If you’re not a paid NBA scout, there’s a very real chance that after the first five picks in the draft, you’ve never heard of a lot of these NBA prospects. We don’t blame you. Between pro leagues overseas, NCAA, and G-League teams, who can keep track? But guess what? Our job is to make you familiar and keep you in the loop for all your NBA fantasy needs. Let’s take a dive into the draft and discuss some winners, losers, and their fantasy impact.
Top Five Selections Recap
- Victor Wenbanyama; Center – Spurs
- Brandon Miller; Forward – Hornets
- Scoot Henderson; Guard – Trail Blazers
- Amen Thompson; Guard – Rockets
- Ausar Thompson; Guard – Pistons
2023 NBA Draft Winners
Charlotte Hornets/Brandon Miller
The Hornets were an atrocious team last year. They finished the season 27-55. While LaMelo Ball was inactive for a good chunk of those games, it doesn’t take away the sting from a team that I thought would challenge to make the playoffs last year. The Hornets were in a tremendous spot to mess things up as Michael Jordan (the owner) has sold the team, so they don’t really have a direction coming from the top. LaMelo is the cornerstone of the franchise, so to take Scoot Henderson and make either of them play off-ball would be a catastrophic misstep, and almost a guarantee to lose Ball to the open market when his contract is up.
They didn’t do that though, and drafted Brandon Miller with their 2nd overall pick. Last year, the Hornets were 30th and 20th in offensive and defensive rating, respectively. Brandon Miller is a 6’8″ forward who shot 40% from three prior to the start of the NCAA tournament (where he slumped), and almost 90% from the free-throw line. He’ll do wonders for this team offensively. Defensively, his 6’8″ frame and agile athleticism allow him to defend both bigs and guards. He’s slender, so I wouldn’t have him banging around in the post with centers, but how many centers are banging around in the post these days, anyway. With Miles Bridges (likely) out of the picture still, Terry Rozier and LaMelo Ball are the only two players that Miller would need to defer to from a usage standpoint. And there’s a chance Rozier ends up getting traded to a contender that needs scoring by mid-season.
Brandon Miller has the chance to average 20/8 for this team, as a rookie. He’s a can’t-miss prospect, in my eyes, and he’ll be able to be the 2nd leading scorer if the Hornets acknowledge how far they are from contending, and trade Rozier. Speaking of Rozier, they also drafted Amari Bailey in the 2nd round to be Rozier’s replacement. It’s disrespectful to the player that Rozier has become to assume that Bailey can replace Rozier’s scoring in his rookie season, but Bailey was thought to be a lottery-type player when he graduated Sierra Canyon High School two years ago. He struggled early fitting in at UCLA but became a go-to scorer near the end of the season. He’ll take his lumps, but the role he’ll play is clear.
Golden State Warriors/Brandon Podziemski
The Warriors have whiffed on their 1st round picks in the NBA Draft for the past few years. It’s really a shame since they put themselves in a position to win for the present and build for the future. That’s the past, though. They can only make the right moves for today, and I think they’ve been doing that. They traded away Jordan Poole to the Wizards, so they no longer need to worry about any awkwardness in the locker room between him and Draymond (the unequivocal leader of the team). I’m assuming Draymond comes back, even though he opted out of his deal. Klay and Steph will get their shots regardless. Any additional points to be had will come from Wiggins, Draymond, and Poole’s absence.
Enter Brandon Podziemski. My 2nd favorite player in this draft, other than Victor Wenbanyama, of course. The Warriors were 9th in offensive rating and 15th in defensive rating while playing at the fastest pace in the league. How can they improve on their top-ten offense? Add a 6’6″ shooter who averaged 24/10/4 over his last 10 games as a collegiate player. With those 24 points came a 48% field goal percentage from three. Absolutely absurd. He shot 45% from three on the season, but he also was a tremendous floor general and playmaker. He doesn’t sleep on defense either as he led his conference in rebounding (as a guard/forward), and averaged almost two steals per game. I can’t wait to see what this kid becomes with guidance from Steph and Klay, and the culture/work ethic that Golden State players require.
