Between all of the trades, Bilal Coulibaly going earlier than anticipated, and Cam Whitmore sliding outside of the lottery, this draft was nothing short of entertaining.
With the draft officially wrapped up, here are three winners and losers of this year’s NBA draft.
Winners-
Houston Rockets- #4 G/F Amen Thompson, #20 F Cam Whitmore
Houston might be the biggest winner of the 2023 NBA draft when looking at the value they got back from picks four and 20.
First, there’s Thompson, who will be a great fit in Houston. When you look past the shaky three-point shot and the fact Thompson played in the Overtime Elite League, Thompson is one of the best athletes in this draft and will pair well with Jalen Green in the backcourt.
Drafting Thompson also brings into question what the Rockets have planned for Kevin Porter Jr. While Porter Jr. could back up Thompson next year in Houston, the Rockets could very well send him off to a new team to assist in their rebuild.
Whitmore falling to the Rockets at 20 is something few thought would occur on draft night. While there were reports Whitmore could slip due to poor workouts and interviews, the idea of Whitmore falling outside the top ten seemed unrealistic.
However, Whitmore’s kicker was a past thumb injury he retained during his time at Villanova. The combination of this with his workouts and interviews left teams fearful, leading to the slide.
Despite being a risky player to select, Whitmore was projected to go top five in the draft. It’s worth nothing; the Rockets were heavily considering drafting him at four but got to use their 20th pick to get him, making the risk well worth it.
Utah Jazz- #9 F Taylor Hendricks, #16 G Keyonte George, #28 F Brice Sensabaugh
Like the Rockets, the Jazz found value in every pick they had on draft night, making them another clear-cut winner.
Hendricks will fill the Jazz’s void at the power forward position and will be an excellent complementary piece between Lauri Markannen and Walker Kessler. Hendricks hit threes at an impressive rate at UCF and was a talented defender, often taking on assignments larger and smaller than him.
Picking George at 16 was great value for the Jazz. While it’s unclear if Jordan Clarkson will be back next season, George could be a day-one starter for the Jazz or be an effective piece off the bench. George’s ability to switch from the point guard position to the shooting guard position will also be valuable for the Jazz.
Like George, Sensabaugh at 28 was excellent value. Sensabaugh shot 40.5% from three during his time at Ohio State and will be a reliable scorer off the bench. If Talen Horton-Tucker decides to leave the Jazz this season, Sensabaugh could see some minutes off the bench as soon as the season starts.
Charlotte- #2 F Brandon Miller, #27 G Nick Smith Jr., #31 C James Nnaji, #41 G Amari Bailey
Following the pattern of finding value at every selection, the Hornets are the last winner.
While drafting Miller over Scoot Henderson left many shaking their heads on draft night; it’s not a bad pick. Miller was dominant during his campaign for the Crimson Tide, notably hitting 38.4% of his threes. Miller is also one of the best rebounding small forwards in this year’s draft and an above-average defender.
Additionally, Miller will be a better fit next to LaMelo Ball come the start of next season compared to Henderson. While Henderson was the best available player at pick two, the Hornets no longer have to worry about experimenting with a backcourt of Ball and Henderson.
Smith Jr., Nnaji and Bailey were all excellent picks for the Hornets. Smith Jr. and Bailey were projected to go much earlier in this draft, and both have significant upsides as guards. Nnaji could turn out to be the second-best center in this draft behind Wembanyama.
Considering their selection, many players on the Hornets might be on the trade block. Players like James Bouknight, J.T. Thor and Kobi Simmons are likely candidates.
Losers-
Washington Wizards- #7 F Bilal Coilibaly, #42 F Tristan Vukcevic
Look, heavily criticizing how the Wizards have been handling their rebuild to this degree is redundant, but the team keeps making mistakes.
Coilibaly is a great player to start your rebuild with, but was it necessary to trade up one spot to get him? Likely not.
Multiple draft experts saw Coilibaly as a mid-first-round pick heading into this draft, and he was very likely to be there at pick eight for the Wizards. Despite this, the Wizards still sacrificed two future second-round picks to get Coilibaly.
In retrospect, what makes this trade even more amusing is the Indiana Pacers, who made the deal with the Wizards, still got the player they wanted at eight. The Pacers were undoubtedly going to select a power forward with their pick to pair with Myles Turner.
In a nutshell, the Wizards let the Pacers get their rookie on a smaller contract with a donation of two future second-round picks.
Dallas Mavericks- #12 C Dereck Lively II, #24 F Oliver-Maxence Prosper
On the surface level, the Mavericks had a great draft.
Trading away one of the worst contracts in the league to move back two spots in the draft is an excellent trade, especially when you consider the Maverick’s top guy was still on the board.
However, their top guy was Dereck Lively II.
While Lively II has some tremendous defensive upside, that is the only positive thing you can say about him as a player. Lively II does not have the skill set to make an impact in the NBA.
It should be noted that Lively II cannot shoot threes, an issue often overlooked in centers if they have solid skills in the interior. While Lively II shot a very efficient 65.8% from the court, the entirety of his made shots came from 2 feet in front of the basket, and he only attempted 3.4 shots per game for Duke.
When people look back at this draft in five years, many will be giggling at the fact the Mavericks purposefully tanked at the end of the season, missed the play-in tournament, and took Lively II to make up for it.
New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers- N/A
What makes the Knicks and 76ers losers is that they did not select anyone during the draft and made no moves to move into the draft.
There’s a glaring hole at the backup point guard position for the Knicks. It’s disappointing not to see them capitalize on a draft filled with serviceable guards. Their first-round pick was conveyed to the Portland Trail Blazers at pick 23, where many adequate guards still were available to draft.
For the 76ers, the team could no doubt use some size. Besides this draft being filled with a ton of guards, it also featured many modern NBA forwards that could have been great fits on the 76ers’ roster. The 76ers’ first-round pick conveyed to the Utah Jazz at pick 28, where Leonard Miller was still available to draft. Had their second-round pick not been forfeited at pick 58, Trayce Jackson-Davis would have been available.
Both teams are fringe competitors in the East; both teams notably lost in the second round of the playoffs this year. Watching two teams battle in the NBA Finals with excellent depth and seeing the teams that beat you in the playoffs add to their depth through the draft should be a wake-up call.
Overall, the 2023 NBA draft was filled with excitement and surprises, with some teams capitalizing on value and others falling short in their decision-making. Only time will tell how these picks and trades will shape the league's future.
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