2023 NBA Draft Positional Breakdown: Slashers and Wing Defenders
If you are not an elite scorer or shooter, you better be able to defend, have toughness and have some length. This group is very deep and has a nice blend of guys that can turn into quality role players.
FIRST ROUND LOCKS:
Cam Whitmore-CF-Villanova
6'7''/235/ 6'8.5''
12.1 PTS 5.2 REB 1.4 STL
Fr./18.9
Hometown: Odenton, MD
NBA Comparison: Caron Butler/Rodney Rogers
ROLE: Starting forward at either spot, 4th option as a scorer
BEST TOOLS: Versatility/Toughness/Athletic Ability/Defense
Whitmore can do a bit of everything and already has the physical tools that scouts look for. If he was a little bit longer and a better shooter then he would be seen as a top 5 lock. I compare him to Rogers who was drafted 9th in 1993 and was a quality role player for a decade. I also see a lot of Butler who was drafted 10th in 2001 and was a great role player on many winning teams. He is a very safe pick in the 6-10 range given his versatility and toughness. He has little to no bust potential, but will not be a star unless he becomes and elite shooter.
Ausar Thompson-F/G-OT Elite
6'7''/218/7'0''
16.3 PTS 6.9 REB 6.1 AST
USA/20.4
Hometown: Born in Oakland/High School in Fort Lauderdale, FL
NBA Comparison: Andre Iguodala/Josh Smith
ROLE: Starting Wing with great two-way potential
BEST TOOLS: Elite Athletic Ability/Playmaking/Defense
Ausar is more of a scorer than his brother Amen at this point in their career. He is not a great shooter but has the ability to develop his shot. Similar to Iggy and Smith, Ausar is a freak athlete that is great on the break. He has the length to guard multiple positions on defense.
Both
Ausar and Amen are elite passers at such a young age. The brothers have played
off of each other basically their whole lives so it will be an adjustment not
being on the same team.
Bilal
Coulibaly-SF-France
6'7''/200/7'3''
10.9 PTS 4.3
REB 1.6 STL
INT/18.9
Hometown: Courbevoie, France
NBA Comparison: OG Anunoby/Ronnie Brewer
ROLE: Defensive stopper that can plug and play at several positions
BEST TOOLS: Defense/Elite Length/Athletic Ability
Coulibaly played alongside Wenbenyama at his
club team in France and has proven to be the perfect role player. He has the
perfect combination of length, athletic ability and size as a wing defender. At
this point, he is no threat to score on his own and is a below average spot up
shooter. His draft range is in the 15-24 range. A team in need of defense could
get the perfect role player in Coulibaly.
Leonard Miller-PF-Canada/GL Ignite
6'10''/213/7'2''
16.9 PTS 10.1
REB 0.8 BLK 1.0 STL
CAN/19.6
Hometown: Toronto
NBA Comparison: Lamar Odom/Jarred Vanderbilt
ROLE: Starting combo forward, great second unit scorer
BEST TOOLS: Versatility/Reboundig/Scoring/Length
Miller is lefty that knows how to use his tools
to be an effective player. Similar to Odom and Young his best trait is his length
and ability to play positionless basketball.
Odom was a champion as the 4th option on the Lakers. He could also end up a solid bench guy like Vanderbilt. Miller has a chance to have similar success and could be the biggest steal in this draft.
Kris
Murray-CF-Iowa
6'9''/213/6'11.75''
20.2 PTS 7.9
REB 2.0 AST 1.2 BLK 1.0
STL
Jr./22.8
Hometown: Cedar Rapids, IA
NBA Comparison: Thad Young/Luke Babbit
ROLE: 3 and D Wing
BEST TOOLS: Scoring/Versatility/Defense
Like Miller, Murray is another versatile lefty
that can play multiple positions. His brother Keegan was the 4th
pick last year and had a great rookie season as a 3 and D wing on a playoff
team in Sacramento. Murray stepped up big time in his brother’s role as the go
to scorer at Iowa last season. Murray’s upside is Thad Young who is still active
in year 16 of a great career as a role player. He could also be more of a bench
player that put up great college numbers like Babbit.
