, Alabama, Tennessee, Arkansas, Texas, Indiana, Michigan, Memphis, Auburn, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Louisville, LSU, Mississippi State and Ole Miss, just to name some, have stopped in to see what the fuss is about.
Now that they’re in a mutually beneficial relationship, college coaches can see the appeal of Overtime Elite. Backed by the big bucks of Jeff Bezos, the rapper Drake and a number of NBA players, including Kevin Durant and Devin Booker, OTE has everything in its building. There’s an accredited, NCAA-approved school. There’s a massive practice gym equipped with the same Noah System that most NBA teams use to track shots. There’s a modern weight room and nutrition center, a full-time therapist, a shot doctor and an accomplished coaching staff.
Introducing the scholarship option was “a game changer,” NC State coach Kevin Keatts says. He’s watched Wolfpack signee Parker blossom into a tantalizing prospect since joining that league. He started this season alongside UK’s Dillingham, then got traded to a team featuring the Thompson twins. Playing with and against a heap of blue-chip recruits, Parker has stood out with jaw-dropping athleticism and explosiveness — there might not be a more exciting finisher in OTE.
“Because of the fact that he’s played against some really good players and been in a system and they run it like a college or pro program, I think you get a kid who is a lot more prepared than he probably would be at a normal high school,” Keatts said. “I’ve seen him grow in areas where I really thought he needed to get better. He’ll have the experience of already being away from home, he’ll have the experience of already traveling, he’ll have the experience of playing with good players, and then obviously being in the classroom and everything else. Those are things that really help freshmen when they come in the door, where the adjustment is not as big as a guy who hasn’t been through some of that stuff.”
Kevin Ollie, a 13-year NBA vet who won two national titles (one as an assistant, one as head coach) at Connecticut, is head of coaching and basketball development. Dave Leitao, who spent 13 years as a head coach at DePaul and Virginia, coaches one of OTE’s teams. Ryan Gomes, an All-American at Providence and longtime NBA player, coaches another. Damien Wilkins, son of Gerald and nephew of Dominique, a former McDonald’s All-American and 10-year NBA veteran, is the general manager. College coaches appreciate the professionalism of the approach.
“They came, they saw, they watched practice and the light bulb went off,” Porter said of college coaches. “Everything is done with an incredible amount of seriousness and rigor. So when you see the physical development, the skill development, the basketball IQ development — now we’re friends. It starts with seeing it, and then it goes to relationships, and then it goes to them feeling really good about players they’ve recruited since 10th or 11th grade being with us.
“And by the way, the opposite happens too. I sit down and talk to these coaches and I say, ‘What do you want to see when so-and-so steps on your campus?’ Then we fold that back into our curriculum. Our goal has always been for when our players make the NBA, people would say, ‘Oh, that’s an OTE player. They operate at a different level.’ That’s our goal with college coaches too. We want them to say, ‘Wow, that player got to my campus and he was ready.’”
Calipari and Porter have had multiple conversations, first to clear up misconceptions Porter says Calipari had about the league’s intentions. He worried that OTE would try to convince his signees to go pro and skip college, which Porter assured him won’t happen. Then Calipari shared the kinds of skills he would like to see developed and the emphasis on being a team player he hopes to see instilled in Dillingham and future Kentucky recruits with Overtime. Calipari liked that the league was already heavily focused on developing fully formed people, including mental health and financial literacy initiatives — and he was sold by their commitment to upholding players’ NCAA eligibility. OTE hired former NCAA investigator Tim Nevius as its vice president of regulatory affairs and athlete advocacy to be certain everything about its new scholarship program passes muster with college basketball’s governing body.
Nevius spent five years at the NCAA, where he was the lead investigator on the 2012 Ohio State “tattoo gate” case, which ultimately cost Jim Tressel his job and dragged several players through the mud for (in retrospect) laughably innocuous violations. That was a turning point for Nevius, who then switched sides, joining antitrust lawyer Jeff Kessler in the fight for athletes’ rights. He helped assemble the landmark class-action lawsuit Alston vs. NCAA, which led to a unanimous Supreme Court ruling in favor of college athletes in June 2021. That same year, Nevius gave a TEDx talk called “The exploitation of US college athletes.” After two years as outside counsel for Overtime, he moved in-house last year to help spearhead OTE’s move to the scholarship model. His job was dotting all the i’s and crossing all the t’s.
“If the scholarship players joined a program that included professional players, what guardrails did we have to put in place to ensure they’re going to maintain their amateur status and be able to continue on to college?” Nevius said. “It’s fairly straightforward, because players are allowed to get their expenses paid for — what the NCAA calls ‘actual and necessary expenses,’ which are in connection with their basketball competition. Financial aid covers room, board, books, tuition, and then their actual necessary expenses related to basketball. The academic component was also a priority. Fortunately, OTE already prioritized academics, so it was really just making sure the program met initial NCAA requirements.”
Overtime’s academic program is registered and cleared with the NCAA’s eligibility center. In addition to poring over the rulebook, Nevius also had proactive conversations with his former employer at its Indianapolis headquarters and checked in with college compliance offices to be certain he wasn’t missing anything and everyone was comfortable with OTE’s new model.
“We felt very confident,” he said, “but of course we wanted to have a dialogue with the NCAA just to make sure they were aware of it and there were no misunderstandings or hidden pitfalls that we weren’t aware of. Rules have been on the books for years about this, but something we wanted to be sure we were interpreting correctly was that it wasn’t going to be an issue to have high school kids on the same team with, in the same league as, players who were being paid as professionals.
“The reception from almost everyone (in college programs) has been especially positive, because I think there’s a comfort they get from knowing that we are tracking everything, every step along the way.”
From OTE’s perspective, this evolution was an easy, obvious choice. It widens the talent pool the program can pick from, now that players don’t have to choose between them and going to college. As an added benefit, five-star players who sign with OTE can still be of great interest to massive and passionate college fan bases. The league has a new deal with Amazon Prime Video to stream its games, and now Kentucky fans have a reason to watch Dillingham go head-to-head with the NBA-ready Thompson twins.
“I don’t think that I had personally appreciated that or tuned into that as much, and then when I realized that signing certain players who are being followed by all these blogs — Kentucky Wire or whatever they’re called — it’s like, oh, yeah, that’s a whole other realm,” Porter said. “Because the reality is we have a couple players the audience knows and cares about, but the question we ask over and over again is why somebody should watch us. There has to be some story or some reason to watch, like that the Thompson twins are going to be the first lottery pick twins. So bringing all of those college fans into the tent has been a real plus. I can’t tell you I was intentional about it. It snuck up on me and hit me on the head, and then I woke up and realized, oh, yeah, that’s valuable.”
If getting Calipari’s blessing gave OTE credibility as a place to nurture elite players, landing a Stanford signee was a major win for the program’s academic reputation. Cardinal coach Jerod Haase echoed Calipari’s and Keatts’ sentiments about the growth he’s seen in top-50 recruit Carlyle’s game while at Overtime, but none of that matters if he can’t get into Stanford.
“Our admissions people obviously take that extremely seriously, and they did their own vetting process,” Haase said. “And then when I was there firsthand, I was extremely impressed with how they were handling it. They’ve clearly invested in the basketball part, but I think they’ve invested in the academic part, too, and made sure they’re offering a quality education and they’re doing it the right way.”
He probably never expected to be saying such a thing about a professional league that popped up seemingly overnight two years ago, born of a media company that earned millions of social media followers by posting mixtape-style viral video content. On the other hand, Haase sort of expects the unexpected when it comes to college basketball at this point.
“Everything’s changing, really minute by minute,” he said. “The last four or five years, the only thing that’s constant in our sport is that everything is changing.”
Leitao used to be on the other side, coaching at a prestigious university whose leaders at that time would have no doubt turned their nose up at something ike OTE.
“You’re used to traveling down a certain path and now this new entity comes up and you don’t really know about it and you haven’t seen it, so the first thing you do is say, ehhhh, I don’t know about this,” Leitao said. “It’s a slow process to convince people that something new can be better, but there’s not a college coach that’s come through here that hasn’t raised their eyebrows in awe of what we’re doing. We had one coach who was just marveling, like, why wouldn’t a young man come here? There’s nothing like it in America.”
Overtime Elite’s co-founder Porter — the son of two college professors and nephew of a Nobel Prize-winning economist, a graduate of NYU and Princeton and the former head of digital at William Morris Endeavor talent agency — stops short of told-you-so self-congratulations. He’s just glad to see that his fledgling league is now viewed less like the enemy and more like just another part of the hoops ecosystem.
“It’s not just the coaches, by the way. It was all the college basketball writers on Twitter who just loved to smash us,” Porter said. “Ultimately, I never had any issue with college basketball, and I wasn’t trying to compete with them. I’m just trying to run my business. I’m a college basketball fan. I love the NCAA Tournament. I didn’t look at all these coaches and go, ‘I want to go head-to-head with them.’
“I’m really happy that we can be standing on the sidelines together with all the college coaches and I hope to work with as many as possible, and I hope that they feel like we deliver a great player to their ranks, and that’ll only strengthen our relationship.”
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- 38,538
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Still undervalued AB a top 7 pick
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Black seems like a very safe pick, high floor with still decent upside
Seem like there’s a lot of those types in this class
With smith missing so much time it definitely helped clarify a few things. Rockets or magic would be nice if they miss out on the top 2. Pels too
Seem like there’s a lot of those types in this class
With smith missing so much time it definitely helped clarify a few things. Rockets or magic would be nice if they miss out on the top 2. Pels too
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I went to Athens this weekend to see Cason Wallace’s Kentucky team take on Georgia and watched him have one of his worst games of the season.
Wallace finished with just five points in a disappointing loss to a meh Georgia team, failing to scratch until the last two minutes, when the game was already over.
Despite that performance, Wallace’s overall body of work is strongly suggestive of a first-round résumé. He’s arguably been Kentucky’s best all-around player as a freshman, even if he’s just fifth on the team in scoring rate.
In particular, Wallace’s feel for the game at the defensive end stands out. He’s averaged a phenomenal 3.8 steals per 100 possessions, and even on plays where he doesn’t nab the ball, he’s shown the knack for being a possession-wrecker. At either guard spot, his ability to defend should translate, and that gives him some floor as a prospect.
The issue for Wallace is going to be how much he can contribute at the offensive end. He played point guard for nearly the entire game against Georgia and made some nice passes out of pick-and-roll and a couple of sweet post entries, but if he got a foot in the paint, I don’t remember it.
Wallace has just 44 free-throw attempts in 24 games this season; while Kentucky’s focus on posting up Oscar Tshiebwe on every play limits the openings for everyone else, his 3.5 free-throw attempts per 100 possessions is nearly the lowest rate on the team.
Wallace is shooting 39.2 percent from 3 this season, but I’m not sure teams will buy him as that level of shooter. Watching him warm up, his ball comes out straight, but his arc tends to vary, and he has a pronounced ball dip on his catch. It’s hardly broken, and he’ll probably be decent enough from the perimeter as a pro, but there is some clean-up work left to do. He actually looked better rolling into short jumpers on the move when I watched him before the game.
The good news is that the “feel factors” — assists, steals, rebounds — tend to be more indicative of pro success than raw bucket-getting, and Wallace has those in his favor. I’d be mildly surprised if Wallace got into the lottery at this point because there are too many questions about his offensive ceiling. However, his defense alone should make him a top-20 pick, and he’s young enough to still get considerably better on offense.
Wallace finished with just five points in a disappointing loss to a meh Georgia team, failing to scratch until the last two minutes, when the game was already over.
Despite that performance, Wallace’s overall body of work is strongly suggestive of a first-round résumé. He’s arguably been Kentucky’s best all-around player as a freshman, even if he’s just fifth on the team in scoring rate.
In particular, Wallace’s feel for the game at the defensive end stands out. He’s averaged a phenomenal 3.8 steals per 100 possessions, and even on plays where he doesn’t nab the ball, he’s shown the knack for being a possession-wrecker. At either guard spot, his ability to defend should translate, and that gives him some floor as a prospect.
The issue for Wallace is going to be how much he can contribute at the offensive end. He played point guard for nearly the entire game against Georgia and made some nice passes out of pick-and-roll and a couple of sweet post entries, but if he got a foot in the paint, I don’t remember it.
Wallace has just 44 free-throw attempts in 24 games this season; while Kentucky’s focus on posting up Oscar Tshiebwe on every play limits the openings for everyone else, his 3.5 free-throw attempts per 100 possessions is nearly the lowest rate on the team.
Wallace is shooting 39.2 percent from 3 this season, but I’m not sure teams will buy him as that level of shooter. Watching him warm up, his ball comes out straight, but his arc tends to vary, and he has a pronounced ball dip on his catch. It’s hardly broken, and he’ll probably be decent enough from the perimeter as a pro, but there is some clean-up work left to do. He actually looked better rolling into short jumpers on the move when I watched him before the game.
The good news is that the “feel factors” — assists, steals, rebounds — tend to be more indicative of pro success than raw bucket-getting, and Wallace has those in his favor. I’d be mildly surprised if Wallace got into the lottery at this point because there are too many questions about his offensive ceiling. However, his defense alone should make him a top-20 pick, and he’s young enough to still get considerably better on offense.
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The draft has 2019 vibes. Zion and Ja and then everyone else.
Maybe another all star capable player in the lotto and a bunch of role players.
Maybe another all star capable player in the lotto and a bunch of role players.
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Jarace Walker 
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Wasn't he on IG complaining about touches a short while ago? Who the hell does that kid think he is?
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The IG Live got him bench and now this
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How the NBA Draft will feel the effects of this year’s wacky trade deadline
The 2023 NBA trade deadline was arguably the most consequential in history, with superstars such as Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving being dealt who have a chance to shift the title race.
We also saw draft picks flying everywhere. With the 2023 draft set to introduce two franchise-altering talents into the league in Victor Wembanyama and Scoot Henderson, teams set to have top selections were very careful to hold onto their picks, and teams positioned in the middle to the latter portion of the lottery made some moves that could increase their lottery odds. We also saw a very creative bet by the Houston Rockets, multiple first-rounders change hands and second-round picks moved at a rate the league has never seen before.
