2023 NBA Draft: Mock vs. Results

A look at my final 2023 NBA mock draft vs. the actual results.

Final mock:

1. San Antonio Spurs: Victor Wembanyama- Metropolitans 92/France

2. Charlotte Hornets: Brandon Miller- Alabama

3. Portland Trail Blazers: Scoot Henderson- G League Ignite

4. Houston Rockets: Amen Thompson- Overtime Elite

5. Detroit Pistons: Ausar Thompson- Overtime Elite

6. Orlando Magic: Anthony Black- Arkansas

7. Indiana Pacers: Jarace Walker- Houston

8. Washington Wizards: Kobe Bufkin- Michigan

9. Utah Jazz: Bilal Coulibaly- Metropolitans 92/France

10. Dallas Mavericks: Cam Whitmore- Villanova 

11. Orlando Magic: Taylor Hendricks- UCF 

12. Oklahoma City Thunder: Gradey Dick- Kansas

13. Toronto Raptors: Jordan Hawkins- UConn

14. New Orleans Pelicans: Jalen Hood-Schifino- Indiana

Actual results:

1. San Antonio Spurs: Victor Wembanyama- Metropolitans 92/France

2. Charlotte Hornets: Brandon Miller- Alabama

3. Portland Trail Blazers: Scoot Henderson- G League Ignite

4. Houston Rockets: Amen Thompson- Overtime Elite

5. Detroit Pistons: Ausar Thompson- Overtime Elite

6. Orlando Magic: Anthony Black- Arkansas

7. Indiana Pacers (traded to Washington): Bilal Coulibaly- Metropolitans 92/France

8. Washington Wizards (traded to Indiana): Jarace Walker- Houston

9. Utah Jazz: Taylor Hendricks- UCF 

10. Dallas Mavericks (traded to OKC): Cason Wallace- Kentucky

11. Orlando Magic: Jett Howard- Michigan

12. Oklahoma City Thunder (traded to Dallas): Dereck Lively- Duke

13. Toronto Raptors: Gradey Dick- Kansas

14. New Orleans Pelicans: Jordan Hawkins- UConn 

Notes: Unless you picked Henderson over Miller in your final mock draft because of the Shams Charania tweet, I’d say most people had a good idea of who would be taken top six/during the late lottery, but selections #7-11 is where a lot of people’s mocks got shaken up, including mine. Coulibaly going 7th (even though he was traded to Washington who had the 8th pick) was definitely one or two spots ahead of where I thought he would land while Wallace (10th selection) went 2-5 spots higher than I personally expected. However, Orlando taking Howard at 11 had to be the biggest surprise of the night. I didn’t see him projected in anyone’s lottery, instead seeing names like Bufkin (15th pick to Atlanta) & Hood-Schifino (17th pick to the LA Lakers) in/near the top 14. Other than 7, 10, and 11, I wasn’t surprised at picks #1-6, 8-9, and 12-14 because I came across previous intel/posted my own mocks that had those rookies slotted to the teams they got drafted by or very close to it. Lastly, the craziest thing that happened outside of the lottery was Cam Whitmore falling to Houston at 20. I believe he’s gonna make teams pay for passing on him, this is a player who brings extremely impressive strength, athleticism, and 3-point shooting ability.