The 2023 NBA Draft is one week away, and the San Antonio Spurs are still highly likely to select Victor Wembanyama with the first overall pick. The intrigue begins after the Spurs make their pick, as the Charlotte Hornets could go in several directions with the No. 2 spot. That’s where this draft really starts.
Here’s our mock draft for the full first round of the 2023 NBA Draft one week before the event.
No. 1 Spurs – Victor Wembanyama, France
No. 2 Hornets – Brandon Miller, Alabama
No. 3 Trail Blazers – Scoot Henderson, G League Ignite
No. 4 Rockets – Amen Thompson, Overtime Elite
No. 5 Pistons – Cam Whitmore, Villanova
No. 6 Magic – Ausar Thompson, Overtime Elite
No. 7 Pacers – Jarace Walker, Houston
No. 8 Wizards – Anthony Black, Arkansas
No. 9 Jazz – Cason Wallace, Kentucky
No. 10 Mavericks – Taylor Hendricks, UCF
No. 11 Magic (via Bulls) – Gradey Dick, Kansas
No. 12 Thunder – Keyonte George, Baylor
No. 13 Raptors – Jalen Hood-Schifino, Indiana
No. 14 Pelicans – Dereck Lively, Duke
Whitmore and Wallace are the two risers in this portion of the draft. The Villanova product has impressed in the pre-draft process, and fits well with Detroit’s current setup. Walker may have been mocked to Detroit from the beginning, but Whitmore does offer a better positional fit at the moment.
No. 15 Hawks – Bilal Coulibaly, France
No. 16 Jazz (via Timberwolves) – Jordan Hawkins, UConn
No. 17 Lakers – Kobe Bufkin, Michigan
No. 18 Heat – Brice Sensabaugh, Ohio State
No. 19 Warriors – Kris Murray, Iowa
No. 20 Rockets (via Clippers) – Greg Jackson, South Carolina
No. 21 Nets (via Suns) – Noah Clowney, Alabama
No. 22 Nets – Leonard Miller, G League Ignite
No. 23 Trail Blazers (via Knicks) – Jett Howard, Michigan
No. 24 Kings – Trayce Jackson-Davis, Indiana
No. 25 Grizzlies – Colby Jones, Xavier
No. 26 Pacers (via Cavaliers) – Nick Smith Jr., Arkansas
No. 27 Hornets (via Nuggets) – Rayan Rupert, NBL
No. 28 Jazz (via 76ers) – Jaime Jaquez Jr., UCLA
No. 29 Pacers (via Celtics) – Brandin Podziemski, Santa Clara
No. 30 Clippers (via Bucks) – James Nnaji, Barcelona
Hawkins, one of the prominent players from UConn’s title team, has fallen since the process began. It’ll be interesting to see if some team in the lottery takes him but he’s likely fallen out of the top 14 picks. The back half of the first round is another spot where we could see some teams go for the upside of more raw prospects rather than solidify rotation spots.