Tag: 2023 NBA Draft

Reacting to the Boston Celtics drafting Jordan Walsh 38th overall

After an average freshman season with Arkansas, Walsh caught the eye of NBA scouts at the draft combine with his impressive defensive versatility.

The Boston Celtics drafted Jordan Walsh with the 38th overall pick of the 2023 NBA draft after dealing back from the 24th overall pick the ball club picked up as part of the deal sending Marcus Smart to the Memphis Grizzlies less than a day earlier.

After an average freshman season with Arkansas, Walsh caught the eye of NBA scouts at the draft combine with his impressive defensive versatility and performance. He was crucial to the Razorbacks’ advance to the NCAA tournament’s Sweet 16, a feat we’ll explore in detail. The hosts of the CLNS Media “Garden Report” podcast discuss how Walsh, though still just 19, exhibits elite physical tools with the potential to guard positions from point guard to power forward.

Walsh offers a 6-foot-7 frame and a 7-foot-2 wingspan. The crew acknowledges his significant room for improvement, particularly in his jump shot and overall offensive consistency.

To hear their rapid assessment for yourself, check out the clip embedded above.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

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

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

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

[lawrence-auto-related count=1 category=590969556]

Report: Thunder sign Justice Sueing to summer league roster

The Thunder’s summer league roster continues to grow.

The Oklahoma City Thunder continue to add players. Following the 2023 NBA draft, they’ve made several undrafted players signings.

One recent addition is Ohio State forward Justice Sueing, per Draft Express’ Jon Chepkevich. The 24-year-old joins the Thunder’s summer league roster, which will play games July 3-17.

Sueing worked out for the Thunder in a pre-draft visit. He played five college seasons — the first two at California and the final three at Ohio State. In 35 games this past college season, he averaged 12.3 points on 42.4% shooting, 5.2 rebounds and 1.8 assists. He also shot 28.9% from 3 on 2.8 attempts.

Sueing joins Tanner Groves, Caleb McConnell, Adam Flagler and Hunter Maldonado as undrafted free agent signings by the Thunder following their two-player draft haul of Cason Wallace and Keyontae Johnson.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Oklahoma forward Tanner Groves signs with Thunder as undrafted free agent

Tanner Groves gets the chance to stay in Oklahoma.

The Oklahoma City Thunder continue to add undrafted players following the 2023 NBA draft. The latest addition is Oklahoma forward Tanner Groves.

The 24-year-old spent five seasons in college from 2018 to 2023. He spent his first three seasons at Eastern Washington before transferring and playing his final two seasons at Oklahoma.

In 32 games last season, Groves averaged 10.2 points on 50.8% shooting, 7.2 rebounds and 1.4 assists. He also shot 28.6% from 3 on an average of 2.6 attempts.

The details of the contract aren’t known, but it’s likely a non-guaranteed deal that’ll let him play for the Thunder during summer league. Beyond that will be determined by how he plays in July.

Maldonado joins Caleb McConnell, Adam Flagler and Hunter Maldonado as undrafted free-agent signings by the Thunder following their two-player draft haul of Cason Wallace and Keyontae Johnson.

The Thunder are set to play summer league games July 3-17 at Salt Lake City and Las Vegas.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Here’s the NBA Summer League schedule for Victor Wembanyama and other top draft picks

When can you watch the 2023 NBA Draft’s top three players play each other in the Summer League? We’ve got you covered.

With the 2023 NBA Draft in the rearview mirror, basketball fans can now get ready for the NBA’s Summer League games.

The offseason competitions help NBA rookies get into the rhythm of league play while giving undrafted players a chance to make their case for their professional careers.

As you could imagine, the 2023 NBA Draft’s top three players will be closely watched as Summer League gets going next month.

When will NBA fans get to see guys like Victor Wembanyama, Brandon Miller and Scoot Henderson play?

Wembanyama’s San Antonio Spurs will take on Miller’s Charlotte Hornets on July 7, while Wembanyama will face Scoot Henderson’s Portland Trail Blazers on July 9. Miller and Henderson’s teams will square off on July 11.

These three players will enter the NBA with plenty of hype behind them, and watching them play each other on the court will be appointment television for any die-hard NBA fans and for the fans of these respective teams.

For folks who want to see all of this year’s 2023 NBA Summer League games for Wembanyama, Miller and Henderson, the league has unveiled a full schedule for all 30 teams.

Two former Gators sign with Los Angeles Lakers as UDFA

Two former Gators were scooped up by the Los Angeles Lakers organization after going undrafted.

Neither [autotag]Colin Castleton[/autotag] nor [autotag]Alex Fudge[/autotag] heard their name called on Thursday night, June 22, as the 2023 NBA draft came and went, but both signed contracts with the Los Angeles Lakers by the end of the night.

Castleton is joining the storied franchise on a two-way contract, which is a guaranteed deal with an NBA franchise to play for its pro team and its G-League affiliate. Dan Woike of the LA Times reported the news first. Although any significant NBA  playing time is unlikely, Castleton can work his way up from the unofficial 16th or 17th spot on the roster.

Fudge is on an Exhibit 10 contract, which can turn into at two-way contact but must be done before the start of the regular season, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. He’ll have less job security than Castleton with the one-year deal not being guaranteed. Fudge can join the team for training camp and will make around $50,000 if he spends more than two months with the G-League affiliate South Bay Lakers.

Both forwards were key pieces of Florida’s starting lineup in 2022-23. Castleton, a fifth-year player who transferred from Michigan after one season, crossed the 1,000-point threshold as a Gator and was a three-time All-SEC forward. His final days in Gainesville were spent on the bench due to injury, though.