Poziemski is a must-stash in your dynasty leagues. He might stay off of other people’s radars for the first few weeks of the season as he earns his right to see the court, but when he makes his mark, he’s going to be hard to ignore.
Orlando Magic/Jett Howard
If you ask me, Jett Howard was a better selection at 12, than Anthony Black at 7. When you talk about a team with no direction, you’re talking about the Orlando Magic. They have Cole Anthony, Jalen Suggs, and Markelle Fultz. Three players who essentially play the same position. Instead of adding another relatively small point guard, despite the rich guard talent, they went and added a player with NBA pedigree: Jett Howard. Son of Juwan Howard, who played 21 years in the NBA, and was a lottery pick himself.
At 6’8″, Howard brings the necessary height that is quickly becoming standard across the league, at the guard position. Further, the Magic were 26th in offensive rating and 16th in defensive rating. They need scoring at this junction more than anything, and Howard provides that. He shot 44% from the three-point line, and with his size, was able to body smaller defenders into shooting 65% from inside the arc. A scoring talent like that is hard to find. If you add the fact his father will be able to teach him all the necessary tricks to get calls from refs, the diet and work ethic to have longevity in the league, and the fact the Orlando roster is full of players Howard won’t have to defer to, you’ve got yourself a must-have draft pick.
Look for Howard to earn 1st team All-Rookie Team honors.
2023 NBA Draft Losers
Miami Heat/Jaime Jaquez Jr.
You could’ve played a devastating drinking game in which you had to take a shot any time the announcers mentioned that the Heat have undrafted players in their starting lineup during the NBA Finals this past year. That said, it’s not like the Heat haven’t had draft picks. They’ve just been getting outplayed or stashed on the bench (Nikola Jovic not getting any burn this year was a tragic development for my dynasty squads). That said, let’s act like the Heat will play their draft picks and not find someone else. One of their worst qualities, and probably what kept them from winning a title, is that they couldn’t shoot. Wide open jumpers were getting missed. Putting enormous pressure on Jimmy Butler, who was already burned out and injured.
Enter Jaime Jaquez Jr. A four-and-done prospect. You read that right. A player that’s so highly touted by scouts, he stayed in college the entire four years. You don’t hear that much anymore. So what do the Heat have to look forward to? Well, it’s not his shooting. At 33% from three for his career, he simply can’t help the Heat offensively. What’s going on? If you need shooting, don’t go draft someone who’s not a great shooter. I’m obviously being a bit harsh (for effect). The Heat have notoriously difficult workouts and it takes a special talent to impress them. Jaquez is obviously a good basketball player. But this is a trap. Keep Jaquez Jr. off of your rosters.
Portland Trail Blazers/Scoot Henderson
This isn’t a take to say that I think Scoot Henderson will be bad. I don’t think that. In fact, I think he has a chance to be an All-Star by Year 3. The issue is the fact that the Blazers have just done what the Wizards have been doing for the three years prior to the fire sale they just had. Holding onto their star, when they know he’s unhappy. They know they can’t build a winner. And they know they won’t attract any elite free agents/trades. That said, they seem to be holding on to Dame Lillard, and drafting for the future. The result of this will be stunting Henderson’s growth, as he’ll need to defer to Dame’s 25+ shots per game, and they play the same position essentially.
I’m sure the Blazers will just stagger their minutes so they aren’t cannibalizing each other’s best characteristics, but it’s just not my favorite situation. Ideally, the Blazers trade Dame. Build the franchise around Scoot. That team won’t be good enough to win consistently, so they’ll have another good draft pick to continue to build + whatever return they get for Dame. I’m not saying to stay away from Henderson, but if you’re choosing between a sure bet like Victor Wenbanyama or Brandon Miller, I’d go with the former.