Tag: 2023 NBA Draft

San Antonio Spurs get predictably high marks for drafting Victor Wembanyama

It seems fairly obvious in the present, but with the benefit of hindsight, one can ignore the concerns over injury and speed of development.

What kind of grade do we think the San Antonio Spurs should get for drafting French forward sensation Victor Wembanyama with the No. 1 overall pick of the 2023 NBA draft? It seems a fairly obvious slam dunk in the present, but with the benefit of hindsight, one can safely ignore the real concerns over injury and speed of development for such a long and gangly NBA prospect.

But Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley gave it a stab anyway, and arrived at a grade that you might expect given what we saw from Wemby in year one. “Expectations were fully amped for his first go-round in the Alamo City, but no one knew for sure how the French phenom would fare,” writes Buckley.

“Turns out, all the hype was warranted,” adds the B/R league analyst. “His first NBA season, which he spent alongside a … less-than-stellar supporting cast, felt like the first chapter of basketball’s final evolution.”

“The hype train should have been more than Wembanyama could handle, if only because the expectations seemed impossible to reach,” suggests Buckley.

“Then again, extraterrestrials have their own definition of what’s possible, so maybe it shouldn’t have been surprising to see him live up to the buzz and then some.”

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How tanking the end of last season got the Mavericks a trip to the NBA Finals (and Dereck Lively)

Dereck Lively is SO important to the Mavericks. Here is how he got there.

It is rare to see a team go from missing the playoffs to an appearance in the NBA Finals, but the Dallas Mavericks were able to do exactly that.

With remarkable year-over-year improvement, Dallas will face the Boston Celtics for a chance to win the Larry O’Brien Trophy in 2024. This comes a year after the Mavericks seemingly opted out of the 2023 NBA postseason by resting players toward the end of the campaign.

After an epic collapse shortly after trading for Kyrie Irving, there was a clear moment in which they waved the white flag on the disappointing year. It was a decision made out of necessity, though.

If they made the playoffs or if they had worse lottery luck, their draft pick would have gone to the Knicks as part of the 2019 deal for Porzingis. But instead, they ended up with the No. 10 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.

Fortunately for the Mavericks, they were able to retain the pick. Dallas easily could have shopped the pick around to try to get immediate value by trading for a veteran. Instead, they selected Dereck Lively II from Duke and became one of the biggest winners of draft night.

RELATED: Meet Mavericks rookie Dereck Lively, the big man from Duke who is going to dominate on defense

While he didn’t have the most productive one-and-done freshman year for the Blue Devils and fell a bit from his lofty preseason projections, now the he is in the pros, the center has already exceeded any and all expectations.

This decision to call his name was easily one of the most savvy moves that helped Dallas get to where they are today.

Lively was an immediately impactful defensive player but also had a very positive presence on the offensive end of the floor, especially as a lob threat for Luka Doncic.

The front office for Dallas likely expected him to develop a reputation for himself as an elite rim protector, but he also became one of the most prolific dunkers and alley-oop finishers right away as well.

Only 20 years old, the former Morgan Wootten National Player of the Year and McDonald’s All-American has established himself as one of the league’s most promising young centers.

Lively earned Second-Team All-Rookie honors and finished sixth in Rookie of the Year voting. If his trajectory continues as he has already shown, he is someone who can eventually earn serious consideration for All-Defense.

Had the Mavericks made the playoffs last season, Lively may have heard his name called by a different organization. Without him, Dallas likely wouldn’t have had the same success this season.

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Brandon Miller shares hilarious Michael Jordan story

Brandon Miller shares a funny moment about the time he met Michael Jordan while appearing on the Knucklehead podcast.

Another day, another story on UNC legend [autotag]Michael Jordan[/autotag], this time shared by Charlotte Hornets Brandon Miller while appearing on the knucklehead podcast.

The knucklehead podcast with retired NBA players Quentin Richardson and Darius Miller hosted Miller on their pod asking the rookie about his first time meeting Jordan. Miller at the time went in for a workout with the Hornets, the team that would eventually draft him with the 3rd overall pick in the 2023 NBA draft.

That’s when the first time he met Jordan according to Miller, with a hilarious moment happening during the encounter.

Seeing Jordan airball a free throw has to be the equivalent of seeing a unicorn cross the street. It’s safe to say it has worked out for the Hornets, with Miller fitting in nicely and being named to the NBA All-Rookie first team.

Miller averaged 17.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. Down the stretch, Miller was counted on heavily, with Lamelo Ball being sidelined, for the majority of the season.

Jordan has yet to confirm or deny Miller’s claims of his airballed free throw.

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10 NBA rookies make predictions for their first game before the season begins

There are so many great answers from this NBA rookie class.

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After completing their first offseason, a new class of NBA rookies are ready to step on the court to make their professional debuts.

While nothing can compare with the special moment of hearing their name called in the NBA Draft, it is assuredly a surreal feeling to have your lifelong dreams realized on the hardwood.

We spoke to 10 rookies from the 2023 draft class about all of the emotions they anticipate feeling once they officially begin their professional careers as NBA athletes.

Here is what each prospect said about what they expect when they play on the parquet courts in front of thousands of fans.

These interviews have been condensed and edited for clarity.

Should the Brooklyn Nets have traded up in the 2023 NBA Draft?

According to Michael Saenz of Sir Charles In Charge, the Brooklyn Nets made a mistake by not trading up in the 2023 NBA Draft.

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The Brooklyn Nets had a solid 2023 NBA Draft since they were able to come away with three talented players who could be important players for the team in the near future. However, there are some who believe that Brooklyn made a mistake by not using one or both of their first-round picks to move up in the draft.

