The recently concluded 2023 NBA draft was the most watched draft in the history of the league. Nearly five million viewers tuned in to watch the most hyped prospect ever, French big man Victor Wembanyama, get drafted by the San Antonio Spurs as the number one overall pick of the night.
The fortunes of an NBA franchise largely depend on their ability to see talent on a different scale. Of course, there will be players who will perform beyond the expectations projected for them while many others will never live up to their selections.
Today, we will discuss the five absolute worst picks from the 2023 NBA draft and the five greatest selections. In this list, we will justify why these players deserve their spots in the draft and why others do not.
WORST: Denver Nuggets, Hunter Tyson, 37th Overall
While Tyson’s game improved in each of his seasons with Clemson, this is quite a reach for the Nuggets who selected him at 37th overall in the draft.
At the age of 23, Tyson is one of the oldest prospects in the draft. His game was overvalued in Clemson as he was battling younger opponents nightly. The Nuggets could have traded for him in the latter part of the draft or signed him as a free agent as there was a possibility that he ended up undrafted.
BEST: Orlando Magic, Anthony Black, 6th Overall
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Black largely flew under the radar after a good year with Arkansas, but many analysts predict that his game is much more suited for the NBA rather than the college game.
A 6’7″ point guard, Black is not going to dominate opponents with his athleticism but he can do it through his savvy basketball IQ. Black is a smooth operator on offense and legitimately could run a team from the get-go next season.
WORST: Utah Jazz, Brice Sensabaugh, 28th Overall
A one-and-done prospect, Sensabaugh was a big-time scorer at Ohio State as a freshman. But the Jazz perhaps reached too far to acquire the 19-year-old as the 28th overall pick in the draft.
A lot of teams are cautious about players who put up empty stats on a losing team. Even if Sensabaugh won the Big Ten Conference Freshman of the Week three straight times, Ohio State still lost a ton of games. There’s no doubt that Sensabaugh can score, but there’s little optimism he can improve his abysmal defensive efforts.
BEST: Detroit Pistons, Ausar Thompson, 5th Overall
Many were surprised about Ausar’s high selection at the number five spot, but make no mistake – he is a baller. He displayed much of his potential during his time with Overtime Elite alongside his highly regarded brother, Amen.
Ausar is a defensive pest that has the tools to develop into a legitimate scorer like Toronto’s O.G. Anunoby. If he can improve his shooting at a much faster rate, this young Detroit team will be a problem a couple of years from now.
WORST: Denver Nuggets, Julian Strawther, 29th Overall
Another baffling pick by the Nuggets. Strawther can definitely score, but his defense is a lot less to be desired. Perhaps they are looking to replicate Christian Braun’s success last year, but the 21-year-old Gonzaga guard is not ready to contribute to the recent champions in their title defense next season.
Expect to see Strawther get some run time in the G-League to develop his abilities because it looks like won’t have much playing time when the season starts.
BEST: Houston Rockets, Amen Thompson, 4th Overall
Amen has a better offensive repertoire than his twin, Ausar, but both are NBA-caliber defensively. He still has an inconsistent jumper but is already showing tremendous improvement in that area.
More importantly, he is more than capable of running Houston’s offense next season due to his size, athleticism and basketball IQ. In addition, Amen is already considered as one of the most athletic players in the league even if he hasn’t logged any NBA minutes yet.
WORST: Washington Wizards, Bilal Coulibaly, 7th Overall
A high-risk, high-reward prospect, Coulibaly has the makings of a potential bust rather than a potential star in the league. Unlike his teammate Victor Wembanyama, Coulibaly has yet to play enough high-quality basketball so far in his career.
Getting drafted into the NBA will be a monumental leap for the young Frenchman but how he’ll perform against the greatest basketball players in the world on a nightly basis remains a mystery. He’s like Frank Ntilikina but a bigger version and that’s not a good comparison to begin with.
BEST: Portland Trail Blazers, Scoot Henderson, 2nd Overall
At just 6’2″, Henderson is a dynamic athlete that could have played in the league a couple of years ago if the high school-to-pro rule didn’t exist. Scoot is the most NBA-ready among all the players drafted in 2023 and the Blazers definitely struck gold with this one.
If Lillard gets traded this offseason, Henderson will undoubtedly become Portland’s immediate main offensive weapon next season. He will be named an All-star sooner rather than later.
WORST: Orlando Magic, Jett Howard, 11th Overall
Many pundits were surprised by this pick, considering there were still a lot of talented players who had a much higher ceiling than Howard.
The son of former NBA player Juwan Howard, Jett has the size and tools to succeed at the NBA level, but he still has a lot of things to improve on to contribute on a nightly basis, particularly with his shot selection and display more effort on the defensive end.
BEST: San Antonio Spurs, Victor Wembanyama, 1st Overall
Perhaps the most hyped prospect ever, the 7’3″ beanpole could legitimately become one of the best players in his generation barring any significant injury in his NBA career.
The league has never seen a player like Wembanyama. Despite his towering size, the 19-year-old phenom has the handles of a guard and the shooting prowess of a small forward.
And with him landing in the Spurs’ lap – a team that is famous for their dedication in developing foreign players – we can all expect that Wembanyama will fulfill his potential and terrorize the league for years to come.
