Hot topic questions from the 2023 On3 150 ranking update
On Monday, On3 released its final On3 150 ranking for the 2023 recruiting cycle. The previous ranking for the class was in March. In the time since, playoffs finished, game film from high school team’s final runs circulated, and post-season all-star games happened.
Each update is a process that includes in-person viewings, data collection, intel, film study, etc. These players high school careers are now over. On3 had eight updates in the 2023 class cycle, with the first ranking coming after their sophomore seasons.
On3’s rankings use a baseline of first projecting for the NBA Draft, with a career in the league being a secondary projection tool. Our goal is to assess a prospect’s long-term potential, ultimately manifested by the NBA Draft. In this cycle 14 prospects earned five-star rankings, following the lead of the NBA Draft Lottery. We looked at a player’s career developmental arc and how each of their games project forward.
Here are some of the hot topic questions, applied to the 2023 class, that we get after every ranking update.
Which player are you higher on than others?
Devin Royal. There is something about his game that captivates me. His mid-range game is a throwback of sorts, back to the days of Bernard King torching the nets or when Alex English was spraying middies all over the floor. I am not saying the Pickerington (OH) Central forward is a Hall of Fame player, but what I am saying is that he is unique in the fact that he does a lot of his offensive damage from 10 to 18 feet.
Royal is a 6-foot-7 forward. He has shown the patience and the excellent footwork to get to his spots efficiently when he wants. He plays with pace, but he is also decisive. Royal averaged 19.7 this season. He finished 49-8 over his last two seasons with a state championship and Ohio Mr. Basketball award in hand. His style is unique but effective in today’s game. The Ohio State signee finished No. 30 in the final 2023 On3 150.
The year Jayden Ross had earned his move to No. 41 in the final update. Listed at 6-foot-7, the UConn signee is a rangy defender. He shot 39.8 percent from three while finishing numrous highlight-reel dunks on the NIBC this season with Long Island (NY) Lutheran.
How close was the race for No. 1?
Very. In a class that had no true No. 1 player, there were four who were brought up in conversation. Each with compelling discussion points.
- Cody Williams is the brother of the runner up in the NBA Rookie of the Year voting Jalen Williams. He has a frame listed at 6-foot-8 with a reported 7-foot-0 wing span. He is on a clear upward trajectory after filling the stat sheet this season and winning a second straight state championship.
- Isaiah Collier, the top point guard in the class whose court vision and passing ability is unmatched among his peers. He was a finalist for Naismith Player of the Year and co-MVP of the McDonald’s All-American game.
- Ron Holland, a multiple time USA Basketball gold medalist and finalist for the Naismith Player of the Year award. He’s also the youngest five-star in the final ranking, and will graduate high school at 17, not turning 18 until July.
- Aaron Bradshaw, the top center in the class who is a true 7-footer that can move his feet and is a high-level rim protector, and can step out to knock down jump shots consistently.
Each of these players are on the right developmental arc, showing improvement from even October to March. They all have positional size and proejctable, NBA-like frames. And they all put up numbers, in game, on the biggest stages they were able to play.
At the end of the day, Cody Williams holds serve at No. 1 for the 2023 cycle. His developmental arc has been steep, year over year through his four high school seasons. His ability to play on the ball and make teammates better and finish plays himself, getting to the rim was too much to ignore. Then when you couple how far he’s come, with the ceiling he has remaining, the upside is pointed toward the NBA Draft.
Who was the toughest player in the class to rank?
Bronny James. He is a notable figure in the class, and there is no getting around that. This 2023 cycle will be looked back on with eyes firmly planted on the success James has moving forward. And we understood that going in to the ranking.
James had a good senior year, that ended really good. He had strong performances in the California Division 1 State Playoffs followed by a very good McDonald’s All-American week and was capped at the Nike Hoop Summit. James, who recently committed to USC, is a good defender who uses his strength and athleticism with purpose on that end. He is a smooth jump shooter when his feet are set and he plays within himself, limiting turnovers when asked to initiate.
At the end of the day, On3 ranks with its eyes toward the NBA Draft. The feedback we have gotten is there is a strong probability of Bronny James being drafted. And when you look at it through that lens, the decision to put James at No. 11 was appropriate.
Which player could you see outplaying their ranking?
Coen Carr. He is a top one percent athlete. It is that simple. Listed at 6-foot-7, Carr is the player who will attack the rim and dunk on your big, chest-to-chest. It is a dazzling sight to behold some of the incredible displays of explosion the Michigan State signee shows on a nightly basis. But to limit Carr to just a dunker would be a mistake.
I like the defensive presence Carr brings. With all that explosion and the strong and lengthy 6-foot-7 frame, Carr is able to defend up and down a lineup. He can slide his feet with a ball handler, disrupt the passing lane off ball, and is an instinctive weak-side shot blocker. Carr has a natural feel for the game, showing court and floor visition and he is able to get downhill in the half court. There is still work to be done with the jump shot, but there is no denying his affect on winning and making his ability to make positive plays.
DePaul commitment Churchill Abass, a 6-foot-10 center from the NBA Academy Africa and Wisconsin signee Nolan Winter, a 6-foot-10 post from Lakeville (MN) North High are two other players I thought about here.