NBA Draft 2023: 5 most overrated first round prospects

Most overrated NBA Draft prospects: 3. Dereck Lively II

Lively heads into the draft with one unquestioned NBA skill. He is going to be an elite rim protector right away. He blocked a lot of shots at Duke and he’ll be a serious shot-deterrent in the paint for his NBA team as well.

The question is what else Lively can do during the length of his rookie contract. He’s a solid finisher via the pick-and-roll game but it’s unclear if he can do anything else on the offensive end of the floor. That makes Lively well-suited to be a second-string center for a team with a clever point guard but that’s a narrow place for him to land at the next level.

Much like the aforementioned Jackson, Lively’s spot on this list depends heavily on where he’s drafted. Anywhere in the 20s is an acceptable landing spot for the former Blue Devil. Reaching and grabbing him in the lottery would be a swing-and-miss for a player whose best-case scenario just isn’t all that impressive.

Lively is a great bet to be a quality NBA rotation player, but he plays the least valuable position in the league. First-round picks shouldn’t be spent on centers who can’t be difference-makers on both ends. Lively’s rudimentary offensive game makes him too much of a project on the offensive end of the floor.