2023 NBA Draft

[clyde21]

Keyonte

Smith Jr
Sensa

[NYPiston]

Regarding Jabari Smith Jr.

I think Brandon Miller is possibly even better because of his edge on offense. And how lopsidedly valued offense is compared to defense to today’s game.

I think 1-2-3 is at par with other draft class.

But after the top 3, it’s a big drop with how guys mock is. Unless you also is a “Sensabaugh Truther” like me. If that’s the case then the big drop is after the top 4.

Btw, what do you guys see with Whitmore’s 12ppg .8apg sub par 3pt shooting and sub par overall shooting for 12ppg?

This guy is not a lottery pick prospect.

He might be a lottery pick in this weak class but, man, what is the hype with this guy? I don't see anything at all that he does at a high level. I see a guy with heavy feet who can't blow by anybody, has an ok shot but nothing special, ok athleticism, fine defensively but not lockdown by any means. He's strong so he can play bully ball at times, pretty good off ball cutter and can rebound reasonably well but what makes him special and a consensus top 7 pick and top 5 in the eyes of many? I think part of it is the underachieving draft class I suppose but I just don't see it with him. I feel like I'm saying this about a lot of the top prospects this year which sucks as a Pistons fan.

[babyjax13]

Regarding Jabari Smith Jr.

I think Brandon Miller is possibly even better because of his edge on offense. And how lopsidedly valued offense is compared to defense to today’s game.

I think 1-2-3 is at par with other draft class.

But after the top 3, it’s a big drop with how guys mock is. Unless you also is a “Sensabaugh Truther” like me. If that’s the case then the big drop is after the top 4.

Btw, what do you guys see with Whitmore’s 12ppg .8apg sub par 3pt shooting and sub par overall shooting for 12ppg?

This guy is not a lottery pick prospect.

He might be a lottery pick in this weak class but, man, what is the hype with this guy? I don't see anything at all that he does at a high level. I see a guy with heavy feet who can't blow by anybody, has an ok shot but nothing special, ok athleticism, fine defensively but not lockdown by any means. He's strong so he can play bully ball at times, pretty good off ball cutter and can rebound reasonably well but what makes him special and a consensus top 7 pick and top 5 in the eyes of many? I think part of it is the underachieving draft class I suppose but I just don't see it with him. I feel like I'm saying this about a lot of the top prospects this year which sucks as a Pistons fan.

I think people expect to see a lot of blowbys in the college game and it doesn't happen because of how condensed the court is, especially on teams lacking ball movement. Whitmore regularly goes by the first defender, and I think that's a good test of whether there is something there in the NBA in terms of driving, etc. He also is great off-ball at cutting, as you say, and I think that is another thing which shows his ability to get into the paint. I'm not sure I'd call him *definitely* top 5-7, but I think he is 100% top 9 or 10 (I have the draft falling off a bit after that point).

[EvanZ]

After Vic and Scoot it’s a big fat tier of guys who could all be argued for at 3 imo. This is going to be a wild draft probably. If I had 3 I’d trade down or out probably.


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[Catchall]

This draft has the best top 1 and top 2 but is the weakest from 3rd to bottom of the lottery compared to the last 3 drafts and even more.

Thompson twins is flawed and is playing garbage basketball at OTE, Nick Smith hasn’t proved much and is injured, Whitmore is empty calorie 12ppg scorer and nothing special, Walker is just averaging 10ppg 6rpg and .9bpg and they’re projected in the top 5 in most mocks!

Brandon Miller’s stats screams 3rd overall pick locked and the guy has average at best create and is gonna be worse than the already not impressive Jabari Smith Jr.

Most of the bigs after Wemby are bigs who are good just because they’re big for NCAA. The next best big based on NBA style of play for me is Daron Holmes but he’s more of a super late to 2nd round value pick for me. Kel’el Ware is promising but his production is meh.

So when everything is considered.. after Wemby and Scoot my next best players available are the best shot creators in Senba, George and Howard. I even have Sasser at possibly a late lotto because of how weak the talent is.

Im a big fan of scoot. But his numbers brings me flashback of Emmanuel Mudiay when he played for the CBA back then.

I think Scoot might be comparable to the early All Star version of Donovan Mitchell even as a rookie.

[Hal14]

Btw, what do you guys see with Whitmore’s 12ppg .8apg sub par 3pt shooting and sub par overall shooting for 12ppg?

