2023 NBA Draft: Breaking Down the Tiers
With the NBA Draft finally taking place tomorrow, let’s take a look at which tier each of the top prospects fall in.
It’s important to remember that NBA Draft prospects are nowhere near finished products. Ultimately, their outcome will depend on the context in which they are developed.
Tier One:
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Victor Wembenyama
Height: 7'4", Age: 19.5 Years
Arguably the greatest prospect of all time, Wembenyama is on track to break the game of basketball...on both ends of the court.
Tier Two:
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Scoot Henderson
Height: 6'2", Age: 19.5 Years
A physical specimen in his own right, Henderson is set to be next in the lineage of superstar athletic point guards.
Tier 3:
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Brandon Miller
Height: 6'9", Age: 20.6 Years
A truly elite pull-up shooter and handler, Miller's upside stretches beyond his scoring to his underrated talents as a distributor and defender.
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Ausar Thomspon
Height: 6'7", Age: 20.4 Years
The rarest of rare athletes, Thompson's slashing, playmaking, defensive dominance, and burgeoning shooting make him the slightly better prospect than his twin.
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Amen Thomspon
Height: 6'7", Age: 20.4 Years
An even more rare athlete, Thompson's slashing and playmaking give him a sky-high ceiling in his own right.
Tier 4:
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Cam Whitmore
Height: 6'7", Age: 18.9 Years
A powerful attacker, Whitmore has paths to two-way stardom by way of the interior while simultaneously possessing intriguing, but flawed, perimeter skill.
Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports
Maxwell Lewis
Height: 6'7", Age: 20.9 Years
While maintaining the baseline abilities of a productive wing, Lewis possesses a punishing handle, freakish physical tools, endless creativity, and legitimate shot-making chops, the foundational skills of a star wing creator.
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Nick Smith Jr.
Height: 6'5", Age: 19.2 Years
An innovative ball handler, Smith Jr.’s astonishing touch gives him limitless upside as an outside scorer while his solid defensive ability lays a foundation as he continues to add functional athleticism.
Tier 5:
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G.G. Jackson
Height: 6'9", Age: 18.5 Years
The youngest player in this draft, Jackson’s undeniable talent gives him immense potential as a scorer while he quietly boasts valuable complementary skills to get him on the floor early.
Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
Jalen Hood-Schifino
Height: 6'6", Age: 19.9 Years
A savvy playmaker with smooth touch, Hood-Schifino currently possesses valuable complementary skills on both ends of the court as his upside looms should he extend his range.
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Taylor Hendricks
Height: 6'9", Age: 19.7 Years
A talented two-way complimentary talent, Hendricks brings versatile defense and play-finishing abilities even if his potential isn’t through the roof.
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Jarace Walker
Height: 6'8", Age: 19.8 Years
While lacking the foundational offensive talent to make him much of an upside swing, Walker should add enough on that end to make the most of his monstrous all-around defensive prowess.
Michael Ciaglo-USA TODAY Sports
Keyonte George
Height: 6'4", Age: 19.6 Years
A sturdy, sharpshooting, guard, George brings a mix of on and off-ball skills that will bring value in the league while giving him sneaky upside.
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Cason Wallace
Height: 6'4", Age: 19.6 Years
A menacing defensive guard, Wallace is a jack-of-all-trades offensively even if no particular skill indicates hidden potential on this end.
Tier 6:
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Dereck Lively II
Height: 7'1", Age: 19.5 Years
A fortifying interior defender, Lively II’s looming shooting potential gives him legitimacy as a possible multi-dimensional play-finisher should he solidify his touch around the rim.
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Kobe Bufkin
Height: 6'4", Age: 19.5 Years
A skillful two-way guard, Bufkin brings an intriguing mix of slashing and shot-making to the table without sacrificing much elsewhere.
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Jett Howard
Height: 6'8", Age: 19.8 Years
A potent shot-maker, Howard will quickly bring and outside punch to an NBA offense as the rest of his game develops.
BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN-USA TODAY NETWORK
Gradey Dick
Height: 6'7", Age: 19.5 Years
Arguably the best shooter in this draft class, Dick will also quickly add value as a team defender, rebounder, and connective passer even if his ceiling is capped by sub-optimal handling prowess.
Joseph Scheller/Columbus Dispatch-USA TODAY NETWORK
Brice Sensabaugh
Height: 6'6", Age: 19.6 Years
A mid-range maestro, Sensabaugh’s shot-making proficiency will find value in the league, and potentially take him even further, as he looks for additional ways to impact the game.
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Jordan Walsh
Height: 6'7", Age: 19.3 Years
A fearsome defender, any form of impact Walsh can string together from his scattered offensive skills will allow him to wreak havoc on opposing NBA offenses.
Next Best:
Leonard Miller
Andrew Jackson
Jordan Hawkins
Trayce Jackson-Davis
Dariq Whitehead
Brandon Podziemski
Ricky Council IV
Bilal Coulibaly
Sidy Cissoko
Julian Strawther
Ben Sheppard
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