2023 NBA Draft Big Board

This is my ninth year closely following the draft (and my fourth year posting my board on my website). I don’t know why I enjoy analyzing the draft so much. I have more exciting things to spend my time on than I did 9 years ago. But the allure of sitting by myself and trying to rank these players is irresistible to me. I like to think I’ve gotten a little sharper since I started posting my boards a couple years ago. I rely on numbers over the eye test way more than I used to; after I aggressively faded Tyrese Haliburton due to the eye test, I said to myself “never again.” I’ve had some wins since then. Mobley over Cade. Franz over Kuminga. Higher on Sengun and Kessler than consensus. Skeptical of Cade, Jalen Green. My goal every year is to avoid a disastrously stupid mistake, such as Ayton and Bagley over Doncic, and get a little smarter than I was the year before. I think I’ve done an ok job of that since 2020.

I don’t love this year’s mainstream draft coverage. I don’t understand calling Victor Wembanyama the best prospect ever. Luka Doncic was better against better competition when he was a teenager, and he didn’t carry the injury concerns that come with Victor’s height and frame. I’ve liked other prospects better too. I would have definitely taken Anthony Davis and Joel Embiid and even Zion–although this looks like a mistake now–over Victor. Even taking Evan Mobley and Jaren Jackson Jr. over Victor would have been debatable for me. If Victor embraces being a defensive menace who finishes at the rim and spreads the floor with 3s, he has a chance to be an elite player. If he thinks he’s a mix of KD and Giannis… well I’m skeptical he has the skill and athleticism to do that against NBA athletes.

Down the board, public draft coverage doesn’t make that much sense. Did you know that, paradoxically, there are two “generational” athletes in this draft…? Scoot Henderson and Amen Thompson, our freak athlete extraordinaires, must have struggled with finishing at the rim just for fun. The talk around Amen, and his twin, Ausar Thompson, is particularly bad. They were 20 years old playing against high school aged competition in Overtime Elite. The competition was disorganized and sloppy. The twins were quite good, but they weren’t elite. Apparently they are going to be elite NBA players within a few years? Just picture how good a 20 year old Zion or Paolo would look against high schoolers.

The rest of the first round is riddled with guys who weren’t that effective in college: Dariq Whitehead, Keyonte George, Jalen Hood-Schifino, Nick Smith. Some of these guys could work themselves into serviceable NBA players, but I don’t understand how they can be viewed as having the upside to be NBA elites. If you weren’t good against lower level competition, why would you dominate better levels of competition? The closest examples I can recall in the 9 years I’ve been following the draft of mediocre college players becoming NBA “stars” are Zach Lavine and Jaylen Brown. But those players took time to develop and are now on overpriced contracts. Is the thought of having LaVine on an expensive contract six years from now so enticing that you need to draft a player who won’t be good 90% of the time? There’s a reason why elite law firms look for elite law students and elite law schools look for elite undergrads and elite undergrad programs look for elite highschoolers.

Circling back to the Thompson twins: their story is like if I skipped law school, continued posting good grades in undergrad, and then got scooped up by an elite law firm who prioritized me over proven law school students. With all that said, I think there are plenty of smart hardworking draft guys, but group-think is really hard to overcome, getting the draft right in general is tough, and there are perverse incentives to sell the false hope of overhyped prospects to fans in exchange for their time and eyeballs.

Anyways, this year my methodology was mostly ranking guys by stats, measurables, and age and then adjusting for what the tape showed, as well as other factors like team context, injury concerns, and intangibles. Once all that was done I adjusted my board further to bring it a little closer to consensus. I did this, in part as a shameless attempt to avoid making a mistake that looks super dumb 10 years from now, but mostly because generally the more consensus likes a player, the more opportunities the player will have to stick around the league and return good value. In this sense, don’t take my rankings of second rounders seriously. When I was young and naive I spent tons of time picking out second round sleepers, only to watch my board get picked apart by the vagaries of some second rounders getting guaranteed NBA deals and others being cast off to Europe. RIP Thomas Walkup. In short - I like ranking players based on how good I think they can be, and it’s just not fun to guess which players will get a shot from teams. My controversial, impossible to prove, but fun to say opinion, is that it’s a minor miracle Jokic actually got a shot in the league, and that in some point in the last 30 years there has probably been an MVP-caliber player who straight up never got a shot in the NBA because he didn’t like a traditional NBA star. I find that sad.

