2023 NBA Mock Draft 3.0: Blazers and Bulls find new life

We’re edging closer and closer to draft season. How is the 2023 NBA Draft picture shaping up? 

We’re in the meat of the college basketball season and the 2023 NBA Draft picture is starting to take form. There are still plenty of unknowable variables and inevitable surprises at play, but we’re leaving small sample sizes behind and starting to understand who each prospect is as a player.

The same can be said for the NBA teams. The early-season flashes in the pan have come and gone. The contenders have, with the exception of some Western Conference head-scratchers, separated themselves from the pack. We know which teams are trending in the right direction and which teams desperately need a reset (and potentially some draft-night magic).

Who gets picked in the first round of our 2023 NBA Mock Draft?

We have once again determined the lottery order via Tankathon simulation, to capture the spirit of everyone’s favorite ping-pong ball shuffler. You can read our last mock draft right here, which happened to feature the Washington Wizards lucking into a particular French big man with the No. 1 pick.

As always, it’s impossible to account for the months of film and narrative advancement yet to come. As we move closer to June, we will get a better sense of what teams are thinking and which prospects are rising and falling in the eyes of NBA talent evaluators. For now, however, this is mostly an amalgamation of team fit and my personal evaluation of each prospect.

You can read our top-60 prospect rankings, irrespective of team fit, right here!

Brice Sensabaugh has been one of the most productive freshmen in college basketball. His unique scoring package and penchant for difficult shot-making will no doubt appeal to NBA teams. That said, defensive concerns keep him toward the back of the first round for now.

A bigger guard with an excellent sense of tempo, Jalen Hood-Schifino would give the Grizzlies another source of points and assists in the backcourt. He relies on difficult shots a little too often at times, but his slippery handles and feather-soft touch warrant optimism.

The Hornets took a massive step back this season, but there’s still an onus to compete sooner than later due to LaMelo Ball’s obvious stardom. Reece Beekman is one of the best perimeter defenders in college basketball and would fit nicely next to LaMelo in the Charlotte backcourt, which could be in need of reinforcements soon with Terry Rozier cycling through the trade rumor mill.

A talented 6-foot-8 playmaker who has cut his teeth against professional competition in the Adriatic League, it won’t be hard for the right NBA team to convince themselves of gambling on Durisic in the first round — especially the Jazz, who own several first-round picks and could be in the market for a potential draft-and-stash.

Noah Clowney has seen his stock skyrocket lately. A versatile 6-foot-10 athlete with excellent timing and competitiveness on defense, he would fill a need for the one-way Rockets. He needs to get more consistent from 3-point range, but Clowney’s shot looks good.

The Nets get important 3-and-D help in the frontcourt. Taylor Hendricks is the quintessential modern 4, possessing the quickness to guard on the perimeter when needed and excellent instincts as a weak-side rim protector. He can comfortably feast on spot-up 3s working off of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and Ben Simmons.

The Pacers have several first-round picks and would be wise to swing at upside. Dillon Mitchell is a top one-percent athlete in this draft, and while he hasn’t quite found his stride at the collegiate level, such an explosive wing carries plenty of long-term upside.

Jordan Hawkins is one of the most prolific 3-point shooters in college basketball. Naturally, that should attract the Lakers, who have done an unforgivably poor job of stationing shooters around LeBron James the last couple seasons.

A potential Swiss Army Knife who brings excellent size and athleticism to the wing, Leonard Miller would make a great deal of sense for a New York team in need of connective tissue offensively and defensively.

The Kings get Colby Jones, who projects as an absolute winner at the next level. He competes on both sides of the ball and possesses the kind of unselfish demeanor contenders covet. And, well, the Kings look very much like contenders lately.

A French wing by way of Australia, Rayan Rupert has tantalized NBA talent evaluators with his length and dynamism on the defensive end. A mobile wing with a 7-foot-3 wingspan, Rupert can bottle up ball handlers at the point of attack and wreak havoc in passing lanes. He would be well-suited to Miami’s unique team identity and player development program.

The Knicks get size and skill at the 4-spot with Kris Murray, twin brother of last season’s No. 4 pick Keegan Murray. In the midst of a breakout season remarkably similar to his brother’s breakout last season, Murray’s ability to splash 3s and attack the rim with long strides and feather-soft touch will no doubt appeal to NBA teams.

It still feels unlikely that Myles Turner will spend his future with the Pacers, even with the team’s sooner-than-expected pivot toward contention. Indy has several promising frontcourt players behind Turner, but it wouldn’t be hard for DaRon Holmes to make his presence felt as a rim protector and lob threat.

GG Jackson, the youngest player on the board, continues to produce impressive numbers at South Carolina. A powerful 6-foot-9 athlete with diverse shot-making potential, a number of teams should be taken with Jackson’s sky-high potential.

A hyper-skilled big who can space the floor, handle the rock, and make advanced passing reads, Kyle Filipowski is practically tailor-made for the Warriors’ complex offense. He needs to prove he can handle the defensive burdens of NBA basketball, but there’s a path to immediate NBA minutes for Filipowski as a floor-spacer and play-connector offensively.

If we were to graph Maxwell Lewis’ current trajectory in classic linear fashion, it would probably resemble the letter ‘I’. Teams are going to fall head over heels for his blend of size, skill, and shot-making on the wing. The Clippers have always valued multi-faceted wing players in Lewis’ vein.