The Official 2023 Draft Thread

[80sballboy]

https://www.espn.com/nba/insider/story/_/id/37873455/2023-nba-mock-draft-latest-predictions-all-58-picks

8. Washington Wizards
Cam Whitmore
Villanova
SF
Age: 18.9

Over the past several days, there's been a bit more uncertainty among teams surrounding Whitmore's eventual landing spot in the top 10. He had been viewed as a strong option for the Pistons as No. 5, but the feeling right now is that he may be ticketed for the 6-through-9 range. In this scenario, with Orlando and Indiana opting for Black and Walker, he makes it here to No. 8. He did not work out in Washington, but this might simply be a strong value play for the Wizards with Black off the board. Another name to watch here, particularly if Black is gone, is Kobe Bufkin, who is known to have internal support in the Washington front office and could feasibly be the choice here if they decide to prioritize guards. This pick will be the first step in Washington's rebuild as the first major post-Bradley Beal-trade decision for this front office. -- Woo

[Dat2U]

I think the Wizards board looks like this:

1. Anthony Black
2. Kobe Bufkin

Kobe is the pick if Black is gone. I don't think they are considering anyone else including Cam or Ausur if they drop.

[NatP4]

I think the Wizards board looks like this:

1. Anthony Black
2. Kobe Bufkin

Kobe is the pick if Black is gone. I don't think they are considering anyone else including Cam or Ausur if they drop.

You think they take Bufkin over Ausar?

[mhd]

I think the Wizards board looks like this:

1. Anthony Black
2. Kobe Bufkin

Kobe is the pick if Black is gone. I don't think they are considering anyone else including Cam or Ausur if they drop.

I think they would take Ausur. Rumors from the ESPN guys is that the Wiz like Ausur/Amen. However, I doubt a Thompson is there at 8.

[gambitx777]

I think the Wizards board looks like this:

1. Anthony Black
2. Kobe Bufkin

Kobe is the pick if Black is gone. I don't think they are considering anyone else including Cam or Ausur if they drop.

It would be absolutely malpractice to not take Bilal over either of those two at 8!

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[80sballboy]

Let's remember that in the NBA and NFL, a lot of executives lie about who they like to throw off the media and other teams. With a new FO, are they lying about the interest in Bufkin? Or Black? I don't think there's any chance in hell that Ausar drops to 8. If there is, Washington would be f-ing crazy either not to take him or trade down to get two firsts from Utah or Brooklyn. At 8, I think they'll go with Black if he's there. I'd be looking at Coulibaly or Hendricks if he's available. But I don't hate Black and with Jones around for a bit, he won't have to be thrown to the wolves yet. My guess is that Dawkins sees Black as another Josh Giddey, since he was around to take him.

I also think Morris is gone draft night. Maybe Wright. I doubt we're going to get more than a mid-2nd rounder for those guys.

[FAH1223]

I think the Wizards board looks like this:

1. Anthony Black
2. Kobe Bufkin

Kobe is the pick if Black is gone. I don't think they are considering anyone else including Cam or Ausur if they drop.

Let's remember that in the NBA and NFL, a lot of executives lie about who they like to throw off the media and other teams. With a new FO, are they lying about the interest in Bufkin? Or Black? I don't think there's any chance in hell that Ausar drops to 8. If there is, Washington would be f-ing crazy either not to take him or trade down to get two firsts from Utah or Brooklyn. At 8, I think they'll go with Black if he's there. I'd be looking at Coulibaly or Hendricks if he's available. But I don't hate Black and with Jones around for a bit, he won't have to be thrown to the wolves yet.

I also think Morris is gone draft night. Maybe Wright. I doubt we're going to get more than a mid-2nd rounder for those guys.

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[80sballboy]

I understand Black at 8 due to his size and vision and Coulibaly based on potential with length and athleticism. What am I missing with Kobe at 8? Decent length and a crafty lefty who averaged just 2.8 assists per game. Drafting a combo guard at 8? So a short wing like Beal with a 6-8 wingspan. Solid defensively. I don't see the huge upside. I don't know if I'm taking the next Jordan Poole/D'Angelo Russell (better defensively) at 8.