On with the picks.

#1 Pick Talent

1. Victor Wembanyama - 7’4.5 232lbs 19.5yo Center, Metropolitans 92.

Wembanyama put together a strong showing as a teenager in a competitive French league, and he offers an unprecedented blend of length, mobility, and shooting. Players his height have a very poor track record of staying healthy, and I think the people who compare him to Giannis or even KD as athletes are goofy. It is probable that Wembanyama is too unathletic to be a primary shot creator in the NBA, but he should still be a dominant defensive force with plus shooting from the center position.

Lottery Pulls

2. Brandon Miller - 6’9 200lbs 20.6yo Forward, Alabama.

Miller was the best player on a great Alabama team, and he offers a coveted NBA skillset as a high volume 3pt shooter who can pass and defend on the perimeter. He’s a high IQ player who fits in well on any team, and he has a rare enough intersection of strengths to have fun upside. He had some alarming struggles with finishing around the rim, he weirdly got worse against better competition, and he’s older for a freshman, but he still compares very favorably to past wing prospects like Paul George, Brandon Ingram, and Klay Thompson. He is solid value at #2 overall.

3. Scoot Henderson - 6’2 195lbs 19.4yo Point Guard, G League Ignite.

Henderson has emerged as something of a divisive prospect. While many think he is the second coming of Derrick Rose, Russell Westbrook, and/or Ja Morant, due to his strong athleticism and good vision, others view him closer to Dennis Smith, Jr., and Markelle Fultz, due to his struggles with efficiency in the G-League. Although it seems hard to believe now, I remember folks calling Dennis Smith a “generational athlete” back in 2017. The bar to be an elite NBA player at 6’2 is wildly high, and while Henderson has a chance, it would require big improvements in his 3pt shooting. Another way to think about the problem is to think about how good De’Aaron Fox has become, with outlier improvements in his shooting, great passing and blazing quickness, and he’s still not a top-15 player in the NBA. Another flag for Henderson is that he didn’t improve much from last year to this year. While some attribute that to him “coasting” (these same people also praise him as an elite competitor) an equally plausible explanation is that he simply hit puberty before his peers and rapidly developed an incredibly strong physique at 17 years old. Nevertheless, he has a really nice blend of good athleticism, great strength, very good passing and length, and solid dribbling and shooting skills.

4. Cason Wallace - 6’4 195lbs 19.6yo Point Guard, Kentucky.

Wallace is a very good prospect. He has very good size for a guard, he can play on and off the ball, he’s an elite defender, a strong passer, gets to the rim and finishes at an elite clip, and he is a solid shooter. He did not post the highest usage rate, and likely will never be a go-to offensive engine, but he should be a very productive player, in the vein of Jrue Holiday or Derrick White, that fits into many teams. A further plus in Wallace’s favor is that his Kentucky coach, John Callipari, has a penchant for hiding the talents of his guards: see, e.g., Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Tyler Herro, Tyrese Maxey, Immanuel Quickley, Devin Booker. It’s easy to envision Wallace having a sneaky upside tail that Callipari masterfully concealed.

5. Jarace Walker - 6’8, 249lbs 19.8yo Power Forward, Houston.

Walker posted better overall stats in the same conference as Hendricks, and he even improved statistically against better competition. His statistical comparison are very favorable, and he posted a nice blend of passing, fledgling shooting, rebounding, and defense. The downside is that his shooting indicators, while projectable for a power forward, are shaky, and he eye tests as someone who may be awkward guarding quicker NBA players on the perimeter. Nevertheless, his combination of youth, size, and production, make him a strong lottery pull. I’ve been doing this for a long time, and part of me is concerned that he’s one of those guys where his tape doesn’t scream star but then you look up four years later and he’s an all star. I really struggle to rate him vis-a-vis Taylor Hendricks.

