2023 NBA Draft: Notable Rumors And Stock Watch
The 2023 NBA Draft is now less than two weeks away and we are getting to the point where noise ramps up regarding different prospects.
Here's the word on this year's prospects:
The Hornets and the No. 2 Pick
As of right now, the Charlotte Hornets have no decision made on who they’re selecting, but it’s rumored that they're leaning slightly towards Brandon Miller, as they see him as a potential star caliber player who would fit extremely well next to LaMelo Ball.
Miller will workout for the Hornets tomorrow and all eyes will be on him. How he performs on the court there likely won’t matter too much, but the interview is going to be the selling point for Charlotte.
Scoot Henderson is obviously in the conversation here and would be the ideal pick if they want to get the best player available but it’s unknown how Ball feels about drafting another lead guard who needs the ball in his hands. The fit between Henderson and Ball would be much better than some people are making it out to seem. If I were to take a guess, I’d say the Hornets are 60-40 leaning towards drafting the Alabama star prospect.
Portland and the No. 3 Pick
It has become clear that the Portland Trail Blazers and Damian Lillard want this pick to be traded, but the question is whether or not they can get back the right guy in return to make the trade worth it. Lillard is only getting older but has made it clear he wants to bring a championship to the city of Portland.
You should expect Portland to try and land another star caliber player next to Lillard but if they’re unable to trade the pick, it’s expected they’ll draft whoever is left between Miller and Henderson.
The Rockets and the No. 4 Pick
It’s reported that James Harden is extremely split on his big decision to make this off-season.
On one hand, he really loves the idea of returning to the Houston Rockets with the young core they have to try and deliver a championship to the organization where he spent most of his career. On the other hand, he’s looking at returning to the Philadelphia 76ers who already have the second best center in the NBA in Joel Embiid and a young star in Tyrese Maxey.
It’s expected that the Rockets draft the best prospect available regardless of what Harden is rumored to do. Amen Thompson’s name has been the most common name connected to Houston. It’s reported that he’s in heavy consideration to be drafted here.
Stock Watch
Bilal Coulibaly has been one of the hottest names in the draft cycle these last couple of weeks. The athletic forward has been getting key minutes for the Metropolitans 92 during their playoffs run and has been very productive in those moments.
Coulibaly is one of the youngest prospects in the entire draft and it’s rumored that he received a promise in the lottery. Two teams that most are anticipating that promised him are the Toronto Raptors and Oklahoma City Thunder. It’s reported that the lowest he’ll end up falling is No. 16.
Dereck Lively II has skyrocketed up draft boards after his great showing during his pro day. Lively, in high school and AAU, had a reputation as a 7-foot-1 center that could space the floor out beyond the arc, but in college he rarely attempted a 3-pointer and the results just weren’t there.
After shooting it extremely well and nearly making 20 straight three’s in front of NBA personnel, his name has been gaining a ton of traction yet again as a high level rim protector that can stretch the floor. With the lack of center depth and his great pre-draft showing, it’s expected he doesn’t make it out of the lottery.
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