ESPN's Dick Vitale unveils final mock draft for the 2023 NBA Draft
The final mock drafts are coming in ahead of Thursday’s NBA Draft. Of course, Victor Wembanyama is still the consensus No. 1 pick, but the board gets really interesting starting with the No. 2 overall selection.
The Charlotte Hornets can go multiple directions with that pick, and reports suggest former Alabama star Brandon Miller is in strong position to be the selection. That would leave star guard Scoot Henderson at No. 3 to the Portland Trail Blazers.
ESPN’s Dick Vitale sees the draft playing out just like that as he logged his predictions for all 30 picks in the first round.
- San Antonio Spurs — Victor Wembanyama, C, France
- Charlotte Hornets — Brandon Miller, F, Alabama
- Portland Trail Blazers — Scoot Henderson, G, G League Ignite
- Houston Rockets — Amen Thompson, G, Overtime Elite
- Detroit Pistons — Cam Whitmore, F, Villanova
- Orlando Magic — Ausar Thompson, G/F, Overtime Elite
- Indiana Pacers — Jarace Walker, F, Houston
- Washington Wizards — Anthony Black, G, Arkansas
- Utah Jazz — Taylor Hendricks, F, UCF
- Dallas Mavericks — Dereck Lively II, F, Duke
- Orlando Magic — Gradey Dick, G/F, Kansas
- Oklahoma City Thunder — Bilal Coulibaly, F, France
- Toronto Raptors — Kobe Bufkin, G, Michigan
- New Orleans Pelicans — Jalen Hood-Schifino, G, Indiana
- Atlanta Hawks — Cason Wallace, G, Kentucky
- Utah Jazz — Nick Smith Jr., G, Arkansas
- Los Angeles Lakers — Jordan Hawkins, G, UConn
- Miami Heat — Leonard Miller, F, G League Ignite
- Golden State Warriors — Keyonte George, G, Baylor
- Houston Rockets — Noah Clowney, F, Alabama
- Brooklyn Nets — Jett Howard, G/F, Michigan
- Brooklyn Nets — Dariq Whitehead, F, Duke
- Portland Trail Blazers — James Nnaji, C, FC Barcelona
- Sacramento Kings — Kris Murray, F, Iowa
- Memphis Grizzlies — Colby Jones, G, Xavier
- Indiana Pacers — Brice Sensabaugh, F, Ohio State
- Charlotte Hornets — Brandin Podziemski, G, Santa Clara
- Utah Jazz — Rayan Rupert, F, New Zealand Breakers
- Indiana Pacers* — Jaime Jaquez, F, UCLA
- Los Angeles Clippers — GG Jackson, G, South Carolina
*Note: After Vitale’s predictions were published, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported the Pacers are planning to send the No. 29 pick to the Denver Nuggets.
Outside of Wembanyama — the 7-foot-5 French sensation who’s viewed as the most exciting draft prospect since LeBron James — it’s an interesting draft board this year. Cases can be made for either Miller or Henderson to go at No. 2 as either player will create a dynamic duo alongside LaMelo Ball.
The other question is whether Portland will hang on to the No. 3 pick. Rumors continue to swirl in the hours leading up to the draft about the future of Damian Lillard, and ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported the Trail Blazers weren’t planning to trade their star as of Wednesday afternoon.
It’s all part of the intrigue heading into Thursday when the NBA Draft gets underway at 8 p.m. ET from the Barclays Center.