In a recent article by Sir Charles In Charge, Michael Saenz said that one of the worst moves that the Nets made this offseason was not moving up in the draft to get a player with more upside. Brooklyn had the 21st and 22nd overall picks, but instead of using those picks to make a trade of some sort, they instead used the picks on forward Noah Clowney and wing Dariq Whitehead, respectively.

In fact, Jonathan Givony of ESPN reported leading up to the draft that the Nets were believed to be looking to trade up in the draft so if that indeed was the case, it looks like they didn’t have takers for whatever they were offering. With that being said, coming away from the draft with the two first-round picks and forward Jalen Wilson in the second-round seems like a good haul.

Could the Nets have traded up far enough to draft someone like Dereck Lively II (12th overall pick to the Dallas Mavericks) or Jordan Hawkins (14th overall pick to the New Orleans Pelicans)? Sure, but it depends on what it would’ve taken to acquire either of those spots and since there hasn’t been any reporting on what those costs were, one can only assume that Brooklyn made the best choice at the time.

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Q&A: Raptors rookie Gradey Dick: ‘I just try to be myself in everything that I do. It’s goofy.’

For The Win caught up with Raptors rookie Gradey Dick.

NEW YORK — Toronto Raptors rookie Gradey Dick is one of the most interesting rookies in the league.

The former McDonald’s All-American and Gatorade National Player of the Year (we spoke to him after he won the award) was a standout freshman at Kansas last season, earning Big 12 All-Freshman. The 19-year-old forward was then selected by the Raptors at No. 13 overall in the 2023 NBA Draft.

While he is known for his sharpshooting off the court, he is also an animal lover who does a shockingly good impression of the Disney character Donald Duck.

He performs dance routines and backflips on his TikTok, he is followed by Drake on Instagram and he has a personality as vibrant as the suit he wore on draft night.

Before the 2023 NBA Draft, For The Win met up with Dick, who shared his thoughts about his transition to the NBA.

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity. Read more of our pre-draft interviews with NBA prospects.

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5 undrafted rookies on two-way deals who looked like steals during NBA Summer League

How did Adama Sanogo and Oscar Tshiebwe go undrafted?

Even though it might be too early to make any sweeping judgments about strong performances at NBA Summer League, some players have stood out.

As the NBA 2K24 Summer League tournament nears an end, we took a look at a few of the standout undrafted free agents who have already exceeded expectations set by their two-way contracts signed after the 2023 NBA Draft.

While you may be familiar with some names (e.g. Adama Sanogo and Oscar Oscar Tshiebwe) already, others may feel less familiar.

This story used AI-Powered statistics provided by the Stats Perform database.

Stay tuned for our third edition of this series, which will look at players who may have earned a two-way contract (e.g. Jelly Walker, KJ Williams, Nathan Mensah and more) based on their performances in Las Vegas as well.

RELATED: 5 second-round picks in 2023 who already look like draft steals during NBA Summer League

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Boston announces signing of 2023 No. 38 pick Jordan Walsh

The 6-foot-7 shooting guard is expected to debut with the ball club at the NBA’s 2023 Las Vegas Summer League kicking off this Saturday afternoon.

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The Boston Celtics announced the signing of Jordan Walsh, their No. 38 pick of the 2023 NBA draft via press release on Thursday evening.

Per team policy, terms of the agreement were not disclosed, but HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto reported the former Arkansas Razorback signed a four-year, $7.6 million deal with the Celtics.

The 6-foot-7 shooting guard is expected to debut with the club at the NBA’s 2023 Las Vegas Summer League, which kicks off  Saturday afternoon. Walsh averaged 7.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.1 steals and 24.4 minutes per contest while shooting 43.3% from the floor overall while with the Razorbacks in his sole and freshman season, setting a school record for games played as a frosh with 36 total played.

Ranked the No. 11 high school prospect by ESPN for 2022, Walsh would help lead his school to the Sweet 16 of the 2023 NCAA Tournament.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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OKC Thunder officially acquire Cason Wallace and Davis Bertans

The draft-night trade became official.

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The Oklahoma City Thunder officially welcomed their two newest members on Thursday.

The Thunder announced that their draft-night trade with the Dallas Mavericks became official. The Thunder acquired Cason Wallace and Davis Bertans in the deal; in exchange, the Mavericks received Dereck Lively II and a trade exception.

Bertans is owed $33 million over the next two seasons, with an early termination option for the 2024-25 season. The caveat of his option is that if he plays less than 75% of regular season games year, then the 2024-25 salary decreases from $16 million to $5 million.

With the trade now official, Wallace can now join the Thunder’s summer league roster after being forced to sit out the first two games. It’s unknown when he’ll be available to play, but when he does, he’ll likely be a focal point of the offense.

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WATCH: Johnny Davis mic’d up at Wizards’ practice

With the Wizards hitting the “reset” button in 2023-2024, second-year guard and former Badger Johnny Davis could be set for a larger role.

With the Washington Wizards seemingly hitting the “reset” button in 2023-2024, second-year guard and former Badger Johnny Davis could be set for an increased workload. Both Bradley Beal (Suns) and Kristaps Porzingis (Celtics) were dealt, leaving behind a combined 46.4 points per game to be filled.

Davis didn’t really come on until the final weeks of his rookie campaign in Washington, but he was impressive down the stretch. He averaged 17.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.4 steals and 0.8 blocks over 36 minutes per game while starting the final five contests of the regular season.

Now in a position where there isn’t a great amount of established players around him, Davis will look to take the next step up in 2023.

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