6. Taylor Hendricks - 6’9 214lbs 19.6yo Power Forward, UCF.

Hendricks is a tricky prospect to analyze. He posted good–but not great–numbers as a relatively unheralded freshman playing in the American Conference. His two best skills, 3pt shooting and rim protection, are extremely valuable for a power forward in the NBA, but his creation off the bounce is very limited, and he offers a skinny physique that seems like it could go either way as far as filling out I’m always cautious about ranking players high because I love their projected NBA archetype, but Hendricks has enough productivity that I’m willing to do so here, as the archetype is super valuable.

7. Derrick Lively - 7’1 230lbs 19.4yo Center, Duke.

Lively projects extremely comfortably to the NBA as a mobile rim protector on defense and a bouncy play finisher on offense. His usage rate was super low at Duke, but it’s not a huge concern for someone of his ilk, and the fact that he improved rapidly throughout the year and has a strong A:TO suggests that he may have some sneaky upside.

8. Anthony Black - 6’7 210lbs 19.4yo Wing/Guard, Arkansas.

Black is another tough prospect to project. He’s a quick 6’7 ballhandler, posting strong assist and steal rates. The eye test says he’s fast enough to create a shot on offense and guard small perimeter players on defense, which is a nice starting point for a 6’7 player. However, he paired the assist rate with a ton of turnovers, and he’s not a projectable shotmaker. His warts are fairly nasty, but his strengths are pretty unique, so he’s worth a late lottery shot. A point in his his favor is that the team context at Arkansas was unfavorable: Black’s backcourt teammates can be charitably described as “still learning the nuances of team play.” Normally I don’t like making context excuses for prospects, but where a prospect is reasonably productive, like Black, I will consider it.

9. Cam Whitmore - 6’7 235lbs 19.0yo Small Forward, Villanova.

Whitmore is a prospect that I’m super confused on. He paired youth (just turning 19) with a great ability to relentlessly get to the rim and finish, despite playing in a suboptimal Villanova offense under first year coach Kyle Neptune. He also posted an excellent steal rate, which is indicative of some feel. However, he had one of the worst assist rates ever for a small forward prospect, and he appeared very weak in his ability to play team friendly offensive basketball, preferring to engage in relentless drives into traffic than share the ball with his teammates. He is also a decent but not great shooting prospect and although he is a very good athlete he has a smaller wingspan and hands than one would like. It’s really hard to know what to make of him, but if he’s good, it’ll probably take a long time to figure out, which hurts his value for his team drafting him. Although I like his upside profile, ghosts of tunnel-vision past like Jabari Pucker and Anthony Bennett keep running through my head. Further complicating the problem is that he had legitimate injury struggles this year that could have held him back somewhat and he was dominant in FIBA play and the Nike Hoop Summit before college, which I give a little weight to.

10. Gradey Dick - 6’7 204lbs 19.6yo Shooting Guard, Kansas.

I liked Gradey more when I thought he was 6’8 instead of 6’7. Believe it or not, that one-inch difference in height is actually pretty important, and it’s one reason why a player like Duncan Robinson has contributed more than other one-dimensional shooting specialists. Nevertheless, Gradey fit into a very good Kansas team as a teenager, and he paired great 3pt shotmaking and versatility with decent rim finishing and steals, suggesting that he has the athleticism to stick in the league. While he might always be too thin to be a full time starter, it’s easy to envision him contributing positively for a long time.

