2023 Consensus NBA Mock Draft: Wembanyama a lock at No. 1, Hood-Schifino to Raptors

When it comes to the NBA Draft, one thing is for certain: Victor Wembanyama, a prospect like no other, is going to be taken No. 1 overall by the San Antonio Spurs. 

Past that, call it a box of chocolates or an improv night at a jazz bar because whatever comes next is anyone’s guess, particularly past the top-three picks. 

To best come to a conclusion on the general thoughts of where each of the prospects will land in an all-time “beauty is in the eye of the beholder” draft, we put together a consensus mock draft, aggregating selections from around the web. 

Players will be assigned to particular teams based on where mocks most commonly put them. Though rumours have swirled surrounding potential trades into the top-three picks, we won’t include any presumptive moves and will be sticking with the draft order as it was laid out on Wednesday. 

You can watch the NBA Draft on Sportsnet and SN ONE on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. ET / 4:30 p.m. PT. 

Results have been aggregated from The Athletic, The Ringer, ESPN, CBS Sports, Yahoo Sports and Bleacher Report.

There aren’t enough words to describe the preternatural abilities Victor Wembanyama possesses. From leading the LNB (French pro league) in blocks at 3.0 a game to the absolutely absurd viral videos of him hitting mind-bending one-legged floater 3-pointers or finishing a putback off his own 3-point miss, Wembanayama has been the prize for every team that committed to the tank. Unsurprisingly, it hasn’t been up for debate as to who the Spurs will take No. 1 overall. Lock this in. 

This is where the draft gets interesting, as Scoot Henderson, who has been the presumptive second-overall pick for most of the year, has a chance to be usurped by Brandon Miller. The Hornets are still expected to take the dynamic guard in the mould of prime Russell Westbrook to play alongside incumbent lead guard LaMelo Ball. The fit between the two is debatable, but the Hornets aren’t a team that should be drafting for fit. Henderson is the best player available. 

The Trail Blazers have long been the subject of rumours concerning their willingness to either trade the third-overall pick to give star guard Damian Lillard a real co-star. In this case, they’ll take forward Brandon Miller, whose NBA-ready frame and skillset could fit both timelines, giving Lillard the type of wing he’s never played with while also allowing them to stay young and build alongside Shaedon Sharpe and Anfernee Simons. 

The Rockets have also been the subject of speculation, with some wondering whether or not they’ll trade out of the fourth pick. Rumours about James Harden reuniting with them in the offseason have also been abound. In this case, they’ll take Amen Thompson from Overtime Elite. Though his shooting needs a ton of work, giving Jalen Green a proper distributor in the backcourt will be essential for both players achieving their potential. He’s also a strong defender, working well at the point-of-attack or using his 7-foot wingspan to disrupt passing lanes. 

With the Pistons' backcourt set between Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey, they’ll look to beef up their frontcourt alongside 2022 draftee Jalen Duren. Walker could be that guy for them, giving them a basketball player with a football player’s frame, capable of functioning as a terrifying rim-running asset in the pick-and-roll. He’s also a great playmaker out of the short-roll and a more than capable defender, able to switch 2-through-5 with relative success. 

As a young team that looks ready to take the next step, the Magic could do well to pick for fit at this point. With their core of Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner in place, an upgrade in the backcourt seems like the way to go. Black has incredible size for his position, making him a versatile threat on both ends of the court. He’s one of the smartest players in the draft, and though his assist/turnover rate wasn’t great (3.9/3.0), his high character and basketball IQ make him a solid piece to help the Magic take the next step. 

Taylor Hendricks has been one of the late risers in the pre-draft process, as the hyper-athletic forward from UCF displayed some serious two-way potential despite not being heavily scouted out of high school. He fits what the Pacers are lacking in a switchable defensive wing with high upside. On offence, he’ll be a great pick-and-roll weapon for emerging point guard Tyrese Haliburton and displayed an ability to knock down the deep shot, hitting 39.4 per cent of his looks in his one year of college. 

