2023 NBA DRAFT: WINNERS & LOSERS.
Every NBA draft is full of surprises, and this years may have been one of the most unpredictable drafts of all time.
Join us as we break down the winners and losers that emerged from the roller coaster that was the 2023 NBA draft.
Lakers
Pick 17 - Jalen Hood-Schifino.
The Lakers will look for Hood-Schifino to give them back a bit of what they lost when they traded Lonzo Ball. ‘Fino’ is a big guard who sets the table for others without being a usage drain and this should enable him to fit well with LeBron while at the same time meshing seamlessly with Anthony Davis due to being a maestro of the PnR.
Being 6’6 with long arms should allow Fino to be an impactful defender in the lakers rotation from day one. Fino’s pull up mid range out of the pick and roll is lethal and should allow him to step in and be a positive running a 2 man game with AD. While the mid range is already strong, he may need time to develop to be able to stretch it out to the 3 point line.
Pick 40 - Maxwell Lewis.
Lewis is a strong upside gamble at pick 40. Lewis had a great year as the number one option for Pepperdine; but faltered and showed flaws in the second half of the year. The ceiling is high, even if the floor is low and that’s a solid bet to take in the second round.
Max is a scoring wing who can create his own shot and to a lesser extent some looks for others. He has nice jump shot mechanics and glides to the rim in transition or off cuts.His defence will need work if he wants to see extended run for a lakers team looking to build on the positive momentum from their late season surge and playoff run.
Two-ways.
Colin Castleton:
Rumour has it that teams were turned away by Castleton’s agent when looking to draft the 6’11 big man out of Florida with Castleton reportedly feeling his best fit was with the Lakers, does this sound familiar?
Castleton is a low post force, who possesses great rim protection instincts in drop coverage having averaged 3 blocks a game for the Gators alongside 16 points, 7.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists and even rounding it all out with a steal per game. A bit of a jack of all trades, Castleton has shown a willingness to shoot the deep ball, but his 13% clip signals he has a way to go to truly add this to his game. There are concerns around his athleticism but Colin is a fantastic pick up on a 2 way deal.
D’Moi Hodge:
D’Moi is a 6’4 guard who projects well as a shooter and defender. Along with shooting 40% from 3 last year for the Missouri Tigers, D’Moi averaged 14.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.6 assists and an impressive 2.6 steals per game. I think D’Moi is a good bet to hustle his way onto the back end of this Lakers roster.
Rockets:
Pick 4 - Amen Thompson .
Thompson is a fantastic fit with a Rockets roster in dire need of playmaking and defence. Much has been said about Amen’s passing wizardry and otherworldly athleticism and now Houston fans will get to witness it first hand, as he uses his size and length to hound opposing guards on defence, while he dimes up a super talented young core on the other end of the court.
Pick 20 - Cam Whitmore .
The Rockets reportedly had Cam in play as high as pick 4, so to get him at 20, alongside Amen must feel like an absolute blessing for the organisation and fans alike. Cam is a stocky 6’7, 235 wrecking ball with a 40 inch vertical and a knack for finishing strong at the rim.
Whitmore has tools that scouts salivate over and he possesses true 3 level scoring potential with a developing 3 point shot and pull up game to compliment his aggressive rim finishing. Cam is a little raw, but if the Rockets staff can polish those edges and Cam can avoid injuries despite the rumoured poor medicals, the Rockets may have found themselves a top 10 talent in this class at pick 20.
Warriors
Pick 19 - Brandin Podziemski.
New Warriors GM Mike Dunleavy Jr. made a big splash on draft night, acquiring Santa Clara guard Brandin Podziemski at 19 overall. ‘Podz’ is a 6’5 versatile offensive force with a well rounded game having averaged 19.9 points, 8.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.8 steals for Santa Clara this season. Brandin is prolific from deep, shooting 43% on 6 attempts a game as a primary option and he should find success from the opening tip with Curry, Klay and CP3 drawing the defences attention and allowing him to find open shots.