Solid First Round Plays

11. Leonard Miller - 6’10 213lbs 19.6yo Power Forward, G League Ignite.

Miller is a prospect that I’ve surprised myself in liking more than consensus. He’s typically discussed as a “raw” “high upside” prospect, which I regard with deep suspicion, as painful experience from being in the draft game for a decade has taught me that “raw” is typically shorthand for being bad at basketball. Nevertheless, Miller is actually the most statistically productive G League Ignite player ever, clearly outclassing Jalen Green, Jonathan Kuminga, and even his teammate, Scoot Henderson, in productivity. He’s a great finisher and rebounder, and nice handle and feel for a 6’10 guy that’s new to high-level competition (he spent the prior year bullying Canadian highschoolers). His flaws are that his 3pt shot and perimeter defense both appear shaky, and his eye test is worse than you’d think as he looks a little too stiff and upright, but his production at a youthful 6’10 is too exciting to pass up.

12. Kobe Bufkin - 6’5 187lbs 19.8yo Combo Guard, Michigan.

Bufkin is a likable prospect as a tall guard who got to–and scored at–the rim a lot while being a decent passer and shooter. However, outside of his good rim finishing, he wasn’t impressive at anything else, and he’s not such a dynamic handler or athlete that I view him as an engine in the NBA. His downside would be something like James Bouknight, a similarly good rim player who thus far has lacked the overall floor game to play in the NBA. Bufkin is a better prospect than Bouknight, who I ranked too aggressively in 2021, but that’s the concern for him.

13. Jamie Jaquez Jr. - 6’7 226lbs 22.3yo Forward, UCLA.

It’s easy to see why consensus is lower on Jaquez than I am, as he is an older prospect with shaky 3pt shooting indicators. But he excels in every other area of the game, and if you dive into

his creation upside, he offers some sneaky upset as a skilled and coordinated 6’7 shot creator.

Look at the stats comparison that the great Dean Demaskis made between Jaquez and Butler.

While I don’t think it’s likely Jaquez becomes as good as Butler, I buy Jaquez as a smart player who finds a way to contribute.

14. Amen Thompson - 6’7 215lbs 20.4yo Wing, Overtime Elite.

Amen Thompson’s appeal is obvious, as he is a super quick and explosive 6’7 wing with a 7’0 wingspan that can also pass and dribble. However, he is 20 years old and spent this year playing against teenagers where he failed to score even 20 points a game and struggled mightily with shooting and efficient scoring in the halfcourt. It’s really hard for me to want to invest in a 20 year old who did not dominate teenage competition - picture how good a 20 year-old Zion or Ja would look against teenagers. As a point of comparison, Cameron Boozer, a 15 year old, played against some Overtime Elite competition, and he posted vastly superior numbers than Amen. I’m really skeptical that if Amen was in the SEC he would look better against engaged defenses than Anthony Black did.

15. Ausar Thompson - 6’7 218lbs 20.4yo Wing, Overtime Elite.

Ausuar is Amen’s twin brother, and my comments for Amen are also applicable to Ausuar, as their games are very similar. Ausar has a slightly more projectable shot than Amen but is a worse overall finisher and athlete, so it’s possible that Ausar could actually stick in the league longer than Amen if Ausar ends up with the better catch-and-shoot jumper.

16. Trayce Jackson-Davis - 6’9 240lbs 23.3yo Center, Indiana.

Jackson-Davis is a prospect that I like much more than consensus. His weaknesses are that he is old for a prospect at 23, is small for a center at 6’9, and he did not shoot at Indiana. His strengths are everything else. He is an elite athlete at 6’9 with a great combination of strength, explosiveness, and vision. He was a dominant finisher on a high usage rate, and he was a great passer. It’s easy to envision him filling a Brandon Clarke/Jarred Vanderbilt role off the bench, and if he has a surprising shooting development, he could be even better than that. My main concern with him as a prospect is that he’s mocked in the second round, which suggests he may not get much of a chance to stick, but I hope he does.

17. Kris Murray - 6’9 223lbs 22.8yo Forward, Iowa.

Kris Murray is Keegan Murray’s little brother. I ranked Keegan 4th last year, and I’m happy I did, as Keegan has excelled in the NBA as a big shotmaking wing that plays team-friendly basketball. Kris was not as productive at Iowa, and his shooting projection is a little shakier, but he still plays a very good floor game with good rim finishing, passing, and credible rebounding and defense. That might not sound too exciting, but there’s just not a ton of skilled mobile 6’9 guys who play the game well on both ends.

