NBA Draft 2023: Overall takeaways and key grades from draft results
Team Hauls
Six teams made three or more draft selections. Let’s grade the hauls.
Portland Trail Blazers: A
Scoot Henderson – 1.3
Kris Murray – 1.23
Rayan Rupert – 2.43
The Blazers made the fairly obvious decision going Henderson at No. 3. Adding Murray at 23 blends a good mix of youth, while also adding a rookie that is ready to contribute right away. Murray will be 23 years old on opening night, but he was uber competitive in the Big10. He doesn’t have the same physicality as his brother Keegan but is the same mold of the low-usage wing/four that should space the floor and add some defensive versatility.
They used their lone second-round selection on French wing Rayan Rupert, who I had a mid-first-round grade on. He’s a bit of a project, but I’m surprised he fell this far. I don’t think he’s that much worse of a prospect than Ousmane Dieng, who went 13th in the 2022 Draft.
Rupert had an unimpressive season in the NBL but has the physical tools and defensive tenacity to be a plus NBA defender in the long-run. If the shot comes around, he’s easy to see sticking as a three-and-D player and fits their young core.
Atlanta Hawks: B+
Kobe Bufkin – 1.15
Mouhamed Gueye – 2.39
Seth Lundy – 2.46
I was a tad surprised Bufkin, a notable pre-draft riser, fell into the Hawk’s lap at 15. As a combo guard, Bufkin should pair nicely next to both Dejounte Murray and Trae Young. This was a tad early for Gueye for me, but he’s a big, skilled big man that had some real promising offensive flashes and tools. He needs some G-League seasoning, particularly on the defensive end, but this is a unique piece that fits their future theoretically.
Anyone who would listen to me the past month knows I thought Seth Lundy would be a value pick. A thick-bodied, long-armed, four-year college player, Lundy is one of the most underrated shooters in this draft. He followed an impressive senior season with a strong pre-draft. Lundy may be a little maxed out physically, but he seems like an easy player to pigeonhole into a 3-and-D role and fits the Hawks’ high-usage on-ball guards well.
Brooklyn Nets: B+
Noah Clowney – 1.21
Dariq Whitehead – 1.22
Jalen Wilson – 1.51
Clowney and Whitehead are both “birth-certificate bets” being two of the younger players in the class. I’ve been a fan of Clowney’s “three and rim protection” upside and had a lottery grade on him. The Nets have a funky roster but don’t necessarily have their frontcourt piece for the future and as Clowney believer, I think it can be him.
Whitehead was a fine gamble in that range. A once-projected lottery pick, Whitehead had an injury-riddled season, including another foot surgery during the pre-draft process. The Nets have the wing depth to let Whitehead get healthy and grow. I do wonder if he isn’t as athletic as we initially thought, and his on-ball reps wouldn’t have been as dominant, but he shot it well from deep and has some three-and-D potential long-term.
Wilson was an uber-productive college wing but lacks some of the athletic pop or bankable NBA skills to feel confident about him as an NBA player. But on a two-way, he should be a positive G-League player and can fill in on a given night for the NBA team. It wasn’t sexy, but it was fine.