FIRST ROUND BORDERLINE:
Jaime Jaquez-CF-UCLA
6'7''/226/6'9.5''
17.8 PTS 8.2
REB 2.4 AST 1.5 STL
Sr./22.4
Hometown: Camarillo, CA
ROLE: High level second unit forward
NBA Comparison: Jared Dudley/Georges Niang
BEST TOOLS: Versatility/Rebounding/Hustle
Jaquez was a great player on UCLA’s 2021 Final
Four team and then took his game to another level the past two seasons. Like Dudley and Niang, Jaquez will be drafted
much later than he should and will be a solid role player. A team needing an
instant impact player should take Jaquez late in the first round.
Olivier
Maxence Prosper-CF-Marquette
6'8''/221/7'1''
12.6 PTS 4.7
REB
Jr./20.9
Hometown: Montreal
NBA Comparison: Matt Barnes/Larry Nance Jr.
ROLE: 3 and D Wing
BEST TOOLS: Elite Athletic Ability/Defense/Versatility/Power
Maxence-Prosper was the best all-around
athlete at the combine as 3rd in the max vertical leap with a jump
of 40.5”, he was 3rd in the shuttle run and 4th in the
lane agility drill. He also has the size and length to become a good defender
at the next level. His stock has risen as much as any player since the combine
and could be drafted as early as the top 20 yet still may slip to the second
round.
Rayan
Rupert-G/F-France/NGL New Zealand Breakers
6'7''/193/7'2''
6.8 PTS 2.4
REB
INT/18.6
Hometown: Strasbourg, France
NBA Comparison: Marquis Daniels/Renaldo Balkman
ROLE: Defensive stopper and second unit scorer
BEST TOOLS: Defense/Playmaking/Hustle
Rupert is a long defender that can also add value
as a playmaker. He is very thin and does not play very physical. He will need
to add some weight and work on hitting open shots in order to stick in the
league.
GG Jackson-CF-South Carolina
6'9''/214/6'11.5''
15.4 PTS 5.9
REB
Fr./18.8
Hometown: Columbia, SC
NBA Comparison: Darius Miles/Kevin Knox
ROLE: 3 and D Wing
BEST TOOLS: Scoring/Rebounding
Jackson was the top-rated prospect in the high
school class of 2023 then reclassified to the class of 2022. Therefore, he is
among the youngest prospects in the draft. He put up good numbers on a bad team
at South Carolina. Like Miles and Knox, he has an elite skill set but is also a
tweener and is still very raw. The team that drafts him will need to be patient
with his development.
Sidy
Cissoko-F/G-France/GL Ignite
6'7''/224/6'10'''
11.6 PTS 2.9
REB 3.3 AST
INT/19.2
Hometown: Saint-Maurice, France
NBA Comparison: Mickaël Piétrus/Rondae Hollis Jefferson
ROLE: Defensive Stopper and Second Unit Playmaker
BEST TOOLS: Defense/Athletic Ability/Playmaking
Cissoko is stronger and more athletic than his
fellow countrymen Coulibaly and Rupert. He showed the ability to run the
offense on Ignite. He has good physical tools as well. He would be worth a
flyer in the second round.
Julian
Phillips-SF-Tennessee
6'8''/197/6'11.5''
9.0 PTS 4.8
REB
Fr./19.6
Hometown: Blythewood, SC
NBA Comparison: Gerald Green/KJ Martin
ROLE: High Energy Defensive Wing
BEST TOOLS: Elite Leaping Ability/Hustle/Defensive Upside
Phillips led everyone at the combine with a 43-inch
vertical jump. He was a highly recruited player that had solid production in
his one year at Tennessee. Like Green and Martin he can be a very good role
player in the right system.
Jordan Walsh-CF-Arkansas
6'7'/204/7'1.75''
7.2 PTS 3.8
REB
Fr./19.2
Hometown: Desoto, TX
NBA Comparison: Brandon Clarke/Moe Harkless
ROLE: High Energy Defensive Wing
BEST TOOLS: Defense/Hustle/Versatility/BB IQ
Walsh has better length than Phillips but is
not the athlete. He plays his role to perfection and should be able to play in
the league a long time due to his skill set.
Jalen
Wilson-CF-Kansas
6'7''/230/6'8''
20.1 PTS 8.3
REB 2.2 AST
Jr./22.7
Hometown: Denton, TX
NBA Comparison: Danuel House/Denzel Valentine
ROLE: Backup combo forward
BEST TOOLS: Scoring/Rebounding/Versatility
Wilson was an All-American last season after
taking a huge jump in scoring from 11.1 ppg to 20.1 ppg. He was the 3rd
option on the Kansas title team in 2022. He will need to take on more of a defensive
role in order to play at the next level.
