The least surprising part of the 2023 NBA Draft was the first overall selection.
The San Antonio Spurs confirmed the least protected secret in sports when they chose French phenom Victor Wembanyama with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft on Thursday in New York.
Wembanyama, 19, is considered the most coveted draft prospect since LeBron James in 2003.
“This is accomplishing something that I have been dreaming of my whole life,” Wembanyama said on ESPN’s broadcast. “Hearing that sentence from (NBA commissioner) Adam Silver, I’ve dreamed of it so much that I have to cry, man.”
Listed at 7-foot-4, Wembanyama is expected to be an immediate difference-maker in the NBA. He has strong floor play, likes to shoot from outside and is effective in the interior.
Wembanyama averaged 20.6 points, 10.1 rebounds, 3.0 blocked shots and 2.5 assists in 44 games this season for the Boulogne-Levallois Metropolitans 92 this season.
The Spurs have won five NBA titles under coach Gregg Popovich and have previously hit the No. 1 overall draft pick jackpot twice with the selections of future Hall of Famers David Robinson (1987) and Tim Duncan (1997).
“We’re thrilled that we were able to bring Victor on board,” Popovich said at a press conference. “He’s obviously a heck of a talent, a very mature young man. But just like with every draft pick, whether it’s the first pick or the 27th pick, or the 38th pick, we have a responsibility to each and every one to try to create an environment where they can reach the best success possible for them. …
“We’re going to get him on the court, and we’re going to see him play, and we’ll go from there.”
Wembanyama wants to join Robinson and Duncan as championship winners.
“It’s tough to win in this league,” Wembanyama said. “My goal is to try and learn as much as possible because I want to win that ring.”
Alabama forward Brandon Miller went No. 2 overall to the Charlotte Hornets, and G League Ignite point guard Scoot Henderson went third to the Portland Trail Blazers.
The Thompson twins went back-to-back to round out the top five selections. Amen Thompson went to the Houston Rockets at No. 4 and Ausar Thompson went fifth to the Detroit Pistons.
The Overtime Elite products are the first brothers to be selected in the first round of the same draft since Markieff Morris (13th to the Phoenix Suns) and Marcus Morris (14th to the Rockets) in 2011. They are also just the second set of brothers to be selected in the top five, joining Lonzo Ball (No. 2 to the Los Angeles Lakers in 2017) and younger brother LaMelo (No. 3 to the Hornets in 2020).
Charlotte, meanwhile, was torn between choosing Miller or Henderson. The Hornets ultimately went with Miller, who is a better fit with point guard LaMelo Ball.
“I think I kind of fill in a place for him,” Miller said of Ball. “He’s a great vet now and he has the most experience. I know he will be the big brother for me away from home.”
Miller was the Southeastern Conference Player of the Year during his one college season. He averaged 18.8 points and 8.2 rebounds.
Henderson played two seasons in the G League. He averaged 17.6 points, 6.6 assists and 5.1 rebounds last season.
He is the second-highest drafted player out of the G League. Jalen Green was selected second overall by the Rockets in 2021.
“They are getting a dog who is going to come in and be hungry,” Henderson said of joining the Trail Blazers. “I’m young but I’ve got a mature mindset and that’s to work and come in and make a real impact, not just the basketball side but in the community. They’re getting a special player, a special person.”
Amen Thompson, a 6-6 guard, averaged 16.4 points, 5.9 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 2.3 steals last season, his second with Overtime Elite.
“I’m excited to be a Rocket, … just playing with these athletic guys,” Thompson said. “I feel like my best brand of basketball is running. We’re a young team.”
Ausar Thompson, a swingman, averaged 16.3 points, 7.1 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 2.4 steals last season.
“I’ve never seen anything like this,” Ausar Thompson said of being drafted in the top five along with his brother. “It feels nice to make history with Amen.”
At No. 6, the Orlando Magic chose Arkansas guard Anthony Black. The Indiana Pacers followed by picking French forward Bilal Coulibaly, who was a teammate of Wembanyama on the Metropolitans 92. The Washington Wizards took forward Jarace Walker at No. 8.
Minutes later, Indiana traded Coulibaly to the Wizards for Walker and two 2028 second-round draft picks.
UCF forward Taylor Hendricks went No. 9 to the Utah Jazz. The Dallas Mavericks chose Kentucky guard Cason Wallace to round out the top 10, then traded him to the Oklahoma City Thunder along with forward Davis Bertans for No. 12 pick Dereck Lively II, a center from Duke.
The other lottery selections were Michigan guard Jett Howard at No. 11 to the Orlando Magic, Kansas guard Gradey Dick at No. 13 to the Toronto Raptors and UConn guard Jordan Hawkins at No. 14 to the New Orleans Pelicans. Hawkins starred during the Huskies’ run to the national championship.
The Atlanta Hawks chose Michigan guard Kobe Bufkin at No. 15 as he and Howard became the first set of top-15 Wolverines’ draft picks since 1994. Juwan Howard, the current Michigan coach and father of Jett, went fifth overall to the then-Washington Bullets that year, and Jalen Rose was selected 13th by the Denver Nuggets.
The Jazz selected Baylor guard Keyonte George at No. 16, the Lakers tabbed Indiana guard Jalen Hood-Schifino at No. 17, and the Miami Heat chose UCLA forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. at No. 18.
At No. 19, the Golden State Warriors picked Santa Clara guard Brandin Podziemski. Villanova forward Cam Whitmore, projected by some draft prognosticators as a top-five pick, finally went off the board at No. 20 to the Rockets.
Among the late first-round selections, Iowa forward Kris Murray was chosen by Portland at No. 23. Murray is the twin brother of Keegan Murray, who set the NBA rookie record for 3-point baskets (206) last season.
Houston guard Marcus Sasser was selected 25th overall by the Memphis Grizzlies and is expected to be dealt to the Pistons. He was the Cougars’ first consensus first-team All-American since Hakeem Olajuwon (1983-84 season).
Gonzaga guard Julian Strawther was picked at No. 29 by the Pacers, and he is expected to end up with the NBA champion Denver Nuggets. The final pick of the first round was Missouri forward Kobe Brown, chosen by the Los Angeles Clippers.
In the second round, the Thunder selected Kansas State guard/forward Keyontae Johnson with the 50th overall pick. Johnson, then playing for Florida, collapsed on the court during a game in December 2020 and was in a medically induced coma for three days. He returned to action last season at Kansas State, and last month an NBA panel cleared him to play in the league.
Kansas first-team All-America forward Jalen Wilson went at No. 51 to the Brooklyn Nets.
UCLA guard Jaylen Clark, the Naismith Defensive Player of Year who stayed in the draft despite tearing his right Achilles tendon in March, was selected 53rd overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Another first-team All-American, Indiana forward Trayce Jackson-Davis, was selected by the Wizards at No. 57.
Kentucky center Oscar Tshiebwe, the national player of year in 2021-22, and UConn forward Adama Sanogo, the Most Outstanding Player at the 2023 Final Four, went undrafted.
–Field Level Media