Less Solid First Round Pulls

18. Brandin Podziemski - 6;5 204lbs 20.3yo Shooting Guard, Santa Clara.

Podziemski posted a dominant season playing in the WCC. He has essentially no boxscore weaknesses, as he maintained a great usage and efficiency while rebounding like a forward and racking up stocks. He also finished at the rim well and hit a lot of 3s. I don’t have him higher, however, because his stats tanked against stronger competition, and he couldn’t get off the bench last year, when he played at a high major school in Illinois. This information, paired with other indicators like a small wingspan and few dunks, suggest he may struggle against better athletes. Nevertheless, he was a skilled, productive, and cerebral player that’s worth a first round shot.

19. Brice Sensabaugh - 6’6 19.6 235lbs Wing, Ohio State.

Sensabaugh has a lot of flaws as a shot-jacking reluctant passer who played for a poor Ohio State team. However, he was a lights out shotmaker from all over the field on very high usage, which is exciting value for a 6’6 teenager. Apparently he was medically redflagged with knee issues, otherwise I would have rated him a little higher.

20. Jett Howard - 6’8 215lbs 19.8yo Wing, Michigan.

I’m not a Jett fan, as he doesn’t defend; he rebounded like a tiny guard despite being 6’8; he quit on his team, coached by his own father (!) after they qualified for the NIT; and he struggled to fit alongside his two talented teammates, Hunter Dickinson and Kobe Bufkin. However, Jett has a rare combination of shooting, passing, and handling that you don’t see on many 6’8 players, and it’s easy to envision him having a Rodney Hood type career, which is good value at this point in the draft.

21. Noah Clowney - 6’10 210lbs 18.9yo Big, Alabama.

Clowney had a very productive season as a super young big at Alabama. He scored efficiently outside of not making 3s, and his stocks weren’t as good as you’d like. But he played great against good competition, and his combination of youth, mobility, and grit, is a decent package to bet on.

22. Bilal Coulibaly - 6’8 190lbs 18.9 Wing, Metropolitans 92.

Coulibaly is one of those prospects that I don’t enjoy scouting or evaluating. Neither his stats nor tape were particularly good, but he’s a young 6’8 with a 7’2 wingspan with some projectable skills playing against professionals, so I won’t rank him lower than this, despite his meh overall production.

23. Colby Jones - 6’5.5 199lbs 21.1yo Shooting Guard, Xavier.

At first glance, Jones isn’t exciting, as his shooting indicators overall are below average for a 2 guard. But he plays a great, unselfish floor game with great defense, and his catch-and-shoot shot looks good on tape. He has a solid chance of sticking as a 3-and-D guard.

24. Jordan Hawkins - 6’5 186lbs 18.9yo Shooting Guard, Connecticut.

Hawkins is a prospect I wished I liked more as he played a smart, tough, team-friendly game for the championship winning Connecticut Huskies. But the issue with him is that’s super skinny with a frame that’s unlikely to add weight, and he’s not that athletic, so his only NBA skill is shooting. While he was an elite shooter this year, if he ever has a stretch in the NBA where he is not an elite shooter, he won’t be helpful.

As an aside, Connecticut was a joy to watch as they had a bunch of unique, smart, tough players that figured out how to play together as a team. It’s fun ranking Connecticut’s prospects, consensus has them: Hawkins > Andre Jackson (defender/passer at the wing that can’t shoot) > Donovan Clingan (rim protecting behemoth) > Adama Sanogo (skilled ground-bound big) > Alex Karaban (unathletic but smart stretch 4). I’d go: Clingan > Hawkins/Sanogo > Jackson/Karaban.