Let’s dive into the relevant 2023 NBA Draft implications of the trade deadline and how it could go about shifting altering things in June.
Race for Vic and Scoot heats up
Wembanyama and Henderson are, by far, the most relevant pieces of the draft puzzle. They are seen leaguewide as likely bets to make All-NBA teams in the future. Any moves made to potentially increase or decrease the odds of acquiring one of those two are the most valuable pieces of information here. And we have to start with Utah.
The Jazz have been one of the best stories in the NBA this season, moving both Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert in the offseason and still maintaining relevance through a star turn by forward Lauri Markkanen and a standout performance by first-year coach Will Hardy. But things just got much more difficult.
The Jazz traded three important rotation players in point guard Mike Conley, floor spacer Malik Beasley and defensive ace Jarred Vanderbilt. Conley was the team’s starting point guard, in the midst of a remarkably underrated year that I examined last week. Beasley was playing 27 minutes and averaging 13 points per night. Vanderbilt had started 41 games as a versatile chess piece on defense. In exchange, the team acquired Russell Westbrook — with whom the team is working to determine whether he’ll join the franchise — and a 2027 first-round pick. It seems likely the Jazz did not get any present-day value in return for three useful players, meaning they undeniably got worse. But how much worse?
As of Tuesday afternoon, the Jazz are 29-30 and in 10th place in the West. That places them 13th in the lottery odds order, which would give them a 1 percent chance at the No. 1 overall pick and a 4.7 percent chance at the top four. However, they’re only 2 1/2 games out of the seventh-best lottery odds. Finishing there would see their chances at the No. 1 pick spike to 7.5 percent and the chances at a top-four pick jump to over 31 percent. That’s why this is so important. Making the Play-In Tournament wouldn’t change the team’s future at all. But Utah increasing its chances of getting Wembanyama by a factor of seven might be the difference in changing the trajectory of the franchise moving forward.
That’s why I think people were wrong to wonder if Utah got enough back in the three-team deal with the Los Angeles Lakers and Minnesota Timberwolves. In all likelihood, the Jazz drastically increased their chances to get the franchise changer the team desperately needs. And with their army of draft assets, Utah is extremely well-positioned moving forward. The Jazz should be doing everything it can to position itself best for those legitimate difference-makers. This was a bet worth making.
On the other side of the equation, Toronto found itself in a similar position. The Raptors could have traded Fred VanVleet, Gary Trent Jr. and O.G. Anunoby and similarly slid down into the depths of the lottery to increase their chances of finding another star to pair with Pascal Siakam and Scottie Barnes. But they went the opposite way, keeping that trio and actually adding talent by trading for Jakob Poeltl, the 7-foot center they so desperately have required as a last line of defense for their perimeter aggression. The Raptors are bottom 10 in the league in percentage of shots they allow at the rim and bottom 10 in field goal percentage allowed at the rim, per PBP Stats.
Given the Raptors already have Barnes as a potential long-term franchise player and Siakam as a multi-time All-NBA player in his prime, there was more of a case for Toronto to buy. Additionally, the team’s center position was such an enormous black hole of production that adding Poeltl could make a genuine difference. We’ll see if they made the right move this summer when VanVleet is a free agent and Anunoby enters the final year of his contract.
Some other teams worth considering:
Houston gets creative with its Eric Gordon trade
Instead of maximizing second-round picks in return for Gordon, the Rockets did something a little more interesting: They essentially bet against the LA Clippers the rest of the way.
In a three-team deal also involving the Memphis Grizzlies, the Rockets sent Gordon to Los Angeles essentially for a non-traditional swap of first-rounders. The Rockets had the Milwaukee Bucks’ first-round pick this year from a prior P.J. Tucker move, currently slotted at No. 29. To get Gordon, the Clippers’ agreed to swap that pick with their own first-round pick this season. Currently, the Clippers are slotted at No. 19 in the draft order.
The swap language is complicated mildly by the fact that the Thunder also have a potential pick swap with the Clippers this year, and LA is only two games ahead of Oklahoma City entering Tuesday. Basically, the Thunder are at the top of the food chain. They get the best pick out of their own pick and the Clippers’ pick. The Rockets get the least favorable out of those two picks. If the Clippers end up in the top six somehow (essentially by losing in the Play-In and getting exceptionally lucky on draft night), the Clippers would keep their pick and the Rockets would be given the Clippers’ second-rounder this year. The way this is most likely to go, though, is the Thunder keep their own pick, the Rockets get the Clippers’ pick and the Clippers get the Milwaukee pick.
In relative terms, it’s a gamble. With the Bucks 9 1/2 games up on the Clippers entering Tuesday, there is no fear of LA passing Milwaukee. But the Clippers are only 2 1/2 games back of the No. 23 overall pick, which could cut the value of this swap in half. They’re also only two games up on Oklahoma City, currently outside of the playoff picture at No. 13, which could spike the value. There is risk/reward both ways, especially for a team that has immense talent with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George but a dysfunctional offense and prior injury concerns.
I tend to have faith in this Clippers roster to figure it out. Leonard and George are too good, and the team is 21-11 in games that Leonard plays this season. The Clips are gearing up for the playoffs and Leonard playing more minutes. It’s a reasonable assessment that the Clippers probably end up in the No. 21 to No. 24 range. The team also has real incentive to play Leonard more given how tightly bunched the West is (anything from the Play-In to home-court advantage remains in the balance).
If we’re trying to put a value on what these swap rights are worth — depending on what the final swap spread is — it’ll probably be something in the ballpark of the No. 25 to No. 38 pick. Typically, the cost to move up from the 20s to the teens is a first-round pick. Last season, the Grizzlies paid the No. 28 pick to move up from No. 23 to No. 19 to draft Jake LaRavia. In 2020, the Thunder traded Minnesota the No. 28 pick to move up six spots from No. 23 to No. 17 to get Aleksej Pokuševski. If the Clippers end up somewhere in the teens, this swap will be equivalent to a late first-round pick. If the Clippers end up more in the early 20s, the value of the swap will probably be more like an early second-rounder. In that same draft 2020 draft, the Jazz traded the No. 38 pick to move up four slots from No. 27 to No. 23. In 2019, the cost for Philadelphia to move up from No. 24 to No. 20 was the No. 33 pick.
Given that a first-rounder seemed to not be available for Gordon, this is a creative workaround by the Rockets’ front office to potentially maximize his trade value.
First-round picks that changed hands
The Trail Blazers acquired a lottery-protected Knicks 2023 first-round pick (al0ng with Cam Reddish) for Josh Hart. The Knicks are currently slated to have the No. 21 pick in 2023 NBA Draft. I liked that deal for the Knicks because Hart is a great fit with Tom Thibodeau. While I have questions about Portland’s direction, the value in this trade for the Blazers is very reasonable. Acquiring a first-round pick for a starter-quality player who is on essentially an expiring contract makes sense.
The Brooklyn Nets acquired the Phoenix Suns’ unprotected 2023 first-round pick in their deal for Kevin Durant. That pick is currently slated to be No. 20 overall. With Durant being moved to Phoenix and the Western Conference being so jumbled, that selection will likely slide down the order after the All-Star break. The Suns are only 2 1/2 games behind the No. 24 pick, which is currently held by the Nets. The Nets will undeniably be hoping that the 2023 first-rounder will be the worst of the four first-rounders the Suns will send to Brooklyn between now and 2029.
For Nets and Blazers fans, players to watch in the No. 15 to No. 25 range include Pepperdine’s Max Lewis, Indiana’s Jalen Hood-Schifino, Ohio State’s Brice Sensabaugh, Central Florida’s Taylor Hendricks, Connecticut’s Jordan Hawkins, South Carolina forward G.G. Jackson, Duke prospects Dariq Whitehead, Kyle Filipowski, and Dereck Lively II, Tennessee’s Julian Phillips, Iowa’s Kris Murray and New Zealand wing Rayan Rupert.
The Portland/Chicago conundrum
The Blazers owe the Bulls a first-round pick. The Bulls acquired this pick in August 2021 in the three-team deal that sent Markkanen to Cleveland, Larry Nance Jr. to Portland and the Blazers’ 2022 lottery-protected first-round pick (as well as Derrick Jones Jr.) to Chicago. The Blazers missed the playoffs last season, so the obligation rolled over to become a 2023 first-round pick. The pick is lottery protected as a first-round pick through 2028, and then transitions into a 2028 second-rounder. Because of the long tail on first-round protection, the Bulls aren’t at risk yet of this selection losing its asset value.
However, with Markkanen’s leap toward All-Star starter status in Utah, this owed selection has become a source of consternation among the Bulls’ fan base, given that they have nothing to show yet for the departure of someone who has since showcased star upside. It’s also a future draft obligation that — due to the Stepien rule — currently limits potential buy-now moves for the Blazers (although Portland general manager Joe Cronin did note in his post-trade deadline news conference that the Bulls and Blazers have had table-setting discussions regarding this pick if the Blazers did need to quickly free up some flexibility to make a buy-now trade). It feels like a situation nobody is winning right now — especially when considering the Bulls also owe their own top-four protected first-round pick to Orlando.
Unfortunately, it’s difficult to say that the Blazers positioned themselves to better contend for a playoff berth this season at the deadline. Portland, currently 27th in defensive rating, moved its two best perimeter defenders in Gary Payton II and Hart and received Matisse Thybulle and Reddish in return. While those deals might help them in the long term (in addition to the Knicks’ first-round pick), it is a downgrade in the short term. The Blazers are just outside the Play-In Tournament, sitting at 11th in the West. The Play-In qualification picture around them should come out in a wash, as Utah at No. 10 downgraded and the Lakers at No. 13 upgraded. The good news for the Bulls is that the Blazers still have Lillard, and he could carry them to the postseason in two straight Play-In games. Portland making the playoffs would allow the pick to transfer. The bad news is that the Dallas Mavericks, Suns and Clippers all made upgrades, making it less likely for the Blazers to get into the top six and immediately qualify for the playoffs.
Following the deadline, it feels like this pick is even more likely to roll over into 2024, given that Portland made future-facing moves as opposed to buy-now decisions.
The flood of second-rounders
One of the things fans have asked me most following the trade deadline is why teams are willing to move so many second-round picks in these deadline deals. I’ve asked around to a few front-office executives. The most common responses were two-fold, and they’re tied together at the hip.
First, following the spending spree this summer involving Gobert, Dejounte Murray and others, the cost of doing business to acquire true difference-makers is rising. It’s why Toronto, for instance, placed such a high price tag on Anunoby. Teams want to keep their asset chest as complete as possible to be in the mix to acquire those types of players.
In that vein comes the other piece of the most common answer: The goal is to maintain as much future trade flexibility as possible. Teams aren’t valuing making those first-round picks more; they’re valuing the potential to trade those first-rounders more. With the Stepien rule in place, you can only move, at most, four first-round picks at once, unless you have additional picks in your asset chest from other deals. When teams are buying to contend as opposed to rebuilding to accumulate assets, they typically don’t have those extra picks. As mentioned above, having first-round picks out with future rollover obligations can create flexibility hassles moving forward. If you have to put “next available pick” language into a deal, it reduces the number of picks you can actually send out. Or it could create a situation where, to satisfy trade rules, you have to completely unprotect the picks, which leaves the door open for impending disaster in drafts that are three-plus years out.
Compare the Blazers’ situation to how the Knicks chose to protect their pick in the Hart deal. Because Portland rolled over the protections year-over-year in the Nance/Markkanen deal, the Blazers run into flexibility issues that could result in them needing to grease the wheels with Chicago with a further asset to extinguish that future obligation in order to swing a bigger move. However, the Knicks made the pick they gave up in the Hart trade lottery protected in the 2023 draft, and if the pick doesn’t transfer this year, it immediately becomes four second-rounders. By creating certainty that the obligation will finish this year, the Knicks maintain flexibility moving forward. Of course, you can’t always do that in deals, and teams acquiring the pick typically want the first-round rollover obligations to extend as long as possible. It’s all negotiation.
Second-round picks, however, are not beholden to the Stepien rule. Beyond being less valuable than first-round picks, these can be moved relatively easily with much fewer concerns about losing them causing future hassles. It’s always good to have more in the bank for situations like this, but they’re also somewhat easily acquirable. On top of that, there are significantly diminishing returns the further down the draft order you go. From the 2012 draft to the 2020 draft, only five out of 90 picks in the final-10 selections ended up becoming even borderline rotation players.
But some valuable second-rounders did move. The most important acquisition in this regard was actually what will likely be a reacquisition. The Hornets got back their own second-rounder — right now No. 34 overall — in the three-team with Philadelphia and Portland that saw them ship Jalen McDaniels to Philly and the 76ers ship Thybulle to Portland.
The Lakers moved the Bulls’ 2023 second-rounder — currently the No. 38 overall pick — as one of the three they traded for Rui Hachimura. Additionally, one of the picks in the Poeltl trade to Toronto is the Raptors’ 2023 second-rounder, which is slated to be the No. 40 pick.
Quick housekeeping on pick obligations
The 2023 NBA trade deadline was arguably the most consequential in history, with superstars such as Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving being dealt who have a chance to shift the title race.
We also saw draft picks flying everywhere. With the 2023 draft set to introduce two franchise-altering talents into the league in Victor Wembanyama and Scoot Henderson, teams set to have top selections were very careful to hold onto their picks, and teams positioned in the middle to the latter portion of the lottery made some moves that could increase their lottery odds. We also saw a very creative bet by the Houston Rockets, multiple first-rounders change hands and second-round picks moved at a rate the league has never seen before.
Let’s dive into the relevant 2023 NBA Draft implications of the trade deadline and how it could go about shifting altering things in June.
Race for Vic and Scoot heats up
Wembanyama and Henderson are, by far, the most relevant pieces of the draft puzzle. They are seen leaguewide as likely bets to make All-NBA teams in the future. Any moves made to potentially increase or decrease the odds of acquiring one of those two are the most valuable pieces of information here. And we have to start with Utah.
The Jazz have been one of the best stories in the NBA this season, moving both Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert in the offseason and still maintaining relevance through a star turn by forward Lauri Markkanen and a standout performance by first-year coach Will Hardy. But things just got much more difficult.
