2023 NBA Mock Draft Post-Combine: Top Ten Breakdown

Posted on by Jordan Saville

We take a look at the teams that the 2023 draft prospects have met with post-combine and provide a mock draft order ahead of draft day on Thursday June 22.

We don’t really need to discuss projected number one draft pick Victor Wembanyama, as San Antonio with the number one pick will be certain to snap him up.

The French superstar is projected to pump an extra half a billion dollars into the franchise’s value. Wild.

2. CHARLOTTE HORNETS: BRANDON MILLER

Despite supplying a firearm used in the fatal shooting of 23-year-old Jamea Jonae Harris, Miller wasn’t charged and is predicted to be the number two pick.

Miller has met with Charlotte, Indiana, Orlando and Chicago as his stock continues to rise.

Many in the NBA world have compared the sharpshooting wing to Paul George, which Miller agrees is fitting.

“I think I compare myself to Paul George a lot due to the fact he takes pride in the defensive side,” Miller told Hoops Hype. “I steal some of his moves and put my own twist to it.”

Charlotte have the number two pick, so if they decide to go with Miller he would compliment LaMelo Ball nicely with his 38.4 percent shooting from three.

3. PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS: SCOOT HENDERSON

Scoot Henderson was projected to be the number two pick for a long time but most NBA executives believe he will not rise to number two again, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony reported on Tuesday.

Givony did say “the door is still open for Henderson to blow Charlotte executives out of the water during his individual workout.”

He is being mentored by Warriors shooter Steph Curry and continues to workout with his trainer Brandon Payne.

The G League guard has drawn comparisons to Derrick Rose and Russell Westbrook but when asked about this earlier in the year Scoot said, “No, I want to have my own career…I want to go down my own path.”

Portland have the third pick but Scoot is strong trade bait if the Blazers want to create a championship calibre team around Damian Lillard.

Lillard has made it very clear he isn’t interested in a rebuild with young players.

4. HOUSTON ROCKETS: AMEN THOMPSON

Amen Thompson is confident in his ability to get into the paint, facilitate, and lock up on defense and models his game off Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Ja Morant, LeBron James, and De’Aaron Fox.

 

He could definitely be an elite playmaker on offense for the Rockets, who have the fourth pick. But with rumors of James Harden to Houston, Thompson could be traded away for a more experienced player to pair with Harden.

Thompson has already met with the Rockets but also met with Portland and Orlando at the combine.

5. DETROIT PISTONS: CAMERON WHITMORE

Cameron Whitmore is a year and half younger than the Thompson twins, which is a drawcard for NBA scouts.

Combine that with his shooting ability, standout size and athleticism, above-the-rim hops, wing defense and you’ve got yourself a very solid pick.

Detroit has the fifth pick and Whitmore would fit right in at the small forward position and continue to develop alongside young talent like Jaden Ivey and Cade Cunningham.

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6. ORLANDO MAGIC: AUSAR THOMPSON

Ausar is the twin brother of Amen and is an impressive athlete with the ability to be selfless on offense as the primary or secondary playmaker.

The combo wing likes to think he’s “a mix of Shai (Gilgeous-Alexander) and Jimmy Butler”, which sounds pretty great.

His brother thinks he is a top two defender in this class as well.

Thompson has an improving shot that currently sits at 29.8 percent.

Orlando hold the sixth pick so Thompson has met with the Magic along with Charlotte, Portland, Detroit, and Indiana.

7. INDIANA PACERS: JARACE WALKER

Jarace Walker will fit in instantly as an NBA-built power forward at any team and has greatly improved his stock because of how versatile he’s become.

“I feel like I’m a great playmaker getting my teammates involved, and I can knock down shots,” Walker said at the combine. “Defensively, I can guard multiple positions, coverage calls, pick-and-rolls.”

Walker met with San Antonio, Portland, Detriot, Utah and Oklahoma at the combine.

The Pacers have got the seventh pick so if Walker does head to Indiana he could be a long-term forward for the franchise and strike up a lethal combination with Tyrese Haliburton.

8. WASHINGTON WIZARDS: TAYLOR HENDRICKS

Taylor Hendricks has entered the top ten very recently because of his fantastic skillset as a reliable shooter beyond the arc, plus his strong defence and versatility giving him all the makings of 3-and-D player.

Last season for UCF the forward was recognized on the 2022–23 All-AAC and AAC All-Freshman teams and averaged 15.1 points and 6.9 rebounds per game.

Washington have the eighth pick and in a crazy coincidence, former Wizards guard John Wall was seen mentoring Hendricks last month.

 

9. UTAH JAZZ: ANTHONY BLACK

Anthony Black has impressed scouts with his elite defending and passing and is packaged as a pretty complete guard with an almost 6’8” wingspan.

With the right team, he could develop into one of the best two-way players from his draft and boasted the highest assist rate at Arkansas last season.

The Jazz are in need of some talent outside of Lauri Markkanen and without Mike Conley, acquiring a true point like Black guard should be very high priority on their list.

10. DALLAS MAVERICKS: GRADEY DICK

Kansas guard Gradey Dick is probably the best shooter in his class as he boasts 40.3 percent from three and possesses good size.

In transition, Dick shot 56.8 percent on fast-break triples. Of 44 attempts, he was an impressive 7-11 off the dribble and 18-33 on the catch-and-shoot attempts.

 

His size and shooting ability could see some interesting lineups be experimented with by Jason Kidd at Dallas – who have the tenth pick.

He is destined to be an NBA role player, which is something the Mavs are certainly in need of.

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