2023 NBA Draft Roundtable: Top Five Centers

Our staff gives their rankings for the top five centers in the upcoming NBA Draft.

Each week, our staff will be diving into an interesting topic surrounding this crucial draft for the Charlotte Hornets.

With five picks in the top 45, the Hornets really have a chance to inject some young talent into their roster and get right back into playoff contention. There are many talented centers available throughout the draft, and the Hornets could have some interest in at least a few of them.

Our staff gave their thoughts on the top five center prospects in this year's draft.

Jon Yeager:

1) Victor Wembanyama - France

What more is there to say about Wembanyama? The most hyped prospect since Zion Williamson is certainly deserving of all of the praise he is receiving. It's not often you find a player his size who can handle and shoot the ball with as much efficiency as he does. He can do everything on the court offensively, and he has an opportunity to become one of the best-shot blockers in the league with his timing and length. Passing on Victor with the number one pick would be possibly the most shocking draft result ever, so of course he takes the top spot in these rankings.

2) Dereck Lively II - Duke

Dereck Lively had a really interesting season at Duke in 2022-2023. The 7-foot-1 center has all the tools to excel on the defensive end of the floor, and he really showed that during the second half of his only collegiate season, highlighted by an eight-block performance against arch-rival, North Carolina. He finished the season with a 12.7 block percentage showing just how impactful he can be as a rim protector. He makes timely rotations from the weakside and displays good foot speed to contest and challenge shots at the rim. He also did a decent job of staying with perimeter players when switched out and his length can swallow up pull-up attempts in these situations. This potential switchability should really excite NBA teams. He needs to add more tools to his offense bag, but he has flashed a corner three-point shot in workouts this off-season. Yes, they are just workouts, but it's great to see him working on developing that skill which could really set him apart in this draft class. If he can add a solid three-point shot from the top of the key to use in pick-and-pop actions and trailing situations, Lively can really hit his ceiling.

3) James Nnaji - Barcelona

Nnaji is one of the more raw prospects in this class, but there is so much to be fascinated with about his game. First of all, he has an NBA-ready body. He won't be one of those bigs who need to really bulk up in order to handle the league. He has a 7'5" wingspan, providing hope he'll grow into a strong rim protector and rim runner with a large lob radius. He gets off the floor quickly and has good instincts when it comes to shot-blocking. He plays with a really high motor and that shows up in the amount of second chances he creates for his team. The biggest thing with Nnaji is going to be just getting reps, as simple as it sounds. He played on a really talented European team and didn't see a ton of consistent minutes. Obtaining those minutes on a regular basis and allowing him to grow his strengths and improve his weaknesses could allow him to become one of the best bigs in this year's class.

4) Noah Clowney - Alabama

Clowney presents one of the more interesting cases in this year's draft, he has the tools and potential to have all NBA teams excited. Defensively, he has flashed a tremendous ability to protect the rim in transition and switch out onto quicker players. He showcased the possibility of becoming a solid spot-up shooter at Alabama. He only shot 28% from three in college, but he took over three attempts per game showing that the confidence is there and it's something he is actively working on developing. He had an extremely impressive .439 free throw rate and while you would like to see his percentage increase from the line, just getting there at the rate he has is good to show at this point in his development. Consistency and strength are going to be key for Clowney.

5) Trayce Jackson-Davis - Indiana

The oldest prospect I have included in these rankings is Jackson-Davis from Indiana. Don't make the mistake of thinking that because he is 23 years old, he is done developing as a player and adding more layers to his game. A prime example of this is what happened to his play-making this past season in Bloomington. During his first three seasons in the Big Ten, Jackson-Davis did not average higher than 1.9 assists per game. Last season, he doubled that to average four assists per game and subsequently, his assist percentage jumped to almost 25%. He was making high-level reads too, these weren't all just simple, basic passes. He has great athleticism to finish up and over contact at the rim and should be a valuable roll threat out of PNR actions. He is a solid rim protector and has good lateral quickness to defend out on the perimeter on switches. The key with him is going to be finding a way to deal with his lack of true size at the center spot. He is on the smaller side for the five spot, and it's a concern as to how he will handle the bigger centers the game has to offer. He attempted just three shots from beyond the line in his four total seasons in college so unless he quickly develops a threatening shot, he will need to play in the paint surrounded by shooters. Even still, he plays with the high motor and intelligence that will allow him to provide value to whichever team ends up selecting him.

Ian Black:

1) Victor Wembanyama

There’s never been a prospect with his profile or ceiling. All signs point to him being a game changer out of the gate with his unheard-of combination of size and skill.

2) Dereck Lively II - Duke 

Lively was a highly touted recruit out of high school but hasn’t met expectations since then. In spite of that, he’s a versatile defender and has soft hands for strong finishing capabilities on the offensive end. Despite his great size, there are some concerns about his physicality at the next level. 

3) Noah Clowney - Alabama 

Hard-nosed player who brings energy to everything he does on the court. Projects to be a super versatile defender, and there is reason for optimism with his jump shot on the offensive end. He’ll need to get stronger before he’s ready to see minutes in the NBA, but he’ll be a fresh 19 during his rookie season so there’s plenty of time for that.

 4) Trayce Jackson-Davis - Indiana 

The 6’8” big uses his athleticism to play above the rim and in the post to great effect. He’s got great vision for his size and could be a valuable asset in pick-and-roll plays. Size is going to be his biggest hindrance. He doesn’t have the floor stretching ability to play next to another interior-dominate big and will have trouble with the league’s bigger centers. 

5) Tristan Vukcevic - Serbia

A fluid stretch big with an ability to score at all 3 levels with ease. If he can improve his currently limited dribbling skills, he could open up tons of possibilities. Despite a natural feel on offense, the same can’t be said for defensive prowess. He will be attacked by offenses until his mental processing on that end catches up.

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