2023 NBA Draft: Prospect Superlatives

The NBA draft is now less than ten days away. Now that we know the official entrants for the 2023 NBA draft, let’s dive into the top prospect in each superlative.

The NBA withdrawal deadline has just passed and we now know every prospect that’ll remain in the 2023 NBA draft. Let’s dive into ten different superlatives and what prospect is the best at each superlative.

Best Shooter

Jordan Hawkins is the best shooter in the draft. His movement shooting is by far at the top of this draft. The 6-foot-5 guard is constantly running off of a variety of different screens and it seems like he never loses energy doing so. Everytime he shoots it, you think it’s going in. Coming off a NCAA championship while being the top scoring option on Connecticut says a lot about the value he brings to the court.

Best Scorer

Victor Wembanyama is a generational prospect for a reason. The 7-foot-4 unicorn big man is good for a ton of easy baskets off of lobs, put-backs, and paint finishes. Factoring in his ability to get easy baskets and how high level of a shot-maker he is at that size with real shooting touch and ability is hard to even fathom. It’s expected he averaged 20-plus points per game as a rookie in the NBA.

Best Perimeter Defender

Cason Wallace gets the edge as the best perimeter defender in the draft due to his great lateral quickness, anticipation, and high IQ. At 6-foot-4 the combo guard has a great motor defensively and is extremely disruptive. The Kentucky guard has the ability to take teams out of their offense with his tenacious defense.

Best Rim Protector

Victor Wembanyama is here yet again as the top rim protector in the draft. He has an 8-foot wingspan which is the longest in the entire draft by a good margin. The unicorn big has unreal size combined with great awareness and defensive instincts. I can’t even think of a team where someone has been in the conversation as the best rim protector and scorer in a draft which speaks volume to how generational Wembanyama is.

Best Playmaker

Scoot Henderson gets the edge as the best playmaker in the draft due to his high feel for the game, ability to pass on the move, vision, and rim pressure. When looking at his first game ever in the G League to today, it’s wild to see how much he has truly improved as a playmaker in one year. Despite not being an elite 3-point shooter, Henderson excels as a playmaker out of the pick and roll. In most draft’s, Henderson would be the number one overall pick.

Best Slasher

Amen Thompson gets the edge here due to his otherworldly athleticism, special burst, explosiveness, touch around the rim, and elite body control. Thompson has major shooting questions but yet he’s still managing to be a walking paint touch at all times. Thompson hasn’t even reached his ceiling as a slasher or finisher yet and it’s scary to think about how special he could be during his prime.

Best Athlete

Amen Thompson is here yet again as the best athlete in the entire draft to no surprise. Thompson has the highest vertical and is the quickest player in the draft at 6-foot-7. It’s also his body control, body contortion, frame, and explosiveness that also separates him from other prospects.

Best 3-and-D

Gradey Dick is the best 3-and-D prospect in the draft although there’s a debate that many other prospects are in this conversation as well. Dick is a lights out shooter at 6-foot-8 as he excels as a shooter off the catch, dribble, and movement. His defense is quite underrated in my opinion as he’s a great team defender and holds his own better than what some give him credit for.

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