With the 1st Pick of the 2023 NBA Draft, the San Antonio Spurs select – Victor Wembanyama. Those words will change the fortunes of the San Antonio Spurs for years to come, with the once in a generation talent as expected taken 1st Overall in today’s NBA Draft.
Wemby will bring the crowds and excitement back to Spurs basketball, as well as many more National TV Games once the schedule is released. He will be coached by the great Gregg Popovich, and if there’s anyone you want taking you through your apprenticeship in the NBA, it’s Pop.
Charlotte selected Brandon Miller with the 2nd pick of the Draft, while the Portland Trailblazers selected G-League stand out Scoot Henderson with the 3rd pick. The 2nd and 3rd pick were debated for weeks, but the feel is that both teams got this right, with Brandon Miller the perfect fit next to LaMelo Ball in Charlotte, and Portland potentially going in a new direction with Scoot. This move may make the Blazers do Damian Lillard a solid and move him into a championship calibre team, leaving Scoot to lead Portland into a big rebuild.
There are always plenty of winners and losers in the NBA Draft, so let’s run through the best and worst of them. For what it’s worth, the Spurs are an obvious winner drafting Wemby.
Winners:
Houston Rockets: Amen to that! The Houston Rockets nailed their draft, selecting Amen Thompson with the 4th selection. By far the steal of the draft, Cam Whitmore, was selected as the 20th pick. Whilst Amen doesn’t have his brother’s stroke just yet, he’s an elite athlete who may turn into Houston’s playmaker on the ball, with Jalen Green playing off it.
Whitmore sliding to the 20th pick was insane and made it near impossible not to select him. Cam could have been selected in the top 5 of the draft, such is his explosiveness off the dribble he brings to the table. This could be one of those moments where we look back at the end of this upcoming season and ask “How on earth did he slide to 20??”
Charlotte: If Charlotte can keep LaMelo Ball on the court, pairing him with Brandon Miller instantly makes this team better. Miller’s length will be a problem in the league. He is a player who has the ability to beat you on the perimeter, as well as his length causing many issues on the other end of the floor. They paired up this pick with Nick Smith Jr out of Arkansas late in the first round. Smith Jr is a pure scorer in a league where you need all that and more. Adding another guard in Amari Bailey in the 2nd round gives the Hornets a lot of depth at the guard position moving forward next season.
Portland: As mentioned earlier, it’s time to give Damian Lillard a chance to win a championship and hand the keys to Scoot Henderson. The Henderson pick is a clear home run for the Blazers, who also added Kris Murray towards the end of the first round. Kris’ brother Keegan made a name for himself this season with Sacramento, so Portland will hope they get the same kind of sniper from long range in Kris. Portland somehow managed to land Rayan Rupert with the 43rd pick of the draft, with the Breakers Next Star sliding out of the 1st round. Rupert showed flashes of brilliance late in the NBL season, and with more space to work with on the floor in the NBA, he could be a very nice pick up for a rebuilding Blazers team.
Dallas: Dallas might have their big man of the future, with Dereck Lively II landing at pick 12 of the Draft (traded from OKC). Lively gives Dallas a younger version of JaVale McGee with a better jump shot, and gives Dallas a rim protecting big if/when Luka/Kyrie get beat off the dribble. Adding to this, Dallas picked up Olivier-Maxence Prosper in a trade with the Kings, giving them potentially a younger version of Dorian Finney Smith, someone who the Mavs missed dearly once trading him away to Brooklyn.
Losers:
Detroit: The Pistons had a weird draft, somewhat reaching at 5 with Amen’s brother Ausar Thompson the pick here. Selecting another guard/small forward at this spot when the Pistons clearly had other needs is a strange one. Thompson will play alongside Cunningham and Ivey in the back court in Detroit, and may be called upon early to hit from long range. The Pistons missed on Jarace Walker, who seemingly was the better fit. Detroit managed to go guard again, going with Walker’s team mate Marcus Sasser late in the 1st round. Another reach for someone who probably would’ve been available in the 2nd round.
Orlando: Whilst Anthony Black may work out in Orlando, the Magic have a log jam at the small guard position. Fultz, Cole Anthony and Black will be in a 3 way battle for minutes this season. They followed this up with Jett Howard (who they could have drafted later in the 1st round). Howard is a great shot maker, but with many better shooters still the board (Dick and Hawkins to name a couple), they had a bit of a shocker here. They finally nailed their 2nd round pick with Andre Jackson Jr, only to move him to Milwaukee!
LA Lakers: The Lakers are in a win now position, so it’s surprising they kept their picks at all. They went with Hood-Schifino with the 17th pick, someone who’s a bit more of a project than play right away. With Cam Whitmore still on the board here, he should have been the pick (given they decided to keep it) and plug in a guy who can play right now. They also took Mojave King with the 47th pick. King played in the NBL as a next star during the same year as Josh Giddey. He was a bit of a surprise selection here and someone who probably could’ve been taken later in the draft. In the end, it’s good to see more NBL talent in the league though!
Time will tell how all these selections play out, and hopefully we see a great showing at the NBA Summer League.
Bauky