Tag: Victor Wembanyama

Rockets enter 2023 NBA draft combine with dreams of Victor Wembanyama

The #Rockets will be able to see many top prospects, including Brandon Miller and Scoot Henderson, at the NBA’s 2023 draft combine. Victor Wembanyama, however, will not be there.

On Tuesday, the NBA announced the list of 78 players who will take part in the 2023 NBA draft combine, which will be held from May 15-21 in Chicago.

Players will have interviews with NBA teams and participate in five-on-five games, shooting and strength tests and agility drills as NBA general managers, head coaches and scouts observe.

One prominent name left off the list was French basketball star Victor Wembanyama, whom many have projected to be the second coming of Lakers superstar LeBron James.

The 19-year-old will still be playing games in his French league and cannot break away from his commitment to attend the NBA’s combine or its draft lottery show on May 16, which is when teams find out who wins the right to draft the 7-foot-4 forward/center.

If selected No. 1 overall, he would be the sixth player in history to be a top pick without having played basketball at the NCAA level.

“Everybody’s been a unicorn over the last few years, but (Wembanyama) is more like an alien,” the Los Angeles superstar said in October 2022. “I’ve never seen, no one has ever seen anyone as tall as he is but as fluid and as graceful as he is out on the floor. At 7-4, 7-5, 7-3, whatever the case may be, his ability to put the ball on the floor, shoot step-back jumpers out of the post, step-back 3s, catch-and-shoot 3s, block shots, he’s for sure a generational talent.”

The Houston Rockets are one of the teams hoping that luck swings their way and land the opportunity to select Wembanyama, who is averaging 21.6 points, 10.1 rebounds and 3.1 blocks per game this season. Those numbers all lead France’s LNB Pro A League.

Houston has a 14% chance of landing the top 2023 pick, matching the San Antonio Spurs and Detroit Pistons.

Should the Rockets fail to secure the top pick, other leading prospects will be in attendance at the pre-draft combine. One of those is Alabama forward Brandon Miller, who declared for the NBA after winning the SEC Player, Rookie and Freshman of the Year Awards this season. Scoot Henderson, a highly touted point guard with the G League Ignite, is also on the list of 2023 combine attendees.

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2023 NBA Mock Draft 6.0: Predicting all 58 picks before the Victor Wembanyama lottery

This mock draft introduces a few other names that we believe are a bit underrated by consensus projections.

We are less than two weeks away from knowing which team will receive the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft and, thus, highly-coveted prospect Victor Wembanyama.

While the incredibly hyped French big man is the most well-known and discussed prospect in this class, there are plenty of other names to learn before the draft on June 22.

For example, we had several breakout stars during the NCAA men’s tournament and some disappointing performances as well. Although the Final Four didn’t feature many projectable NBA players, the most notable prospect was UConn star Jordan Hawkins.

This mock draft also introduces a few other names that we believe are a bit underrated by consensus projections, including Sidy Cissoko (G League Ignite), Bobi Klintman (Wake Forest), and Bilal Coulibaly (Metropolitans 92).

Meanwhile, our two-round draft order was pulled from Tankathon and is at least accurate from pick No. 15 through pick No. 58. The official order for the first fourteen picks will be officially set after the much-anticipated lottery in Chicago on May 16.

Unless noted otherwise, all data was pulled from our friends at Cerebro Sports — you can create a free account to evaluate player performance across all levels globally.

The best takes and the sharpest bets on all the hoops storylines you need to know. Sign up for our Layup Lines newsletter, hitting your inbox on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

RELATED: Hunter Dickinson and the top-30 players in the NCAA men’s basketball transfer portal

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Projected No. 1 pick Victor Wembanyama officially declares for NBA draft

Wembanyama has long been projected to be the top pick in the draft and that journey officially started on Friday following his announcement.

Projected No. 1 pick Victor Wembanyama, the 7-foot-5 basketball phenom from France, announced on ESPN’s “NBA Today” Friday that he has declared for the 2023 NBA draft.

Wembanyama is regarded as perhaps the top prospect in the NBA since LeBron James with his unique blend of skill and size. He can handle the ball, shoot from distance and block shots with the best of them with his 8-foot wingspan.

Playing with Metropolitans 92 of the LNB Pro A, Wembanyama garnered worldwide attention with his play on the court. The NBA took notice and teams did their best to have the opportunity to draft him, setting up a historic draft lottery on May 16. Of the teams in the lottery, the Detroit Pistons, Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs have the highest odds of landing the top pick (14%).

The 18-year-old dazzled throughout the year in Paris and is putting up an incredible season. He is averaging 21.7 points, 10.1 rebounds, 3.1 blocks and 2.3 assists on 46.8% shooting from the field, including 30.1% from 3-point range. He is the front-runner to be named Most Valuable Player after leading the LNB Pro A in nearly every statistical category.

He has earned high praise from a long-running list of greats, including LeBron James and Magic Johnson. His arrival will help transform his future team to new heights and instantly elevate them to relevancy on a worldwide scale.

