NBA Draft 2023: Assessing Scouting Reports on Top Stars from Experts' Mock Draft
The final stretch of the 2022-23 NBA season offers a little something for everyone.
There is plenty of scoreboard-watching to be done, both with teams vying for top seeds and those hoping to extend their seasons while jostling for a spot in the play-in tournament. At the bottom of the standings, though, there are interesting angles, too, since the bottom-feeders are looking to maximize their draft lottery odds.
Much like those cellar-dwellers, we're thinking about the draft, too—and we aren't the only ones. Experts from The Athletic (Sam Vecenie), USA Today's For The Win (Bryan Kalbrosky) and NBC Sports Washington (Tyler Byrum and Chase Hughes) recently posted mock drafts, so we'll examine the top of those draft boards and check their scouting reports on the prospects positioned there.
Consensus No. 1: Victor Wembanyama, PF/C, Metropolitans 92
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No disrespect to the rest of this draft class, but Victor Wembanyama has essentially been running unopposed for the No. 1 spot all season.
The 19-year-old, who holds the top spot in all three mocks, already seems like a once-in-a-generation—if not a once-in-a-lifetime—type of talent. His size-skill combination has perhaps never been seen before, and it looks like a cheat code in the modern NBA, as Vecenie detailed:
"He's a 7-foot-4 center who can create his own shot from all three levels in some regard. He's a terrific pick-and-roll player as a ballhandler or screener. His handle is better than any teenage supergiant in history. Defensively, his near-8-foot wingspan changes the geometry of the game around the rim. And he's ready to help teams win now."
If you're looking for warts in Wembanyama's profile, you should find a new hobby. There really aren't any. His bag is absurdly deep for anyone, let alone someone his size.
Consensus No. 2: Scoot Henderson, PG, G League Ignite
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Much like Wembanyama at No. 1, Scoot Henderson has been a fixture at No. 2 throughout the mock draft season. That's exactly where he landed in these three mocks.
Henderson has blink-and-you'll-miss-him burst, plus a vicious blend of power and explosion. He has the handles to ditch defenders, the vision to find teammates and the finishing to convert at—or above—the rim.
"If you trust that his shooting efficiency will improve, which I do, he is as compelling of a backcourt prospect as we have evaluated since Ja Morant," Kalbrosky wrote.
Henderson's next-level athleticism will remind some of Morant, but you'll also find links to Derrick Rose, John Wall and Russell Westbrook. Henderson will be a can't-miss player to watch once he arrives in the Association, and he could be a transformational talent for the franchise fortunate enough to draft him.
Potential No. 3: Brandon Miller, SF, Alabama
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The No. 3 pick in these mocks featured two names: Brandon Miller and Amen Thompson of Overtime Elite. But since two sites went with Miller (The Athletic and NBC Sports Washington), he'll get the spotlight treatment here.
As Vecenie noted, some evaluators and decision-makers have Miller above Henderson on their big boards. Miller more looks the part of a modern NBA player. He's a 6'9" swingman with the skills to fill multiple roles, and that's exactly what teams are trying to get.
"His combination of size, athleticism, ball-handling skill and three-point shooting ability is rare," Hughes wrote. "Miller has the potential to be a perennial All-Star at the NBA level with defense and shot creation ultimately determining his ceiling."
Miller's ability to consistently create and convert his own scoring chances will loom large over the direction of his career. He doesn't have great burst on his drives, and his shot-making really faded down the stretch. He played eight games in the month of March and shot above 31 percent in only two of them. He also had more turnovers (29) than assists (24) over this stretch.
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