With Bradley Beal out the door, the rebuilding process has begun in Washington. As compared to his twin brother, Ausar Thompson is a much better shooter and is still just as capable a defender. Though he lacks the explosiveness of Amen, he’ll be a steadying presence on both ends for the Wizards if selected here.

The Utah Jazz seem to have found the first piece of their rebuild in Lauri Markkanen. Now, they can bolster their frontcourt with the explosive Cam Whitmore, whose three-level scoring ability and elite athleticism could turn the Jazz into one of the scarier offences of the future. If he improves his ability to read the game, this could turn into one of the steals of the draft. 

With their backcourt already in place and a bevy of role-playing wings at their disposal, the Mavericks could select big man Dereck Lively II here. Lively is the second-best defensive player in this draft, after Wembanyama. He swatted 2.5 shots a game in only 20 minutes of work and was a catalyst to Duke’s up-turn at the end of the season. The Mavericks need defence desperately and Lively could be the answer here. 

With their second pick, the Orlando Magic could select Gradey Dick here to bolster their shooting. The Magic shot 31.1 three-pointers per game last season (fourth-least) and knocked down 34.6 per cent of them (sixth-least). Dick could completely reshape their offensive profile, having knocked down 40.3 per cent of his deep shots last year while scoring 14.1 points a game. 

Last year, the Thunder snatched forwards with length for the majority of their selections, so this year they’ll have to bolster their guard depth behind stalwarts Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Josh Giddey. Kobe Bufkin has been a late riser in the process and saw a huge improvement on offence from his freshman to sophomore year, bumping his FG% from 38.0 to 48.2 percent and his 3P% from 22.2 to 35.5 percent. 

If incumbent guard Fred VanVleet takes his talents elsewhere, the Raptors, who were already bereft of guard talent, are going to have to fill their gaping hole. Jalen Hood-Schifino could be the selection here, as he fits the Raptors’ M.O. of going after long guys (6-foot-10 wingspan). He’s best in the pick-and-roll, an action the Raptors showed an affinity for after trading for Jakob Poeltl last season, and did great as a pull-up midrange shooter. If he’s able to extend his range beyond the three-point line, he could be the exact type of guard the directionally indecisive Raptors are looking for. 

After missing out on Hood-Schifino, the Pelicans can take a swing at one of the highest-upside players in the draft in Bilal Coulibaly. Despite being one of the youngest players in the draft, his physical tools are beyond his years, showcasing a freaky 7-foot-3 wingspan and a terrifying explosiveness. His defensive upside is massive, and he showed solid improvements in shooting from deep, knocking down 40 per cent of his catch-and-shoot looks.

Despite the headliners of the team being the guard duo of Trae Young and Dejounte Murray, the Hawks are actually sorely lacking guard depth. Cason Wallace is a heady defender, always willing to play the point-of-attack, and pairing him with Murray could make for a fearsome defensive tandem. He’s a good shooter off movement and has a steady pull-up game, meaning that he won’t need the ball in his hands too much to be effective alongside the more offensively gifted Young. 

With reports of Collin Sexton being available for a trade, the Jazz might look to add depth to their backcourt, selecting Keyonte George from Baylor. He’s not an efficient shooter, ending his one college season with a rough 37.6 per cent from the field, but he got his buckets in every possible way and projects to be a long-range threat at the next level. 

Over the years, the best fit alongside LeBron James has always been shooters. That’s exactly what the Lakers would get with Jett Howard, a 37 per cent three-point shooter on high volume while playing for his dad Juwan Howard at Michigan. He’ll need to improve on the defensive end, but the effort he puts in is clear. 

After a finals run like that, it’s hard to not picture the Heat as being only a piece away from the title. Jordan Hawkins could be a solid complementary piece. He’s got championship pedigree after winning the National Championship and averaging 16 points a game on 50 per cent from deep during their run. Miami uses a ton of movement to get shooters open and Hawkins fits the bill perfectly as someone who can hit it off any action. 

