Most of these guys are 2nd rounders or potential undrafted FAS. I think only Howard and Lewis are projected as first rounders? So perhaps we are looking at training camp invites first, and have more workouts booked closer to draft day. OR perhaps we are looking at trading back for two 2nds?
I did see somewhere that the Thompson are supposed to be here next week, so maybe some of the bigger names will be popping up soon.
I know what the mock drafts are saying. They're saying dont pay any attention to us. We're just here to keep you entertained until the draft. Plus, we're always wrong.
Givony mock 1. San Antonio Spurs - Victor Wembanyama 2. Charlotte Hornets - Brandon Miller Scoot Henderson helped his standing in Charlotte with a highly impressive workout this past weekend in front of the Hornets' front office and coaching staff. He showed an impressive level of conditioning, intensity, explosiveness and shot-making that portend good things for him later. Still, many signs continue to point toward Miller being the pick at No. 2, both due to his clean roster fit as much as the front office's belief in his long-term talent. The Hornets have conducted due diligence in Tuscaloosa to help ease concerns around Miller's involvement in the Jan. 6 fatal shooting of Jamea Jonae Harris. The possibility of New Orleans (who are fans of Henderson) offering Brandon Ingram in a trade for the No. 2 pick could shake things up potentially on draft night, but it's still too early to say whether that is a realistic possibility. -- Givony 3. Portland Trail Blazers - Scoot Henderson The Trail Blazers are doing their due diligence by bringing in Amen and Ausar Thompson, Henderson, Cam Whitmore and others for private workouts. Portland will continue to explore trade opportunities until it is on the clock for this pick, but it seems the team will be pleased to select either Miller or Henderson. Henderson's outstanding workout in Charlotte indicates he's very much in play at No. 2 despite Miller continuing to be the favorite there. Miller will be in Portland soon to also make his case for being the No. 3 pick. -- Givony 4. Houston Rockets - Amen Thompson At this point, Amen Thompson and Whitmore are the two names circulating as leading candidates at No. 4. One potential factor in the decision is James Harden's potential return to the Rockets -- a situation that rival teams have come to view as increasingly uncertain in recent weeks. Provided they can give Thompson the requisite role and runway to develop and realize his tantalizing upside, Houston can certainly justify a major swing here by betting on the mix of elite athleticism, size and playmaking skills that could turn him into a star and the type of dynamic point guard its roster lacks. Thompson has received strong reviews from teams on the workout circuit and it appears the questions surrounding his jump shot won't preclude him from hearing his name called early. -- Jeremy Woo 5. Detroit Pistons - Cam Whitmore Whitmore is getting looks at No. 4 with Houston, but many around the league believe Detroit is a natural landing spot for him considering the Pistons' roster and the significant upside he offers. Whitmore is working out for teams across the top 10 -- including Portland, Houston, Detroit, Orlando, Indiana and Utah -- and making a strong impression with his shooting and explosiveness. His workout in Detroit on Monday gave him an opportunity to show the Pistons brass an opportunity to envision how he would fit in a backcourt with Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey. Some trade scenarios could be in play for the Pistons with the No. 31 pick as well, for example, packaging Bojan Bogdanovic for Tim Hardaway Jr. and the No. 10 pick, sources tell ESPN. -- Givony 6. Orlando Magic - Ausar Thompson 7. Indiana Pacers - Jarace Walker 8. Washington Wizards - Anthony Black 9. Utah Jazz - Taylor Hendricks 10. Dallas Mavericks - Dereck Lively II 11. Orlando Magic - Gradey Dick 12. Oklahoma City Thunder - Kobe Bufkin 