With the First Pick: November Mock Draft

By Luke Scotchie

As we approach the quarter-mark for the NBA season, we’re starting to get a good idea as to whether or not each team has what it takes to hold the Larry O’Brien Trophy in June. Some teams, like the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks, have already displayed the skill and talent to make a deep playoff run this year, while teams like the Golden State Warriors and Miami Heat have stumbled to start the season.

But a consolation prize exists for the Heat, Warriors and other teams that have not had as much success on the court as they initially anticipated: an early selection in the loaded 2023 NBA Draft.

I’ve already mentioned it in my previous article, but this draft class has “generational” written all over it. Its members have the potential to not only change the fortune of their teams, but even the sport of basketball as we know it.

From multiple can’t-miss celebrity prospects to breakout stars, this draft class truly has it all. It’s the best consolation prize a lottery team could ever ask for. But who will be those teams? And which players will they pick? Well, we won’t know that until late June. But we can still speculate. I’ve created my first of many 2023 NBA Mock Drafts based on the current NBA standings and the players who, at this point, have risen above the rest of this possibly legendary draft class.

Below is the first of my many 2023 NBA Mock Drafts. I should mention that I am making decisions for each team as if I were their general manager, not what I believe they will do. In addition, this is not a “Big Board,” or any other prospect rankings list. That will come later. This article is simply what I believe the 2023 NBA Draft should look like if it were being held right now, at the quarter-season mark. Let’s get started.

Draft order is based on the NBA standings as of November 28, 2022, in descending order

Obviously, the 2023 NBA Draft will not look like this. Certain lower-seeded teams could get hot and rise closer to the top, especially in a season where teams are looking to lose more than ever. Conversely, some teams that look like playoff contenders right now could be vying for Victor by the end of February (I’m watching you, Utah).

The draft order will inevitably change between now and June, but this order could foreshadow the range as to which teams would be picking where. And if the draft turned out like this, I’m confident that most of these selections would immediately improve their teams.

Despite how deep I believe this draft class to be, the true prize is at the top: Victor Wembanyama. At 7’4”, he would tie Houston Rockets big man Boban Marjanovic as the tallest active NBA player if he played tomorrow, but he has the grace, quickness and fluidity of an NBA guard. He can make several shots that most professionals don’t dare to attempt, such as floaters from the three-point line and pull-up jumpers from Stephen Curry range.

He also happens to be an all-time defensive prospect, as he’s quick enough to guard the perimeter; tall and strong enough to dominate the rim; and smart and active enough to help, rotate and switch at a moment’s notice.

He’d fit in on any basketball team, some of whom will do everything to get him, but he fits especially well on the Detroit Pistons. He would make an excellent pick-and-roll partner for rising star Cade Cunningham, he can screen for Jaden Ivey’s locomotive-fast drives, and his gravity would clear up space for sharpshooters Saddiq Bey and Bojan Bogdanovic.

He would also form a deadly defensive duo with Jalen Duren, as they have the tools to both serve as brick walls in the paint and play point-of-attack. Any team would be lucky to have Wembanyama wear their jersey, and he would especially thrive with the Pistons.

Even though the Orlando Magic just barely missed the top spot in this mock draft, they come out with a future all-star of their own in Scoot Henderson. He has almost every tool you’d want in a point guard, from blazing speed to electric athleticism to elite playmaking to great shotmaking.

His only weakness is a slightly inconsistent 3-pointer, but he’d still be a perfect fit for a Magic team that struggles with producing consistent offense and availability from their guards. Pairing an efficient scorer like Henderson with a talented playmaker like Markelle Fultz would instantly improve the team’s lackluster shot-making, and his presence alone would take some pressure and gravity away from of Rookie-of-the-Year frontrunner Paolo Banchero, one of the few effective shotmakers on this team. The future looks bright in Orlando, but it would definitely look brighter if they had Scoot Henderson.

I think my favorite player-to-team fit in this mock draft is Villanova’s Cam Whitmore to the Charlotte Hornets. The Hornets have plenty of holes, but their biggest priority in the draft needs to be finding a true replacement for Miles Bridges. Whitmore is a very powerful dunker and finisher the way Bridges was, and he would provide the Hornets with admirable defense and a possible catch-and-shoot presence.

With uncertainty surrounding P.J. Washington’s contract and the injury-prone Gordon Hayward, Whitmore would also provide consistency at the forward spot for Charlotte. The Hornets are far away from contention, but adding Whitmore gets them one step closer.

I talked briefly about Baylor’s Keyonte George and Alabama’s Brandon Miller in my previous article, and they’ve only gotten better since then. Both have a serious shot at cracking the Top 5 of this stacked NBA Draft, and the New Orleans Pelicans and Oklahoma City Thunder would be lucky to take them just outside of it.

I don’t know how Pelicans head coach Willie Green will distribute his team’s minutes next year, but he’d be almost certain to give George plenty of them. Even if his elite shot-making doesn’t separate himself from the rest of that team, George’s equally excellent playmaking will benefit the many talented scorers in New Orleans.

Miller will fit in just as well in Oklahoma City as his bucket-getting ability will intimidate any opposing defense. I worry about Miller’s willingness to attack, but playing next to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander means that he wouldn’t have the offensive pressure to do so.

Another player-to-team fit I really like is Kentucky’s Cason Wallace to the New York Knicks. Wallace is someone I talked extensively about in my last article, as one of the draft’s best two-way players. He plays elite perimeter defense and provides excellent shooting, two things that the Knicks absolutely need from their guards. The Knicks rank dead last in 3-point shooting, and adding a talented catch-and-shooter like Wallace to pair alongside Jalen Brunson would remedy many of New York’s weaknesses.

Speaking of shooters, you might be surprised to see Gradey Dick so high, but I think he’s a perfect fit for the Mavericks, who desperately need shooting and off-ball scoring. Luka Doncic desperately needs wings he can pass to, as there’s only so much that Reggie Bullock and Dorian Finney-Smith can do. Dick fits right in as the best shooter in this draft class, while being a very underrated attacker. I have high hopes for Dick this season, and if the Mavericks finish inside the lottery and take him here, I believe he’d be well-worth the risk.

Like I said, there’s so much more basketball to be played, but for some teams, the 2023 NBA Draft starts today, and this year’s race to the bottom will rival anything we’ve ever seen before. I’m interested to see how this draft class plays out, and this mock draft provides, at the very least, a very good start.