2023 NBA Draft Roundtable: Top Five Wings/Forwards

Our staff provides their rankings for the top five wing/forward prospects in the 2023 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 wings/forwards available throughout the draft, and the Hornets will definitely have some interest in at least a few of them.

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

James Plowright:

1) Brandon Miller - Alabama

Let's get this out of the way first, this ranking doesn't include any knock down for his off-court issues and is purely based on his basketball ability. Miller is perfect for the modern NBA. A 6'9" wing who can play both forward positions and MAYBE the two. He won't blow you away with athleticism, but he's long (7'1" wingspan) and has an ultra-high skill level. It's not only his DEEP three-point shooting, but he has an advanced mid-range scoring package. He also has good vision for a 6'9" forward in the pick-and-roll making him an extremely versatile player. 

2) Jarace Walker - Houston

His draft stock has cooled lately but I still buy into Jarace's excellent feel for the game combined with an ultra-strong and long frame. Walker played in a "role" this year at Houston which limited his numbers but put him in a winning situation. Walker's biggest issue is he's not excellent at scoring at the rim despite his size and his three-point shot despite having some touch, is still a work in progress. Overall, I buy into his work ethic, defensive mindset, and ability to improve in an NBA development system. 

3) Taylor Hendricks - UCF

Hendricks won't ever be a star due to his limited ball handling, creation, and passing instincts. However, he projects to be a potentially elite defender who can also effectively stretch the floor and attack the rim in transition. I buy into him having a high floor and being a starting caliber role player around some higher usage stars. 

4) Cam Whitmore - Villanova

Behind Hendricks, really? Believe it or not, this is the highest I've had Whitmore on my board all year. I don't love his below-average measurables, basketball IQ or effort level. However, I do understand at some point you just have to roll the dice on an ELITE athlete who also has upside as a self-creation shooter. 

5) Gradey Dick - Kansas

Dick's a better defender than most assume, he plays extremely hard and has good size at 6'8". He still will struggle to hold up with elite athletes at his position due to his foot speed and strength issues. Despite that, he projects to be an elite shooter off the catch and through dribble relocation shots. He's also a good enough cutter to take advantage of defenses trying to take away the three-point line, I buy into him as a good late-lottery talent.

Jon Yeager:

1) Brandon Miller - Alabama

Length and knockdown shooting is the best way to describe Brandon Miller's game. He rose to the consensus number three overall prospect pretty early on in the season behind Victor Wembanyama and Scoot Henderson, and some people even have him over Scoot. Miller is exactly what every team is looking for on the wing in today's NBA. He can shoot the ball, he knocked down 38.4% of his threes on over seven attempts per game. He has flashed excellent passing chops showing that he could grow into a solid playmaker. And he has the length and size to become a good defender at the professional level. The biggest knock on Miller was his finishing ability in the paint, but you saw some serious positive developments in that area as the season progressed providing hope he can continue to improve.

2) Jarace Walker – Houston

Very few prospects come into the league with the type of frame Walker will enter the league with, that much power and strength is just not common for a guy that young. This frame really shined through of defense as he was tenacious both on and off the ball. Jarace Walker was a standout during his freshman season at Houston on a really good team. He is extremely long, as proven by the incredible 6.6 block percentage he averaged this season. A guy with that much versatility defensively who has also shown some shooting touch and passing flashes should be coveted by NBA teams. Rim finishing is definitely an area of growth for him, but I believe he has such a high floor in this league it would be really hard to pass up on that.

3) Cam Whitmore – Villanova

Whitmore brings an NBA-ready body to the table and crazy athleticism to match. He struggled a bit with tunnel vision at Villanova averaging under one assist per game, so that area of his game certainly needs to improve. The shooting is another concern but he doesn’t have miles to go in that regard. He made 34% of his threes in college so we’re really only looking for minor improvement to keep defenses honest and open up the lane for his driving ability. He will be fearless attacking the paint and he has flashed some defensive play-making potential along with glimpses of strong point-of-attack defense. Whitmore just brings so much to the table right from the jump that I have to give him a slight edge over my number four wing/forward.

4) Taylor Hendricks – UCF

Teams are always looking for big wings that have defensive upside and shooting during the NBA playoffs. You often hear about defensive-minded wings getting played off the floor because their lack of shooting disrupts the spacing for their team, but that is not something you will have to worry about with Hendricks. He knocked down 39% of his triples on 4.6 attempts per game. He has also shown such promise defensively, with his biggest strength, in my opinion, being weak side rim protection. No matter what phase of the team-building process an organization is at, this is a guy every team would love to have.

5) Jett Howard – Michigan

In a similar vein to that of Hendricks, NBA teams are going to be really excited about Jett Howard’s shooting. A 6’8" wing who can shoot the ball can carve out a role on pretty much any team in the league. You will want to see him improve his rebounding and defense a bit at the next level, but he will bring at least one major skill with him immediately. He is an effective scorer and passer out of PNRs and DHOs to go along with his shot. Also factoring in the fact his dad, Juwan Howard, played so many years in the NBA, I trust Jett will be able to figure out how to play in this league for a long time.

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