The Jazz traded three important rotation players in point guard Mike Conley, floor spacer Malik Beasley and defensive ace Jarred Vanderbilt. Conley was the team’s starting point guard, in the midst of a remarkably underrated year that I examined last week. Beasley was playing 27 minutes and averaging 13 points per night. Vanderbilt had started 41 games as a versatile chess piece on defense. In exchange, the team acquired Russell Westbrook — with whom the team is working to determine whether he’ll join the franchise — and a 2027 first-round pick. It seems likely the Jazz did not get any present-day value in return for three useful players, meaning they undeniably got worse. But how much worse?
As of Tuesday afternoon, the Jazz are 29-30 and in 10th place in the West. That places them 13th in the lottery odds order, which would give them a 1 percent chance at the No. 1 overall pick and a 4.7 percent chance at the top four. However, they’re only 2 1/2 games out of the seventh-best lottery odds. Finishing there would see their chances at the No. 1 pick spike to 7.5 percent and the chances at a top-four pick jump to over 31 percent. That’s why this is so important. Making the Play-In Tournament wouldn’t change the team’s future at all. But Utah increasing its chances of getting Wembanyama by a factor of seven might be the difference in changing the trajectory of the franchise moving forward.
That’s why I think people were wrong to wonder if Utah got enough back in the three-team deal with the Los Angeles Lakers and Minnesota Timberwolves. In all likelihood, the Jazz drastically increased their chances to get the franchise changer the team desperately needs. And with their army of draft assets, Utah is extremely well-positioned moving forward. The Jazz should be doing everything it can to position itself best for those legitimate difference-makers. This was a bet worth making.
On the other side of the equation, Toronto found itself in a similar position. The Raptors could have traded Fred VanVleet, Gary Trent Jr. and O.G. Anunoby and similarly slid down into the depths of the lottery to increase their chances of finding another star to pair with Pascal Siakam and Scottie Barnes. But they went the opposite way, keeping that trio and actually adding talent by trading for Jakob Poeltl, the 7-foot center they so desperately have required as a last line of defense for their perimeter aggression. The Raptors are bottom 10 in the league in percentage of shots they allow at the rim and bottom 10 in field goal percentage allowed at the rim, per PBP Stats.
Given the Raptors already have Barnes as a potential long-term franchise player and Siakam as a multi-time All-NBA player in his prime, there was more of a case for Toronto to buy. Additionally, the team’s center position was such an enormous black hole of production that adding Poeltl could make a genuine difference. We’ll see if they made the right move this summer when VanVleet is a free agent and Anunoby enters the final year of his contract.
Some other teams worth considering:
- I’m skeptical that any team playing Damian Lillard full minutes will ever be able to tank, but Portland did end up getting worse from a present talent perspective. More on them later.
- San Antonio moving Poeltl only likely further solidifies its push toward the bottom of the league. The Spurs weren’t far off with him.
- Charlotte moved two useful frontcourt players in Mason Plumlee and Jalen McDaniels and didn’t receive any current value in return, potentially better positioning itself for a top-four pick (as well as opening up minutes for recent first-rounders Mark Williams and Kai Jones).
- The Lakers got better, likely reducing the value of the Pelicans swap rights that were shaping up to be extremely useful. It’ll be interesting to see if the Pelicans missed their window to cash in on that pick via trade earlier in the season when it seemed like the Lakers were a bit more aimless than they seem to be now. As my colleague John Hollinger says, there is no reason you have to wait until the trade deadline to make trades.
Houston gets creative with its Eric Gordon trade
Instead of maximizing second-round picks in return for Gordon, the Rockets did something a little more interesting: They essentially bet against the LA Clippers the rest of the way.
In a three-team deal also involving the Memphis Grizzlies, the Rockets sent Gordon to Los Angeles essentially for a non-traditional swap of first-rounders. The Rockets had the Milwaukee Bucks’ first-round pick this year from a prior P.J. Tucker move, currently slotted at No. 29. To get Gordon, the Clippers’ agreed to swap that pick with their own first-round pick this season. Currently, the Clippers are slotted at No. 19 in the draft order.
The swap language is complicated mildly by the fact that the Thunder also have a potential pick swap with the Clippers this year, and LA is only two games ahead of Oklahoma City entering Tuesday. Basically, the Thunder are at the top of the food chain. They get the best pick out of their own pick and the Clippers’ pick. The Rockets get the least favorable out of those two picks. If the Clippers end up in the top six somehow (essentially by losing in the Play-In and getting exceptionally lucky on draft night), the Clippers would keep their pick and the Rockets would be given the Clippers’ second-rounder this year. The way this is most likely to go, though, is the Thunder keep their own pick, the Rockets get the Clippers’ pick and the Clippers get the Milwaukee pick.
In relative terms, it’s a gamble. With the Bucks 9 1/2 games up on the Clippers entering Tuesday, there is no fear of LA passing Milwaukee. But the Clippers are only 2 1/2 games back of the No. 23 overall pick, which could cut the value of this swap in half. They’re also only two games up on Oklahoma City, currently outside of the playoff picture at No. 13, which could spike the value. There is risk/reward both ways, especially for a team that has immense talent with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George but a dysfunctional offense and prior injury concerns.
I tend to have faith in this Clippers roster to figure it out. Leonard and George are too good, and the team is 21-11 in games that Leonard plays this season. The Clips are gearing up for the playoffs and Leonard playing more minutes. It’s a reasonable assessment that the Clippers probably end up in the No. 21 to No. 24 range. The team also has real incentive to play Leonard more given how tightly bunched the West is (anything from the Play-In to home-court advantage remains in the balance).
If we’re trying to put a value on what these swap rights are worth — depending on what the final swap spread is — it’ll probably be something in the ballpark of the No. 25 to No. 38 pick. Typically, the cost to move up from the 20s to the teens is a first-round pick. Last season, the Grizzlies paid the No. 28 pick to move up from No. 23 to No. 19 to draft Jake LaRavia. In 2020, the Thunder traded Minnesota the No. 28 pick to move up six spots from No. 23 to No. 17 to get Aleksej Pokuševski. If the Clippers end up somewhere in the teens, this swap will be equivalent to a late first-round pick. If the Clippers end up more in the early 20s, the value of the swap will probably be more like an early second-rounder. In that same draft 2020 draft, the Jazz traded the No. 38 pick to move up four slots from No. 27 to No. 23. In 2019, the cost for Philadelphia to move up from No. 24 to No. 20 was the No. 33 pick.
Given that a first-rounder seemed to not be available for Gordon, this is a creative workaround by the Rockets’ front office to potentially maximize his trade value.
First-round picks that changed hands
The Trail Blazers acquired a lottery-protected Knicks 2023 first-round pick (al0ng with Cam Reddish) for Josh Hart. The Knicks are currently slated to have the No. 21 pick in 2023 NBA Draft. I liked that deal for the Knicks because Hart is a great fit with Tom Thibodeau. While I have questions about Portland’s direction, the value in this trade for the Blazers is very reasonable. Acquiring a first-round pick for a starter-quality player who is on essentially an expiring contract makes sense.
The Brooklyn Nets acquired the Phoenix Suns’ unprotected 2023 first-round pick in their deal for Kevin Durant. That pick is currently slated to be No. 20 overall. With Durant being moved to Phoenix and the Western Conference being so jumbled, that selection will likely slide down the order after the All-Star break. The Suns are only 2 1/2 games behind the No. 24 pick, which is currently held by the Nets. The Nets will undeniably be hoping that the 2023 first-rounder will be the worst of the four first-rounders the Suns will send to Brooklyn between now and 2029.
For Nets and Blazers fans, players to watch in the No. 15 to No. 25 range include Pepperdine’s Max Lewis, Indiana’s Jalen Hood-Schifino, Ohio State’s Brice Sensabaugh, Central Florida’s Taylor Hendricks, Connecticut’s Jordan Hawkins, South Carolina forward G.G. Jackson, Duke prospects Dariq Whitehead, Kyle Filipowski, and Dereck Lively II, Tennessee’s Julian Phillips, Iowa’s Kris Murray and New Zealand wing Rayan Rupert.
The Portland/Chicago conundrum
The Blazers owe the Bulls a first-round pick. The Bulls acquired this pick in August 2021 in the three-team deal that sent Markkanen to Cleveland, Larry Nance Jr. to Portland and the Blazers’ 2022 lottery-protected first-round pick (as well as Derrick Jones Jr.) to Chicago. The Blazers missed the playoffs last season, so the obligation rolled over to become a 2023 first-round pick. The pick is lottery protected as a first-round pick through 2028, and then transitions into a 2028 second-rounder. Because of the long tail on first-round protection, the Bulls aren’t at risk yet of this selection losing its asset value.
However, with Markkanen’s leap toward All-Star starter status in Utah, this owed selection has become a source of consternation among the Bulls’ fan base, given that they have nothing to show yet for the departure of someone who has since showcased star upside. It’s also a future draft obligation that — due to the Stepien rule — currently limits potential buy-now moves for the Blazers (although Portland general manager Joe Cronin did note in his post-trade deadline news conference that the Bulls and Blazers have had table-setting discussions regarding this pick if the Blazers did need to quickly free up some flexibility to make a buy-now trade). It feels like a situation nobody is winning right now — especially when considering the Bulls also owe their own top-four protected first-round pick to Orlando.
Unfortunately, it’s difficult to say that the Blazers positioned themselves to better contend for a playoff berth this season at the deadline. Portland, currently 27th in defensive rating, moved its two best perimeter defenders in Gary Payton II and Hart and received Matisse Thybulle and Reddish in return. While those deals might help them in the long term (in addition to the Knicks’ first-round pick), it is a downgrade in the short term. The Blazers are just outside the Play-In Tournament, sitting at 11th in the West. The Play-In qualification picture around them should come out in a wash, as Utah at No. 10 downgraded and the Lakers at No. 13 upgraded. The good news for the Bulls is that the Blazers still have Lillard, and he could carry them to the postseason in two straight Play-In games. Portland making the playoffs would allow the pick to transfer. The bad news is that the Dallas Mavericks, Suns and Clippers all made upgrades, making it less likely for the Blazers to get into the top six and immediately qualify for the playoffs.
Following the deadline, it feels like this pick is even more likely to roll over into 2024, given that Portland made future-facing moves as opposed to buy-now decisions.
The flood of second-rounders
One of the things fans have asked me most following the trade deadline is why teams are willing to move so many second-round picks in these deadline deals. I’ve asked around to a few front-office executives. The most common responses were two-fold, and they’re tied together at the hip.
First, following the spending spree this summer involving Gobert, Dejounte Murray and others, the cost of doing business to acquire true difference-makers is rising. It’s why Toronto, for instance, placed such a high price tag on Anunoby. Teams want to keep their asset chest as complete as possible to be in the mix to acquire those types of players.
In that vein comes the other piece of the most common answer: The goal is to maintain as much future trade flexibility as possible. Teams aren’t valuing making those first-round picks more; they’re valuing the potential to trade those first-rounders more. With the Stepien rule in place, you can only move, at most, four first-round picks at once, unless you have additional picks in your asset chest from other deals. When teams are buying to contend as opposed to rebuilding to accumulate assets, they typically don’t have those extra picks. As mentioned above, having first-round picks out with future rollover obligations can create flexibility hassles moving forward. If you have to put “next available pick” language into a deal, it reduces the number of picks you can actually send out. Or it could create a situation where, to satisfy trade rules, you have to completely unprotect the picks, which leaves the door open for impending disaster in drafts that are three-plus years out.
Compare the Blazers’ situation to how the Knicks chose to protect their pick in the Hart deal. Because Portland rolled over the protections year-over-year in the Nance/Markkanen deal, the Blazers run into flexibility issues that could result in them needing to grease the wheels with Chicago with a further asset to extinguish that future obligation in order to swing a bigger move. However, the Knicks made the pick they gave up in the Hart trade lottery protected in the 2023 draft, and if the pick doesn’t transfer this year, it immediately becomes four second-rounders. By creating certainty that the obligation will finish this year, the Knicks maintain flexibility moving forward. Of course, you can’t always do that in deals, and teams acquiring the pick typically want the first-round rollover obligations to extend as long as possible. It’s all negotiation.
Second-round picks, however, are not beholden to the Stepien rule. Beyond being less valuable than first-round picks, these can be moved relatively easily with much fewer concerns about losing them causing future hassles. It’s always good to have more in the bank for situations like this, but they’re also somewhat easily acquirable. On top of that, there are significantly diminishing returns the further down the draft order you go. From the 2012 draft to the 2020 draft, only five out of 90 picks in the final-10 selections ended up becoming even borderline rotation players.
But some valuable second-rounders did move. The most important acquisition in this regard was actually what will likely be a reacquisition. The Hornets got back their own second-rounder — right now No. 34 overall — in the three-team with Philadelphia and Portland that saw them ship Jalen McDaniels to Philly and the 76ers ship Thybulle to Portland.
The Lakers moved the Bulls’ 2023 second-rounder — currently the No. 38 overall pick — as one of the three they traded for Rui Hachimura. Additionally, one of the picks in the Poeltl trade to Toronto is the Raptors’ 2023 second-rounder, which is slated to be the No. 40 pick.
Quick housekeeping on pick obligations
- The Pistons owe a top-18 protected 2023 first-round pick to the Knicks following a convoluted series of trades throughout the last three years that began on draft night in 2020. That pick will obviously not be transferring this season, as Detroit is in last place in the East. This pick is top-18 protected in 2024, top-13 protected in 2025, top-11 protected in 2026 and top-nine protected in 2027. Tying this heavily-protected pick to long tail of obligations did not make sense at the time for Detroit, and continues to not make sense.
- Charlotte owes San Antonio a top-16 protected 2023 first-round pick following a series of trades involving Kai Jones, Reddish and eventually the Hawks’ acquisition of Murray. Charlotte is guaranteed a losing record, so that pick will not transfer. It is lottery protected moving forward in 2024 and 2025 before becoming two future seconds.
