PerkinsFor3's 2023 Mock

[PerkinsFor3]

An early mock, before the actual lottery, and not taking into account team needs, as of yet.

More to follow, and I’m planning to publish my stat predictions for their first years around the end of Summer League.

Team - Player
1 - Pistons - Victor Wembanyama
2 - Rockets - Scoot Henderson
3 - Spurs - Brandon Miller
4 - Hornets - Amen Thompson
5 - Blazers - Ausar Thompson
6 - Magic - Jarace Walker
7 - Pacers - Anthony Black
8 - Wizards - Cam Whitmore
9 - Jazz - Gradey Dick
10 - Mavs - Taylor Hendricks
11 - Magic (from Bulls) - Cason Wallace
12 - Thunder - Keyonte George
13 - Raptors - Nick Smith Jr.
14 - Pelicans - Jordan Hawkins
15 - Hawks - Jalen Hood-Schifino
16 - Jazz (from T-Wolves) - Gregory Jackson
17 - Lakers - Jett Howard
18 - Heat - Rayan Rupert
19 - Warriors - Kris Murray
20 - Rockets (from Clippers) - Dereck Lively
21 - Nets (from Suns) - Brice Sensabaugh
22 - Nets - Kobe Bufkin
23 - Blazers (from Knicks) - Leonard Miller
24 - Kings - Dariq Whitehead
25 - Grizzlies - Sidy Cissoko
26 - Pacers (from Cavs) - Trayce Jackson-Davis
27 - Hornets (from Nuggets) - Maxwell Lewis
28 - Jazz (from 76ers) - Colby Jones
29 - Pacers (from Celtics) - Noah Clowney
30 - Clippers (from Bucks) Bilal Coulibaly

[Village Idiot]

Speaking for Portland:

at 5 - Ausar Thompson is the last guy we need regardless of strategy. We already have Shaedon Sharpe as our SG of the future. If we want to compete now Walker, Whitmore and Hendricks are all much better fits since they can all come in and start alongside Jeremy Grant.

[PerkinsFor3]

Speaking for Portland:

at 5 - Ausar Thompson is the last guy we need regardless of strategy. We already have Shaedon Sharpe as our SG of the future. If we want to compete now Walker, Whitmore and Hendricks are all much better fits since they can all come in and start alongside Jeremy Grant.

I know, especially as a Portland fan. As mentioned I have not taken needs et such into account as of yet.

[Village Idiot]

Speaking for Portland:

at 5 - Ausar Thompson is the last guy we need regardless of strategy. We already have Shaedon Sharpe as our SG of the future. If we want to compete now Walker, Whitmore and Hendricks are all much better fits since they can all come in and start alongside Jeremy Grant.

I know, especially as a Portland fan. As mentioned I have not taken needs et such into account as of yet.

That's cool. I didn't know you were a Blazers fan. I haven't seen you on the team board. Looking forward to your next mock

[PerkinsFor3]

Speaking for Portland:

at 5 - Ausar Thompson is the last guy we need regardless of strategy. We already have Shaedon Sharpe as our SG of the future. If we want to compete now Walker, Whitmore and Hendricks are all much better fits since they can all come in and start alongside Jeremy Grant.

I know, especially as a Portland fan. As mentioned I have not taken needs et such into account as of yet.

That's cool. I didn't know you were a Blazers fan. I haven't seen you on the team board. Looking forward to your next mock

I dont really post much on the team boards here. I do on Sportstwo.

[PerkinsFor3]

1-2 Team
1 Pistons - Victor Wembanyama
2 Rockets - Scoot Henderson
3 Spurs - Brandon Miller
4 Hornets - Amen Thompson
5 Blazers - Jarace Walker
6 Magic - Cam Whitmore
7 Pacers - Ausar Thompson
8 Wizards - Taylor Hendricks
9 Jazz - Gradey Dick
10 Mavs - Anthony Black
11 Magic (from Bulls) - Kobe Bufkin
12 Thunder - Cason Wallace
13 Raptors - Jalen Hood-Schifino
14 Pelicans - Keyonte George
15 Hawks - Sidy Cissoko
16 Jazz (from T-Wolves) - Jordan Hawkins
17 Lakers - Gregory Jackson
18 Heat - Nick Smith Jr.
19 Warriors - Brice Sensabaugh
20 Rockets (from Clippers) - Dariq Whitehead
21 Nets (from Suns) - Jett Howard
22 Nets - Kris Murray
23 Blazers (from Knicks) - Leonard Miller
24 Kings - Dereck Lively
25 Grizzlies - Rayan Rupert
26 Pacers (from Cavs) - Maxwell Lewis
27 Hornets (from Nuggets) - Trayce Jackson-Davis
28 Jazz (from 76ers) - Colby Jones
29 Pacers (from Celtics) - Bilal Coulibaly
30 Clippers (from Bucks) - Noah Clowney

