2023 NBA Mock Draft 10.0: Final predictions for all 58 picks

2023 NBA Mock Draft: NBA Draft First Round, Nos. 15-30

The Hawks get their Kevin Huerter replacement in Gradey Dick. This is probably about as far as Dick would tumble on draft night. He’s arguably the best shooter on the board and he possesses excellent team awareness on the defensive end. His skinny frame and limited burst make him prone to mismatches, but he’s 6-foot-8 and won’t get picked on. His passing chops are legitimate and he loves to run out in transition, an attribute Trae Young would frequently reward him for.

The Jazz use their second top-16 pick on a more surefire contributor in Jordan Hawkins, who is right alongside Dick in the conversation for “Best Shooter Available.” His movement shooting ability is very real and it’s not hard to translate that into any offense, much less Utah’s movement-heavy, sugar-sharing system. There are questions about the rest of Hawkins’ skill set, but he will light up the nets and compete hard defensively with some positional size at 6-foot-5.

The Lakers grab NBA-ready offense in the form of Jett Howard, the son of LeBron’s former teammate Juwan Howard. The younger Howard is an elite shooter with positional size at 6-foot-8. He has a long way to go defensively, but Howard’s electric shot-making ability and burgeoning ancillary skill set make him a safe bet post-lottery.

Nick Smith Jr. struggled to win over skeptics in his lone season at Arkansas. Injuries limited his availability and he was never quite 100 percent. There are red flags tied to any skinny score-first guard, but Smith’s touch inside the arc is truly special and he already has a great feel for cutting and moving without the rock. On the ball, his shifty, stop-start handles make him a handful to contain. He’s also a wildly underrated defender. The Heat seem to get the most out of everybody, so it’s tough to imagine a better landing spot for FanSided’s No. 8 prospect.

The Warriors prioritize experience and fit with Kris Murray, who supplies size, shooting, and strong fundamentals on the wing. He won’t pop in the same way his brother Keegan did for Sacramento last season, but Murray’s a strong decision-maker who should be ready to roll day one.

Brandin Podziemski can satiate Houston’s desire to start prioritizing the present over the future. He’s only a sophomore and has upside in his own way, but Podziemski isn’t the most explosive athlete or the most prolific advantage-creator. What he does do is spray 3s, read the floor like a good book, and always put himself in the right position defensively. He’s the perfect connective tissue guard for a backcourt featuring dynamic creators like Amen Thompson, Jalen Green, and Kevin Porter Jr.

Keyonte George is slipping down draft boards in the final week and it’s not hard to understand why: 6-foot-4 combo guards who shoot 37.6 percent from the field do not fit the mold teams are looking for in the modern NBA. That said, George is laser-sharp from 3-point range and he is comfortable creating for teammates out of pick-and-rolls. His pull-up shooting is bankable and he has the capacity to draw a lot of fouls on drives to the cup. His limited burst is a hang-up, but the Nets need another playmaking boost in the backcourt. George is the best guard available.

Olivier-Maxence Prosper has been the champion of the pre-draft process. His performance at the combine vaulted him into the first-round conversation and he has continued to thrive on the workout circuit from the looks of it. Explosive 6-foot-8 wings who can defend across the positional spectrum and shoot 3s tend to have fans in the NBA. O-Max could rise even further than this on Thursday night.

The Blazers have an identity crisis. The youth movement with Anfernee Simons, Shaedon Sharpe, and now Amen Thompson is strong, but Damian Lillard wants to win. If Portland keeps the No. 3 pick, that increases the odds of either Lillard getting traded or, as a less drastic measure, this pick getting traded. If the pick is kept, however, there’s definite appeal in the idea of Leonard Miller. Miller is a bit raw, but few 6-foot-10 players can move with such shiftiness on the offensive end. He flashes playmaking upside tied to his roots as a point guard and he should be able to defend 2-5 as his frame fills out and his fundamentals improve.

The Kings swing for upside with Noah Clowney, one of the youngest players on the board. He will need time to develop, but long term there’s intrigue in the idea of Clowney as a weak-side rim protector and switchable big who can share the frontcourt with Domantas Sabonis.

Jaime Jaquez Jr. has been generating a lot of buzz with his competitive fire and basketball I.Q. in pre-draft workouts. He’s the kind of crafty, four-year college vet a team like Boston could prioritize as a potential day-one contributor. There are concerns tied to Jaquez’s ability to shoot and defend against NBA athletes, but he will carve up defenses in the mid-range and consistently make the right play to facilitate for teammates.

Ben Sheppard helped his standing with a strong combine performance. Wings with positional size, shooting ability, and ancillary skill tend to garner attention from NBA front offices. Sheppard can splash movement 3s and he’s equally comfortable attacking closeouts and locating the open shooter off drives to the rim. He feels like the kind of plug-and-play, 3-and-D wing Indiana should be prioritizing.

Andre Jackson Jr. has a lot of winning habits. He won’t score much and defenses will ignore him on the 3-point line, but Jackson finds ways to impact the game with his athleticism in transition or as a screener and passer in the halfcourt. Plus, he’s a tremendous wing defender.

Dariq Whitehead looked like a shell of himself at Duke and then proceeded to have his second foot surgery of the year after the season, which has prevented him from working out for NBA teams. That will probably impact where he ends up, but the high school tape, youth, and 3-point shooting make him an absolute must-have player in this range. He is the No. 9 prospect on the FanSided board; Utah could be getting the steal of the draft here. A Danny Ainge special.

Brice Sensabaugh has also been unable to workout due to a lingering injury, which is unfortunate when one considers the sheer dominance of his freshman campaign at Ohio State. There weren’t many better shot-makers in college basketball last season. Sensabaugh will have to prove his chops on the defensive end, but he’s an elite shooter who could be well-positioned to attack rotating defenses off of passes from Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray.

Colby Jones is the quintessential Clipper: a rangy defensive wing who has a lot of tools in the toolbox offensively. Jones doesn’t necessarily have one elite standout skill, but he can shoot, cut, pass and finish. He’s an underrated athlete with some real shiftiness attacking downhill.