Potential Risers, Sliders Ahead of 2023 NBA Draft

Some potential risers and sliders in the 2023 draft with intel flying around.

We’re just over 24 hours from the 2023 NBA Draft, which players, organizations and even some fans have been awaiting for months.

There’s tons of intel flying around in the hours leading up to the draft, some of which is believable and even more that isn’t.

With lots of misinformation flying around, here’s some potential risers and sliders ahead of Thursday’s draft:

Offense-Heavy Combo Guards: Sliders

With the NBA becoming an increasingly more versatile league, one-dimensional players have begun to earn less and less time. And while players like Baylor’s Keyonte George and Arkansas’ Nick Smith Jr. are impactful in more than one area, they could slide some in the draft.

Both struggled with injuries in their lone collegiate seasons, with George suffering a late ankle injury that derailed his otherwise solid efficiency, and Smith suffering multiple knee injuries that obviously hampered his overall play.

The hyper-scoring pair are still likely to be solid selections wherever they land, but are more prone to a slide than players with more length and versatility.

Dereck Lively, Duke: Riser

Another highly-touted player to deal with collegiate injuries was Duke’s Dereck Lively, who may be seeing the adverse affect on his stock due to his 7-foot-1 frame and immediate plug-and-play ability as a rim-runner and protector.

Lively has been graded as a mid-to-late first for some time now, but has slowly and steadily heard his name in lottery conversation more and more — as high as No. 10 to the Dallas Mavericks.

Be on the lookout for Lively to hear his name called earlier than expected on draft night.

Jaime Jaquez Jr., UCLA: Riser

UCLA’s longtime leader, Jaquez has been gaining steam as a first rounder for awhile now, and could hear his name called even earlier than expected.

For any contending teams looking to add an immediate infusion of shot-making and high IQ play, Jaquez would likely be the first name off the board in that regard. And there could be teams looking for that even as early as the late-teens in Miami, Golden State or Sacramento at No. 24.

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