This guy is not a lottery pick prospect.

I think you need to watch these guys play and not just look at the stat sheet. And if you are looking at stats, I wouldn't be looking at those old school stats..

[clyde21]

i dunno how people can say this is a weak class, this year is much more better than last it's not even really a debate in my eyes. aint no way in hell guys like Keegan and Ivey would go 4/5 in this class.

[CP War Hawks]

Yeah idk about 2023 vs 2022. I do like this draft with so much wing talent that the league always thirst for. All these guys have relatively bright futures to all star careers.

Banchero
Holgrem
Smith Jr.
Ivey
K Murray
Mathurin
Sharpe
Daniels
Duren
Dieng
Sochan
Mark Williams
Griffin Jr.
Jalen Williams
Eason
Agbaji
Beauchamp
Laravia
Kessler
Roddy

Then the 2nd rd has sum nice rotation pieces.

[clyde21]

yea no, not even close

[EMG518]

This feels like a draft that could get GM's fired, more so than most.

[BostonCouchGM]

Regarding Jabari Smith Jr.

I think Brandon Miller is possibly even better because of his edge on offense. And how lopsidedly valued offense is compared to defense to today’s game.

I think 1-2-3 is at par with other draft class.

But after the top 3, it’s a big drop with how guys mock is. Unless you also is a “Sensabaugh Truther” like me. If that’s the case then the big drop is after the top 4.

Btw, what do you guys see with Whitmore’s 12ppg .8apg sub par 3pt shooting and sub par overall shooting for 12ppg?

This guy is not a lottery pick prospect.

He might be a lottery pick in this weak class but, man, what is the hype with this guy? I don't see anything at all that he does at a high level. I see a guy with heavy feet who can't blow by anybody, has an ok shot but nothing special, ok athleticism, fine defensively but not lockdown by any means. He's strong so he can play bully ball at times, pretty good off ball cutter and can rebound reasonably well but what makes him special and a consensus top 7 pick and top 5 in the eyes of many? I think part of it is the underachieving draft class I suppose but I just don't see it with him. I feel like I'm saying this about a lot of the top prospects this year which sucks as a Pistons fan.

I think his "bag" athleticism, size and similar build to guys like Jimmy Butler and Jaylen Brown have people intrigued. I know that why I like him. I'm not putting too much into what I'm seeing from many of these highly touted guys. This is the strangest college season I've ever witnessed. Hopefully the tournament weeds some out and then workouts and combine allows the remaining guys to shine. Still, for every underachieving freshmen we're getting an older returning player breaking out so the class is still pretty decent.

[SeattleJazzFan]

whitmore is an elite run/jump athlete. and taking into consideration how big he is, there aren't and haven't been a lot of dudes like him. can he tighten up his handle, be more consistent with his shooting, improve his first step, score from the mid-range, etc - those are some questions i have with him - but when you can run and jump like he does with a body like that, the sky really is the limit.

[76ciology]

whitmore is an elite run/jump athlete. and taking into consideration how big he is, there aren't and haven't been a lot of dudes like him. can he tighten up his handle, be more consistent with his shooting, improve his first step, score from the mid-range, etc - those are some questions i have with him - but when you can run and jump like he does with a body like that, the sky really is the limit.

Same with Aaron Gordon

[SeattleJazzFan]

whitmore is an elite run/jump athlete. and taking into consideration how big he is, there aren't and haven't been a lot of dudes like him. can he tighten up his handle, be more consistent with his shooting, improve his first step, score from the mid-range, etc - those are some questions i have with him - but when you can run and jump like he does with a body like that, the sky really is the limit.

Same with Aaron Gordon

yup. there is a reason AG was taken 4th overall.

that said, i do feel a bit better about Whitmore's shooting potential. Gordon averaged 1 3pt attempt a game (36%). Whitmore takes 5 threes a game, most of the time unassisted with a hand in the face, and makes 37%.

[babyjax13]

Man, I really like Jalen Wilson, I might like him late in the lottery (11-14) even, depending on how things shake out. Reminds me a lot of Tobias Harris and Saddiq Bey, but seems to do better on contested shots than they did in college.

[SeattleJazzFan]

Man, I really like Jalen Wilson, I might like him late in the lottery (11-14) even, depending on how things shake out. Reminds me a lot of Tobias Harris and Saddiq Bey, but seems to do better on contested shots than they did in college.

dude can score, but he takes a lot of shots to get there. it's a good thing that he can create those shots, but unless he can figure out the efficiency side of things in the nba, i don't want him.

not a pure enough shooter - and he's had four years to get there - for me at this point. late first, early second guy for me.

