The 2023 NBA Draft arrives on Thursday, June 22, with plenty of intrigue. Before the draft even arrived, the Phoenix Suns acquired Bradley Beal in a blockbuster trade with the Washington Wizards, and it is more than possible that other big names could move either before or during the draft. From there, the excitement of draft night can also stand on its own, with top-tier prospects finding new homes and a bunch of situations in which organizations are weighing the present against the future.
At the top, Victor Wembanyama seems to be a lock to head to San Antonio, which means the draft really begins at No. 2 with the Charlotte Hornets. Charlotte could be weighing trade offers and, after the Hornets make their choice, the Blazers (No. 3) and Rockets (No. 4) are widely expected to consider options that don’t lead to making picks in their current slots. If nothing else, things will be very, very interesting for all parties, and the entire board can shift based on what happens at No. 2, No. 3, and No. 4, no matter which teams are making those choices.
1. San Antonio Spurs – Victor Wembanyama (C/F, Metropolitans 92)
When taking a step back, it is wild to consider how little discussion this pick has received in the last few weeks. Granted, there was an explosion of content around the lottery since, well, everyone knew who the No. 1 pick would be. But it’s a testament to Wembanyama that no one has even tried to make the case for anyone else.
2. Charlotte Hornets – Scoot Henderson (G, G League Ignite)
The consensus with Charlotte right now is that there is no consensus. There is an ownership change. There are mixed signals from the front office. It’s all weird. As such, I’m defaulting to the No. 2 player on my board in Scoot Henderson, and contrary to public belief, Henderson and LaMelo Ball actually fit together fairly well in my view.
3. Portland Trail Blazers – Brandon Miller (F, Alabama)
One of the under-discussed scenarios is actually what would happen if a) Henderson went No. 2, and b) Portland actually made the pick. That leaves overall uncertainty but because we are not projecting trades, Miller is the guy at this spot. He brings intriguing safety with size and shooting, with the added bonus of a skill-set that fits nicely in Portland.
4. Houston Rockets – Cam Whitmore (F, Villanova)
There has been some buzz about Whitmore landing here, even as Amen Thompson is the betting favorite for Houston. The buzz is very positive on Whitmore from some teams and, if the Rockets get back into the James Harden business alongside Jalen Green, Whitmore is perhaps a cleaner fit than Thompson.
5. Detroit Pistons – Amen Thompson (G, Overtime Elite)
This will be a test to see if anyone actually reads the write-ups between picks. With Thompson still on the board, I’m projecting him here while fully acknowledging it would be pretty tough for Detroit to actually pick him alongside Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey. There could be a trade, either here or above, or the Pistons might just take Thompson because he checks every box we know Troy Weaver enjoys.
6. Orlando Magic – Ausar Thompson (G/F, Overtime Elite)
It wasn’t on purpose, but the Thompson twins going back-to-back would be fun. At any rate, Orlando loves athleticism and Ausar definitely brings it, even at a very slightly lower level than his brother. I buy the defense and passing, even if the potential lack of shooting could be kind of a clumsy fit in Orlando.
7. Indiana Pacers – Taylor Hendricks (F, UCF)
Hendricks’ upside is in the eye of the beholder, but his traits as a high-end role player are tremendous. His defensive package is highly intriguing, Hendricks can already space the floor, and he brings versatility on both ends. He would be a really solid compliment to Tyrese Haliburton and fits into the Pacers’ overall roster construction.
8. Washington Wizards – Anthony Black (G, Arkansas)
There is quite a bit of buzz around Black to Washington, which leads to this placement. Black is an intriguing prospect independent of the connection, especially when accounting for his two-way potential. He has great size in the backcourt, fantastic feel for the game, and the big question is his shooting, but if the Wizards spend some time building after the Bradley Beal trade, they can grant him time to develop that.
