NBA Draft 2023: Roundup of Expert Mock Drafts After NCAA Championship
While most of the NBA remains focused on the final playoff push, eight teams have already kick-started their summer vacations.
They've also surely dug deep into their draft plans already.
With the NCAA Tournament now in the rearview, draft analysts have as much information as ever about the upcoming class, and they've used that to assemble their latest mock drafts.
We're diving into three expert mocks here—from Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman, Yahoo's Krysten Peek and The Ringer's Kevin O'Connor—to identify trends and spotlight some key differences.
The Debate Starts at No. 2
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For most of this draft season, it's seemed as if the top two picks are set in stone. These three analysts only agree on the No. 1 selection, though.
While all three have Victor Wembanyama of Metropolitans 92 at No. 1, they differ at No. 2. Both Wasserman and O'Connor slotted G League Ignite's Scoot Henderson in that spot, but Peek went with Alabama's Brandon Miller instead.
"Miller, at 6'9", has intangibles that many teams covet in a rebuild process," Peek wrote. "He can score at every level and connected on 38 percent of his three-point attempts. ... Henderson is not necessarily limited at 6'2", but with Miller's length and the way he can impact a team from multiple spots on the floor, there will be some teams that seriously consider (and could take) Miller with the No. 2 pick."
Regardless of how the second pick goes, though, neither Henderson nor Miller will wait long to hear their name called. Peek has Henderson going No. 3, while Miller lands at No. 3 for O'Connor and No. 4 for Wasserman.
Disagreements in the Top 10
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Beyond the top trio of Wembanyama, Henderson and Miller, the analysts all see four other prospects as top-10 picks, too.
Overtime Elite combo guard Amen Thompson is the No. 3 pick for Wasserman and the No. 4 pick for O'Connor and Peek. Amen's twin brother, Ausar, lands at No. 5 for O'Connor and Peek, while Wasserman has him at No. 8. Houston big man Jarace Walker is the fifth pick for Wasserman and the sixth pick for the others. Arkansas combo guard Anthony Black goes seventh for Wasserman and O'Connor and eighth for Peek.
Five other prospects make top 10 appearances in at least one of these mocks.
Kansas' swingman Gradey Dick is a top-10 pick for O'Connor (No. 8) and Peek (No. 9), but Wasserman has Dick falling just outside of that range (No. 11). Villanova swingman Cam Whitmore cracks the top 10 for Peek (No. 7) and Wasserman (No. 10) but doesn't for O'Connor (No. 12). UCF forward Taylor Hendricks is the No. 6 pick for Wasserman, the No. 10 selection for O'Connor and the No. 11 choice for Peek.
Kentucky guard Cason Wallace lands in the No. 9 spot for both Wasserman and O'Connor, while Peek put Wallace at No. 13. Arkansas guard Nick Smith Jr. is the No. 10 pick for Peek while sitting at No. 11 for O'Connor and No. 13 for Wasserman.
Polarizing Prospects
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When analyzing mock drafts, you always want to focus on two things: consensus opinions and major disagreements. Let's look at the latter here.
For instance, O'Connor values Duke's Kyle Filipowski as a lottery prospect and has the stretch 7-footer going No. 13. But the same big goes well outside of the lottery for Wasserman (No. 25) and nearly slips out of Peek's first round (No. 29).
Filipowski's teammate, center Dereck Lively II, has a similarly wide range. O'Connor has Lively 15th overall, calling him "one of the country's most impactful defensive players, rebounders and rim protectors." Wasserman put Lively at No. 20, while Peek didn't even mention him until the second round (No. 33).
Michigan guard Kobe Bufkin is another. Wasserman slots the sophomore as the last pick of the lottery (No. 14) and Peek puts him just outside of it (No. 16). O'Connor, though, didn't even put Bufkin in his mock first round.
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