- Chicago owes a top-four protected 2023 first-round pick to Orlando following the Nikola Vučević trade. The Bulls made no moves at the deadline and will be hoping for lottery luck to retain this pick if they don’t make the Play-In Tournament (they’re currently a half game back of Washington for the 10th seed in the East).
- Speaking of the Wizards, they owe a lottery-protected first-rounder to New York this year. That pick has diminishing protections through 2026 before it becomes two second-rounders. This pick is not favored to transfer right now, but it has a chance.
- The Knicks still have Dallas’ top-10 protected first-round pick this season. The pick was likely to go through this year anyway, but with the Mavs’ acquisition of Kyrie Irving, it all but confirms that this pick will transfer and thus end the Mavericks’ obligations from their ill-fated Kristaps Porziņģis trade.
- None of the top-five teams in the league currently own their first-round picks in 2023. Denver is sending its pick to Charlotte following a few deals that began back in 2020. Boston will send its first to Indiana following the Malcolm Brogdon deal. As mentioned above, the Clippers will likely end up with the Bucks’ pick. Cleveland owes Indiana its first-round pick as a result of the Caris LeVert deal. And Philadelphia would currently send its pick to Utah as part of a convoluted pick swap arrangement also involving Brooklyn.
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God bless utah in trying to join houston Detroit, Charlotte and SA in the race
Should have started a long time ago
Should have started a long time ago
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Seems like this kid is gaining traction.
Hollinger:
Hollinger:
I haven’t seen Bufkin yet on many draft lists, but he absolutely needs to be in there. And not at the bottom.
The sophomore guard has thrown off scouts’ radar a bit because he’s not a one-and-done, but he might as well be. Bufkin hardly played as a freshman but was also one of the youngest freshmen in the country; with a September 2003 birthdate, he is actually a week younger than likely one-and-done teammate Howard, as well as a few other college freshmen who will be in this draft.
Bufkin has also been productive, arguably even more so than the two more heralded prospects on the floor on Sunday in Michigan’s 77-69 win over Ohio State. Bufkin was the best player on the floor in Ann Arbor, with 13 points, eight rebounds and five assists … just three days after posting a 15-12-8 line in a win over Northwestern.
Here’s a coast-to-coast take after a defensive board in which the southpaw uses a transition screen and gets to the cup going right, although he still felt compelled to finish lefty.
His shot release, a looping lefty sling, could use some fine-tuning; he’s at 30.3 percent from 3 this year. He gets a really nice arc on the ball, and it looks a lot better from a standstill (in a related story, he’s made 81.5 percent from the line), but getting all the parts of his wind-up aligned while he’s on the move is problematic.
There is other developmental fruit still hanging off the tree. Bufkin has a slender, 175-pound body that still needs to fill out a little and long arms that offer promise of some defensive upside. (His feet seemed meh on Sunday, but I need to take a deeper dive.) He can jump too, with some serious rebounds in traffic on Sunday. Here’s 6-7 Justice Sueing challenging Bufkin on the block and eating a leather sandwich:
Positionally, Bufkin profiles as a combo guard, but some point guard instincts have come out at times. While not nominally the Michigan point guard, he made some sharp hit-ahead passes on Sunday and showed the ability to push in transition. If he can play point guard full-time at 6-4, that’s obviously a big edge.
Overall, Bufkin looked every bit of a first-rounder. The shot is still a concern, and teams will want to see him sustain this burst of success over the final month of the season, but Bufkin seems to be playing himself off “sleeper” lists and onto the main board.
The sophomore guard has thrown off scouts’ radar a bit because he’s not a one-and-done, but he might as well be. Bufkin hardly played as a freshman but was also one of the youngest freshmen in the country; with a September 2003 birthdate, he is actually a week younger than likely one-and-done teammate Howard, as well as a few other college freshmen who will be in this draft.
Bufkin has also been productive, arguably even more so than the two more heralded prospects on the floor on Sunday in Michigan’s 77-69 win over Ohio State. Bufkin was the best player on the floor in Ann Arbor, with 13 points, eight rebounds and five assists … just three days after posting a 15-12-8 line in a win over Northwestern.
Here’s a coast-to-coast take after a defensive board in which the southpaw uses a transition screen and gets to the cup going right, although he still felt compelled to finish lefty.
His shot release, a looping lefty sling, could use some fine-tuning; he’s at 30.3 percent from 3 this year. He gets a really nice arc on the ball, and it looks a lot better from a standstill (in a related story, he’s made 81.5 percent from the line), but getting all the parts of his wind-up aligned while he’s on the move is problematic.
There is other developmental fruit still hanging off the tree. Bufkin has a slender, 175-pound body that still needs to fill out a little and long arms that offer promise of some defensive upside. (His feet seemed meh on Sunday, but I need to take a deeper dive.) He can jump too, with some serious rebounds in traffic on Sunday. Here’s 6-7 Justice Sueing challenging Bufkin on the block and eating a leather sandwich:
Positionally, Bufkin profiles as a combo guard, but some point guard instincts have come out at times. While not nominally the Michigan point guard, he made some sharp hit-ahead passes on Sunday and showed the ability to push in transition. If he can play point guard full-time at 6-4, that’s obviously a big edge.
Overall, Bufkin looked every bit of a first-rounder. The shot is still a concern, and teams will want to see him sustain this burst of success over the final month of the season, but Bufkin seems to be playing himself off “sleeper” lists and onto the main board.
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OKC, or pacifically Sam Presti, is trying to get involved. Sent Wiggins down to the g league yesterday. Signed Eugene Omoruyi to a fill contract then bought in Olivier Sarr to a 2 way
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NBA Mock Draft: Jarace Walker enters Top 5; Wembanyama, Henderson remain 1-2
The NBA trade deadline has passed, the Super Bowl is in the rearview mirror, and we’re truly into NBA Draft season for many teams in the league that are out of the playoff chase (and even some that are still in the picture). Let’s update our 2023 NBA Mock Draft with that in mind.
This draft class is considered a strong one largely because of the top two players. Victor Wembanyama is arguably the highest-upside prospect to enter the NBA Draft since LeBron James. Scoot Henderson is on a shortlist for the best guard prospect I’ve evaluated. They’re both clear Tier 1 prospects. Beyond them, a number of questions remain, starting as soon as even No. 3.
It’s not necessarily due to a lack of talent. There are a number of interesting, high-upside freshmen and first-year-eligible players. While a high number of freshmen in this class intrigue scouts, many of them are incomplete players who are still working through some of their flaws. But because older players haven’t really emerged and come to interest scouts, freshmen are the ones who seem likely to be selected at this point in the process. It’s possible some older players end up impressing while leading their teams on deep postseason runs, but it’s hard to find scouts excited about juniors and seniors in this class. As you will see, only two such players in the first-round projection below are in their third year of college basketball. My guess is that changes as we get closer to the June 22 draft, but I can only go where scouts are leading me right now.
Because there are so many freshmen, many of the players aren’t necessarily seen as sure bets to make an impact next season. All of this has led to a larger number of players who are polarizing for NBA scouts. A number of players have pretty wide ranges right now, and there are many slots in the first round available for players to step into over the end of the college basketball season as well as the pre-draft process.
A couple things worth noting. First, team needs are NOT accounted for here. It’s still too early in the process for that. Second, standings are as of Feb. 10. Third, all ages are as of draft day. Finally, all stats are as of Monday, Feb. 13.
1. Houston Rockets
Victor Wembanyama | 7-4 center | 19 years old | Metropolitans 92
Wembanyama has a real case to be the best prospect since LeBron James given his size, shot-creation skill, tools on defense and production. The 7-foot-4 French center has averaged 21.9 points, 9.6 rebounds and 3.2 blocks per game, all of which currently lead the French League. He’s also shooting 47.1 percent from the field and about 81 percent from the foul line while getting up over five 3-point attempts per game — many of which are self-created opportunities off the bounce. I’ve dove deep on Wembanyama following his games against the G League Ignite earlier this season, so if you’re looking for a fuller picture, look there.
In terms of potential weaknesses, the occasional scout has pointed to his passing and ability to make reads on the move, as well as the consistency of his shot. He also occasionally gets caught in the mud defensively away from the rim and gets blown by, but his recovery length is immense and typically mitigates the situation. But I’ve yet to talk to one scout who doesn’t see these skills as likely improving as he ages. As long as Wembanyama stays healthy long term — something he’s done so far this season after a bit of a history of picking up injuries here and there — he is a franchise-altering talent whose acquisition would completely change the fortunes of whichever team acquires him.
2. Detroit Pistons
Scoot Henderson | 6-2 lead guard | 19 years old | G League Ignite
Henderson is the no-doubter No. 2 prospect in this class, a player who pretty clearly would have gone first overall in both the 2022 and 2020 NBA drafts. He’s a wildly explosive athlete on the level of guys like Ja Morant and Derrick Rose at the lead guard position, while also possessing immense skill and feel for the game as a passer and playmaker. His competitiveness has drawn raves from NBA scouts, and he’s the exact kind of personality teams want running the show. I talked about him at length recently on a podcast, breaking down in detail why he’s arguably the best guard prospect I’ve evaluated in the near-decade I’ve been doing this.
Production-wise, Henderson is averaging over 19 points while shooting 46.5 percent from the field and dishing out six assists per game with a near-2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio as a teenager (and those numbers are limited by him leaving two games early this season). He is by far the most successful preps-to-G-League story we’ve seen and looks ready to step into the NBA as a starting point guard potentially as soon as next season. The one flaw that evaluators will point to is the shooting from distance, but Henderson has a well-developed midrange pull-up game that he can get at will, and in time, scouts believe he will be able to add to his repertoire from behind the 3-point line to stop teams from going way under his screens.
3. San Antonio Spurs
Brandon Miller | 6-9 wing | 20 years old | Alabama
Miller is considered the safest guy in the rest of the class to be a really good player, largely because he’s been supremely productive and efficient for Alabama. The Crimson Tide are one of the best teams in college basketball, and it’s largely because of Miller. He’s on track to be a first-team All-American this season as a freshman, averaging 19 points, eight rebounds and two assists per game. His elite skill is shooting, and he has hit 42.7 percent from 3 this season on over seven attempts per game. But while some were worried about his ability to finish in the paint early in the season, his play recently has gone a long way toward quelling those concerns in front offices. In 12 games in SEC play, he’s shooting 63.6 percent from 2-point range as well, with many of those being self-created.
He’s not a terrific defender, but he’s reliable on that end with switchability to manage out in space against guards. It’s reasonable to question his upside in comparison to the next guy on the board, but he’s the guy I feel is the best bet outside of the top two to be a top-five pick on draft night for teams actually making the picks at this stage. He has the best mix of production, positional value as a wing and skill value for teams as a terrific shooter, with the fewest holes to pick at right now.
4. Charlotte Hornets
Amen Thompson | 6-7 lead guard | 20 years old | Overtime Elite
I’m still a believer that Thompson has more upside than anyone outside of Wembanyama and Henderson. He’s a twitchy athlete at the lead guard spot who is a walking paint touch, and he’ll enter the NBA not just as a high-level athlete, but as one of the five most explosive players in the league. He’s electric out in the open court in the way few prospects are. He’s also a superb passer and playmaker for his teammates and has high-level upside as a finisher. But scouts who have been down to OTE have come away with some concerns regarding Amen’s and his twin brother Ausar’s rate of improvement. The twins do have real flaws; neither has enough of an in-between scoring game, and neither can shoot from 3 consistently at this stage. Defensively, they’re elite playmakers but have had moments this year of coasting. Amen is shooting 25 percent from 3 this season and just 65 percent from the line. It feels like he has made markedly few midrange shots.
They’re by far the best players within the Overtime Elite program, and my bet is that when the playoffs come around, we start to see them lock in and dominate. But it hasn’t been as clean as scouts expected this season. When putting that in conjunction with front offices still figuring out the context of how to best evaluate the Overtime Elite program, the Thompsons have become a bit more polarizing in front offices than people would think based on their consensus rankings across the internet. Some people love them and love their upside. Others still see them as lottery picks but lower.
5. Orlando Magic
Jarace Walker | 6-8 forward | 19 years old | Houston
Walker has really emerged for scouts over the last month as a player who could challenge for top-five status. Having started the season as a terrific defender still trying to find his way within Houston’s veteran structure offensively, the 6-foot-8 forward with a 7-foot-2 wingspan has been superb over the last month. In his last nine games, he’s averaged 16 points, seven rebounds and 1.6 assists per game while shooting 53 percent from the field and 43.8 percent on nearly four 3s per game. Teams aren’t totally sold on the jump shot yet, and there are some mechanical fixes he’ll have to make. But teams are encouraged by his touch, and they’ve long loved his passing ability from the middle of the floor out of short rolls and mid-post chances. Where Walker stands out is on defense, where he’s switchable and extremely active. His motor runs hot, and he has great instincts flying around the court to try and make things happen in help situations.
6. Indiana Pacers
Cam Whitmore | 6-7 wing | 18 years old | Villanova
Teams have their questions about Whitmore, but his shot-creation ability has largely been there for a Villanova team that has mostly been a mess. After missing the first few games of the season with a thumb injury, Whitmore took a minute to get going but has been a strong scorer in Big East play. He’s averaging 13.6 points on 48.6 percent shooting from the field and 41.7 percent from 3 on five attempts per game. The way he uses his athleticism as a shot creator has been impressive, using his stride length and strength mixed with the ability to string together moves off the bounce. His side-step and stepback pull-up games are impressive for a teenager at 6-foot-7. The issue is he isn’t really looking for his teammates at all, and his 6.9 assist rate would be one of the worst marks for a wing lottery pick in a while. His defense has left a lot to be desired too. But his tools look like they’ll translate better to the NBA with greater driving lanes and more space.
7. Washington Wizards
Anthony Black | 6-7 guard | 19 years old | Arkansas
At the end of the day, I just buy Black being an impact player at the next level because of the way he impacts the game. He’s a monster defender both at the point of attack and as a switchable player up and down the lineup. Offensively, he puts pressure on the rim at a high level because of how quickly he can get downhill. But moreover, all of this is paired with terrific processing speed. He reads and reacts to what’s happening at a super high level. You see this most in his passing ability, when he hits the right guy almost every time while on the move. It’s not an accident that Arkansas is 15 points per 100 possessions better when Black is on the court versus when he’s off it per Pivot Analysis, and he’s the only player on Arkansas with whom the team is better both on offense and defense when he’s on the court. He makes his teammates better, and his presence helps his team. Teams are coming around on Black for these reasons, but he’ll need to prove that his shot isn’t entirely broken during the pre-draft process. The mechanics don’t look awesome, but he doesn’t seem to have bad touch. He’ll just need to show he can make improvement there, and he’ll go in the top 10.