Second Round Swings

25. Keyonte George - 6’5 204lbs 19.6yo Shooting Guard, Baylor.

26. Dariq Whitehead - 6’7 217lbs 18.9yo Wing, Duke.

27. James Nnaji - 6’11 226lbs 18.9yo Big, Real Madrid.

28. Jalen Hood-Schifino (“JHS”) - 6’5.5 217lbs 20yo Guard, Indiana.

29. Nick Smith Jr. - 6’5 185lbs 19.2yo Shooting Guard, Arkansas.

George, Whitehead, JHS, and Smith are highly-touted freshmen who ranged (in the order they’re listed) from not great to terrible at basketball. I’m not going to bother analyzing these guys individually, they might develop enough to become decent players, but what’s the point of paying them millions to be bad for a few years, and then having to pay them a big contract that strips a lot of the value of them becoming decent? Nick Smith is particularly awful: he’s like a cross between Bambi and DJ Steward, who played at Duke a few years ago.

Nnaji is a little different as a young, toolsy, rim protecting big playing for Real Madrid in a great professional league. He was decent when he played, but he didn’t play enough minutes to project comfortably.

30. Olivier-Maxwell Prosper - 6’7.5 212lbs 21yo Forward, Marquette.

Prosper has good dimensions, good athleticism, a projectable shot, and plays a coveted mold as a 3-and-D forward. He wasn’t actually that productive in college, but he dominated the Combine scrimmages, and between the tools and mold, I somewhat understand the first round appeal.

31. Sidy Cissoko - 6’7 224lbs 19.2yo Wing, G League Ignite.

Cissoko was just ok in the G League Ignite. He combined a jacked frame with meh scoring, shockingly terrible rebounding, and surprisingly cerebral passing and playmaking. He’s a super weird prospect, so it feels fine gambling on him here.

32. Kobe Brown - 6’7.5 252lbs 23.5yo Power Forward, Missouri.

Brown is a smart, hefty older forward with great playmaking instincts. He didn’t seriously make 3s until this year, and he looks a little slow for perimeter defense on tape, but everything else is nice.

33. Adama Sanago - 6’8 258lbs 21.4yo Big, Connecticut.

Sanago is a burly 6’8 big who actually has a tall enough standing reach to play some center in the NBA. He was a dominant interior scorer in college with great touch, and he has promising 3pt shooting indicators with good feel for the game and a real mean streak. It’s possible he struggles defensively in the NBA, but he’s a smart, high-motor player with a chance to figure it out. It’s hard to rank him higher because he’s projected as a second round pick, so there’s no guarantee the NBA gatekeepers will give him a fair shot.

34. Colin Castleton - 6’11 235lbs 23.1yo Center, Florida.

Although Castleton is an older prospect, he excelled as a shot blocking, playmaking center in college. He should have enough rim protection to play some in the NBA, and he was a nice shot creator in college, which gives some sneaky upside. He hasn’t shot 3s yet, but his shooting indicators offer enough hope that he may be able to.

35. Marcus Sasser - 6’2 196lbs 22.5yo Guard, Houston.

Sasser is one of those prospects who crushes the stats test way harder than he crushes my eye test. He scored efficiently from all 3 levels and posted a great steal rate playing in a dominant Houston defense, but he looks a little small and underwhelming on tape, and he played worse against better competition. I’m skeptical that he’s a better prospect than another small guard, like Malachi Flynn, but the numbers all say he’s worth a shot.

36. Jalen Pickett - 6’4 198lbs 23.7yo Guard, Penn State.

Pickett is an old, ground-bound powerguard who dominated college basketball this year with beastly shotmaking from all 3 levels while playmaking out of the post at 6’4. He’s not athletic enough to shoulder the same usage, and he’ll need to settle into a smaller role in the NBA, but there’s enough talent here to be worth a shot.

37. Jaylen Clark - 6’5 204lbs 21.7yo Shooting Guard, UCLA.

Clark was a super productive defensive menace for UCLA, pairing an incredible steal rate with good passing and decent finishing. However, he has not shot well throughout his career, and if he can’t improve his shooting in the NBA, his utility as a 6 '5 defense-first guy will be limited.