GETTING DRAFTED BORDERLINE:
Ricky Council-G/F-Arkansas
6'6''/209/6'9''
16.1 PTS 3.6
REB 2.3 AST 1.1 STL
Jr./21.9
Hometown: Durham, NC
NBA Comparison: PJ Hairston
BEST TOOLS: Athletic Ability/Scoring Knack
Council transferred from Wichita St to
Arkansas and established himself as the top scorer on a team with three other
players likely to be drafted (Anthony Black, Nick Smith and Jordan Walsh). He
has great athletic ability but will need to be more consistent as a shooter in order
to have a long career.
Emoni
Bates-G/F-Eastern Michigan
6'9''/180/6'9''
19.2 PTS 5.8
REB
So./19.4
Hometown: Ypsilanti, MI
NBA Comparison: Patrick McCaw
BEST TOOLS: Scoring
Bates has had a very interesting journey to
the NBA draft. He was known as a freshman in high school where he was seen as
another Brandon Ingram. He graduated high school early then went to Memphis
where he was very inconsistent. He then put-up big numbers on a bad Eastern
Michigan team. He is very skilled but he lacks size and length. His draft stock
variance is very wide as he has been mocked in the first all the way to
potentially undrafted.
Jordan
Miller-SG-Miami
6'5'/192/6'11.75''
15.3 PTS 6.4
REB
Sr./23.4
Hometown: Middleberg, VA
NBA Comparison: Kent Bazemore
BEST TOOLS: Length/Scoring Potential/Toughness
Miller helped lead Miami to the Final Four.
The lefty has a very interesting game with his ability to get to the basket
like a power forward in a small wings body. Like Bazemore, he will be
underrated his entire career but knows how to hustle and make winning plays.
Chris Livingston-CF-Kentucky
6'7''/219/6'11.5''
6.3 PTS 3.3
REB
Fr./19.8
Hometown: Akron, OH
NBA Comparison: Wenyen Gabriel
BEST TOOLS: Versatility/Rebounding/Hustle
Livingston was a highly rated recruit that
played limited minutes in his one season in Lexington. He will be drafted clearly
on potential. He has a nice skill set but is a very hard evaluation at this
point.
Toumani Camara-PF-Dayton
6'8''/220/7'0.5''
13.9 PTS 8.6
REB 36.8%-3 PT 1.2 STL
Sr./23.1
Hometown: Brussells, Belgium
NBA Comparison: Chuma Okeke
BEST TOOLS: Defense/Length/Rebounding
Camara could develop into a 3 and D and small ball
four in the right system. He has a nice combination of production and length.
Tosan
Evbuomwan-SF-Princeton
6'8''/215/7'1.5''
15.1 PTS 6.3
REB 4.9 AST
Sr./22.4
Hometown: Newcastle, United Kingdom
NBA Comparison: Kyle Anderson
BEST TOOLS: Playmaking/Versatility
Tosan hopes to join Yale’s Miye Oni in 2019 as
the only Ivy League players drafted this century. He is filled the stat sheet
at Princeton and with his skill set and length will have a good chance to make
an NBA roster. He really helped his stock as Princeton’s best player on their tournament
run as a 15 seed that made the sweet sixteen.
Drew Peterson-SF-USC
6'9''/192/6'9.75''
13.2 PTS 6.9
REB 4.3 AST
Sr./23.6
Hometown: Libertyville, IL
NBA Comparison: Kyle Weaver
BEST TOOLS: Versatility/Playmaking/Hustle
Peterson is a versatile and athletic point
forward that is a jack of all trades type of player. He played five years in
college and improved every year. He has a chance to get drafted late in the second round.
Jalen Slawson-SF-Furman
6'8''/222/6'11.75''
15.6 PTS 7.1
REB 3.2 AST 39.4%-3PT 1.5 STL 1.5 BLK
Sr./23.7
Hometown: Summerville, SC
NBA Comparison: Torrey Craig
BEST TOOLS: Long Range Shooting/Defense/Versatility
Slawson is another do it all player from a small school. He can make it in the league as a 3 and D guy if he continues to improve his shooting.
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