(From 3/13/2023) 2023 NBA Big Board 2.0
Re-publishing my 2nd attempt at a big board for 2023, initially published about 6 weeks before 3.0. Note there were quite a few prospects who I hadn't slotted on my board yet, and LOTS of movement too
Couple retrospective notes:
Nick Smith and JHS were definitely too high. Nick Smith just hasn’t done anything in HS or at Arkansas to be worth a top 10 pick, and he isn’t built like one either. JHS I still like, but his at-rim efficiency is pretty brutal. I love his pull-up game, but it’s a little troubling that he isn’t efficient as either a driver all the way to the rim, or as a catch & shoot threat from the perimeter.
I stand by Wemby, Scoot and Miller all being in their own tiers. I think those are the three clear best prospects in this draft, and in that exact order.
I was happy to see that I had the four shooters (Jett, Gradey, Hawkins & Brice) grouped together from 12-15. I think that group ought to be evaluated against each other, as they have clear similarities that make the differences even more stark.
Having Taylor Hendricks and Rayan Rupert in the same tier was a mistake. I’m still not as sold on Hendricks as some folks, but he has a clear fit at a valuable position on both offense and defense - that’s a lottery talent every day of the week
GG at 24 is understandable, but just the wrong choice in my mind. The NBA Draft is a futures market, and the variance is immeasurably high - I’d rather take a gamble on the 6’9 fluid shot-maker that has some growing up to do than say Jalen Wilson or Julian Strawther.
You can tell I was running out of names starting in tier 8. Hunter Tyson especially is a guy that I still have faith in, and don’t understand why he as a 6’7 shooter with decent athleticism is never discussed, but at the same time doesn’t belong at #30 on my board.
Actually still pretty happy with this section. Kobe Brown, Baylor Schierman, and Reece Beekman are players that I still see as heavily undervalued by the market, and would feel comfortable spending an early 2nd round pick on.
This is the section where returners really start to pop up, with guys like Filipowski skipping the draft altogether and several other guys simply testing the waters, likely to return to school.
Note: This is a list of players that I was not confident in ranking at the time, but was aware they could be worthy of a 1st round grade.
One name obviously missing from this list in retrospect is James Nnaji over at FC Barcelona
All in all I feel pretty decent about this second swing at a big board. The new tiers system that I’m working with certainly changes the look and rhythm of reading the board, but I feel more confident that some of my strongly held beliefs are coming through in my evaluations over time, which is reaffirming.
As always, feel free to leave a comment or tweet at me to tell me what dumb ranking I made, or how crazy I am to leave your favorite sleeper off my board - find me on Twitter @HirdItHereSports, make sure to subscribe here and as always hope you enjoyed!