38. Mouhamed Gueye - 6’11 212lbs 20.6yo Big, Washington State.

Gueye is a fun prospect. He was decently productive carrying a big usage at Washington State with solid stocks, and he eye tests as super mobile for a 6’11 guy. However, he doesn’t offer enough rim protection to be a center, and he doesn’t currently shoot well enough to be a 4. Most of the time he probably doesn’t work out, but the promise of a mobile and skilled 6’11 guy is worth a shot at some point.

39. Seth Lundy - 6’6 214lbs 23yo Wing, Penn State.

Lundy is a bulky 3-and-D wing who hasn’t quite been an elite shooter throughout his career, but he’s pretty close, and his strength and rebounding give him a shot of sticking in the league as a shooting specialist.

Other Second Rounders

40. Nikola Vuckekic - Partizan

41. Julian Phillips - Tennessee

42. Andre Jackson - Connecticut

43. Jalen Slawson - Furman

44. Amari Bailey - UCLA

45. Keyontae johnson - Kansas State

46. Rayan Rupert - New Zealand Breakers

47. Terquavion Smith - NC State

48. Maxwell Lewis - Pepperdine

49. Jordan Walsh - Arkansas

50. Liam Robbins - Vanderbilt

51. Oscar Tshiebwe - Kentucky

52. Ben Sheppard - Belmont

53. Ricky Council IV- Arkansas

54. Jordan Miller - Miami

55. Jalen Wilson - Kansas

56. GG jackson - South Carolina

57. Julian Strawther - Gonzaga

58. Isaiah Wong - Miami

59. Azoulis Tubelis - Arizona

60. Hunter Tyson - Clemson

I’m not going to bother with full write ups about the rest of the second round, as it’s just pointless guessing who’s going to get a favorable investment from the NBA. To offer some brief thoughts…

Defense-First Wings: Julian Phillips, Andre Jackson, Jalen Slawson, Keyontae Johnson, Rayan Rupert, Jordan Walsh. Phillips is a toolsy teenager who’s projectable at everything but shooting, Walsh is a worse version of the same player. Jackson is an older, more productive guy who’s even worse at shooting. Slawson has a real 3-and-D skillset, but he played at Furman and never proved it against NBA athletes. Johnson is a 6’5 25 year old but has a huge frame with ok skill and might stick. Rupert played in the NBL and was terrible, but he’s a teenager with a 7’2 wingspan so who knows.

Great College Players who Probably are Too Unathletic for the NBA: Jalen Wilson, Azuolas Tubelis, Oscar Tshiebwe. Oscar is worth mentioning as one of the best college rebounders ever, and he’s smart, tough, and a weirdly decent midrange shooter. But overall he’s bad on defense and although he has lightning-quick hands which he uses for steals, he has molasses-slow feet. Also, he’d require the unforgivable sin of making an NBA coach get creative about using him.

“Guards Wired to Score who have some Degree of NBA Athleticism and Skill”: Amari Bailey, Terquavion Smith, Jordan Miller, Isaiah Wong.

“Guard Wired to Score who havs some Degree of NBA Athleticism and Skill and a Really Cool Name”: Ricky Council IV.

“Random Wings the NBA Views as Shooters Who Weren’t Quite Elite Shooters And Didn’t Really Play Good Defense but are Randomly Being Invested in Because They Kind of Look Like NBA Players and They have Enough Talent to Maybe Stick”: Maxwell Lewis, Ben Sheppard, Julian Strawther, Hunter Tyson.

An international big who shoots and doesn’t do much else that can be stashed overseas: Nikola Vukcevic.

A terrible college basketball player who allegedly rage-quit a draft workout and retreated to the locker room to vape: GG Jackson.

Liam Robbins: Liam Robbins. Liam Robbins is a huge 7 footer with a slow lumbering frame but he blocked a ton of shots, shot 3s really well, and dominated the SEC while playing for Vanderbilt. He’s old and didn’t do much until this season, but in a just world he’d get a shot.