[pcbothwel]

I understand Black at 8 due to his size and vision and Coulibaly based on potential with length and athleticism. What am I missing with Kobe at 8? Decent length and a crafty lefty who averaged just 2.8 assists per game. Drafting a combo guard at 8? So a short wing like Beal with a 6-8 wingspan. Solid defensively. I don't see the huge upside. I don't know if I'm taking the next Jordan Poole/D'Angelo Russell (better defensively) at 8.

I hate the term combo guard. It insinuates an undersized 2 that mostly needs to defend PG's.
Bufkin is a pure SG similar to Beal. While a bit light, his height & wingspan are almost identical to Booker.
I feel comfortable in projecting him as Poole/Herro with better defense, which is a good starter. But if he takes the next step offensively he climbs up closer to Beal range. I have him over Hendricks & Ausur on my board, but still below Bilal and Black.

[The Consiglieri]

I understand Black at 8 due to his size and vision and Coulibaly based on potential with length and athleticism. What am I missing with Kobe at 8? Decent length and a crafty lefty who averaged just 2.8 assists per game. Drafting a combo guard at 8? So a short wing like Beal with a 6-8 wingspan. Solid defensively. I don't see the huge upside. I don't know if I'm taking the next Jordan Poole/D'Angelo Russell (better defensively) at 8.

There always seem to be guys like this that end up rocketing up last second:

I think:
18: I think Bagley going ahead of Young and Doncic back then was a bit of a surprise though I may be mistaken
20: Patrick Williams
21: Scottie Barnes
22: Ivey dropping from top 3 lock to 5th

Teams get enamored with tools and fit, and end up doing things that sometimes end up being as sharp as a fox and sometimes end up being dumber than the stooges.

One thing I'd love to know, btw, is what the hell our picks are at this point. I heard yesterday we had the 57th from one source, 59th from another, Simmons and O"Connor on their podcast assumed they still had the 35 through their whole podcast. I'm totally confused at this point but the sense I get is:

8
35
42
59 or 57

Anyone know for sure?

Oh and ftr, I'd like one of the twins, Black, Hendricks, Whitmore, Coulibaly, I guess i can live with Bufkin if everyone's gone.

But anyway, assuming we can't get a top 3 pick which is more than a reasonable assumption, I'd probably rank them:
1.Coulibaly
2.Whitmore
3. Hendricks
4.Black
5. Bufkin

I'm not plugging in the twins because I expect them both to be gone at our pick, if they weren't, I'd probably slide them in before Black and Bufkin, I'm not sure about the rest.

The only guys consistently mentioned that I want no part of are Wallace, Walker period, and Bufkin ahead of my Top 4 guys listed above.

Again the twins are kind of in the ether to me, but I'd probably have them ahead of everyone but Coulibaly and maybe Whitmore and possibly Hendricks (need to look into it more).

[80sballboy]

I understand Black at 8 due to his size and vision and Coulibaly based on potential with length and athleticism. What am I missing with Kobe at 8? Decent length and a crafty lefty who averaged just 2.8 assists per game. Drafting a combo guard at 8? So a short wing like Beal with a 6-8 wingspan. Solid defensively. I don't see the huge upside. I don't know if I'm taking the next Jordan Poole/D'Angelo Russell (better defensively) at 8.

I hate the term combo guard. It insinuates an undersized 2 that mostly needs to defend PG's.
Bufkin is a pure SG similar to Beal. While a bit light, his height & wingspan are almost identical to Booker.
I feel comfortable in projecting him as Poole/Herro with better defense, which is a good starter. But if he takes the next step offensively he climbs up closer to Beal range. I have him over Hendricks & Ausur on my board, but still below Bilal and Black.

That's fine, if he shot as well as Booker. To me, he doesn't do anything exceptional, but is not a bad player. I don't expect a superstar at 8, but I'd like to attempt to find a player who has a chance to be very good. I also consider Brad to be a combo guard since he's run the point and controlled the ball a lot, though not particularly well.

[NatP4]

Dawkins comes off as a very detail oriented/articulate/modern thinking individual. I’m really excited for tonight. Think he’s gonna surprise us.

[gambitx777]

I can't see us taking a guard right now. We have plenty and honestly the guy who's gonna be three at 8 with the most potential is Bilal. Not if someone else takes him before us. Then someone drops.

Hot take

Nadir Hifi who might be one of the last people drafted if he's drafted at all will be a better NBA PG than Anthony Black. Mark that down and remember it.

