Tag: 2023 NBA Mock Draft

2023 NBA mock draft roundup: Where Alabama players are projected to be selected

Where Brandon Miller, Noah Clowney, and Charles Bediako are projected to land in the 2023 NBA draft!

On Thursday night, the 2023 NBA draft will get underway from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York and as many as three former Alabama basketball stars could hear their names called.

The freshman duo of Brandon Miller and Noah Clowney are both expected to be selected in the first round with Miller potentially being the No. 2 overall selection right behind the French unicorn, Victor Wembanyama.

The third Tide star who could potentially be drafted is sophomore Charles Bedikao who surprisingly surrendered his remaining college eligibility to remain in the draft. Bediako has a slim chance of being selected in the second round, but most draft experts believe the 7-footer will go undrafted.

Roll Tide Wire has assembled a list of eight different mock drafts from various outlets to give you a better idea of where each of the former Alabama standouts could be selected on Thursday night.

2023 NBA mock drafts: Final OKC Thunder picks projections

For the last time, let’s look at who mock drafts have the Thunder selecting in the 2023 NBA draft:

The 2023 NBA draft is set for Thursday, which means we are unofficially a day away from finding out who the Oklahoma City Thunder will add to their young core.

The Thunder currently own selections No. 12 and No. 50 in the draft, but that can obviously change until late Thursday night.

In these final versions of mock drafts, the two most linked names with the Thunder at the No. 12 slot are Metropolitan 92 forward Bilal Coulibaly and Michigan guard Kobe Bufkin. At No. 50, it’s a much more wide variety of names as that’s the case for mock drafts in general beyond the first round.

Let’s look at who the latest versions of mock drafts have the Thunder drafting with their two picks one final time before the actual event on Thursday.

2023 NBA mock drafts: OKC Thunder June 2.0 picks projections

Here’s what the latest rounds of mock drafts have the Thunder selecting with their two picks:

The 2023 NBA draft is less than a week away, which means we’re getting closer to seeing who the Oklahoma City Thunder add to their young roster. The draft is scheduled for Thursday, June 22 at 7 p.m. CT on ESPN.

The Thunder are looking at adding two players via the draft with the No. 12 and No. 50 picks. The Thunder recently dealt the No. 37 pick — along with other draft assets — to the Denver Nuggets.

At No. 12, several candidates could drop into the pick, which likely explains the wide range most national mocks have with OKC’s pick.

Let’s look at what the latest versions of mock drafts have the Thunder selecting with their two draft picks.

2023 NBA mock drafts: OKC Thunder post-combine picks projections

Rounding up the latest versions of 2023 NBA mock drafts and who they have the Thunder selecting:

The 2023 NBA draft is roughly three weeks away, which means the production of mock drafts has ramped up and will continue until June 22.

With the draft combine and the college withdrawal deadline behind us, we have a clearer picture of how the draft might work out.

The Oklahoma City Thunder owns three picks in the upcoming draft: No. 12, No. 37 and No. 50. The Thunder can obviously make trades, but for now, those are the selections OKC owns.

Let’s look at who the latest versions of mock drafts have the Thunder selecting at those three spots since the last time we did this exercise following the immediate aftermath of the draft lottery.

For a complete list of prospects that the Thunder have met with — at least as far as the public knows — click here.

Kel’el Ware’s NBA draft stock plummets amidst struggles

As his minutes and production have plummeted, so to has the NBA draft stock for Oregon Ducks freshman center Kel’el Ware.

Oregon center Kel’el Ware’s freshman season got off to a relatively quiet – but still productive – start. Through the first nine games of Ware’s career with the Ducks he averaged 10.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks while shooting 57.1% on two pointers and 30.8% on threes.

Great? No, but totally reasonable from a true freshman playing 26 minutes per game, especially when opponents in that stretch included Houston, UConn, Michigan State, and UCLA.

Since then, however, things have been a complete disaster.

Ware only scored in double figures twice in his last 18 games, averaging just 4.8 points and 3.2 rebounds while his minutes have plummeted to just 12 per contest – including only one minute in Oregon’s recent loss to Washington State.

It’s a sharp decline for a player who showed up in the lottery of many 2023 NBA mock drafts at the beginning of the year – and it shouldn’t be a surprise to see his stock falling as well.

