How The 2023 Draft Prioritized Shooting

Shooting is back on the menu, as it was a skill NBA teams looked for in last week's draft.

The 2023 NBA Draft had a few surprises in the lottery, and one key skill presented itself as being ever so relevant: shooting.

Jett Howard, selected No. 11 overall by the Orlando Magic, came off the board than most anticipated, in large part due to his ability to shoot, especially in movement. Howard, who knocked down 36.8% of his nightly 7.3 long-range attempts, does come with intrigue outside of just his shooting.

When I interviewed him during prospect media day, he told he felt comfortable playing three positions, which seems like a fair bet. At 6-foot-8 and 215 pounds, Howard is light on his feet, but still has enough size to switch onto multiple archetype of players.

Even so, shooting the ball is obviously a major element of his game. 234 of his 412 total points this season came from behind the arc, and the Magic didn't select him not to shoot - quite the contrary.

At No. 13, the Toronto Raptors grabbed arguably the best shooter in the draft, Gradey Dick. Also listed at 6-foot-8, Dick knocked down 83 triples this season, shooting 40.3% in the process.

While he's got some off-the-bounce game, Dick is more likely to spend the first few years of his career as primarily a spot-up shooter, not dissimilar to how Howard will be used in Orlando.

It seems a bit of a reach by Toronto, and one that could be viewed as them drafting for need over talent. Given they're closing in on re-tooling the roster, the Dick selection will need to pan out on its own accord.

At the very least, Dick will come in ready to shoot, and he should make a seamless transition to the NBA's longer line, as the power transfer in his shot looks incredibly smooth, and should easily be able to get stretched out further.

One pick later, at No. 14, the New Orleans Pelicans went for Jordan Hawkins who represents the next step in Connecticut's proud shooting guard tradition, which includes Ray Allen, Richard Hamilton, and Ben Gordon.

Like them, Hawkins is mostly a one-position player, and one who currently has one elite skill. He connected on 38.8% of his nightly 7.6 attempts, canning 109 shots on the season from behind the long line. Hawkins has a fluid motion on his shot, which like the former two should also translate immediately to the NBA.

More than likely, Hawkins will function as a spacing release valve next to Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram, offering them space to operate, and being ready to launch when either gets double-teamed.

The common theme for all three is, obviously, shooting. But more than that, it seemed like three teams were all ready to accept that there is considerable way to go in expanding their games. Usually, this high in the draft, expectations are...more optimistic.

That isn't to say those three players won't round out their games. They all landed in situations where they will have time to work behind the scenes, and be ready later on to accept more responsibilities.

What's interesting is how teams were ready to sacrifice other skills to prioritize shooting, even as high in the lottery. Fair enough, all three of these players are above 6-foot-5 and the combined elements of shooting and size isn't exactly easily found.

But even so, it does make you wonder if by 2024, we should allow shooters to climb a little higher in our mock drafts.

Unless noted otherwise, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball-Reference. All salary information via Spotrac. All odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.

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