8. New Orleans Pelicans (via LAL)
Ausar Thompson | 6-7 wing | 20 years old | Overtime Elite
Much of what I wrote about about Amen applies to Ausar, albeit in an different role. Ausar is a wing as opposed to Amen’s lead initiator role. His craft as a finisher at the rim is more advanced, and mechanically, the shot looks better. But Ausar is similarly shooting below 30 percent from 3 so far this season in Overtime Elite and will need to improve that over time because he’s not quite as lightning quick or explosive as Amen. He has had a few moments of defensive lapses, but he tends to be a bit more solid in team defense than Amen — as his potential as a weakside rim-protection threat at the three has become very interesting to NBA teams. One other thing worth noting: The brothers are highly competitive, and they’re known as very high-level workers and professionals. They’re the kinds of guys you want to buy into, even if the floor could turn out a bit lower. My bet is that Ausar ends up in the lottery still, much like his brother.
9. Toronto Raptors
Keyonte George | 6-4 guard | 19 years old | Baylor
George is polarizing for teams. Some love his aggressiveness and the bag of tricks he has to get open looks. He plays in-between pace and really keeps defenders off-balance. He’s very creative, and when he puts his mind toward passing, he displays good vision. His production, on some level, is undeniable as he’s averaging 17 points, four rebounds and three assists per game for Baylor. Others get frustrated, though, by the lack of efficiency. George has just a 52.7 true shooting percentage in Big 12 play, along with a negative assist-to-turnover ratio. Athletically, he’s not the most explosive player in the world. Still, Baylor has gotten better by centralizing him a bit more within the offense because he’s versatile enough to take on that role. Some see George as a lottery guy, whereas others see him as more of a late-teens guy. The guy whom scouts tend to bring up with George is Eric Gordon, and Gordon is someone who earned his lottery status. My bet is, by the end of the year, George is seen in that realm as well.
10. Oklahoma City Thunder
Gradey **** | 6-8 wing | 19 years old | Kansas
**** has been a lethal shooter at 6-foot-8 this season, a gunner with a high release point who shoots with terrific balance off movement. He’s made 42 percent of his six 3-point attempts per game, consistently cashing in and generating open looks from behind the arc with off-ball movement. Offensively, he just knows how to cut and how to move. He passes well out of his floor-spacer role. He rebounds reasonably well and also has really good reactivity and hands on defense that allow him to not be a liability at the college level. Having said that, teams have real worries about his on-ball defensive game at the next level. It’s easier to hide bigger players who are smart, and **** is pretty good in team concepts. But he might get hunted. Still, most teams see a top-15 grade on him right now.
11. Orlando Magic (via CHI)
Cason Wallace | 6-4 guard | 19 years old | Kentucky
Cason Wallace has dealt with back spasms over the last month, but when he’s been on the court, he’s been his typical self. He’s an elite defensive guard who is strong and physical enough to switch up the lineup and is enormously pesky on the ball against quick guards. On top of it, he’s preternaturally gifted as a team defender. NBA coaches will love him from Day 1 because of his reactivity and motor. Offensively, he’s a terrific shooter off the catch from 3 and does a good job of making the right read to either go out and get his own bucket or make a play for his teammate. Wallace is one of my favorite prospects in this class, but scouts are a bit more mixed on him. There are some concerns about drafting a 6-foot-4 defense-first guard in the lottery, especially given that he’s still working through some kinks with his pull-up game.
12. Portland Trail Blazers
Nick Smith Jr. | 6-4 combo guard | 18 years old | Arkansas
Smith Jr. just hasn’t had his season go according to plan after knee issues forced him into a stop-start season. He missed Arkansas’ first few games, returned for five, then missed the next 13. He returned over the weekend against Mississippi State but struggled in 17 minutes. Smith is still a very talented shot creator and difficult shot maker, but he’s not a wild athlete and can definitely go through bouts of inefficiency. He ended up as the No. 1 recruit in the class of 2022, though, because of how creative he is with ball-in-hand. There is some thought that he’ll look better at the NBA level, with a Jamal Murray-style game that translates well toward playing with a big initiator who allows him to focus more on scoring. Scouts desperately want to see more tape on Smith throughout the year, though, and hope he can rise to the levels he showed in high school. His range is pretty wide. He could end up in the top five or at the bottom of the lottery.
13. Utah Jazz
Rayan Rupert | 6-7 wing | 18 years old | New Zealand Breakers
Rupert is one of the most interesting international projects in this class. At 6-foot-7 with a 7-foot-3 wingspan, Rupert has the kind of tools every scout wants. He’s a good athlete, and he has strong feel for the game. Having grown up as a point guard, Rupert has strong instincts as a passer and consistently makes the right play for his teammates. But he’s nowhere near a finished product on offense. He’s not all that strong on the ball yet. He’s not quite a consistent shooter, but there is nothing all that wrong with his mechanics that make you say there will be issues long term. Where he truly shines is on defense. Rupert is aggressive and uses his lateral quickness and length to the utmost degree, making life miserable for opponents.
That’s where his future is in the NBA: As soon as he gets stronger and more capable of holding up at the point of attack physically, Rupert is going to be a true defensive difference-maker. He’s already that in the NBL, earning a starting role on the No. 2 team in the league because of his ability to shut down opponents and play solid team defense. He hasn’t been handed anything this season, like past Next Stars in the NBL; he’s reached out and grabbed it, earning a critical role in highly competitive playoff atmospheres. On top of that, Rupert’s background checks have come back pristine. He’s noted in Australia as an exceptionally hard worker, he’s all about the team as opposed to his own ambitions, and he has a remarkably professional mindset for a player who doesn’t turn 19 until May. My bet is that a team decides to place a calculated bet on him in the top 20.
14. Los Angeles Lakers (via NOP)
Jalen Hood-Schifino | 6-6 wing | 19 years old | Indiana
Hood-Schifino is a big-time riser for scouts over the last month largely due to his well-rounded game. He defends well across the backcourt and is largely responsible for initiating the offense for Indiana. He dishes out 4.3 assists per game and plays like a veteran despite his age. The raw numbers mute his scoring impact. Over the last 14 games, Hood-Schifino has averaged nearly 15 points, three rebounds and four assists on strong efficiency numbers. It’s a bit of a roller coaster in terms of production game by game, but he brings it on defense and plays a strong, team-oriented game every night. I’m a buyer on him. His versatility of skill set should allow him to work his way into being a super high-level rotation player who helps teams win for as long as the shot holds up. He’s already playing that role at Indiana next to Trayce Jackson-Davis.
15. Atlanta Hawks
Jett Howard | 6-8 wing | 19 years old | Michigan
Howard has been a fascinating prospect to track this season. From a scoring perspective, he has had some of the best scoring games of any prospect. His 34-point outburst against Iowa was a ridiculous display of shot making, and in general, Howard’s shooting has been his elite skill this year. He’s a knockdown movement shooter who gets open looks out of a variety of different actions because of how quickly he can set his feet and fire. He’s hit 38 percent of his six 3-point attempts per game this season. But he’s not really bringing anything else to the table. He can be a secondary ballhandler but only out of certain actions because he’s not all that athletic (the Zoom actions Michigan runs really help get him the ball with his momentum downhill). Moreover, Howard doesn’t rebound and is a very poor defender. Being 6-foot-8 and able to shoot out of varied actions is a big deal. But Howard still has a ways to go to solidify this slot.
16. Utah Jazz (via MIN)
Kris Murray | 6-8 wing | 22 years old | Iowa
Murray has been all sorts of steady this season for Iowa, much like his brother, Keegan, was a season ago. Kris is averaging 20.5 points, eight rebounds and two assists per game while shooting 50 percent from the field, 35 percent from 3 and 75 percent from the line. It’s extremely easy to envision him as a plug-and-play rotation player for a team that needs someone to step in soon. He makes 3s at volume, he’s athletic and strong enough to hold up on defense, and he finishes when he gets a chance inside. He’s a bit more limited as a shot creator and pull-up threat than Keegan was a season ago and also has a bit less in terms of the intersection of his strength and quickness. But Murray should hear his name called somewhere in the top 20 on draft night as one of the most productive upper-class wings in the draft. This may sound a bit silly given that Keegan is a bit better, but teams will consider the fact that Keegan has stepped into the league and immediately been effective.
17. Golden State Warriors
Brice Sensabaugh | 6-6 wing | 19 years old | Ohio State
Sensabaugh is in a fascinating position. He has a case as the best shooter in a draft class filled with terrific shooters, such as ****, Howard, Jordan Hawkins and Miller. He takes an absurd number of difficult, contested shots and sinks them at a ridiculous clip. Among the 468 players to take at least 150 jump shots in college basketball this season, Sensabaugh is 25th in efficiency, making them at a near 1.3 points per possession clip, according to Synergy. That’s the sixth-best mark of any player at the high-major level (first is Penn State wing Seth Lundy). Having said that, Sensabaugh is not the best passer, and he’s struggled a bit recently to adjust to being at the top of scouting reports. It’s hard to keep up that difficult shot diet against elite defensive talent. On top of that, he’s a poor defender, and teams routinely attack him, which has resulted in Ohio State being forced to take him off the court a bit more often than you’d expect for someone of this talent. A bet on Sensabaugh would showcase real trust that he has room for growth athletically on that end as he learns the intricacies of team defense.
18. New York Knicks (via DAL)
Jordan Hawkins | 6-5 wing | 20 years old | Connecticut
It’s hard to overemphasize the heater Hawkins has been on over the last month. He’s averaging 21 points per game while shooting 49 percent from the field, 41 percent from 3 and 92 percent from the line despite every team that plays Connecticut working as hard as possible to stop him from getting any clean looks from 3 off movement. He’s still generating seven of them per game but has also made a few strides attacking closeouts too, and he’s becoming more versatile in how he attacks defenses. Hawkins is also considered a high-level competitor, and he’s defended at a solid level this season on the ball. Hawkins still has a ways to go as a decision-maker and passer when he gets crowded, but his ability to shoot and create 3s off high-difficulty actions will endear him to NBA teams immediately.
19. Portland Trail Blazers (via NYK)
Taylor Hendricks | 6-9 forward | 19 years old | UCF
Hendricks has been one of the breakout freshmen of the college basketball season, averaging 15 points, seven rebounds and nearly two blocks as a 6-foot-9 forward with some real athleticism and quickness (although he’s a bit upright and stiff at times). Ranked just the 67th-best freshman in the class by 247Sports’ composite recruiting ranking, Hendricks looks like a real one-and-done option. Teams are still a little split given that he’s fairly raw whenever he has to put the ball on the deck, an issue as he’ll likely be asked to play more on the wing and at the four than at the five, which is where he ends up seeing a lot of his minutes. But there are enough tools here that it’s reasonable to project him as a first round pick at this stage. I’d expect he goes in the top 25.
20. Brooklyn Nets (via PHX)
Max Lewis | 6-7 wing | 20 years old | Pepperdine
Lewis’ own numbers look great. He’s averaging 18 points, six rebounds and three assists per game while shooting 49 percent from the field, 36.6 percent from 3 and 84 percent from the line. He’s also 6-foot-7 with great length and real NBA-level athleticism (although with a very skinny frame that he’ll need to fill out). Why do NBA evaluators have him outside of the lottery? Lewis plays for a Pepperdine team that is currently 2-12 in WCC play, despite four legitimate high-major talents on the roster. And Lewis’ own bad habits play a real factor in why the team is so bad. He’s a really bad defensive player right now across the board, falling asleep a bit too often away from the ball and struggling to contain on-ball players by standing too high in his stance. Additionally, he also turns the ball over way too often for the role he has. The good news is that the intel on Lewis is very positive, and he’s considered to be a great guy who really wants to work at his game and improve these things. He also had a circuitous route to Pepperdine and didn’t necessarily get as much defensive coaching as other high-end prospects. It is extremely likely someone takes him in the first round due to his shooting and tools, but the range in front offices is a little wider on him than what people would think.
21. LA Clippers
Dariq Whitehead | 6-6 wing | 18 years old | Duke
Whitehead has had a roller-coaster, injury-filled freshman season at Duke, so it’s hard to get a read on who he actually is. The good news is that he has shot it well, hitting 38 percent from distance. But everything else has been a bit all over the map. I’ve always thought he was a touch overrated as an athlete in terms of explosiveness, but he’s really struggled this season inside the paint. And generally, he has not impacted the game outside of scoring the basketball. He doesn’t really rebound, doesn’t make strong enough passing reads and hasn’t been impactful enough on defense. The scoring has been fine, but scouts will have a real decision to make: Does the tape Whitehead put together in his high school career outweigh what we saw from him at Duke? Or do we trust the tape that says he’s not a first-round pick right now? He falls substantially here and will need pre-draft workouts to be positive.
22. Miami Heat
Gregory “G.G.” Jackson | 6-9 forward | 18 years old | South Carolina
We’ve certainly gotten every chance to see where Jackson’s game stands this season, as South Carolina and its coaching staff have laid it all bare for scouts to see. The team doesn’t have a ton of high-major-level talent around Jackson, so throughout the first 20 games, the Gamecocks empowered an 18-year-old to be the primary centerpiece of a high-major offense. That was not an ideal plan, and the results haven’t been pretty, as South Carolina has one of the worst high-major offenses in the country. Jackson’s counting numbers look fine. He’s averaging 15 points and six rebounds. But he has a remarkably low 47.4 true shooting percentage, a 6.4 assist rate and a very high turnover rate. He doesn’t really read the floor all that well yet or generate open shots for his teammates. Defensively, he has looked a bit less impressive than he did at times when playing at lower levels. It seems like Jackson is getting frustrated, having recently complained on an Instagram Live about his late-game usage in the offense. That resulted in him being benched for the next game against Missouri. Over his last two games coming off the bench, he’s combined for seven points in 28 minutes. In the game on Tuesday against Vanderbilt, he again had a childish moment by noticeably standing away from his teammates in the huddle.
