Once the dust settled on the annual ingress of draft prospects to the league, Boston found itself with five more draft picks than when they started. Let’s take a look at each of them.
Pretty much nobody besides the people working in the Boston Celtics’ front office knew the team was going to trade away veteran point guard Marcus Smart ahead of the 2023 NBA draft for Kristaps Porzingis and a pair of first round draft picks.
And even the Celtics’ front office crew did not know the extent to which they would end up trading back in the draft last week to convert one of those two firsts into a total of four second rounders and the pick used to select Jordan Walsh at No. 38 overall. Once the dust settled on the annual ingress of draft prospects to the league, Boston found itself with five more draft picks than when they started.
Let’s take a look at each of them.
Lucky the Leprechaun, meet Kristaps Porzingis the unicorn: Here’s everything you need to know about the newest Celtic Kristaps Porzingis. https://t.co/ihYTg5MpfV
We are just starting to learn about who the Boston Celtics’ 38th pick of the 2023 NBA draft is in former Arkansas Razorbacks forward Jordan Walsh.
We are just starting to learn about who the Boston Celtics‘ 38th pick of the 2023 NBA draft is in former Arkansas Razorbacks forward Jordan Walsh, but a recent spate of interviews has helped fans with that process. One such talk was held with CLNS Media’s Bobby Manning, who caught up with Celtics rookie draft pick for an exclusive interview after his Junior Celtics appearance on this past Tuesday afternoon.
Manning and Walsh talked about the Texan wing’s goals for the NBA’s 2023 Las Vegas Summer League and his rookie season with Boston beyond it, his mentorship from UConn standout Charlie Villanueva and another Dallas basketball star in former Celtics point guard Marcus Smart departing from Boston as he arrives. They even get into why he chose to wear No. 27.
Check out the clip embedded below to hear what he had to say about his new team and future with the Celtics.
Brandon Miller can’t wait to take the court with his new team!
Former Alabama basketball star Brandon Miller was selected second overall by the Charlotte Hornets in the 2023 NBA draft. Miller’s selection was interesting since everyone knew the Spurs would select Victor Wembanyama first overall. It just added to the second-pick drama.
Miller joins a young core in Charlotte with a lot to look forward to in the near future. He is expected to play a pivotal role in the franchise immediately.
In a short video shared on Twitter by the Hornets, Miller can be seen with Nick Smith, Charlotte’s other first-round pick, enjoying the facilities, taking photos and spending time in their new community.
Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow Miller and other former Alabama players in the NBA.
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Alabama basketball shares Brandon Miller and Noah Clowney’s new NBA numbers
Last Thursday, [autotag]Brandon Miller[/autotag] and [autotag]Noah Clowney[/autotag] became the first duo of Alabama basketball players to be selected in the first round of the NBA draft since 1995 when Jason Caffey and Antonio McDyess did it. The Charlotte Hornets selected Miller and the Brooklyn Nets chose Clowney.
However, the similarities don’t stop there as Miller and McDyess were both the No. 2 overall picks, the highest in program history. Caffey was then selected 20th overall in 1995 while Clowney went 21st overall this year, resulting in nearly identical drafts 28 years apart.
Today, Alabama basketball shared pictures to social media of Clowney and Miller both in their new uniforms and NBA numbers. Miller will wear No. 24 for the Hornets while Clowney will wear No. 21 for the Nets. The 2023-2024 NBA schedule has not been released yet, but both the Nets and Hornets are in the Eastern Conference and will face off at least three times next season.
— Alabama Men’s Basketball (@AlabamaMBB) June 26, 2023
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Standing at 6-foot-7 with a 7-foot-3 wingspan, Walsh brings athleticism and defense to a Boston roster in need of his help.
Jordan Walsh, a 19-year-old wing out of Arkansas, was drafted by the Boston Celtics with the 38th pick of the 2023 NBA draft after Celtics President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens traded back from No. 25 in the first round several times to add to the team’s trove of assets.
Standing at 6 feet, 7 inches with a 7-foot-3 wingspan, Walsh brings athleticism and defense to a Boston roster in need of his help after the trade that sent veteran point guard Marcus Smart to the Washington Wizards. The former Razorback has shown versatility in guarding both perimeter players and those around the rim, but he has some work to do to get his jumper right at the next level.
To hear more about what Walsh brings to the Celtics, check out the clip embedded below courtesy of the folks at the NESN YouTube channel.
Known for his defense, hustle, measurables, scoring ability, and versatility, Walsh’s addition could shake up the team’s dynamic in a major way next season.
The Boston Celtics moved up from No. 35 to No. 25 in the draft as part of the trade that brought Washington Wizards big man Kristaps Porzingis to the team. They traded back several times to pick up more assets before settling on Jordan Walsh, the Celtics’ surprising 38th overall pick.
To get a handle on this new addition to the ball club, the host of the CLNS Media “Winning Plays” podcast, Brian Robb, and NBA Sports Boston’s Chris Forsberg break down Walsh’s game and discuss his potential contributions to the evolving Celtics squad in the looming 2023-24 campaign.