Podz projects as a great fit for a Warriors system that relies on having smart players and passers at every position. Look for Brandin to buck the Warriors recent trend of bringing their rookies along slowly, as Podz talent could make him a key contributor off the bench year one for a Warriors team looking to get back to the finals.
Pick 57 - Trayce Jackson-Davis.
TJD almost fell all the way out of the draft until the Warriors scooped him up at pick 57. Trayce is coming off a season as one of the most productive players in college basketball, posting averages of 20.9 points, 10.8 rebounds and 4 assists along with 2.9 blocks per game and shooting 58% from the field in Indiana. His ability to facilitate out of the high post should allow him to slot in seamlessly for a Warriors team that loves playmaking from their bigs.
Jackson-Davis does come with some serious flaws at the moment though, as you’d expect from anybody being picked this late in a draft. He’s only 6’9 and his zero 3’s attempted plus poor FT% aren’t indicators of somebody who has a high likelihood of developing a jump shot at the next level. With all that said, I believe TJD to be a steal, especially in a Warriors system that meshes so well with his talents and is comfortable playing undersized.
LOSERS.
Cam Whitmore.
Cam was a guy consistently mocked in the top 10 and sometimes as high as pick 4 to the team he ended up with in the Rockets at pick 20. This slide alone slots him into the losers section for me. With reports that the slide was due to medical concerns, Cam’s career looks to be off to a bit of a rocky start.
Cam sat and watched as guys like Jaime Jacquez Jr were picked ahead of him, and you could see how he felt about it watching the broadcast. The silver lining here is that Cam landed with a team who reportedly valued him as a potential option with pick 4. Hopefully for Cam, this could mean the Rockets plan to make him a priority and give him the developmental minutes needed to help him reach his sky high ceiling.
Orlando.
Pick 6 - Anthony Black
From one perspective, Orlando should be commended for taking who they viewed as the best player available rather than looking for fit, however in this case I just can’t get behind adding another playmaker with shooting struggles to a backcourt already consisting of Markelle Fultz and Jalen Suggs.
The Magic need to prioritise pieces that fit around franchise centrepiece Paolo Banchero, while also drafting high levels of talent, and as much as I’m a fan of what Black brings, I don’t see the fit in Orlando unless there are major trades on the horizon.
Pick 11 - Jett Howard
The Magic surprised almost everybody when they selected Jett Howard 11th overall with many pundits having both Jordan Hawkins and Gradey Dick ranked above the 6’8 sharpshooter out of Michigan. While I can see the vision here in selecting the shooter with the most self-creation upside, I can’t help but feel a trade back might have been a better path to getting their guy.
Jett struggled to do much outside of shooting in college. His defence was poor, as was his rebound rate for someone with his size. Secondary playmaking is his next most translatable skill and even there, he only averaged 2 assists per game while being a featured option with the Wolverines. Jett did perform well as a freshman overall however, and the Magic desperately need what he brings so I hope he proves the doubters wrong in Orlando.
Kobe Bufkin .
Bufkin’s stock felt like it just kept rising as we approached the draft. A mid season breakout saw him steadily climb up draft boards before falling back down a little from the lottery hype that was building. His slide down to pick 15 isn’t the reason he’s ranked as a loser here though.
Bufkin landed with the Hawks, a team already featuring two premier shot creating guards in DeJounte Murray and Trae Young. While Bufkin projects as a versatile guard who can play both on and off ball, the positive momentum he built for the Wolverines came with the ball in his hands, something I have little hope for this upcoming season with the Hawks as most of his minutes are likely to come paired with either Young or Murray.
GG Jackson .
Jackson was a top recruit for the ‘24 class before reclassifying. After that decision, he watched his stock steadily fall as concerns surrounding his maturity and selfish style of basketball bubbled to the surface and these concerns were only exacerbated by some unwise forays onto instagram live.
GG’s slide came to a head during Thursday’s draft as he slipped all the way down to the 45th pick after being viewed as a first round prospect for most of the cycle. This can only be seen as a loss for Jackson but if any team can find a way to get the best out of the former 5 star recruit, The Grizzlies would be one of my top bets.