With Donte DiVincenzo likely leaving the Warriors in free agency, picking up a player in his mould could be a good way to replace his underrated production. Brandin Podziemski is a late bloomer but has shown legit chops as a knockdown shooter, hitting 43.8 per cent of his looks last season. He’s a solid connector, always knowing when to make the extra pass, and is a solid off-ball defender. 

Olivier-Maxence Prosper could be the first Canadian off the board and could bring a renewed defensive identity to the Rockets. His massive 7-foot-1 wingspan and quick feet allow him to be extremely switchable on the defensive end. He saw his draft stock grow at the combine, showing improvements to his shooting that teams will hope translates to the NBA. 

Nick Smith Jr. entered this college season as the No. 1 recruit in the country according to 247 Sports. However, he was hampered by injury and inconsistent during his one year with the Razorbacks. Smith provides a similar scoring prowess to Nets player Cam Thomas but can provide more of a burst off-ball on cuts or dribble hand-offs. 

Jaime Jaquez, who spent four years at UCLA, would be the oldest player drafted. He’s an experienced player who could slot into a Nets team that doesn’t necessarily want to rebuild at this point, and could instead see themselves retooling around Mikal Bridges and savvy competitors such as Jaquez.  

If Leonard Miller were to fall this far, he could be the steal of the draft for the Trail Blazers, as his upside can make him one of the more tantalizing prospects come draft night. The Scarborough, Ont., native saw marked improvements during his one year with the Ignite, averaging 17 points and 10 rebounds a game while playing in their professional scheme. With questions still surrounding the direction the Blazers are heading, taking Miller here might be an indication of a shift in focus toward development and rebuilding. 

Why not pair Keegan Murray, last year’s fourth-overall selection, with his twin brother Kris? When the Kings selected Keegan Murray last season, they drafted a player with a high floor who would complement exactly what the team needed. Taking Kris here would be much of the same as a talented on- and off-ball defender who saw a massive jump in scoring during his last season at Iowa.

With the Celtics trading up into the first round, they could look to replenish their wing depth with Grant Williams likely to walk and losing Danilo Galinari in the trade for Kristaps Porzingis. Dariq Whitehead came into the season as the No. 2 recruit, according to 247 Sports, but similarly to Nick Smith Jr., he was hampered by injury. He underwent a second foot surgery in the offseason. He’s a talented scorer, knocking down 42.9 per cent of his looks from deep.

Brice Sensabaugh likely isn’t made to be a first option, and with Indiana, he absolutely won’t have to be. Through the first 19 games of the collegiate season, he shot an incredible 47.7 per cent from long range and was adept at creating his own looks. He’ll need to work on his defence but another shooting option for Haliburton to feed is never a bad thing.

In his senior season at Belmont, Ben Sheppard averaged 18.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.4 steals and shot an incredible 41.5 per cent from deep. He made the Missouri Valley All-Defence team and teams have liked his competitive edge during the draft process. He could slot in as a much-needed 3-and-D role player for the lacking Hornets.

Selecting Rayan Rupert here is about getting a guy with long-term upside. He won’t be a contributor on an NBA court just yet, as he averaged only 5.9 points a game in the NBL last season. However, his physical tools are there as the athletic wing carries a 7-foot-2 wingspan with incredible lateral quickness and a good nose for the ball. 

Original selection: James Nnaji, C, Barcelona

The Nuggets won games in the playoffs in every way imaginable, but what was most notable was their physical dominance over the Lakers. Noah Clowney adds to that particular aspect of their game and brings centre depth to a team oddly lacking that. He projects to be a more versatile defensive tool, capable of switching onto smaller wings. Though he shot only 28.3 per cent from deep on the year, that number is mostly hamstrung by a 2-for-16 stretch to start the season. 

Original selection: Dariq Whitehead, G/F, Duke

Though the Clippers weren't able to complete the trade for Malcolm Brogdon, the idea of getting a bigger guard who can function as a secondary playmaker remains the same with this selection. Colby Jones saw marked improvements to his three-point shooting in his junior year, jumping from 29.2 to 37.8 per cent. Like Brogdon, he's a capable defender, able to use his size and length to switch onto bigger assignments.