This would not be the typical profile of a first-round pick, even with Jackson having been a top-five recruit in the country. Having said that, context is important. What would Jackson look like surrounded by more talent or getting more clean looks? What would it look like if he didn’t have to be the centerpiece of the offense? He’s clearly a very talented player. I just don’t think he was ready for all of this so soon at the college level. He started the season at 17 years old after reclassifying into the 2022 recruiting class. I think this entire situation has been handled poorly by everyone: the South Carolina staff for putting so much on his plate; Jackson and his advisers for reclassifying, de-committing from North Carolina and committing to this rebuilding situation as a one-and-done; and Jackson himself for some of the attitude issues.
How he performs in pre-draft workouts and interviews with teams once he gets out of this South Carolina situation will be critical to his standing. It’s not impossible that he falls out of the first round. It’s also not impossible that he climbs up into the lottery. He needs to play well in front of teams and showcase the kind of maturity necessary to display to NBA decision-makers that he will be able to scale adversity when it comes (and it will come for a player who would enter the NBA at 18 years old for the first few months of his career).
23. Sacramento Kings
Colby Jones | 6-6 wing | 20 years old | Xavier
A longtime favorite in these parts, Jones just continues to impress as a 6-foot-6 point wing who wears a ton of hats for Xavier. He initiates the offense regularly next to terrific scoring guard Souley Boum, averaging five assists versus only 2.5 turnovers. He slashes aggressively to the rim, particularly out in transition, and finishes through contact. He defends at a strong level across a few different positions. And he’s shown tangible improvement as a shooter this season, making 42 percent of his 3.3 attempts per game. Jones is still resigned to being a spot-up guy from behind the arc, but if he can keep improving in that area, it’ll probably be enough even if he struggles with pull-ups. He is a worthy bet in the No. 25 to No. 40 range because of his versatile skill set.
24. Indiana Pacers (via CLE)
Julian Phillips | 6-8 wing | 19 years old | Tennessee
Phillips has carved out a starting role as a freshman on a really good Tennessee team, and he provides value across the spectrum. He’s a solid rebounder and decision-maker. He defends at a really high-level as a combo wing/forward with switchability. He blocks the occasional shot and gets out in transition. The main hole here is the shot. He’s made just 28 percent from 3 so far. I think the mechanics are fixable; he has a left-align shot where he seems to get his center of gravity slightly off from time to time, plus has a very slight hitch in his shooting pocket that should be able to get ironed out. If you think the shooting is fixable, he should be a first-round pick because this is the kind of guy for whom teams search far and wide: a 6-foot-8 defensive player with switchability. They’re harder to find across the league than people think.
25. Memphis Grizzlies
James Nnaji | 6-10 big | 18 years old | Barcelona
Welcome to the mock, James! Nnaji has been seen as an intriguing, low-usage, high-defensive-upside big man in Spain for a while now. Originally from Nigeria, Nnaji has undertaken a unique journey as a high-level prospect, beginning his European career at a Hungarian Academy before he moved to Spain in 2020. Nnaji finishes well around the rim and blocks shots with impunity on the interior as a weakside rim protector. He’s started eight games in Liga ACB this season as Barca brings him along slowly, but there have been some genuine strides that should excite scouts — especially for teams with multiple first-round picks that could use a bit more of a project-like flier on someone who could be a big part of a terrific defense long term.
26. Utah Jazz (via PHI)
Dereck Lively II | 7-1 center| 19 years old| Duke
Welcome back, Lively! Lively has finally started to showcase his immense defensive tools. He is 7-foot-1 with a 7-foot-7 wingspan, and he’s starting to figure out how to utilize that length without fouling. Over his last four games, he’s averaging nine rebounds and five blocks in 26 minutes per night. He’s second in the ACC in blocks per game, and if you take the 25 blocks he has in his last six games alone, that would actually place him in the top 10 of the league. After playing just 256 minutes in his first 16 games, Lively is going to finish the season in the top 10 nationally in blocks per game while likely making over 60 percent of his shots at the rim. That’s probably going to be enough to get him drafted in the first round, given how much upside he has as a rim protector.
27. Brooklyn Nets
Kyle Filipowski | 7-0 big | 19 years old | Duke
Duke’s rock this season, Filipowski has been remarkably important in keeping the Blue Devils afloat this year. He’s averaging over 15 points and nine rebounds per game, creating a ton of shots with his inside-out versatility. He’s comfortable handling the ball, either out of spot-ups, dribble handoffs or quick pick-and-pops. That gives him real potential as a backup center early in his career, in a similar vein to guys such as Naz Reid. The question is defense. Filipowski has very good hands, and he’s an underrated mover laterally. But he doesn’t really provide anything in terms of rim protection. He’s a bit polarizing for scouts, which shouldn’t necessarily come as a surprise, given that he hasn’t shot 3s at a high level or blocked a ton of shots.
28. Houston Rockets (via MIL)
Kobe Bufkin | 6-4 guard | 19 years old | Michigan
Bufkin is a fast-rising, 6-foot-4 sophomore guard out of Michigan whom scouts have come to really appreciate throughout the season. He’s only averaging 12 points, four rebounds and three assists per game while shooting 30 percent from 3. So why are people excited? It’s the production for his age. Bufkin is actually a bit younger than teammate Jett Howard. If you look at him in that context, he’s immediately intriguing due to his blend of athleticism and skill set. He has a bit of a ways to go in terms of strength, and the shooting is going to have to come around. But there are currently no freshmen in college basketball averaging at least 12 points, four rebounds and three assists per game while shooting 45 percent from the field, which is what Bufkin is doing right now. It’s easy to see why scouts have identified him as a potential 2023 draft pick.
29. Indiana Pacers (via BOS)
Leonard Miller | 6-10 wing | 19 years old | G League Ignite
Miller has continued to roll along as a potential one-and-done, averaging 15 points and eight rebounds for the Ignite. Originally seen as something of a point forward, Miller has flourished a bit more often as a dirty work offensive player who thrives out in transition, in the dunker spot and as an offensive rebounder. He’s grabbing 2.5 offensive rebounds per game and has shown some ability as a driver from the elbow and to drive transition play on grab-and-go opportunities. He’s a very fluid athlete, albeit not wildly explosive. At 6-foot-10 with a 7-foot-2 wingspan and some latent ball skills, this improvement in his all-around floor game could give him some time to figure out the rest of his abilities, including his shooting. He has a funky looking, low-release shot that teams have some worries about.
30. Charlotte Hornets (via DEN)
Terquavion Smith | 6-4 guard | 20 years old | NC State
Smith continues to get buckets as a devastating pull-up shot creator, averaging 18.5 points per game while shooting 35 percent from 3 on eight attempts per game. He has improved a bit as a distributor and passer this season, often initiating the Wolfpack offense next to fellow combo guard Jarkel Joiner. Teams have questions about Smith’s size and ability to hold up on defense at the next level. He is exceptionally skinny and struggles to hold up on defense at the college level, and there will be bigger issues once he gets to the NBA. But he has enough shooting and scoring ability that teams think he has a real chance to become a solid scoring guard off the bench.
Second Round
31. Indiana Pacers (via HOU): Sidy Cissoko | 6-7 wing | G League Ignite
32. Detroit Pistons: Marcus Sasser | 6-2 guard | 22 years old | Houston
33. San Antonio Spurs: Jaime Jaquez Jr. | 6-7 guard | UCLA
34. Charlotte Hornets: Terrence Shannon Jr. | 6-6 wing | 22 years old | Illinois
35. Orlando Magic: Kel’el Ware | 7-0 big | Oregon
36. Toronto Raptors: Jalen Wilson | 6-8 wing | Kansas
37. Oklahoma City Thunder (via WAS): Ricky Council IV | 6-7 wing | Arkansas
38. Sacramento Kings (via IND): Noah Clowney | 6-10 big | Alabama
39. Los Angeles Lakers: Trayce Jackson-Davis | 6-9 big | Indiana
40. Washington Wizards (via CHI): Dillon Mitchell | 6-7 wing | Texas
41. Denver Nuggets (via OKC): Zach Edey | 7-4 center | Purdue
42. Boston Celtics (via POR): Judah Mintz | 6-3 guard | Syracuse
43. Atlanta Hawks: Kevin McCullar Jr. | 6-6 wing | Kansas
44. New Orleans Pelicans: Arthur Kaluma | 6-7 wing | Creighton
45. Charlotte Hornets (via UTA): Julian Strawther | 6-7 wing | Gonzaga
46. Memphis Grizzlies (via MIN): Coleman Hawkins | 6-10 big | Illinois
47. Cleveland Cavaliers (via GSW): Ąžuolas Tubelis | 6-11 big | Arizona
48. Denver Nuggets (via DAL): DaRon Holmes II | 6-10 big | Dayton
49. Minnesota Timberwolves (via NYK): Mike Miles | 6-1 guard | TCU
50. Phoenix Suns: Trey Alexander | 6-4 guard | Creighton
51. LA Clippers: Nikola Đurišić | 6-8 wing | KK Mega Basket
52. Boston Celtics (via MIA): Bryce Hopkins | 6-7 wing/forward | Providence
53. Sacramento Kings: Jaylen Clark | 6-5 wing | UCLA
54. Milwaukee Bucks (via CLE): Adam Flagler | 6-3 guard | Baylor
55. Brooklyn Nets: Emoni Bates | 6-9 wing | Eastern Michigan
56. Memphis Grizzlies: Colin Castleton | 6-11 big | Florida
57. Milwaukee Bucks: Reece Beekman | 6-3 guard | Virginia
58. Boston Celtics: Baylor Scheierman | 6-6 wing | Creighton
The NBA trade deadline has passed, the Super Bowl is in the rearview mirror, and we’re truly into NBA Draft season for many teams in the league that are out of the playoff chase (and even some that are still in the picture). Let’s update our 2023 NBA Mock Draft with that in mind.
This draft class is considered a strong one largely because of the top two players. Victor Wembanyama is arguably the highest-upside prospect to enter the NBA Draft since LeBron James. Scoot Henderson is on a shortlist for the best guard prospect I’ve evaluated. They’re both clear Tier 1 prospects. Beyond them, a number of questions remain, starting as soon as even No. 3.
It’s not necessarily due to a lack of talent. There are a number of interesting, high-upside freshmen and first-year-eligible players. While a high number of freshmen in this class intrigue scouts, many of them are incomplete players who are still working through some of their flaws. But because older players haven’t really emerged and come to interest scouts, freshmen are the ones who seem likely to be selected at this point in the process. It’s possible some older players end up impressing while leading their teams on deep postseason runs, but it’s hard to find scouts excited about juniors and seniors in this class. As you will see, only two such players in the first-round projection below are in their third year of college basketball. My guess is that changes as we get closer to the June 22 draft, but I can only go where scouts are leading me right now.
Because there are so many freshmen, many of the players aren’t necessarily seen as sure bets to make an impact next season. All of this has led to a larger number of players who are polarizing for NBA scouts. A number of players have pretty wide ranges right now, and there are many slots in the first round available for players to step into over the end of the college basketball season as well as the pre-draft process.
A couple things worth noting. First, team needs are NOT accounted for here. It’s still too early in the process for that. Second, standings are as of Feb. 10. Third, all ages are as of draft day. Finally, all stats are as of Monday, Feb. 13.
1. Houston Rockets
Victor Wembanyama | 7-4 center | 19 years old | Metropolitans 92
Wembanyama has a real case to be the best prospect since LeBron James given his size, shot-creation skill, tools on defense and production. The 7-foot-4 French center has averaged 21.9 points, 9.6 rebounds and 3.2 blocks per game, all of which currently lead the French League. He’s also shooting 47.1 percent from the field and about 81 percent from the foul line while getting up over five 3-point attempts per game — many of which are self-created opportunities off the bounce. I’ve dove deep on Wembanyama following his games against the G League Ignite earlier this season, so if you’re looking for a fuller picture, look there.
In terms of potential weaknesses, the occasional scout has pointed to his passing and ability to make reads on the move, as well as the consistency of his shot. He also occasionally gets caught in the mud defensively away from the rim and gets blown by, but his recovery length is immense and typically mitigates the situation. But I’ve yet to talk to one scout who doesn’t see these skills as likely improving as he ages. As long as Wembanyama stays healthy long term — something he’s done so far this season after a bit of a history of picking up injuries here and there — he is a franchise-altering talent whose acquisition would completely change the fortunes of whichever team acquires him.
2. Detroit Pistons
Scoot Henderson | 6-2 lead guard | 19 years old | G League Ignite
Henderson is the no-doubter No. 2 prospect in this class, a player who pretty clearly would have gone first overall in both the 2022 and 2020 NBA drafts. He’s a wildly explosive athlete on the level of guys like Ja Morant and Derrick Rose at the lead guard position, while also possessing immense skill and feel for the game as a passer and playmaker. His competitiveness has drawn raves from NBA scouts, and he’s the exact kind of personality teams want running the show. I talked about him at length recently on a podcast, breaking down in detail why he’s arguably the best guard prospect I’ve evaluated in the near-decade I’ve been doing this.
Production-wise, Henderson is averaging over 19 points while shooting 46.5 percent from the field and dishing out six assists per game with a near-2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio as a teenager (and those numbers are limited by him leaving two games early this season). He is by far the most successful preps-to-G-League story we’ve seen and looks ready to step into the NBA as a starting point guard potentially as soon as next season. The one flaw that evaluators will point to is the shooting from distance, but Henderson has a well-developed midrange pull-up game that he can get at will, and in time, scouts believe he will be able to add to his repertoire from behind the 3-point line to stop teams from going way under his screens.
