NBA Draft 2023: Latest mock draft after San Antonio Spurs get No. 1 overall pick
169. . PG. Houston Rockets. Amen Thompson. 4. player
Compared to the two brothers, Amen is more of a ball-handler and is capable of playing at point. At 6’7 and 210 pounds, Thompson is a big guard that can defend and so far, bigger facilitators have had plenty of success at the NBA level. While his shooting skills are still developing, he’s too good of a pure passer for a team without a franchise-level PG to pass up.
Houston would qualify as a team without a point guard, as Kevin Porter has essentially been playing out of position for the past two years. He and Jalen Green are an outstanding scoring duo but having a facilitator such as Amen Thompson could take the offense and the Rockets overall, to the next level.
34. . Guard. Portland Trail Blazers. Scoot Henderson. 3. player
If it wasn’t for the existence of Wembanyama, Henderson would’ve had a great chance at being the No. 1 overall NBA Draft pick. The 6’2 guard is a pure passer that can also score at a high level. The star of the G League Ignite team has already proven he can dominate against pros and as a two-way playmaker, can quickly become one of the top ball-handlers in the league sooner than later.
It really doesn’t matter who Portland has, as they have to take Henderson if he’s there at No. 3. He and superstar guard Damian Lillard can co-exist or the franchise can have its future star guard if they finally decide to start the rebuild and trade him. With Anfernee Simons and last year’s top-10 pick Shaedon Sharp on board, the Blazers would have a loaded backcourt capable of competing.