The Whiteboard: What your favorite NBA Draft prospect says about you

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This NBA Draft class is widely seen as weaker than recent years, both in terms of depth and top-level talent. The lack of a clear-cut hierarchy at the top just creates a trickle-down effect with increasing uncertainty the deeper you go in the first round. And a disrupted college basketball season and scouting cycle makes it even harder to get a handle on exactly what each top prospect is bringing to the table.

However, favorites are still emerging and media members and fans are increasingly gravitating towards specific players. But the players they’re grouping around may be saying as much about those fans and media members as it is about the players. If you’ve settled on a favorite prospect, here’s what it might be saying about you:

If you think James Wiseman is the best NBA Draft prospect you…

… believe strongly that your season as a “key bench contributor” for the Rocky River High School junior varsity squad makes you a #RealHooper. Anyone who is not a #RealHooper can not be trusted. You wouldn’t call yourself a conspiracy theorist, per se, but it does seem weird that foreign-born players like Luka Doncic and Giannis Antetokounmpo seem to be getting more hype than their American counterparts. Your favorite flavor of White Claw seltzer is plain.

If you think Obi Toppin is the best NBA Draft prospect you…

… probably went to Dayton. You weren’t really in love with the school but your mom went there so you were guaranteed a slot by legacy admissions and, honestly, what’s the difference between an accounting degree from Dayton and an accounting degree from the University of Toledo, really? Your favorite player growing up was Blake Griffin but you haven’t watched a full NBA game since college.

If you think Killian Hayes is the best NBA Draft prospect you…

… have A LOT of thoughts about the artistic vision of Denis Villeneuve and you were very excited about Matt Berninger’s solo album. Your basketball conversations are peppered with phrases like “functional strength” and “outlier vision.” You’re sure Hayes is the best prospect in this draft class but you’re also glad that most of the mindless drones on Twitter haven’t seemed to figure it out yet. And, at least for now, you’re keeping all your Cade Cunningham excitement to yourself.

If you think Anthony Edwards is the best NBA Draft prospect you…

… may have used the phrase “mamba mentality” unironically during a bartending shift at Applebees. You once ate a 64 oz. steak in under 60 minutes (with three sides) to win a free t-shirt. You think the mid-range game is a dying art and every time someone says analytics you pronounce it anal – ytics in your head and start giggling.

If you think LaMelo Ball is the best NBA Draft prospect you…

… also think Drake is the greatest rapper of all-time and Zendaya is the greatest actress of her generation. You’re psyched about this new MTV show called Punk’d with Chance the Rapper and you can’t believe he came up with such a unique and creative premise, that guy truly is a creative powerhouse. When you walk into Chipotle with your headphones on, you just nod at your boy Jackson and he starts making your usual. Your favorite historical NBA player is Tracy McGrady.

#OtherContent

He’s a few years away from being eligible for the NBA Draft, but Victor Wembanyama is like no prospect you’ve ever seen before.

Sam Vecenie’s Mock Draft at The Athletic can give you a good sense of both player’s upside and potential AND how those variables are actually viewed by teams.