13. Toronto Raptors - Jalen Hood-Schifino 14. New Orleans Pelicans - Bilal Coulibaly 15. Atlanta Hawks - Cason Wallace 16. Utah Jazz - Jordan Hawkins 17. Los Angeles Lakers - Nick Smith Jr. 18. Miami Heat - Rayan Rupert 19. Golden State Warriors - Jett Howard 20. Houston Rockets (via LA Clippers) - Noah Clowney Clowney has plenty of fans around the league, but with the way the board has fallen, his draft range looks to be a bit wider than some expected, with interest from teams in the teens to the back of the first round. While the Rockets are believed to be shopping the No. 20 pick, Clowney could be a viable option if they keep it, offering some much-needed defensive presence and a low maintenance offensive skill set that would slot nicely alongside Houston's many scorers and playmakers. His excellent feel places him closer to contributing than most teenagers, and he's an intriguing long-term bet. -- Woo 21. Brooklyn Nets - Keyonte George 22. Brooklyn Nets - James Nnaji 23. Portland Trail Blazers - Jaime Jaquez Jr. 24. Sacramento Kings - Kris Murray 25. Memphis Grizzlies - Brandin Podziemski 26. Indiana Pacers - Leonard Miller 27. Charlotte Hornets - Olivier-Maxence Prosper 28. Utah Jazz - Maxwell Lewis 29. Indiana Pacers - Ben Sheppard 30. LA Clippers - Dariq Whitehead SECOND ROUND 31. Detroit Pistons - Marcus Sasser | Houston | PG/SG | Age: 22.7 32. Indiana Pacers - Brice Sensabaugh | Ohio St. | SF/PF | Age: 19.6 33. San Antonio Spurs - Andre Jackson Jr. | UConn | SG/SF | Age: 21.5 34. Charlotte Hornets - Trayce Jackson-Davis | Indiana | SF | Age: 23.3 35. Boston Celtics - Gregory Jackson II | South Carolina | PF | Age: 18.4 36. Orlando Magic - Colby Jones | Xavier | SF | Age: 21.0 37. Denver Nuggets - Julian Phillips | Tennessee | SF | Age: 19.6 38. Sacramento Kings - Jalen Wilson | Indiana | SF/PF | Age: 22.6 39. Charlotte Hornets - Jordan Walsh | Arkansas | SF/PF | Age: 19.2 40. Denver Nuggets - Sidy Cissoko | G League Ignite | SG/SF | Age: 19.1 41. Charlotte Hornets - Terquavion Smith | NC State | SG | Age: 20.4 42. Washington Wizards - Kobe Brown | Missouri | PF/C | Age: 23.4 43. Portland Trail Blazers - Seth Lundy | Penn St. | SG/SF | Age: 23.1 44. San Antonio Spurs - Tristan Vukcevic | Partizan | PF/C | Age: 20.2 45. Memphis Grizzlies - Amari Bailey | UCLA | PG | Age: 19.3 46. Atlanta Hawks - Keyontae Johnson | Kansas St. | SF | Age: 23.0 47. Los Angeles Lakers - Julian Strawther | Gonzaga | SF | Age: 21.1 48. LA Clippers - Mouhamed Gueye | Washington St. | PF/C | Age: 20.5 49. Cleveland Cavaliers - Hunter Tyson | Clemson | SF/PF | Age: 23.0 50. Oklahoma City Thunder - Jalen Pickett | Penn St. | PG | Age: 23.6 51. Brooklyn Nets - Colin Castleton | Florida | C | Age: 23.0 52. Phoenix Suns - Emoni Bates | Eastern Michigan | SG/SF | Age: 19.3 53. Minnesota Timberwolves - Chris Livingston | Kentucky | SF/PF | Age: 19.6 54. Sacramento Kings - Ricky Council IV | Arkansas | SG/SF | Age: 21.8 55. Indiana Pacers - Toumani Camara | Dayton | PF | Age: 23.0 56. Memphis Grizzlies - Jordan Miller | Miami | SF/PF | Age: 23.3 57. Washington Wizards - Adama Sanogo | UConn | C | Age: 21.3 58. Milwaukee Bucks - Jaylen Clark | UCLA | SG/SF | Age: 21.6
https://theathletic.com/4598473/2023/06/15/ba-mock-draft-wembanyama-henderson-hornets-miller/ This is a fascinating draft loaded with depth and interesting players. In terms of tiers, my 2023 draft guide has breaks after the first, second, fifth, ninth and 16th players. The consensus league-wide — certainly not every team but trying to synthesize a big-picture view of where sources are — sees some separation after the first pick, third pick, fifth pick, ninth pick and around No. 20. 1. San Antonio Spurs - Victor Wembanyama | 7-4 center | 19 years old | Metropolitans 92 2. Charlotte Hornets - Scoot Henderson | 6-2 guard | 19 years old | G League Ignite I don’t think it’s a done deal that Charlotte picks Brandon Miller over Henderson. It has been presented as a specific lean toward Miller for a while, but I am not there yet, much in the same way I wasn’t there last year with calling Jabari Smith Jr.