3. San Antonio Spurs
Brandon Miller | 6-9 wing | 20 years old | Alabama
Miller is considered the safest guy in the rest of the class to be a really good player, largely because he’s been supremely productive and efficient for Alabama. The Crimson Tide are one of the best teams in college basketball, and it’s largely because of Miller. He’s on track to be a first-team All-American this season as a freshman, averaging 19 points, eight rebounds and two assists per game. His elite skill is shooting, and he has hit 42.7 percent from 3 this season on over seven attempts per game. But while some were worried about his ability to finish in the paint early in the season, his play recently has gone a long way toward quelling those concerns in front offices. In 12 games in SEC play, he’s shooting 63.6 percent from 2-point range as well, with many of those being self-created.
He’s not a terrific defender, but he’s reliable on that end with switchability to manage out in space against guards. It’s reasonable to question his upside in comparison to the next guy on the board, but he’s the guy I feel is the best bet outside of the top two to be a top-five pick on draft night for teams actually making the picks at this stage. He has the best mix of production, positional value as a wing and skill value for teams as a terrific shooter, with the fewest holes to pick at right now.
4. Charlotte Hornets
Amen Thompson | 6-7 lead guard | 20 years old | Overtime Elite
I’m still a believer that Thompson has more upside than anyone outside of Wembanyama and Henderson. He’s a twitchy athlete at the lead guard spot who is a walking paint touch, and he’ll enter the NBA not just as a high-level athlete, but as one of the five most explosive players in the league. He’s electric out in the open court in the way few prospects are. He’s also a superb passer and playmaker for his teammates and has high-level upside as a finisher. But scouts who have been down to OTE have come away with some concerns regarding Amen’s and his twin brother Ausar’s rate of improvement. The twins do have real flaws; neither has enough of an in-between scoring game, and neither can shoot from 3 consistently at this stage. Defensively, they’re elite playmakers but have had moments this year of coasting. Amen is shooting 25 percent from 3 this season and just 65 percent from the line. It feels like he has made markedly few midrange shots.
They’re by far the best players within the Overtime Elite program, and my bet is that when the playoffs come around, we start to see them lock in and dominate. But it hasn’t been as clean as scouts expected this season. When putting that in conjunction with front offices still figuring out the context of how to best evaluate the Overtime Elite program, the Thompsons have become a bit more polarizing in front offices than people would think based on their consensus rankings across the internet. Some people love them and love their upside. Others still see them as lottery picks but lower.
5. Orlando Magic
Jarace Walker | 6-8 forward | 19 years old | Houston
Walker has really emerged for scouts over the last month as a player who could challenge for top-five status. Having started the season as a terrific defender still trying to find his way within Houston’s veteran structure offensively, the 6-foot-8 forward with a 7-foot-2 wingspan has been superb over the last month. In his last nine games, he’s averaged 16 points, seven rebounds and 1.6 assists per game while shooting 53 percent from the field and 43.8 percent on nearly four 3s per game. Teams aren’t totally sold on the jump shot yet, and there are some mechanical fixes he’ll have to make. But teams are encouraged by his touch, and they’ve long loved his passing ability from the middle of the floor out of short rolls and mid-post chances. Where Walker stands out is on defense, where he’s switchable and extremely active. His motor runs hot, and he has great instincts flying around the court to try and make things happen in help situations.
6. Indiana Pacers
Cam Whitmore | 6-7 wing | 18 years old | Villanova
Teams have their questions about Whitmore, but his shot-creation ability has largely been there for a Villanova team that has mostly been a mess. After missing the first few games of the season with a thumb injury, Whitmore took a minute to get going but has been a strong scorer in Big East play. He’s averaging 13.6 points on 48.6 percent shooting from the field and 41.7 percent from 3 on five attempts per game. The way he uses his athleticism as a shot creator has been impressive, using his stride length and strength mixed with the ability to string together moves off the bounce. His side-step and stepback pull-up games are impressive for a teenager at 6-foot-7. The issue is he isn’t really looking for his teammates at all, and his 6.9 assist rate would be one of the worst marks for a wing lottery pick in a while. His defense has left a lot to be desired too. But his tools look like they’ll translate better to the NBA with greater driving lanes and more space.
7. Washington Wizards
Anthony Black | 6-7 guard | 19 years old | Arkansas
At the end of the day, I just buy Black being an impact player at the next level because of the way he impacts the game. He’s a monster defender both at the point of attack and as a switchable player up and down the lineup. Offensively, he puts pressure on the rim at a high level because of how quickly he can get downhill. But moreover, all of this is paired with terrific processing speed. He reads and reacts to what’s happening at a super high level. You see this most in his passing ability, when he hits the right guy almost every time while on the move. It’s not an accident that Arkansas is 15 points per 100 possessions better when Black is on the court versus when he’s off it per Pivot Analysis, and he’s the only player on Arkansas with whom the team is better both on offense and defense when he’s on the court. He makes his teammates better, and his presence helps his team. Teams are coming around on Black for these reasons, but he’ll need to prove that his shot isn’t entirely broken during the pre-draft process. The mechanics don’t look awesome, but he doesn’t seem to have bad touch. He’ll just need to show he can make improvement there, and he’ll go in the top 10.
8. New Orleans Pelicans (via LAL)
Ausar Thompson | 6-7 wing | 20 years old | Overtime Elite
Much of what I wrote about about Amen applies to Ausar, albeit in an different role. Ausar is a wing as opposed to Amen’s lead initiator role. His craft as a finisher at the rim is more advanced, and mechanically, the shot looks better. But Ausar is similarly shooting below 30 percent from 3 so far this season in Overtime Elite and will need to improve that over time because he’s not quite as lightning quick or explosive as Amen. He has had a few moments of defensive lapses, but he tends to be a bit more solid in team defense than Amen — as his potential as a weakside rim-protection threat at the three has become very interesting to NBA teams. One other thing worth noting: The brothers are highly competitive, and they’re known as very high-level workers and professionals. They’re the kinds of guys you want to buy into, even if the floor could turn out a bit lower. My bet is that Ausar ends up in the lottery still, much like his brother.
9. Toronto Raptors
Keyonte George | 6-4 guard | 19 years old | Baylor
George is polarizing for teams. Some love his aggressiveness and the bag of tricks he has to get open looks. He plays in-between pace and really keeps defenders off-balance. He’s very creative, and when he puts his mind toward passing, he displays good vision. His production, on some level, is undeniable as he’s averaging 17 points, four rebounds and three assists per game for Baylor. Others get frustrated, though, by the lack of efficiency. George has just a 52.7 true shooting percentage in Big 12 play, along with a negative assist-to-turnover ratio. Athletically, he’s not the most explosive player in the world. Still, Baylor has gotten better by centralizing him a bit more within the offense because he’s versatile enough to take on that role. Some see George as a lottery guy, whereas others see him as more of a late-teens guy. The guy whom scouts tend to bring up with George is Eric Gordon, and Gordon is someone who earned his lottery status. My bet is, by the end of the year, George is seen in that realm as well.
10. Oklahoma City Thunder
Gradey **** | 6-8 wing | 19 years old | Kansas
**** has been a lethal shooter at 6-foot-8 this season, a gunner with a high release point who shoots with terrific balance off movement. He’s made 42 percent of his six 3-point attempts per game, consistently cashing in and generating open looks from behind the arc with off-ball movement. Offensively, he just knows how to cut and how to move. He passes well out of his floor-spacer role. He rebounds reasonably well and also has really good reactivity and hands on defense that allow him to not be a liability at the college level. Having said that, teams have real worries about his on-ball defensive game at the next level. It’s easier to hide bigger players who are smart, and **** is pretty good in team concepts. But he might get hunted. Still, most teams see a top-15 grade on him right now.
11. Orlando Magic (via CHI)
Cason Wallace | 6-4 guard | 19 years old | Kentucky
Cason Wallace has dealt with back spasms over the last month, but when he’s been on the court, he’s been his typical self. He’s an elite defensive guard who is strong and physical enough to switch up the lineup and is enormously pesky on the ball against quick guards. On top of it, he’s preternaturally gifted as a team defender. NBA coaches will love him from Day 1 because of his reactivity and motor. Offensively, he’s a terrific shooter off the catch from 3 and does a good job of making the right read to either go out and get his own bucket or make a play for his teammate. Wallace is one of my favorite prospects in this class, but scouts are a bit more mixed on him. There are some concerns about drafting a 6-foot-4 defense-first guard in the lottery, especially given that he’s still working through some kinks with his pull-up game.
12. Portland Trail Blazers
Nick Smith Jr. | 6-4 combo guard | 18 years old | Arkansas
Smith Jr. just hasn’t had his season go according to plan after knee issues forced him into a stop-start season. He missed Arkansas’ first few games, returned for five, then missed the next 13. He returned over the weekend against Mississippi State but struggled in 17 minutes. Smith is still a very talented shot creator and difficult shot maker, but he’s not a wild athlete and can definitely go through bouts of inefficiency. He ended up as the No. 1 recruit in the class of 2022, though, because of how creative he is with ball-in-hand. There is some thought that he’ll look better at the NBA level, with a Jamal Murray-style game that translates well toward playing with a big initiator who allows him to focus more on scoring. Scouts desperately want to see more tape on Smith throughout the year, though, and hope he can rise to the levels he showed in high school. His range is pretty wide. He could end up in the top five or at the bottom of the lottery.
13. Utah Jazz
Rayan Rupert | 6-7 wing | 18 years old | New Zealand Breakers
Rupert is one of the most interesting international projects in this class. At 6-foot-7 with a 7-foot-3 wingspan, Rupert has the kind of tools every scout wants. He’s a good athlete, and he has strong feel for the game. Having grown up as a point guard, Rupert has strong instincts as a passer and consistently makes the right play for his teammates. But he’s nowhere near a finished product on offense. He’s not all that strong on the ball yet. He’s not quite a consistent shooter, but there is nothing all that wrong with his mechanics that make you say there will be issues long term. Where he truly shines is on defense. Rupert is aggressive and uses his lateral quickness and length to the utmost degree, making life miserable for opponents.
That’s where his future is in the NBA: As soon as he gets stronger and more capable of holding up at the point of attack physically, Rupert is going to be a true defensive difference-maker. He’s already that in the NBL, earning a starting role on the No. 2 team in the league because of his ability to shut down opponents and play solid team defense. He hasn’t been handed anything this season, like past Next Stars in the NBL; he’s reached out and grabbed it, earning a critical role in highly competitive playoff atmospheres. On top of that, Rupert’s background checks have come back pristine. He’s noted in Australia as an exceptionally hard worker, he’s all about the team as opposed to his own ambitions, and he has a remarkably professional mindset for a player who doesn’t turn 19 until May. My bet is that a team decides to place a calculated bet on him in the top 20.
14. Los Angeles Lakers (via NOP)
Jalen Hood-Schifino | 6-6 wing | 19 years old | Indiana
Hood-Schifino is a big-time riser for scouts over the last month largely due to his well-rounded game. He defends well across the backcourt and is largely responsible for initiating the offense for Indiana. He dishes out 4.3 assists per game and plays like a veteran despite his age. The raw numbers mute his scoring impact. Over the last 14 games, Hood-Schifino has averaged nearly 15 points, three rebounds and four assists on strong efficiency numbers. It’s a bit of a roller coaster in terms of production game by game, but he brings it on defense and plays a strong, team-oriented game every night. I’m a buyer on him. His versatility of skill set should allow him to work his way into being a super high-level rotation player who helps teams win for as long as the shot holds up. He’s already playing that role at Indiana next to Trayce Jackson-Davis.
15. Atlanta Hawks
Jett Howard | 6-8 wing | 19 years old | Michigan
Howard has been a fascinating prospect to track this season. From a scoring perspective, he has had some of the best scoring games of any prospect. His 34-point outburst against Iowa was a ridiculous display of shot making, and in general, Howard’s shooting has been his elite skill this year. He’s a knockdown movement shooter who gets open looks out of a variety of different actions because of how quickly he can set his feet and fire. He’s hit 38 percent of his six 3-point attempts per game this season. But he’s not really bringing anything else to the table. He can be a secondary ballhandler but only out of certain actions because he’s not all that athletic (the Zoom actions Michigan runs really help get him the ball with his momentum downhill). Moreover, Howard doesn’t rebound and is a very poor defender. Being 6-foot-8 and able to shoot out of varied actions is a big deal. But Howard still has a ways to go to solidify this slot.
16. Utah Jazz (via MIN)
Kris Murray | 6-8 wing | 22 years old | Iowa
Murray has been all sorts of steady this season for Iowa, much like his brother, Keegan, was a season ago. Kris is averaging 20.5 points, eight rebounds and two assists per game while shooting 50 percent from the field, 35 percent from 3 and 75 percent from the line. It’s extremely easy to envision him as a plug-and-play rotation player for a team that needs someone to step in soon. He makes 3s at volume, he’s athletic and strong enough to hold up on defense, and he finishes when he gets a chance inside. He’s a bit more limited as a shot creator and pull-up threat than Keegan was a season ago and also has a bit less in terms of the intersection of his strength and quickness. But Murray should hear his name called somewhere in the top 20 on draft night as one of the most productive upper-class wings in the draft. This may sound a bit silly given that Keegan is a bit better, but teams will consider the fact that Keegan has stepped into the league and immediately been effective.
17. Golden State Warriors
Brice Sensabaugh | 6-6 wing | 19 years old | Ohio State
Sensabaugh is in a fascinating position. He has a case as the best shooter in a draft class filled with terrific shooters, such as ****, Howard, Jordan Hawkins and Miller. He takes an absurd number of difficult, contested shots and sinks them at a ridiculous clip. Among the 468 players to take at least 150 jump shots in college basketball this season, Sensabaugh is 25th in efficiency, making them at a near 1.3 points per possession clip, according to Synergy. That’s the sixth-best mark of any player at the high-major level (first is Penn State wing Seth Lundy). Having said that, Sensabaugh is not the best passer, and he’s struggled a bit recently to adjust to being at the top of scouting reports. It’s hard to keep up that difficult shot diet against elite defensive talent. On top of that, he’s a poor defender, and teams routinely attack him, which has resulted in Ohio State being forced to take him off the court a bit more often than you’d expect for someone of this talent. A bet on Sensabaugh would showcase real trust that he has room for growth athletically on that end as he learns the intricacies of team defense.