9. Utah Jazz – Jarace Walker (F, Houston)
This feels like it could be Walker’s reasonable floor. His offensive upside is perhaps more limited than some, but Walker’s passing is tremendous and he is already a very strong defender. Utah has three picks and can go basically anywhere with this choice, and Walker would certainly give them some bite on the defensive end of the floor.
10. Dallas Mavericks – Bilal Coulibaly (G/F, Metropolitans 92)
Add me to the long list of people who have to note Dallas is a prime trade candidate here. If they stay put and don’t acquire an entrenched center around the draft, Coulibaly is a fast-rising player. He has “wow” tools and, even in a small offensive role with Metropolitans 92, the flashes tell an encouraging story.
11. Orlando Magic (via Chicago) – Gradey Dick (G/F, Kansas)
It doesn’t have to be Gradey Dick, but the Magic need shooting and everyone knows it. Dick is a lottery-level talent with better defensive bonafides than you might think. He’s also, perhaps most importantly for this spot, a tremendous shooter.
12. Oklahoma City Thunder – Kobe Bufkin (G, Michigan)
Intel points to Bufkin landing somewhere in the lottery, and his skill set actually makes it somewhat difficult to figure out where, which isn’t a bad thing. Bufkin can basically fit anywhere as a versatile guard with on-ball and off-ball appeal on offense and enough size, athleticism, and competitiveness to hold up on defense.
13. Toronto Raptors – Jalen Hood-Schifino (G, Indiana)
Much like Bufkin, Hood-Schifino seems to be pegged for a late lottery or mid-first round landing spot. He was highly inefficient at Indiana, but a closer look can explain that with an outdated offense and the general Big Ten landscape. He’s a big, physical guard with appealing versatility if things break right, all of which screams “guy who goes to Toronto.”
14. New Orleans Pelicans – Dereck Lively (C, Duke)
The Pelicans are a wild card, especially with the rumblings that New Orleans is very, very interested in Scoot Henderson. If they stay put, Lively should be in play for New Orleans given the team’s lack of a long-term answer at center. His defense down the stretch at Duke was devastating and reports indicate he could develop a useful jumper to provide potential floor spacing.
15. Atlanta Hawks – Cason Wallace (G, Kentucky)
It seems as if Wallace is getting pushed down a bit as the process goes along, and the Hawks benefit here. Admittedly, he’s probably not ready to contribute at a super high level offensively right now, but Wallace is one of the best perimeter defenders in the class. Atlanta is always going to need point-of-attack resistance with the way its roster is constructed.
16. Utah Jazz (via Minnesota) – Keyonte George (G, Baylor)
George is polarizing after an up-and-down freshman season at Baylor, but the talent is clearly there. He has polish on offense, the ability to potentially act as a pull-up shooter, and solid enough size to translate on defense by the time he matures. Utah’s flexibility allows the Jazz to take more swings, and George qualifies.
17. Los Angeles Lakers – Nick Smith Jr. (G, Arkansas)
The major appeal of Smith is his craft and scoring ability from the backcourt. It was kind of a lost season at Arkansas with very little shooting around him and myriad injury concerns. But Smith appears to be healthy now and the Lakers might want to take an upside swing on a player with top-five high school pedigree.
18. Miami Heat – Leonard Miller (F, G League Ignite)
Miller is hard to place because the opinions on him are very wide-ranging. Some view him as a top-10 talent. Others don’t see it at all. It may be selfish, but I’d like to see what Miami’s developmental culture could unlock with him.
19. Golden State Warriors – Jordan Hawkins (G, UConn)
It’s not as if the Warriors would purposely identify another slight backcourt player who can really shoot, but Hawkins does fit in Golden State in a lot of ways. He can play off the ball. His floor-spacing is undeniably impressive. This is also a strong value and, most importantly for anyone the Warriors pick, he can probably contribute quickly in a way that others in this range might struggle to replicate.