-to-Orlando-at-No. 1 a lock. General manager Mitch Kupchak is known to value the individual workout part of the pre-draft process, so I’ve never believed this would be done until well after they had everyone in, synthesized all of the information and came to a conclusion. Last year at this time, other teams were working under the impression that Smith was going No. 1 to Orlando. Smoke screens exist. They’re not quite as prevalent as they are in the NFL Draft, but they certainly happen — especially with teams that tend to be quite buttoned up with information. Charlotte has been very quiet and is conducting a professional, well-organized process. It’s been tough to gather anything resembling a well-informed take on the Hornets’ current lean. This is still entirely up in the air, but I’m going Henderson over Miller in part because I don’t buy the argument that Miller is unequivocally a better fit than Henderson. Henderson and LaMelo Ball play complementary games, with Henderson being more of a power scorer who can kill in the midrange and at the rim and Ball being more of a finesse distributor who can get buckets at the rim and from 3. These two work together. Miller would also work, but I wonder if people around the league are over-indexing on the idea that there is overlap between Henderson and Ball. 3. Portland Trail Blazers - Brandon Miller | 6-8 wing | 20 years old | Alabama The biggest question with Portland is whether it keeps the pick. The Blazers will continue to evaluate all available options on the trade market. If something comes their way involving a younger star that not only allows them to pair somebody with Lillard but also potentially transition out of the Lillard era with that person and into the future, that seems like something the Blazers would consider. But it does not seem like Portland is set on moving the pick to get immediate help which also hinders its future either. The Blazers seem to be comfortable with selecting a player at No. 3, and I think they’d be ecstatic with Miller. He is ready to come in sooner rather than later and contribute, given the way he played this past season at Alabama. He’s an awesome complement for Jerami Grant in the frontcourt if they retain him. 4. Houston Rockets - Cam Whitmore | 6-6 wing | 18 years old | Villanova The Scout: Whitmore has a ridiculous upside because he has an elite blend of explosiveness and strength. Coming in at about 230 pounds, Whitmore is an amazing leaper with a 40-inch vertical jump. He rises through contact powerfully and throws down around the basket. But there’s more than that. He is a shot creator who can knock down pull-up jumpers from behind the 3-point line. He has a good first step when attacking the basket. Defensively, he’s a very good on-ball defender with real switchability because of his strength and quickness. The main concern here is his overall feel as an offensive player. Whitmore had a historically low assist rate and consistently missed passing reads at Villanova. That’s where he needs to improve. But his ceiling is immense. The Fit: This is where the draft starts to get fun. Whitmore is in play at No. 4. Around the league, there seems to be a mix of those who believe Whitmore will go here, and those who believe it’s more likely to be Amen Thompson. The Rockets are having a number of players in for workouts this week beyond just that duo and have yet to make a final decision. Having said that, the potential of James Harden joining the fold makes me slide with Whitmore. I’ve been consistent in having Whitmore as a top six player, and I would be surprised to see him fall outside of that range on draft night. For the Rockets, he also fits well with Jabari Smith Jr. as a physical driver who would complement Smith’s perimeter-based shooting game well. Again though, this seems pretty up-in-the-air at this stage. 