The 2023 National Basketball Association (NBA) Draft took place on June 24 and, as expected, the San Antonio Spurs selected 7-foot-4 French prodigy Victor Wembanyama with the first overall pick. There were, however, a few surprises in the subsequent picks as teams attempted to round out their rosters for the upcoming 2023-24 season and potentially find future superstars.
Here’s a look at the top-five picks in the 2023 NBA Draft.
1. Victor Wembanyama (San Antonio Spurs)
After a few years of rebuilding, the Spurs were rewarded by winning the 2023 NBA Draft Lottery and earning the right to select first overall. The organization made the obvious choice in drafting Wembanyama, the consensus top pick since the beginning of the season. At 7-foot-4 with an 8-foot wingspan, Wembanyama is a physical specimen with impressive ball-handling and offensive skills along with dominant defensive abilities. He is arguably the most hyped NBA prospect since LeBron James.
Wembanyama, who is still only 19, averaged 21.6 points, 10.4 rebounds, 3 blocks, and 2.4 assists per game with Metropolitans 92 in France. He played just two games for the Spurs NBA 2K24 Summer League team in Las Vegas, Nevada, in July, recording 36 points, 20 rebounds, eight blocks, and three assists in 54 minutes.
In his scouting report of Wembanyama for The Ringer, Danny Chau said Wembanyama has the potential to be an all-time great and perennial Defensive Player of the Year nominee: “He has the quick hands to poke at the ball against would-be attackers and he can block shots using either hand. He even makes blocking jumpers look easy because of his length, outstanding closing speed, and constant effort.”
2. Brandon Miller (Charlotte Hornets)
After weeks of questions as to whether the Charlotte Hornets would select Brandon Miller or Scoot Henderson with the second overall pick, the team opted for positional need in drafting Miller, a 6-foot-9, 200-pound wing from Antioch, Tennessee. Henderson, a point guard, would have had to compete for playing time alongside LaMelo Ball and Terry Rozier, who led the team in scoring in 2022-23. Miller, meanwhile, has a chance to play significant minutes on the wing, where Charlotte lacks depth.
Miller is also considered a better shooter than Henderson, which is crucial for the Hornets, which finished 29th out of 30 teams in three-point efficiency at 33 percent last season. Miller shot 38.4 percent from three-point range last season with the University of Alabama and averaged 18.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game. He won the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Rookie of the Year and Player of the Year and was the SEC Tourney MVP.
The Hornets’ selection of Miller received a mixed reaction among the 5,000 fans who attended the team’s draft party at the Spectrum Center in downtown Charlotte. Miller had a slow start during Summer League, but had a breakout performance in Charlotte’s 97-93 loss to the Trail Blazers, recording 26 points on 8-of-15 shooting.
3. Scoot Henderson (Portland Trail Blazers)
Although ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported in May that the Trail Blazers would be “willing” to deal the third overall pick in the draft, the team opted to keep the pick and select Henderson, a 6-foot-2, 195-pound guard who, at just 19 years old, has already proven himself against NBA-caliber players. Henderson spent the last two seasons with the G League Ignite in the NBA G League. He forewent his final year of high school, signing a seven-figure deal with the team at 17 and averaged 14.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.2 assists in 10 exhibition games in the G League Showcase Cup as a rookie.
Henderson’s play improved in the 2022-23 season, averaging 17.6 points, 6.6 assists, and 5.1 rebounds in 19 games. His combination of athleticism, skill, and maturity have garnered Henderson comparisons to Ja Morant and Russell Westbrook, among other All-Star guards.
4. Amen Thompson (Houston Rockets)
Amen and his twin Ausar Thompson made history in the 2023 NBA Draft, becoming the first brothers selected inside the top 10 picks in the same draft. Amen, who was selected fourth overall by the Houston Rockets, is a 6-foot-7 small forward with a 6-11 wingspan and dynamic athleticism. There are questions about his shooting ability, but he can handle the ball and is a solid playmaker with great leaping power and pace.
Both brothers played for Overtime Elite, a development program for elite high school athletes, last season and Amen, at fourth overall, is the program’s highest-ever draft pick. He averaged 16.4 points, 5.9 rebounds, 5.9 assists, and 2.3 steals per game in 2022-23.
5. Ausar Thompson (Detroit Pistons)
Ausar, who was selected fifth overall by the Detroit Pistons, averaged 16.3 points and 7.3 rebounds, 6.1 assists, and 2.4 steals per game with Overtime Elite last season. He was even better in the playoffs, averaging 21 points per game and winning Finals MVP for the second consecutive season. Ausar, who like his brother has “all-world athleticism,” has been compared to Andrew Wiggins.