We’re in the meat of the college basketball season and the 2023 NBA Draft picture is starting to take form. There are still plenty of unknowable variables and inevitable surprises at play, but we’re leaving small sample sizes behind and starting to understand who each prospect is as a player.
The same can be said for the NBA teams. The early-season flashes in the pan have come and gone. The contenders have, with the exception of some Western Conference head-scratchers, separated themselves from the pack. We know which teams are trending in the right direction and which teams desperately need a reset (and potentially some draft-night magic).
Who gets picked in the first round of our 2023 NBA Mock Draft?
We have once again determined the lottery order via Tankathon simulation, to capture the spirit of everyone’s favorite ping-pong ball shuffler. You can read our last mock draft right here, which happened to feature the Washington Wizards lucking into a particular French big man with the No. 1 pick.
As always, it’s impossible to account for the months of film and narrative advancement yet to come. As we move closer to June, we will get a better sense of what teams are thinking and which prospects are rising and falling in the eyes of NBA talent evaluators. For now, however, this is mostly an amalgamation of team fit and my personal evaluation of each prospect.
You can read our top-60 prospect rankings, irrespective of team fit, right here!
BRICE SENSABAUGH
G, Ohio State, Indiana Pacers
Brice Sensabaugh has been one of the most productive freshmen in college basketball. His unique scoring package and penchant for difficult shot-making will no doubt appeal to NBA teams. That said, defensive concerns keep him toward the back of the first round for now.
JALEN HOOD-SCHIFINO
G, Indiana, Memphis Grizzlies
A bigger guard with an excellent sense of tempo, Jalen Hood-Schifino would give the Grizzlies another source of points and assists in the backcourt. He relies on difficult shots a little too often at times, but his slippery handles and feather-soft touch warrant optimism.
REECE BEEKMAN
G, Virginia, Charlotte Hornets
The Hornets took a massive step back this season, but there’s still an onus to compete sooner than later due to LaMelo Ball’s obvious stardom. Reece Beekman is one of the best perimeter defenders in college basketball and would fit nicely next to LaMelo in the Charlotte backcourt, which could be in need of reinforcements soon with Terry Rozier cycling through the trade rumor mill.