Compiled below are seven 2023 NBA mock drafts, all created within the last few weeks, that showcase just how much opinion of the 5-star prospect has changed as his minutes, and production, have dipped.

While many still believe he could sneak into the first round, others are removing him from their mocks all together – with one site (NBAdraft.net) including him on their 2024 mock, indicating a belief he could return to college for another year.

See where Kel’el Ware falls in Hoops Hype’s aggregate NBA mock draft

Oregon Ducks center Kel’el Ware is firmly in the first round conversation of the 2023 NBA draft, despite pedestrian numbers this year.

The 2023 NBA draft is still over six months away, but with the college basketball season across the halfway point it’s not surprising to see mock drafts out in full effect.

The folks over at USA TODAY’s Hoops Hype aggregated nine different mock drafts to provide a consensus of how NBA draft hopefuls are being viewed by the industry at this point.

For Oregon Ducks freshman center Kel’el Ware, the returns remain promising. Ware came in at No. 15 on the aggregate mock draft, and while that is his first time outside the lottery it is clear he is viewed as a near lock to go in the first round of the draft in June.

Despite playing only 19.1 minutes per game, Ware ranks seventh in the Pac-12 in blocks per game (1.4), and his ability to stretch the floor beyond the arc (.308 three-point percentage) intrigues NBA talent evaluators.

“Ware reminds me of Willie Cauley-Stein with three-point shooting ability,” an NBA executive told HoopsHype.

Ware’s numbers on the season don’t exactly jump off the page, as the freshman from Little Rock is averaging 7.4 points and 4.1 rebounds in about 19 minutes per game.

Still, his blend of size, athleticism, shot blocking ability, and outside shooting make him a tantalizing NBA prospect, and one who probably won’t be in Eugene after the conclusion of the college season.

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Kel’el Ware nearly falls out of first round in The Athletic’s 2023 NBA mock draft

It’s been a rough season for Dana Altman and the Oregon Ducks, and it’s impacting the draft stock of freshman center Kel’el Ware.

Things are not good for Dana Altman and the Oregon Ducks basketball program right now.

A win over Utah was sandwiched by two embarrassing, blowout losses to Colorado and at home against Arizona State, effectively pushing Oregon entirely out of the NCAA Tournament picture barring a surprise victory in the Pac-12 Tournament.

Injuries and inconsistent guard play have been the primary culprit for the Ducks this season, but one could argue a lack of dominance from freshman phenom Kel’el Ware has played a role as well.

The young center is averaging a respectable 8.6 points and 4.9 rebounds per game, showing flashes of the dynamic versatility that has made him such a highly regarded NBA draft prospect.

However, some of that shine has begun to wear off. Ware has mostly been mocked in the late lottery or at least the middle of the first round of the 2023 NBA draft, but the latest mock from Sam Vecenie of The Athletic has Ware down at No. 26 overall, where he would go to the Houston Rockets.

From the article:

I remain very intrigued by Ware largely due to the versatility of skill set. He’s a superb athlete with great balance and movement skills at 7-foot tall. On top of that, he blocks shots, shoots 3s and even shows a couple of flashes as a passer. I’m not totally sure he made the right college decision because he often doesn’t get to play his best position (center) due to Oregon already having N’Faly Dante. You’d also like to see him finish with more force around the basket. But there are worse bets to take than a 7-footer with skill-set versatility and this type of athleticism. He’s a project big worth investing in, even if the numbers are a bit pedestrian at 8.6 points and 4.9 rebounds per game.

While many Oregon fans want to see Ware stay and join the incoming class of 2023 – highlighted by KJ Evans, Mookie Cook, and Jackson Shelstad – it seems pretty likely he will still head to the NBA as long as he is projected to go in the first round.

It just might not be as high as initially projected.

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See where Kel’el Ware falls in Sports Illustrated’s 2023 NBA big board

The latest 2023 way-too-early big board came from Sports Illustrated’s Jeremy Woo, and has Oregon Ducks center Kel’el Ware at No. 17 overall

The 2022 NBA draft is only two months into the rearview mirror, but with college and international hoops starting shortly the NBA draft pundits are already crafting their mock drafts for 2023.