Known for his defense, hustle, measurables, scoring ability and versatility, Walsh’s addition could shake up the team’s dynamic in a major way next season.
Check out the clip embedded above to uncover the potential this promising rookie brings to Boston.
“I told them (before the draft), I wanted to be in Houston,” #Rockets rookie Cam Whitmore tells @SportsVanessa. “The fit, the people, I fell in love. I was just so comfortable.”
In a Monday press conference from Houston’s NBA home of Toyota Center, newly drafted rookie Cam Whitmore (No. 20 in the 2023 first round) offered perspective on joining the Rockets along with some expectations for his rookie season of 2023-24 and beyond.
Whitmore took the stage alongside head coach Ime Udoka, general manager Rafael Stone, and fellow rookie Amen Thompson (No. 4). He was in a great mood all day, even after the unexpected draft-night slide that pushed him to Houston’s second selection.
“I told them, I wanted to be here,” Thompson said in an interview with courtside reporter Vanessa Richardson of Rockets television partner AT&T SportsNet Southwest.
“I wanted to be in Houston,” he said. “I was working out after that, we met, and I told them that this is where I wanted to be. The fit, the people, I fell in love with the people right then and there. They were just very respectful. They just felt cool. I was just so comfortable.”
Here’s a roundup of everything Whitmore told reporters on Monday. With Thompson and Whitmore leading the way, Houston’s 2023 summer league roster begins play on Friday, July 7, in Las Vegas.
The man with the 7-foot-2 wingspan and a predilection for diving after loose balls has a palpable buzz around his arrival in Boston.
New Boston Celtics wing Jordan Walsh hosted a Celtics basketball camp in Cambridge for a fully redesigned court grand opening at the city’s local community center on Monday afternoon.
The former University of Arkansas player dribbled, defended and talked to the children in attendance at his first camp since the Celtics picked him at No. 38 last week in the 2023 NBA draft.
“For these kids that have something like this,” Walsh said to the media at the event. “To have access to the Boston Celtics that means a lot. And it would mean a lot to me if I was a kid.”
The man with the 7-foot-2 wingspan and a predilection for diving after loose balls has a palpable buzz around his arrival in Boston, and it was evident at this event.
Take a look at the clip embedded above to hear what the former Razorback had to say about his new team courtesy of this clip from CLNS Media.
The Oklahoma City Thunder have stated they’ve drafted people over players over the last few years and that continues to ring true for their most recent haul.
The Thunder added Cason Wallace and Keyontae Johnson to their young core with the No. 10 and No. 50 picks respectively of the 2023 NBA draft.
The Thunder’s interest in Wallace was pretty apparent after they traded up two spots with the Dallas Mavericks to acquire him. After his podcast interview with Thunder reporter Nick Gallo, we know the interest level was mutual.
Following his rookie introductory press conference, Wallace sat down with Gallo. During the conversation, Wallace revealed he told his agent to do everything in his power to make sure he was drafted by OKC, saying he meshed well with the organization in his pre-draft visit.
“Once I did my workout, I felt free. You don’t feel that at every workout. I just felt comfortable,” Wallace said. “I played well. I shot the ball well. Me and the staff, me and the front office, everybody made me feel at home. I went back and told my agent, ‘Get me here. This is where I want to be.'”
This adds to a recent trend of the Thunder’s top draft picks saying OKC was always their top destination. Chet Holmgren said something similar last summer: OKC was where he wanted to be. The year before, Josh Giddey said he pleaded with his agent to help him land in OKC.
It speaks volumes about the Thunder that recent top draft prospects have publicly said they’ve wanted to be drafted by them. The Thunder continues to build a strong culture that attracts players to them as an environment to help fully materialize their potential.
The full episode of the “Thunder Basketball Universe” podcast can be viewed here:
“When you see something special, you know it’s special,” #Rockets general manager Rafael Stone says of Amen Thompson. “What Amen can do, to me, jumps out.”
The final week of June is a busy one for Houston Rockets general manager Rafael Stone, who will have approximately $60 million and more available to potentially spend in 2023 free agency. Agreements can officially be reached starting at 5 p.m. Central on Friday, June 30.
But for now, he’s happy to reflect on what is being viewed around the NBA as an extremely successful draft night for the Rockets. Houston added guard Amen Thompson (the No. 4 pick in the first round) and Cam Whitmore (No. 20) to its emerging core of young talent.
“When you see something special, you know it’s special,” Stone said of Thompson. He was asked about the unproven nature of Thompson’s Overtime Elite professional basketball league, where he played in the 2022-23 season prior to declaring for the NBA.
“Part of the job is to evaluate these young men coming from so many different circumstances,” Stone said of Houston’s scouting process. “What Amen can do, to me, jumps out.”
Here’s a roundup of what Stone told reporters on Monday. With Thompson and Whitmore leading the way, Houston’s 2023 summer league roster begins play on Friday, July 7, in Las Vegas.