5. Detroit Pistons - Jarace Walker | 6-7 forward | 19 years old | Houston 6. Orlando Magic - Amen Thompson | 6-6 guard | 20 years old | Overtime Elite 7. Indiana Pacers - Taylor Hendricks | 6-8 forward | 19 years old | UCF 8. Washington Wizards - Anthony Black | 6-6 guard | 19 years old | Arkansas 9. Utah Jazz - Ausar Thompson | 6-6 wing | 20 years old | Overtime Elite 10. Dallas Mavericks - Cason Wallace | 6-3 guard | 19 years old | Kentucky 11. Orlando Magic - Gradey Dick | 6-6 wing | 19 years old | Kansas 12. Oklahoma City Thunder - Bilal Coulibaly | 6-6 wing | 18 years old | Metropolitans 92 13. Toronto Raptors - Jalen Hood-Schifino | 6-4 wing | 20 years old | Indiana 14. New Orleans Pelicans - Dereck Lively II | 7-1 center| 19 years old | Duke 15. Atlanta Hawks - Nick Smith Jr. | 6-4 combo guard | 19 years old | Arkansas 16. Utah Jazz - Kobe Bufkin | 6-4 guard | 19 years old | Michigan 17. Los Angeles Lakers - Jett Howard | 6-7 wing | 19 years old | Michigan 18. Miami Heat - Jordan Hawkins | 6-4 wing | 21 years old | Connecticut 19. Golden State Warriors - Kris Murray | 6-8 wing | 22 years old | Iowa 20. Houston Rockets - Noah Clowney | 6-10 forward | 18 years old | Alabama The Scout: NBA personnel love guys who are big, young, defensively conscious and have the potential to shoot. Clowney ticks just about every single one of those boxes. He played this entire season at 18 years old and is 6-10 with about a 7-3 wingspan. He covers ground on the defensive end at a high level. He rebounds and took over four 3-point attempts per game this past season. Now, Clowney did not make a ton of those 3s (28 percent), but the shot is clean and workable. I’m not quite as high on him as the rest of the NBA, as I worry a little bit about him guarding in space with how high his hips are and how he can cut off guards. But he has great help instincts, and as his body fills out, I wonder if he can keep improving his mobility overall. He’s a first-round talent, but he’ll take some time. The Fit: The Rockets got this pick in a smart trade with the LA Clippers that saw them move up 10 draft slots into the middle of the first round in exchange for Eric Gordon. That allowed them to enter a different tier of players who will be available. Under the Rafael Stone regime, they have tended to take the best player available. I would imagine that will be the case at No. 20, as the Rockets are still far enough away from competing that it’s worth them just adding talent. Sources around the league have struggled to slot a player here. Clowney makes a lot of sense as a defensive-minded forward who has the potential to shoot and maybe long term could play in modern lineups with Jabari Smith Jr. given his length. 21. Brooklyn Nets - Dariq Whitehead | 6-6 wing | 18 years old | Duke 22. Brooklyn Nets - Jaime Jaquez Jr. | 6-6 guard | 22 years old | UCLA 23. Portland Trail Blazers - Leonard Miller | 6-9 forward | 19 years old | G League Ignite 24. Sacramento Kings - Olivier-Maxence Prosper | 6-7 wing | Marquette 25. Memphis Grizzlies - Colby Jones | 6-5 wing | 21 years old | Xavier 26. Indiana Pacers - Brice Sensabaugh | 6-6 wing | 19 years old | Ohio State 27. Charlotte Hornets - Keyonte George | 6-4 guard | 19 years old | Baylor 28. Utah Jazz - Brandin Podziemski | 6-4 wing | Santa Clara 29. Indiana Pacers - Rayan Rupert | 6-6 wing | 19 years old | New Zealand Breakers 30. LA Clippers - Ben Sheppard | 6-5 wing | 22 years old | Belmont
Second Round 31. Detroit Pistons: Andre Jackson | 6-6 wing | Connecticut 32. Indiana Pacers: Trayce Jackson-Davis | 6-8 big | Indiana 33. San Antonio Spurs (via Houston): Marcus Sasser | 6-1 guard | Houston 34. Charlotte Hornets: James Nnaji | 6-11 big | Barcelona 35. Boston Celtics (via Portland): Julian Phillips | 6-7 wing | Tennessee 36. Orlando Magic: Max Lewis | 6-6 wing | Pepperdine 37. Denver Nuggets (via Washington): Jalen Wilson | 6-6 wing | Kansas 38. Sacramento Kings (via Indiana): Kobe Brown | 6-7 wing | Missouri 39. Charlotte Hornets (via Utah): Gregory “G.G.” Jackson | 6-8 forward | South Carolina 40. Denver Nuggets (via