Last year, on my old account, I made a big board consisting of 11 prospects. Here is the link, if you want to check it out: https://fanspo.com/u/Banchero/draft-big-boards/YXxHH2WQHvEN3D/paolo4mvp-2023-nba-draft-bord
It was my first time ranking pre-NBA prospects or really watching them at all. I have not done anything similar this year, but I hope to do so in 2025. Anyway, I saw a SROS video last week where he reacted to his draft grades and it made me remember I had a draft board of my own. Starting from the top:
Victor Wembanyama
I said Wemby was in a “class of his own” and one year in, I stand by that take. Whether he ends up with both or not, he deserves to win both Rookie of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year. He’s averaging practically the same stats in the NBA as he did in the French League, with a minutes restriction for the first half of the season. Even if his team remains subpar, I expect some LeBron-esque carry jobs out of Wemby in his career. At some point he will probably have to go through a 70+ win Thunder team for a ring, and I have no doubt in his ability to do so. Wembanyama stands at the top of this draft.
Scoot Henderson
Henderson had a bad start to his rookie season but he is starting to improve as he gets more NBA experience. I described his weakness as improvement “beyond the arc” which is accurate, considering he is shooting just 32% from three. I still think he can develop into his pre-draft comparison of (pre-suspension/injury) Ja Morant.
Brandon Miller
I was always big on Brandon Miller and I called him a “Kevin Durant lite”. That comparison has been given to players like Brandon Ingram and Miller has been a dominant scorer this season, averaging 17.3 points on 46/38 splits. It took Ingram several years to achieve this type of success, while a rookie Kevin Durant was comparable to Miller. While I don’t believe Miller will ever be as unstoppable as KD has been for years now, he should still have a solid career ahead of him and be a perennial All-Star in the near future.
Jarace Walker
I was super high on Walker in the pre-draft process and wanted the Pistons to pick him 5th overall. I liked his IQ, how nothing he did felt forced. He didn’t get much burn in the NBA this season but the Pacers refused to give him up in a Siakam deal so they obviously still place high value on him. I’ll have to re-assess this one in a few years, because for now it is too early to tell.
Ausar Thompson
Looking back, I should’ve ranked Thompson top three. I saw him as a versatile player offensively but nothing special, which is accurate for his rookie season on that end. However, I completely missed his defense and how he was already above average on that end as a rookie. Assuming the blood clots go away, Thompson will have a great career with several All-Defense appearances and be one of the most underrated players in the league next year and for quite a while.
Keyonte George
I liked George in pre-draft, thought he had a high ceiling as a scorer without being too terrible of a liability outside of that. I thought that someday he would be the second option on a championship team and he has already become a major part of the rotation for the Jazz. I can see him and Markkanen having a bright future on the team with the worst logo in the league. His comparison was Jalen Green, prior to this breakout season, but I think George’s career could follow a similar trajectory. Like Ausar Thompson, George will probably be a borderline All-Star in the future who probably will deserve to make the game but could receive some small market bias.
Nick Smith Jr.
I was a big Nick Smith guy entering the draft, I had him above a lot of guys. He was a pure bucket in college but I worried about his ability to perform under pressure. He has been out of the pressure in Charlotte and he’s been performing solidly as a backup, averaging 6 points in 14 minutes a night shooting 43% from beyond the arc. 7 was a bit high for NSJ, but I didn’t scout as many prospects as some others did, and right now I’d rank him 8th out of the scouted prospects. Prime Derrick Rose plus shooting was a wild comparison, though.
Brice Sensabaugh
Sensabaugh was the “mid” prospect out of the guys I scouted. He’s a good scorer, but nothing special outside of that. He’s been averaging 7.5 points in 18 minutes a night for Utah and that seems about right from my scouting. Someday, Sensabaugh will be a starter on a playoff/play-in team, but not yet.
Amen Thompson
Not sure why I was this low on Amen Thompson, especially after rating his brother so much higher. I had him 9th but literally called him Bigger Russ. I didn’t trust him in the half court, or defensively, but those things matter less and less in the modern NBA. Thompson should be top-8 in this class in the future. This is the ranking I feel worst about in hindsight.
Jalen Hood-Schifino
I watched JHS in the Big 10 tournament and was not impressed. I barely remembered hearing his name. In the NCAA tournament, he had also been very inefficient, and I was worried that he would be a non-factor under any amount of pressure. I was very unhappy when my Lakers drafted him in the first round. So far, I have been proven right on Hood-Schifino. Playing alongside LeBron in the big market of LA has been a lot of pressure and he’s been awful. I stand by ranking him second to last out of the prospects I watched.
Cam Whitmore
I hated Cam Whitmore’s game in college and I still hate it in the NBA. The man does not pass! He won Jxmy’s “the possession ends here” award by passing less than Michael Porter Jr. I wrote an article about him before the draft, one in the preseason, and one relatively recently outlining everything I dislike about him, but it can be summed up as follows: Low IQ, no passing, bad attitude. I thought 20 was too high to be picking Whitmore and I stand by ranking him last out of the prospects I watched in this draft class.
What were your thoughts on this class before they entered the league? Have these prospects lived up to your expectations, or were they off? Let me know your opinons in the comments.