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ACC Basketball: What to expect from league’s 2023 NBA Draft picks?

By Earlzo Singleton

Mar 19, 2023; Albany, NY, USA; Miami (Fl) Hurricanes guard Isaiah Wong (2) high fives guard Harlond Beverly (5) after a play against the Indiana Hoosiers during the first half at MVP Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 19, 2023; Albany, NY, USA; Miami (Fl) Hurricanes guard Isaiah Wong (2) high fives guard Harlond Beverly (5) after a play against the Indiana Hoosiers during the first half at MVP Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports /
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NCAA Basketball
NBA Draft Duke Blue Devils center Dereck Lively Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports /

The NBA draft, much like the recently passed MLB draft, is filled with slam-dunk impact players or homerun picks! Players who come from rough backgrounds that just want to buy their parents a house and tell them to quit their job (with a two-week notice, of course!)

That’s the exciting part for the players, but for the fans of the teams that drafted them, and for the fans that followed their journeys in college, the impact they’ll have in the NBA is what they’re focused on. The ACC had five players drafted, freshmen Derek Lively Jr, Dariq Whitehead, seniors’ Hunter Tyson, Jordan Miller, and Isaiah Wong.

Lively and Whitehead are expected to contribute right away to some compacity offensively but mostly defensively. One would hope that their offensive game comes into its own at the next level. Some comparisons that come to mind are with guys like Shawn Marion and Jimmy Butler, who had defensive mindsets at the beginning of their careers. Their offense came along slowly, but they became offensive juggernauts by their third year. The second-round picks to NBA standards are always mostly misses but sometimes there are surprises. Here’s what you can expect from the former ACC Basketball standouts who were drafted.

Derek Lively Jr, – C, Duke University (1st round,12th pick- OKC Thunder)

Lively was ranked the #2 prospect in the country out of high school because of his length. Fast forward to this year’s draft class, and the same can be said about why he was a lottery pick. His stats don’t jump off the page, as he only averaged 5.2 points per game, 5.4 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks per game.

He’s not expected to be a major contributor offensively, but his length and defensive presence were appealing to the Thunder. With 7’2″ shot-blocking Chet Holmgreen and now 7’1″ Derek Lively Jr., the Thunder can, in a few years, bolster two all-defensive team players. A comparison that gets thrown around for Derek Lively is Javale Mcgee.