Dallas): Jalen Pickett | 6-2 guard | Penn State 41. Charlotte Hornets (via Oklahoma City): Sidy Cissoko | 6-7 wing | G League Ignite 42. Washington Wizards (via Chicago): Amari Bailey | 6-3 wing | UCLA 43. Portland Trail Blazers (via Atlanta): Colin Castleton | 6-11 center | Florida 44. San Antonio Spurs (via Toronto): Seth Lundy | 6-4 wing | Penn State 45. Memphis Grizzlies (via Minnesota): Adama Sanogo | 6-7 big | Connecticut 46. Atlanta Hawks (via New Orleans): Chris Livingston | 6-6 wing | Kentucky 47. Los Angeles Lakers: Julian Strawther | 6-6 wing | Gonzaga 48. LA Clippers: Jordan Walsh | 6-6 wing | Arkansas 49. Cleveland Cavaliers (via Golden State): Keyontae Johnson | 6-5 wing | Kansas State 50. Indiana Pacers (via Miami): Tristan Vukčević | 6-11 center | Partizan 51. Brooklyn Nets: Mouhammed Gueye | 6-10 big | Washington State 52. Phoenix Suns: Jordan Miller | 6-5 wing | Miami (Fla.) 53. Minnesota Timberwolves (via New York): Jaylen Clark | 6-4 wing | UCLA 54. Sacramento Kings: Terquavion Smith | 6-3 guard | NC State 55. Indiana Pacers (via Cleveland): Omari Moore | 6-5 wing | San Jose State 56. Memphis Grizzlies: Nadir Hifi | 6-2 guard | Le Portel 57. Washington Wizards (via Boston): Ricky Council IV | 6-5 wing | Arkansas 58. Milwaukee Bucks: Mojave King | 6-4 guard | G League Ignite
I’m very comfortable taking Cam or Amen at #4, but I trust our scouts to make the right call. I hope our front office has the skills to work the draft, strategically moving up or down depending on the compensation and our draft board. I want to be the team the commentators are talking about after the draft, having outsmarted everyone. hey, one can hope.
It’s so stupid to draft based on what Harden does. So when he leaves then what? You could have been grooming a point guard for the future but you decided to go with Cam Whitmore?
Honestly if they take Cam it’s because they think he’s the better player, neither guy will move the needle on wins next season.
rockets still have the $6M or so cash to spend on trades. could buy a late first or early second. we don't need more rookies so I'd assume that scenario would only come in to play if we trade out of #20.
Maybe we should be mocking the rockets’ pick according to what Ime would want. Assuming Scoot and Miller are off the board, I bet Ime likes Walker, Hendricks, maybe the Thompson twins.
4. Houston: Amen Thompson, Overtime Elite City Reapers, G, 6-7, 20 Cam Whitmore’s potential gives the Rockets plenty to consider but Thompson’s off-the-charts athleticism might offer the highest ceiling of any player in the draft, other than Wembanyama. That explosiveness comes with potentially elite defense and playmaking, but with shooting mechanics that will need lots of work. And the Rockets can plug him in at the point and let him grow. 20. Houston: Dariq Whitehead, Duke, 6-7, F/G, 18 The Rockets under Rafael Stone have typically searched for the most upside available and have tried, unsuccessfully, to use late first-round picks to move up and grab a wing shooter. Whitehead could allow them to get both with the draft positioning they got from the Eric Gordon deal and a leftover Bucks pick. There is risk, however, with Whitehead clearly struggling last season to come back from an ankle injury. He had a second surgery this month that is expected to allow him to return to the potential he showed as one of the nation’s top prospects. He’d have a chance to be a strong gamble if he regains his bounce.
Which I'm OK with. I like KJ a lot, but he's about to get paid. Paying significantly less for a rookie with a similar skillset and a much higher upside is a win. I'd love to keep both, but you can't pay everybody long-term and we knew some guys wouldn't be part of this core moving forward.
Whitmore, KJ, and Tari will have us set at small forward for the future. Goodbye to J Tate via trade for a second rounder next year. Rockets too smart to waste the 4th puck on a guy who can’t even shoot free throws. No way….guarantee it’s Whitmore or trade.