[PerkinsFor3]

Pick Team Player
1 Spurs Victor Wembanyama
2 Hornets Brandon Miller – Lots of smokescreens and rumours, but I believe they’ll go with Miller here.
3 Blazers Scoot Henderson
4 Rockets Amen Thompson – The Rockets are said to like Amen a lot, and consider him to belong in a tier with the two players drafted before him.
5 Pistons Cam Whitmore
6 Magic Jarace Walker
7 Pacers Taylor Hendricks
8 Wizards Anthony Black – VP of the Wiz supposedly had dinner with Black already.
9 Jazz Bilal Coulibaly – Jazz love Bilal and might be looking to move up from #16 if they believe George would be gone before that.
10 Mavs Jordan Hawkins – Having the best shooter in the draft, who’d have a field-day running around screens and playing with Doncic seems like a perfect fit.
11 Magic (from Bulls) Dereck Lively – Magic love what they’ve seen from Lively.
12 Thunder Kobe Bufkin – Seems like a good Thunder pick with Bilal off the board. I also think they could like Cissoko here.
13 Raptors Ausar Thompson – Slid quite a bit, and I don’t blame teams.
14 Pelicans Cason Wallace – I see the Pels targeting a PG.
15 Hawks Jalen Hood-Schifino
16 Jazz (from T-Wolves) Keyonte George
17 Lakers Maxwell Lewis
18 Heat Leonard Miller
19 Warriors Gradey Dick
20 Rockets (from Clippers) Nick Smith Jr.
21 Nets (from Suns) Dariq Whitehead
22 Nets Brice Sensabaugh
23 Blazers (from Knicks) Jett Howard
24 Kings Sidy Cissoko
25 Grizzlies Olivier-Maxence Prosper – Grizz love this type of player. Would be an amazing fit.
26 Pacers (from Cavs) Brandin Podziemski – Moving him into the 1st round.
27 Hornets (from Nuggets) Chris Livingston
28 Jazz (from 76ers) Noah Clowney
29 Pacers (from Celtics) Ben Sheppard
30 Clippers (from Bucks) James Nnaji

[Village Idiot]

I like the guys Orlando is picking at 6 and 11. Would happily trade Scoot for Jarace and Lively as well as somthing like WCJ/Suggs

[PerkinsFor3]