20. Houston Rockets (via LA Clippers) – Jett Howard (G/F, Michigan)
Houston was dead last in three-point shooting this season. Howard can’t solve that by himself, but he’s a 6’8 shooter with pedigree and a little bit of on-ball appeal. Defense is the reason he could fall to this point, but it’s a good buy-low chance for the Rockets.
21. Brooklyn Nets (via Phoenix) – Dariq Whitehead (G/F, Duke)
Speaking of buy-low candidates, Whitehead was seen by some as perhaps the No. 1 player in his high school class before arriving at Duke. Injuries really slowed him in Durham and he had another surgery when the season ended. His medical is a giant question but, if healthy, Whitehead has lottery appeal and Brooklyn is in a spot to make a gigantic upside play.
22. Brooklyn Nets – Noah Clowney (F/C, Alabama)
Clowney probably doesn’t work perfectly in Brooklyn and alongside Nic Claxton unless he continues to develop as a shooter. With that said, some believe he will, and Clowney’s defensive appeal is pretty apparent with his athleticism and length.
23. Portland Trail Blazers (via New York) – Rayan Rupert (G/F, New Zealand Breakers)
Portland’s current regime isn’t afraid to take some swings. Rupert’s offensive package is a big question mark right now, but he has a confirmed 7’2 wingspan and could be a defensive terror. No matter what happens with Lillard, the Blazers need some heft on that end of the floor.
24. Sacramento Kings – Olivier-Maxence Prosper (F, Marquette)
Prosper’s current calling card is on defense, where the Kings need a lot of help. It is almost too obvious to mock Kris Murray to join his brother — he would, indeed, make sense here — so we’ll roll with O-Max instead. At the moment, Sacramento has real uncertainty at forward other than Keegan Murray.
25. Memphis Grizzlies – Kris Murray (F, Iowa)
This is an A++ value for Kris Murray. He’s not sexy at all, but he is ready to contribute sooner rather than later without many traits to nitpick. Memphis has been going for a lot of potential two-way wings and forwards lately. He fits the bill.
26. Indiana Pacers (via Cleveland) – Brice Sensabaugh (F, Ohio State)
Sensabaugh had a knee issue that cost him a bunch of the pre-draft process, and Ohio State didn’t live up to expectations this week. He was probably miscast as the No. 1 guy there, but Sensabaugh is a real bucket-getter and I buy the shooting, even if he has a long way to go defensively.
27. Charlotte Hornets (via Denver) – Maxwell Lewis (F/G, Pepperdine)
This pick makes a lot more sense with Scoot Henderson at No. 2 than it would with Brandon Miller at No. 2, and I’ll grant that. Lewis is a project-type wing but the tools are tremendous and he can already shoot. A negative assist-to-turnover ratio in the WCC and some defensive concerns force a slip to here.
28. Utah Jazz (via Philadelphia) – Ben Sheppard (G/F, Belmont)
The rise of Ben Sheppard has been a sight to see. At the end of the college season, he was largely seen as a draftable piece, but with almost no buzz as even a top-40 guy. Then, the combine happened. Now, he’s seen as a virtual lock to go in the top-40 with helium beyond that. Utah has a bevy of picks and could move around, but Sheppard is a clean fit most places with his feel and shooting.
29. Indiana Pacers (via Boston) – Colby Jones (G/F, Xavier)
Indiana probably won’t make all three of these picks and, by the way, the Pacers also hold the No. 32 pick for good measure. Jones isn’t terribly sexy, but he projects as a solid supporting wing who doesn’t take much off the table. He’d fit anywhere.
30. LA Clippers (via Milwaukee) – Jaime Jaquez (G/F, UCLA)
Jaquez might actually go earlier than this given how positive the pre-draft process has been from an intel standpoint. He’s also a better fit on a team trying to win now (Clippers) than some of the rebuilding teams (Jazz, Pacers, Hornets) picking just before this. In the NBA, Jaquez will play on the ball less, but he’s a rugged defender, a willing ball-mover, and a highly versatile piece.