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[80sballboy]

Personally, I'd prefer to move down, but I say this every year because I want more first-rounders. I'd even take another early second-rounder. Nobody really knows who Dawkins likes. A lot of these players they worked out came before he was officially named GM.

https://therookiewire.usatoday.com/lists/2023-nba-draft-workout-tracker-prospects/

Oklahoma City Thunder

The known list of players to have worked out with the Thunder:

Tyree Appleby, Wake Forest
Emoni Bates, Eastern Michigan
Charles Bediako, Alabama
Gradey Dick, Kansas
Zach Edey, Purdue
Jaylen Forbes, Tulane
Coleman Hawkins, Illinois
Taylor Hendricks, UCF
Gabe Kalscheur, Iowa State
Seneca Knight, Illinois State
Maxwell Lewis, Pepperdine
Tramon Mark, Arkansas
Caleb McConnell, Rutgers
Mike Miles Jr., TCU
Leonard Miller, G League Ignite
Isaiah Miranda, NC State
Nick Ongenda, DePaul
Justin Powell, Washington State
Adama Sanogo, UConn
Jalen Slawson, Furman
Justice Sueing, Ohio State
Jordan Walsh, Arkansas



The known list of players to have worked out with the Wizards:

Brendan Adams, George Washington
Daniel Akin, Utah State
Emmanuel Akot, Western Kentucky
Timmy Allen, Texas
Anthony Black, Arkansas
Leaky Black, North Carolina
Kobe Bufkin, Michigan
Isaiah Burke, Morgan State
Tyger Campbell, UCLA
Marcus Carr, Texas
Kihei Clark, Virginia
Ricky Council IV, Arkansas
Ed Croswell, Providence
Antoine Davis, Detroit Mercy
Kendric Davis, Memphis
Dexter Dennis, Texas A&M
Tosan Evbuomwan, Providence
Jayden Gardner, Virginia
Patrick Gardner, Marist
Jazian Gortman, Overtime Elite
Bryce Griggs, Overtime Elite
Tanner Groves, Oklahoma
D’Moi Hodge, Missouri
Trey Jemison, UAB
Javan Johnson, DePaul
Jarkel Joiner, NC State
Tevian Jones, Southern Utah
Keondre Kennedy, UNC Greensboro
Taevion Kinsey, Marshall
Ricky Lindo Jr., George Washington
Noah Locke, Providence
Brendan Medley-Bacon, NC Central
Nathan Mensah, San Diego State
Caleb McConnell, Rutgers
Isaiah Moore, South Alabama
Markquis Nowell, Kansas State
Kevin Obanor, Texas Tech
Osun Osunniyi, Iowa State
Craig Porter Jr., Wichita State
Adama Sanogo, UConn
Malachi Smith, Gonzaga
Nick Smith Jr., Arkansas
Terquavion Smith, NC State
Erik Stevenson, West Virginia
Justice Sueing, Ohio State
Race Thompson, Indiana
Jacob Toppin, Kentucky
Oscar Tshiebwe, Kentucky
Jarace Walker, Houston
Cason Wallace, Kentucky
KJ Williams, LSU
Isaiah Wong, Miami

[NatP4]

Yeah I’m expecting Bilal, unless Ausar drops.

And a package of 35/42/57 to move up into the 20-25 range, and another trade of Morris/CP3 somewhere.

Will end up taking a couple swings in the 20-40 range.

[80sballboy]

I can't see us taking a guard right now. We have plenty and honestly the guy who's gonna be three at 8 with the most potential is Bilal. Not if someone else takes him before us. Then someone drops.

Hot take

Nadir Hifi who might be one of the last people drafted if he's drafted at all will be a better NBA PG than Anthony Black. Mark that down and remember it.

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Take best player available who you think has a huge upside. Some of our guards are going to be gone tonight or after next season. Wright, Morris, Paul, and Jones are not the future. Is Johnny Davis? Is Corey Kispert? Can Quentin Jackson play?

[AFM]

Anyone against Bilal at this point is an anti French bigot.
Think of the croissant half smokes Ted could sell in the arena.

[Dark Faze]

I have no expectations whatsoever. Just hoping it's not Black.

[Tyrone Messby]

Who would we all agree to be happy on at 8?

[Dark Faze]

The Thompson twins will be age 21 three months into next season, were not top 10 ranked HS players, and just played in a sham league.

Like...someone please explain why they should be drafted as high as they are being mocked?