1 Spurs Victor Wembanyama What’s left to say? All I can add, is that the Spurs are working their lines in order to obtain another lottery pick, presumably to pick Coulibaly?
2 Hornets (to NOP) Scoot Henderson Lots of smoke and mirrors here. What we do know is that Miller didn’t look in great shape in work outs, and that the team (NOP) most rumoured to be interested in trading up in the Top 3, would probably want a PG.
3 Blazers Brandon Miller I believe the Blazers will make the pick, and then either trade the pick, or move Dame to Miami. There’s little reason for them (or others) to move the pick until they see how things shake out.
4 Rockets Amen Thompson Rockets seemingly fell in love with what they saw. Also heard Whitmore’s name here – however, if he doesn’t get picked by the Rockets here, he’d slide.
5 Pistons Jarace Walker When the Pistons are able to grab Jarace, they probably will, and move Stewart to the bench. Good fit next to Duren. Whitmore was rumoured here, too.
6 Magic Ausar Thompson Oof, this is hard. I’m glad that we’re helped somewhat by the fact that Ausar cancelled his workout with the Pacers, so presumably he’s gotten a top 6 promise.
7 Pacers Taylor Hendricks Pacers will, and should, be all over Hendricks. Perfect fit with Turner and Haliburton.
8 Wizards Anthony Black This is one of the picks I’ve mocked like this for a while. While dealing Beal might open up their options (Whitmore, Bufkin, Wallace?) a bit more, I don’t believe they’ll pass up on Black.
9 Jazz Bilal Coulibaly Another pick I’ve settled on, unless the Jazz swing a trade. They’ve been said to like Bilal for a while now, and Ainge was in Europe to see him up close. Utah is in a position to be patient.
10 Mavs (to ATL) Dereck Lively I don’t see the Tyson Chandler comparison (Lively hasn’t been great on the boards), but the Mavs supposedly really like him here. As does ATL, so maybe we’ll see them discuss a trade.
11 Magic (from Bulls) Cam Whitmore Whitmore probably doesn’t slide any further than this, if he even does slide (someone mentioned him in the top 3!). Great fit with Orlando, I’d say, who are also rumoured to be interested in Lively.
12 Thunder Kobe Bufkin Supposedly Bufkin got a ‘near top ten’ promise, which aligns with the Thunder’s rumoured interest here. Typical Thunder pick, too.
13 Raptors Cason Wallace No way Cason slides past the Raptors, who’ve also taken a close look at Nick Smith jr and Leonard Miller.
14 Pelicans Gradey Dick I heard people talk about a lot of different names for the Pelicans, but if they indeed make a move for Scoot at #2, Dick should be a great fit for them. Also, if Ingram is involved in that trade, prepare for a truly majestic Trey Murphy III season.
15 Hawks (to DAL) Jordan Hawkins I feel Hawkins at 15 is great value. One of the guys I feel has the safest floor of most post top three picks, and could contribute to most teams right away. Hawks are looking for shooters.
16 Jazz (from T-Wolves) Keyonte George I’m not enamored with George, but he strikes me as a good value pick here, while the Jazz slowly continue their rebuild.
17 Lakers Nick Smith Jr. Probably one of the biggest slides in this draft if Nick Smith gets picked here.
18 Heat Leonard Miller This would be a perfect fit for the Heat. I feel, talent-wise, Miller should be a lottery pick, and the Heat provide the exact right kind of environment for him to develop.
19 Warriors Jalen Hood-Schifino If the Warriors are able to snag a player like JHS here, they’d be all over it. Another guy with high upside and great measurements, this pick presents a lot off value.
20 Rockets (from Clippers) to ATL Brandin Podziemski Things become really cloudy here. Taking work-outs and what I’ve read into account, but lots of misinformation and, as mentioned, expected deals to go down here. Podz is a nice fit in a team building around Trae. However, they’re going to make moves, so who knows.
21 Nets (from Suns) Kris Murray A 3&D forward for a team which seemingly is searching for what direction they’ll take from here on out.
22 Nets James Nnaji Nets’ big man rotation have been somewhat flawed, as Sharpe failed to impress and Claxton can only do so much.
23 Blazers (from Knicks) Maxwell Lewis One of the bigger prospects at this point in the draft and I think the Blazers would gladly take a stab at his upside if the rebuild.
24 Kings Brice Sensabaugh Sensabaugh is one of those players who could get picked shortly after the lottery or slide towards the end of the 1st.
25 Grizzlies Tristan Vukčević I’ve heard the Grizzlies really liked what they saw from Vuk. They could try to jump on him in the second, but I doubt there will be many names left they really like here.
26 Pacers (from Cavs) Dariq Whitehead If he gets back to full health, without any lingering issues, this is amazing value for the Pacers, and a fun fit. Reminds me somewhat of Lance Stephenson, so there’s that.
27 Hornets (from Nuggets) Jett Howard I’ve never been a huge fan of Jett, but does he slip this far? I doubt it.
28 Jazz (from 76ers) to DEN Noah Clowney Denver wants to move into the first, and I believe Clowney could be their target. Good fit.
29 Pacers (from Celtics) Ben Sheppard Do the Pacers even make this many picks?
30 Clippers (from Bucks) Sidy Cissoko This would be an amazing value pick for the Clippers – don’t color me surprised if he’s gone before we reach #20 either. I love his upside.