Wembanyama and Metropolitans 92 have five games left in the regular season and then the playoffs. His arrival in the U.S. could be delayed, as a result, though he likely will not need to meet with too many teams as the presumed top pick.

He has long been projected to have the tools needed to develop into a superstar in the NBA and that journey took the next step on Friday with his draft announcement.

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Scoot Henderson says it’s ‘not acceptable’ for him to fall to No. 3 in the 2023 NBA Draft

Scoot Henderson had strong words about his potential draft position.

Scoot Henderson is one of the most exciting guard prospects we have evaluated in the past several NBA draft classes.

He thrived when he suited up as a pro for the G League Ignite. The spotlight was especially bright during two thrilling exhibition matchups against the top basketball prospect in the world, Victor Wembanyama.

Henderson may live in the shadow of Wembanyama, the heavy favorite to hear his name called at No. 1 overall. But even Wembanyama has said that Henderson would be the NBA’s top prospect in any other class.

We still have Henderson projected at No. 2 overall in our latest mock draft. However, despite a poor performance during March Madness, some analysts believe the Alabama freshman may be the second-best prospect in the class.

Henderson addressed these rumors to Joseph Bien-Kahn (via GQ Sports):

“When I ask what he thinks about a wave of NBA Draft experts dropping him to #3, behind Alabama star Brandon Miller, he stiffens up. ‘It is what it is. The NCAA Tournament is what’s going on right now. Obviously, I knew that was gonna happen. I knew people were gonna start talking a lot more about college,’ he says. He bounces the basketball he’s fiddling with against the court, shifting his weight from side to side as we speak. I ask if he’ll be okay with it if he does actually fall to #3 on draft night. ‘Nah,’ he says. ‘It’s not acceptable.'”

This was a fantastic feature from Bien-Kahn, who unearthed a lot of gems about what makes Henderson tick both on and off the court.

Frankly, this quote is anything but concerning. Henderson is speaking from a place of confidence.

Once the NBA draft lottery concludes and the order is decided, should the guard actually end up as the third pick in the draft, I’m more than willing to bet Henderson uses it as a chip on his shoulder to contribute at the highest levels for his new franchise.

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2023 NBA Mock Draft 3.0: Projections for every pick post-March Madness

Rookie Wire took a look at where the next draft class stands following the NCAA Tournament.

The NBA pre-draft process is in full swing as prospects around the world prepare to transition to the next level.

Teams around the league will begin hosting private workouts in the coming weeks as they finalize their draft boards. There will be various pro days on the radar and, of course, the draft combine and G League Elite Camp next month in Chicago, Illinois.

Underclassmen have until April 23 to declare for the draft. Several notable players have already decided to return to school, including Kyle Filipowski, Harrison Ingram, Baylor Scheierman and Kel’el Ware. Others are still mulling over their decisions.

Related: Key dates for NBA draft, combine, lottery and deadlines

With players still in the process of making decisions, some prospects were excluded from this mock draft because they are projected to return to school next season. However, most players projected to be drafted have already announced their decisions.

Rookie Wire took a look at where the draft stands following the NCAA Tournament. It is important to note that team needs were not necessarily taken into account with each pick. The projections are rather a look at where each individual player stands at this point of the process.

Note: The order of the draft was pulled from Tankathon as of April 14. The draft will have only 58 picks this year because the Bulls and 76ers were stripped of their second-round picks by the NBA due to tampering violations.

Brandon Miller rises to No. 2 in recent 2023 NBA mock draft

Brandon Miller expected to go No. 2 overall to the Houston Rockets in updated NBA mock draft

Even though Brandon Miller didn’t win the John R. Wooden Award, he was arguably the best player in college basketball this past season. The 6-foot-9 freshman for the Crimson Tide averaged a monster stat line of 18.8 PPG, 8.2 RPG and 2.1 APG en route to a sweet sixteen experience.

The Tide claimed both the SEC regular season and postseason titles for the second time in three years under head coach Nate Oats, with Miller being a large part of that. After an incredibly successful one-year collegiate career, Miller is off to the NBA draft and his projection has never been higher.

Due to the NBA lottery, we don’t know exactly which team will have what pick yet, but ESPN projects that Miller will go No. 2 overall to the Houston Rockets. Scoot Henderson of the G League Ignite has battled with Miller to be the consensus No. 2 in this class for some time as Victor Wembanyama of France is a pretty clear-cut No. 1 overall

Hopefully, Miller ends up in a franchise that will give him the infrastructure to succeed at the professional level because he is an ultra-rare talent.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow Brandon Miller as he prepares for the 2023 NBA draft.

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The Pistons apologized to their fans for tanking exactly as planned this year

A heartfelt letter to essentially say they regret nothing.

The Detroit Pistons sent a heartfelt letter to their fans on Monday, apologizing for their direction in the 2022-2023 NBA season. But at a certain point, this nosedive — being the league’s worst team — became the plan.

Entering the year, the Pistons expected to be rejuvenated, a legitimate power player in the Eastern Conference.

