NBA Draft 2023: Breakout prospect candidates to watch in NCAA Tournament

Noah Clowney – Alabama – Freshman – 6’10, 210 lbs

Despite his teammate being the best prospect in college basketball this season, I continue to find Clowney extremely underrated by the consensus. He’s started and carved out a role on the best team in the country as an 18-year-old. Clowney first caught my eye in Portland with his combination of size and movement skills.

He has flashed the ability to protect the rim, and shoot from the perimeter (his percentage isn’t great, but he’s a willing shooter with capable mechanics). He plays hard and at worst should be able to carve out a low-usage role in the NBA. But, I believe Clowney has more upside as a shooter and play-finisher than he gets credit for.

Clowney’s ability to space the floor allows the Tide to play with even more spacing and small ball, as opposed to Charles Bediako at the five. For my money, this is the best team in the country but they will need a solid showing from Clowney to cut down the nets. I think NBA teams are a little more open to Clowney than the media, but I currently see Clowney sitting at 25-35 on boards. If the Tide can play their way into Houston, it wouldn’t shock me if he finished as a late lottery, top-20 pick.