Fudge only spent one year at Florida after transferring from LSU. He broke into the starting lineup after injuries forced changes. As a scorer, there’s work to be done, but Fudge is a solid defensive player with incredible athleticism. He’ll put a few players on a poster in the G-League, assuming he gets the chance.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=1667]

Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

WATCH: Rockets make draft calls to welcome Amen Thompson, Cam Whitmore to Houston

Rafael Stone, Ime Udoka, and Patrick Fertitta all reached out to Amen Thompson and Cam Whitmore to welcome in Houston’s new draft picks. Here’s what it looked and sounded like. #Rockets

Shortly after Houston’s 2023 draft selections had their names called on stage by NBA commissioner Adam Silver, Amen Thompson and Cam Whitmore also heard kind words from Rockets general manager Rafael Stone, head coach Ime Udoka, and Patrick Fertitta.

Patrick Fertitta is the son of owner Tilman Fertitta, effectively serving as a liaison between basketball operations and ownership.

While Thompson and Whitmore were at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center as the physical draft location, Stone, Udoka, and Fertitta were in their draft war room at Houston’s Toyota Center.

Nonetheless, when it came time for the Rockets to make their decisions at No. 4 and No. 20 in the first-round order, that distance didn’t stop Houston’s executives from giving their new players a friendly heads up and a welcome message on behalf of the franchise.

The exchange with Whitmore was particularly notable, since he wasn’t expected to be on the board at No. 20 (he was actually believed to be in contention with Thompson to go No. 4). Stone admitted that Houston didn’t expect Whitmore to be on the board for their second first-round pick, but he said they’re ecstatic he was.

Udoka advised Whitmore to use the apparent draft snubs as motivation before reminding him that his goal was to be in Houston.

Courtesy of behind-the-scenes video from the Rockets, here’s what it looked and sounded like when those picks went down.

Report: Thunder sign Hunter Maldonado to summer league roster

Hunter Maldonado spent six college seasons at Wyoming.

The Oklahoma City Thunder continue to add undrafted players following the 2023 NBA draft. The latest addition is Wyoming guard Hunter Maldonado.

The Thunder signed Maldonado to their summer league roster, per Draft Express’ Jon Chepkevich. He conducted a pre-draft workout for the Thunder.

The 24-year-old spent six college seasons at Wyoming (2017-2023). In 29 games last season, Maldonado averaged 15.6 points on 48.1% shooting, 4.8 rebounds and four assists. He also shot 33.8% from 3 on an average of 2.4 attempts.

Maldonado joins Caleb McConnell and Adam Flagler as undrafted free agent signings by the Thunder following their two-player draft haul of Cason Wallace and Keyontae Johnson.

The Thunder are set to play summer league games July 3-17 at Salt Lake City and Las Vegas.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

2023 NBA draft grades: What experts are saying about the OKC Thunder’s selections

Here’s how the Thunder graded out in their two-player draft haul:

The Oklahoma City Thunder continues to solidify their young core with the addition of a pair of rookies in the 2023 NBA draft.

After trading up with the Dallas Mavericks, the Thunder drafted Kentucky guard Cason Wallace with the No. 10 pick. 40 picks later at the No. 50 spot, the Thunder drafted Kansas State forward Keyontae Johnson.

It was a relatively quiet night for the Thunder, as they came away with just two players in the 58-man draft. Nonetheless, it was a solid haul for OKC.

Let’s look at what grades were handed to the Thunder by various analysts across the NBA media world.

The best of new Boston Celtics forward Jordan Walsh with Arkansas in 2022-23

Boston took Jordan Walsh, a 19-year-old, 6-foot-7 wing who is known for his nearly 7-foot-2 wingspan and the havoc it helps him create on defense.

The Boston Celtics did their best Bill Belichek impression at the 2023 NBA draft, trading back into the second round from their No. 25 pick to create four second round draft picks. But the Celtics did select a player in the second round to add to their roster for the 2023-24 NBA season as well.

That player is Arkansas forward Jordan Walsh, a 19-year-old, 6-foot-7 wing who is known for his nearly 7-foot-2 wingspan and the havoc it helps him create on defense. The Desoto, Texas native put up 7.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, 0.9 assists, 0.5 blocks, and 1.1 steals per game with the Razorbacks in 2022-23 while turning the ball over 1.0 times per game, and 2.9 personal fouls per contest. Walsh still has work to do on his shot (43.3% from the field overall, 27.8% from deep, and 71.2% from the line), but should be able to hold his own defensively against most players save the stronger forwards on up.

To see some of the best of his play with Arkansas last season, take a look at the clip embedded below courtesy of Tomasz Kordylewski.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

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

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

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

[lawrence-auto-related count=1 category=590969556]

2023 Nikola Jokic All-Taco Bell Team: 9 players selected during NBA Draft commercials

9 players were selected during a commercial break in the 2023 NBA Draft. Is the next Jokic among them?

June 26, 2014 was a monumental day for fans of both the NBA and Taco Bell.

Not only was Nikola Jokic — a now two-time MVP, NBA champion and NBA Finals MVP — drafted by the Denver Nuggets, but the Quesarito appeared on the menu at Taco Bells everywhere. And in one of the most magical moments in fast food/basketball history, the two icons overlapped with the league announcing Jokic’s selection during a commercial for the quesadilla-burrito hybrid and linked them forever.

On Thursday night, ESPN made a notably concerted effort to ensure every draft pick was highlighted, even if they were announced while the broadcast was at break. But there were still a number of second-rounders who saw their name called during a commercial.

 

Perhaps the next Jokic — or Quesarito — is among them. There’s certainly the potential for a sponsorship deal if any of these players become All-Stars. So to memorialize the biggest night of their lives, we humbly present the 2023 Nikola Jokic All-Taco Bell Team.

Congratulations to these nine players drafted while ESPN cut to commercial.