But then Detroit started the season with single-digit wins in the first two months. Then Cade Cunningham was lost to injury. And ever since, it’s been a slow, tanking march to the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. Clearly, at this point, this pivot was part of their overall plan.

The Pistons saw the forest for the trees — a waiting Victor Wembanyama.

Just take a gander at how GM Troy Weaver characterizes a non-linear path in rebuilding:

“Rebuilding a team does not always follow a linear path, and we experienced that this year with the injury to Cade Cunningham that forced him to miss a majority of the season. While that injury impacted the continuity of our team, it also presented an opportunity for growth from others.

Overall, our players have overwhelmingly embraced the core principle of going to work and competing every night. We are in an excellent spot to upgrade our roster this offseason. We’ve positioned ourselves for another high draft choice in this year’s draft, we have a favorable salary cap position, and we’ll continue to talk with teams and evaluate trade opportunities as they present themselves.”

Weaver or Pistons brass would never admit it outright, but when he says rebuilding doesn’t follow a linear path, he’s obviously referring to how Detroit eventually stopped trying to win. Not that a lousy roster had much of a chance anyway, but going 1-21 in their last 22 games since early February is the Pistons waving the white flag, hoping they had the opportunity to draft a generational French superstar.

Detroit entered this season hoping to put itself back on the map. That didn’t happen because sometimes you must adapt and know when to fold your hand. If that means penning a (probably insincere) apology to your fanbase for falling short of expectations, so be it.

Sometimes you gotta keep your eye on the Wembanyama prize.

2023 NBA mock drafts: Potential Houston Rockets picks after March Madness

As the calendar turns to April and March Madness ends, here’s a look at who the latest NBA mock drafts are projecting to the #Rockets via their two 2023 first-round selections.

With the University of Connecticut crowned as champions Monday night, this week marked the conclusion of the NCAA’s annual men’s college basketball tournament, known best as March Madness.

For the young and rebuilding Houston Rockets, who own two first-round picks in the 2023 NBA draft, the tournament showcased many intriguing prospects. Now, as the 2022-23 regular season winds down and the 2023 draft combine nears, the team’s scouting focus will only intensify in the coming weeks as they evaluate their options.

While the non-college prospects are headlined by French phenom Victor Wembanyama and NBA G League Ignite guard Scoot Henderson, there were interesting prospects in the March Madness field, such as Alabama’s Brandon Miller and Houston’s Jarace Walker.

Those two prospects could be in play for the Rockets’ own pick, which is confirmed to land in the draft’s top six or seven overall selections, pending results from the draft lottery. Many other players are in the mix for Houston’s second selection, which will likely be headed their way from the Clippers in the middle-to-late first round.

Entering April, here’s a roundup of who various draft experts project to Houston in new mock drafts, along with updated lottery odds.

NBA fans were astonished by Victor Wembanyama’s put-back dunk of his own stepback 3

This young man is a walking VIDEO GAME highlight!

A little under three months from now, generational French superstar Victor Wembanyama will be the presumed No. 1 overall pick of the 2023 NBA Draft. Wembanyama’s unique blend of height, wingspan, and athleticism as a versatile center has made him one of the most coveted draft prospects in decades.

The 19-year-old showed why he’s so special once again in a mind-blowing sequence during the Metropolitans 92’s game against A.S. Monaco on Sunday. Early in the second quarter, after attempting a stepback three-pointer, Wembanyama fluidly followed his own miss for a ferocious put-back dunk.

Let me make this more clear: The 7-foot-plus Wembanyama was by the rim within a couple of strides after his miss. So, yes, in giving the defense almost no chance to box out, this play was quite ridiculous:

Here’s another close-up angle of this amazing follow-through from Wembanyama:

Phew. Okay. When precisely does the line start to draft Wembanyma in the NBA? Oh, it’s already around the block? That makes sense.

2023 NBA Mock Draft 5.0: Predictions for UConn’s Jordan Hawkins and all 58 picks

UConn’s Jordan Hawkins is the most notable draft prospect in the Final Four.

While it’s not smart to put too much weight on a player’s performance during March Madness, it’s still a great scouting opportunity.

We had several breakout stars during the NCAA men’s tournament and some disappointing performances as well. Although the Final Four does not feature many projectable NBA players, there are still a few prospects who could hear their names called on the night of the draft.

The most notable is UConn’s Jordan Hawkins, who scored at least 20 points in the Sweet 16 and the Elite Eight. Some players (e.g. UConn’s Donovan Clingan or FAU’s Johnell Davis) would likely appear on our mock draft if they decide to turn pro.

Our draft order is based on what was listed on Tankathon on March 30. The official order will be set after the much-anticipated lottery in Chicago on May 16.

Unless noted otherwise, all data was pulled from our friends at Cerebro Sports — you can create a free account to evaluate player performance across all levels globally.

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The best takes and the sharpest bets on all the hoops storylines you need to know. Sign up for our Layup Lines newsletter, hitting your inbox on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.