Jeremy Woo of Sports Illustrated released his first big board, acknowledging what he has is more of a watch list at this point in the process.

Oregon Ducks incoming freshman center Kel’el Ware came in at No. 17 overall on Woo’s list, the third seven-footer behind Victor Wembanyama and Dereck Lively.

Ware has done a lot for his profile over the past six months between the All-American circuit and FIBA competition, intriguing scouts with his size and length, rim-protecting capacity and developing jumper. While his motor can still be a bit sporadic, he seems to have turned a bit of a corner in that department as he gets further accustomed to impacting games with his physicality. It’s fair to wonder how strong his production is going to be at Oregon, but Ware offers so much of what teams look for in a shot-blocking big that he’ll warrant some patience as he makes the jump in level. I’ve heard some positive comparisons to Jarrett Allen at the same stage, which would be a high-end outcome for him, but Ware has a pathway into the first round if he continues on his current trajectory.

Ware is next in a long line of high-level recruits to join Dana Altman’s program in Eugene, with fans hoping to see production match the hype – something that didn’t come together with N’Faly Dante, Bol Bol, and (to date) Nate Bittle.

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Kel’el Ware projected top-10 pick in 2023 NBA mock draft

Oregon Ducks freshman center Kel’el Ware is projected to be a top-10 pick in the 2023 NBA draft according to experts.

The future is looking very bright for Dana Altman and the Oregon Ducks men’s basketball program, especially after they secured a commitment from 2023 prospect KJ Evans on Tuesday.

Evans won’t make an impact on the team this upcoming season, but another high profile recruit – center Kel’el Ware – is going to be must watch basketball this year at Matthew Knight Arena.

While it’s too early to accurately know how the 2023 NBA draft is going to shake out, the industry mock drafts that have begun cropping up all have Ware going very high next year – including Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman, who has him going No. 8 overall.

“Ware earned fans during the All-Star circuit, and he continued to strengthen his scouting profile this month at the U18 Americas Championship,” Wasserman wrote. “In just 19.5 minutes, he averaged 15.7 points, 6.8 boards and 1.8 blocks, and scouts still think there is a three-ball in his game waiting to emerge at some point.”

If Ware were to go inside the top-10 of next year’s draft, he would be the first Duck to do so since Luke Jackson, who was selected No. 10 overall back in 2004.

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Oregon’s incoming star Kel’el Ware listed as top-10 pick in way-too-early 2023 NBA mock draft

Oregon fans may need to enjoy watching Ke’el Ware in Eugene while they can. New 2023 NBA mock drafts show him as a top-10 pick following his freshman year.

As is the case with the football season, the end of the NFL draft does not mean that we stop talking about it for the next several months while the prospective participants hone their skills and get ready to make a jump to the next level. No, instead we will turn around the very next morning and talk about the way-too-early look at the 2023 draft.

That’s what greets everyone on Friday morning after the closing of the 2023 NBA Draft on Thursday night. Many of the new picks may not even have touched down in their prospective cities just yet, but already we’ve moved on. We’re now looking at who is going to be the No. 1 pick a year from now.

It seems to pretty much be a consensus opinion that 7-foot-3 athletic freak Victor Wembanyama out of France will garner the top spot. After he is off the board though, things get interesting.

For fans of the Oregon Ducks, this is where you may want to start focusing over the next year.

According to the latest mock draft from Yahoo! Sports, Oregon’s Kel’el Ware will be taken with the No. 10 overall pick. We obviously don’t know to which team just yet, but that puts the Duck’s incoming freshman well inside the draft lottery. Here is what Yahoo! had to say about Ware:

No future NBA prospect has garnered more attention in a short amount of time than Ware. He improved from every high school all-star event in the spring with NBA scouts in attendance and was the leading force in the lane, blocking everything during the FIBA U18 Americas Tournament.

“I’m a center that can shoot the ball, post up, score and defend well and get blocks,” Ware told Yahoo Sports. “So I’m just trying to showcase my versatility and be consistent.”

It will be extremely fun for Oregon fans to watch Ware in Eugene next season, but they may need to enjoy it while they can. Chances are he’s going to be off to a new team after just one season.

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