18. New York Knicks (via DAL)
Jordan Hawkins | 6-5 wing | 20 years old | Connecticut
It’s hard to overemphasize the heater Hawkins has been on over the last month. He’s averaging 21 points per game while shooting 49 percent from the field, 41 percent from 3 and 92 percent from the line despite every team that plays Connecticut working as hard as possible to stop him from getting any clean looks from 3 off movement. He’s still generating seven of them per game but has also made a few strides attacking closeouts too, and he’s becoming more versatile in how he attacks defenses. Hawkins is also considered a high-level competitor, and he’s defended at a solid level this season on the ball. Hawkins still has a ways to go as a decision-maker and passer when he gets crowded, but his ability to shoot and create 3s off high-difficulty actions will endear him to NBA teams immediately.
19. Portland Trail Blazers (via NYK)
Taylor Hendricks | 6-9 forward | 19 years old | UCF
Hendricks has been one of the breakout freshmen of the college basketball season, averaging 15 points, seven rebounds and nearly two blocks as a 6-foot-9 forward with some real athleticism and quickness (although he’s a bit upright and stiff at times). Ranked just the 67th-best freshman in the class by 247Sports’ composite recruiting ranking, Hendricks looks like a real one-and-done option. Teams are still a little split given that he’s fairly raw whenever he has to put the ball on the deck, an issue as he’ll likely be asked to play more on the wing and at the four than at the five, which is where he ends up seeing a lot of his minutes. But there are enough tools here that it’s reasonable to project him as a first round pick at this stage. I’d expect he goes in the top 25.
20. Brooklyn Nets (via PHX)
Max Lewis | 6-7 wing | 20 years old | Pepperdine
Lewis’ own numbers look great. He’s averaging 18 points, six rebounds and three assists per game while shooting 49 percent from the field, 36.6 percent from 3 and 84 percent from the line. He’s also 6-foot-7 with great length and real NBA-level athleticism (although with a very skinny frame that he’ll need to fill out). Why do NBA evaluators have him outside of the lottery? Lewis plays for a Pepperdine team that is currently 2-12 in WCC play, despite four legitimate high-major talents on the roster. And Lewis’ own bad habits play a real factor in why the team is so bad. He’s a really bad defensive player right now across the board, falling asleep a bit too often away from the ball and struggling to contain on-ball players by standing too high in his stance. Additionally, he also turns the ball over way too often for the role he has. The good news is that the intel on Lewis is very positive, and he’s considered to be a great guy who really wants to work at his game and improve these things. He also had a circuitous route to Pepperdine and didn’t necessarily get as much defensive coaching as other high-end prospects. It is extremely likely someone takes him in the first round due to his shooting and tools, but the range in front offices is a little wider on him than what people would think.
21. LA Clippers
Dariq Whitehead | 6-6 wing | 18 years old | Duke
Whitehead has had a roller-coaster, injury-filled freshman season at Duke, so it’s hard to get a read on who he actually is. The good news is that he has shot it well, hitting 38 percent from distance. But everything else has been a bit all over the map. I’ve always thought he was a touch overrated as an athlete in terms of explosiveness, but he’s really struggled this season inside the paint. And generally, he has not impacted the game outside of scoring the basketball. He doesn’t really rebound, doesn’t make strong enough passing reads and hasn’t been impactful enough on defense. The scoring has been fine, but scouts will have a real decision to make: Does the tape Whitehead put together in his high school career outweigh what we saw from him at Duke? Or do we trust the tape that says he’s not a first-round pick right now? He falls substantially here and will need pre-draft workouts to be positive.
22. Miami Heat
Gregory “G.G.” Jackson | 6-9 forward | 18 years old | South Carolina
We’ve certainly gotten every chance to see where Jackson’s game stands this season, as South Carolina and its coaching staff have laid it all bare for scouts to see. The team doesn’t have a ton of high-major-level talent around Jackson, so throughout the first 20 games, the Gamecocks empowered an 18-year-old to be the primary centerpiece of a high-major offense. That was not an ideal plan, and the results haven’t been pretty, as South Carolina has one of the worst high-major offenses in the country. Jackson’s counting numbers look fine. He’s averaging 15 points and six rebounds. But he has a remarkably low 47.4 true shooting percentage, a 6.4 assist rate and a very high turnover rate. He doesn’t really read the floor all that well yet or generate open shots for his teammates. Defensively, he has looked a bit less impressive than he did at times when playing at lower levels. It seems like Jackson is getting frustrated, having recently complained on an Instagram Live about his late-game usage in the offense. That resulted in him being benched for the next game against Missouri. Over his last two games coming off the bench, he’s combined for seven points in 28 minutes. In the game on Tuesday against Vanderbilt, he again had a childish moment by noticeably standing away from his teammates in the huddle.
This would not be the typical profile of a first-round pick, even with Jackson having been a top-five recruit in the country. Having said that, context is important. What would Jackson look like surrounded by more talent or getting more clean looks? What would it look like if he didn’t have to be the centerpiece of the offense? He’s clearly a very talented player. I just don’t think he was ready for all of this so soon at the college level. He started the season at 17 years old after reclassifying into the 2022 recruiting class. I think this entire situation has been handled poorly by everyone: the South Carolina staff for putting so much on his plate; Jackson and his advisers for reclassifying, de-committing from North Carolina and committing to this rebuilding situation as a one-and-done; and Jackson himself for some of the attitude issues.
How he performs in pre-draft workouts and interviews with teams once he gets out of this South Carolina situation will be critical to his standing. It’s not impossible that he falls out of the first round. It’s also not impossible that he climbs up into the lottery. He needs to play well in front of teams and showcase the kind of maturity necessary to display to NBA decision-makers that he will be able to scale adversity when it comes (and it will come for a player who would enter the NBA at 18 years old for the first few months of his career).
23. Sacramento Kings
Colby Jones | 6-6 wing | 20 years old | Xavier
A longtime favorite in these parts, Jones just continues to impress as a 6-foot-6 point wing who wears a ton of hats for Xavier. He initiates the offense regularly next to terrific scoring guard Souley Boum, averaging five assists versus only 2.5 turnovers. He slashes aggressively to the rim, particularly out in transition, and finishes through contact. He defends at a strong level across a few different positions. And he’s shown tangible improvement as a shooter this season, making 42 percent of his 3.3 attempts per game. Jones is still resigned to being a spot-up guy from behind the arc, but if he can keep improving in that area, it’ll probably be enough even if he struggles with pull-ups. He is a worthy bet in the No. 25 to No. 40 range because of his versatile skill set.
24. Indiana Pacers (via CLE)
Julian Phillips | 6-8 wing | 19 years old | Tennessee
Phillips has carved out a starting role as a freshman on a really good Tennessee team, and he provides value across the spectrum. He’s a solid rebounder and decision-maker. He defends at a really high-level as a combo wing/forward with switchability. He blocks the occasional shot and gets out in transition. The main hole here is the shot. He’s made just 28 percent from 3 so far. I think the mechanics are fixable; he has a left-align shot where he seems to get his center of gravity slightly off from time to time, plus has a very slight hitch in his shooting pocket that should be able to get ironed out. If you think the shooting is fixable, he should be a first-round pick because this is the kind of guy for whom teams search far and wide: a 6-foot-8 defensive player with switchability. They’re harder to find across the league than people think.
25. Memphis Grizzlies
James Nnaji | 6-10 big | 18 years old | Barcelona
Welcome to the mock, James! Nnaji has been seen as an intriguing, low-usage, high-defensive-upside big man in Spain for a while now. Originally from Nigeria, Nnaji has undertaken a unique journey as a high-level prospect, beginning his European career at a Hungarian Academy before he moved to Spain in 2020. Nnaji finishes well around the rim and blocks shots with impunity on the interior as a weakside rim protector. He’s started eight games in Liga ACB this season as Barca brings him along slowly, but there have been some genuine strides that should excite scouts — especially for teams with multiple first-round picks that could use a bit more of a project-like flier on someone who could be a big part of a terrific defense long term.
26. Utah Jazz (via PHI)
Dereck Lively II | 7-1 center| 19 years old| Duke
Welcome back, Lively! Lively has finally started to showcase his immense defensive tools. He is 7-foot-1 with a 7-foot-7 wingspan, and he’s starting to figure out how to utilize that length without fouling. Over his last four games, he’s averaging nine rebounds and five blocks in 26 minutes per night. He’s second in the ACC in blocks per game, and if you take the 25 blocks he has in his last six games alone, that would actually place him in the top 10 of the league. After playing just 256 minutes in his first 16 games, Lively is going to finish the season in the top 10 nationally in blocks per game while likely making over 60 percent of his shots at the rim. That’s probably going to be enough to get him drafted in the first round, given how much upside he has as a rim protector.
27. Brooklyn Nets
Kyle Filipowski | 7-0 big | 19 years old | Duke
Duke’s rock this season, Filipowski has been remarkably important in keeping the Blue Devils afloat this year. He’s averaging over 15 points and nine rebounds per game, creating a ton of shots with his inside-out versatility. He’s comfortable handling the ball, either out of spot-ups, dribble handoffs or quick pick-and-pops. That gives him real potential as a backup center early in his career, in a similar vein to guys such as Naz Reid. The question is defense. Filipowski has very good hands, and he’s an underrated mover laterally. But he doesn’t really provide anything in terms of rim protection. He’s a bit polarizing for scouts, which shouldn’t necessarily come as a surprise, given that he hasn’t shot 3s at a high level or blocked a ton of shots.
28. Houston Rockets (via MIL)
Kobe Bufkin | 6-4 guard | 19 years old | Michigan
Bufkin is a fast-rising, 6-foot-4 sophomore guard out of Michigan whom scouts have come to really appreciate throughout the season. He’s only averaging 12 points, four rebounds and three assists per game while shooting 30 percent from 3. So why are people excited? It’s the production for his age. Bufkin is actually a bit younger than teammate Jett Howard. If you look at him in that context, he’s immediately intriguing due to his blend of athleticism and skill set. He has a bit of a ways to go in terms of strength, and the shooting is going to have to come around. But there are currently no freshmen in college basketball averaging at least 12 points, four rebounds and three assists per game while shooting 45 percent from the field, which is what Bufkin is doing right now. It’s easy to see why scouts have identified him as a potential 2023 draft pick.
29. Indiana Pacers (via BOS)
Leonard Miller | 6-10 wing | 19 years old | G League Ignite
Miller has continued to roll along as a potential one-and-done, averaging 15 points and eight rebounds for the Ignite. Originally seen as something of a point forward, Miller has flourished a bit more often as a dirty work offensive player who thrives out in transition, in the dunker spot and as an offensive rebounder. He’s grabbing 2.5 offensive rebounds per game and has shown some ability as a driver from the elbow and to drive transition play on grab-and-go opportunities. He’s a very fluid athlete, albeit not wildly explosive. At 6-foot-10 with a 7-foot-2 wingspan and some latent ball skills, this improvement in his all-around floor game could give him some time to figure out the rest of his abilities, including his shooting. He has a funky looking, low-release shot that teams have some worries about.
30. Charlotte Hornets (via DEN)
Terquavion Smith | 6-4 guard | 20 years old | NC State
Smith continues to get buckets as a devastating pull-up shot creator, averaging 18.5 points per game while shooting 35 percent from 3 on eight attempts per game. He has improved a bit as a distributor and passer this season, often initiating the Wolfpack offense next to fellow combo guard Jarkel Joiner. Teams have questions about Smith’s size and ability to hold up on defense at the next level. He is exceptionally skinny and struggles to hold up on defense at the college level, and there will be bigger issues once he gets to the NBA. But he has enough shooting and scoring ability that teams think he has a real chance to become a solid scoring guard off the bench.
Second Round
31. Indiana Pacers (via HOU): Sidy Cissoko | 6-7 wing | G League Ignite
32. Detroit Pistons: Marcus Sasser | 6-2 guard | 22 years old | Houston
33. San Antonio Spurs: Jaime Jaquez Jr. | 6-7 guard | UCLA
34. Charlotte Hornets: Terrence Shannon Jr. | 6-6 wing | 22 years old | Illinois
35. Orlando Magic: Kel’el Ware | 7-0 big | Oregon
36. Toronto Raptors: Jalen Wilson | 6-8 wing | Kansas
37. Oklahoma City Thunder (via WAS): Ricky Council IV | 6-7 wing | Arkansas
38. Sacramento Kings (via IND): Noah Clowney | 6-10 big | Alabama
39. Los Angeles Lakers: Trayce Jackson-Davis | 6-9 big | Indiana
40. Washington Wizards (via CHI): Dillon Mitchell | 6-7 wing | Texas
41. Denver Nuggets (via OKC): Zach Edey | 7-4 center | Purdue
42. Boston Celtics (via POR): Judah Mintz | 6-3 guard | Syracuse
43. Atlanta Hawks: Kevin McCullar Jr. | 6-6 wing | Kansas
44. New Orleans Pelicans: Arthur Kaluma | 6-7 wing | Creighton
45. Charlotte Hornets (via UTA): Julian Strawther | 6-7 wing | Gonzaga
46. Memphis Grizzlies (via MIN): Coleman Hawkins | 6-10 big | Illinois
47. Cleveland Cavaliers (via GSW): Ąžuolas Tubelis | 6-11 big | Arizona
48. Denver Nuggets (via DAL): DaRon Holmes II | 6-10 big | Dayton
49. Minnesota Timberwolves (via NYK): Mike Miles | 6-1 guard | TCU
50. Phoenix Suns: Trey Alexander | 6-4 guard | Creighton
51. LA Clippers: Nikola Đurišić | 6-8 wing | KK Mega Basket
52. Boston Celtics (via MIA): Bryce Hopkins | 6-7 wing/forward | Providence
53. Sacramento Kings: Jaylen Clark | 6-5 wing | UCLA
54. Milwaukee Bucks (via CLE): Adam Flagler | 6-3 guard | Baylor
55. Brooklyn Nets: Emoni Bates | 6-9 wing | Eastern Michigan
56. Memphis Grizzlies: Colin Castleton | 6-11 big | Florida
57. Milwaukee Bucks: Reece Beekman | 6-3 guard | Virginia
58. Boston Celtics: Baylor Scheierman | 6-6 wing | Creighton
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