[NYPiston]

Same with Aaron Gordon

Gordon is a much better athlete than Whitmore IMO. Whitmore has some bounce but not Gordon level.
Somebody mentioned Brown/Butler as athletic comparables, I can see that moreso than a supreme run/jump athlete like Gordon. The difference between he and those guys (Brown and Butler) is that they showed more flash scoring at all levels (mid range in particular) in college whereas I see Whitmore as a 2 level scorer from long range (inconsistent though) and on cuts to the rim playing off of others or bully ball against smaller defenders. Not really seeing much creation ability from him thus far.

He has an impressive frame and an interesting athletic profile but I'm not seeing any standout trait from him, not enough to be comfortable taking him top 5 even in a draft like this with lots of question marks after the top 2.

[clyde21]

1/30 update

1 Victor Wembanyama

2 Scoot Henderson
3 Anthony Black

4 Keyonte George
5 GG Jackson
6 Cam Whitmore
7 Jarace Walker

8 Gradey Dick
9 Nick Smith Jr.
10 Taylor Hendricks
11 Brandon Miller
12 Jalen Wilson
13 Judah Mintz
14 Jordan Hawkins

leaving DWH and the Thompson twins unranked for now.

Flip, Wallace, Howard, Sensabaugh, Council, Lewis on the outside looking in.

[Hal14]

Man, I really like Jalen Wilson, I might like him late in the lottery (11-14) even, depending on how things shake out. Reminds me a lot of Tobias Harris and Saddiq Bey, but seems to do better on contested shots than they did in college.

dude can score, but he takes a lot of shots to get there. it's a good thing that he can create those shots, but unless he can figure out the efficiency side of things in the nba, i don't want him.

not a pure enough shooter - and he's had four years to get there - for me at this point. late first, early second guy for me.

I'd take McCullar over Wilson (slightly). Both of them are either gonna be 2nd round guys or undrafted. I suppose if you're looking at taking an upside swing, you can take Wilson and hope he turns out to be a really good scorer in the league and maybe even a starter.

But if I'm a playoff team and already have a bunch of scorers (like for example, the Celtics) I'm taking the guy with the more well rounded game, the guy who with the higher floor because he's such a good defender, the guy who is a damn good passer and creator for others (since my team already has guys who can score).

I look at how Derrick White came to Boston and made a BIG impact, by moving the ball QUICKLY, finding the open man. Once he got to Boston, the difference was VERY noticeable - all of us sudden, the team's other players were getting way more high quality shots - off white's passes.

McCullar plays similarly - unselfish, moves the ball quickly, while picking his spots here and there for when he can take a shot or drive it to the rim..taking high quality shots, rather than just high quantity (Wilson is the latter)..

[babyjax13]

Man, I really like Jalen Wilson, I might like him late in the lottery (11-14) even, depending on how things shake out. Reminds me a lot of Tobias Harris and Saddiq Bey, but seems to do better on contested shots than they did in college.

dude can score, but he takes a lot of shots to get there. it's a good thing that he can create those shots, but unless he can figure out the efficiency side of things in the nba, i don't want him.

not a pure enough shooter - and he's had four years to get there - for me at this point. late first, early second guy for me.

I'd take McCullar over Wilson (slightly). Both of them are either gonna be 2nd round guys or undrafted. I suppose if you're looking at taking an upside swing, you can take Wilson and hope he turns out to be a really good scorer in the league and maybe even a starter.

But if I'm a playoff team and already have a bunch of scorers (like for example, the Celtics) I'm taking the guy with the more well rounded game, the guy who with the higher floor because he's such a good defender, the guy who is a damn good passer and creator for others (since my team already has guys who can score).

I look at how Derrick White came to Boston and made a BIG impact, by moving the ball QUICKLY, finding the open man. Once he got to Boston, the difference was VERY noticeable - all of us sudden, the team's other players were getting way more high quality shots - off white's passes.

McCullar plays similarly - unselfish, moves the ball quickly, while picking his spots here and there for when he can take a shot or drive it to the rim..taking high quality shots, rather than just high quantity (Wilson is the latter)..

I really like McCullar, too. That Kansas team is great!