Final Draft Board & Mock | Podcast

As draft week is upon us, we run through a final draft board, discussing risers and fallers, while orienting ourselves to industry consensus rankings, and wrapping up with a final mock draft.
2023-24
draft
preview
Author

Adam Bushman

Published

June 19, 2023

Intro

Welcome to Jabber Jazz | Fan-driven, Ad-free content on Utah Jazz basketball

Adam Bushman Twitter | @adam_bushman

Today:

  • Run through final big board
    • Chat risers/fallers
    • Orient to industry expectation
  • Execute final draft simulation

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Approach

  • Measureables (height, weight, etc.)
  • Positions (offense, defense)
  • Impression of how they carry themselves
  • Physical traits
  • Offense, defense traits
  • Comparisons to NBA forerunners
  • Disclaimer on order and tiers
    • No confidence short term (first half of rookie deal) any player is better/worse than another
    • Tiers demonstrate confidence in long term (4-6 years) that the avg player in T1 > T2
    • Order within the tier is based on personal preference

Tier 1

No changes

Adam Bushman's Big Board
2023 NBA Draft | As of June 19th, 2023
Range Prospect Name Club Name Position Measures
Tier: 1
1 1 - 1 Victor Wembanyama Metropolitans92 Wing
Big		 7'4"
229 lbs
19.5 yrs
Adam Bushman | Twitter: @adam_bushman

Tier 2

No changes

I like Brandon and Scoot virtually the same. My own personal blend of metrics rates them out as equal prospects. I cede to Miller based on the position nad height.

Adam Bushman's Big Board
2023 NBA Draft | As of June 19th, 2023
Range Prospect Name Club Name Position Measures
Tier: 2
2 2 - 4 Brandon Miller Alabama Wing
Wing		 6'9"
200 lbs
20.6 yrs
3 2 - 3 Scoot Henderson G League Ignite Guard
Guard		 6'2"
195 lbs
19.4 yrs
Adam Bushman | Twitter: @adam_bushman

Tier 3

One change is GG Jackson falls out of this tier.

I’m perfectly content with one of these players at 9, though as is demonstrated with the order, Hendricks is probably my least favorite option. Ideally, Jazz can pick from 2-3 of the below.

Adam Bushman's Big Board
2023 NBA Draft | As of June 19th, 2023
Range Prospect Name Club Name Position Measures
Tier: 3
4 4 - 7 Jarace Walker Houston Forward
Forward		 6'7"
249 lbs
19.8 yrs
5 3 - 7 Cam Whitmore Villanova Wing
Forward		 6'6"
235 lbs
19.0 yrs
6 6 - 9 Ausar Thompson Overtime Elite Wing
Wing		 6'6"
218 lbs
20.4 yrs
7 3 - 7 Amen Thompson Overtime Elite Guard
Wing		 6'6"
214 lbs
20.4 yrs
8 6 - 9 Anthony Black Arkansas Guard
Guard		 6'6"
210 lbs
19.4 yrs
9 8 - 17 Cason Wallace Kentucky Guard
Guard		 6'3"
195 lbs
19.6 yrs
10 7 - 14 Taylor Hendricks UCF Forward
Forward		 6'8"
214 lbs
19.6 yrs
Adam Bushman | Twitter: @adam_bushman

Tier 4

Jalen Hood-Schifino, 4 spots ahead of industry:

  • I buy the defense
  • Midrange capable like he is in the PnR can be a major weapon in the playoffs

Dariq Whitehead, 11 spots ahead of industry:

  • There’s a lot of self-creation masked at Duke
  • Injuries hid a lot of his athleticism

Maxwell Lewis, 9 spots ahead of industry:

  • He’s very fluid, deceptively quick first step
  • Has a foundational skill set in everything
  • His recruitment and path through Pepperdine was weird

GG Jackson, 12 spots ahead of industry, 5 spots lower than previous:

  • Rumors of poor interviews, workouts, etc.
    • Some appears valid, others appear as smoke screens
  • I just buy the package and am willing to take the big swing
  • Would absolutely take him at #16; at #28 I’d be pissed if Utah didn’t grab him

Leonard Miller, 4 spots ahead of industry, 8 spots ahead of previous:

  • Watched more of the high school tape; demonstrated a lot of initiation, passing
  • Effort and diversity of his game shown at Ignite was impressive

Bilal Coulibaly, 7 spots behind industry

  • Physical displays are impressive
    • Official measurements
    • Crazy fluid and confident
    • Thinner than anticipated
  • More raw than most admit; closer to Rayan Rupert than like Maxwell Lewis or Leonard Miller skill-wise right now
  • Don’t think there’s enough due hesitancy over that he’s played with a prospective Hall of Famer in Wembanyama and likely won’t with his new team

Gradey Dick, 9 spots behind industry

  • The lack of self-creation potential is unfortunate
  • Handle, wiggle are missing
  • Lack of defense is overrated

Dereck Lively II, 10 spots behind industry

  • I think there’s a lot of forcing Lively to DAL, NOP
  • Like Lively a ton but the C position isn’t ideal to invest in
    • They hit more often than G/F and are generally less valuable
  • Even in a redraft, given what we know about Kessler, he’s only going around 10

Nick Smith Jr., 8 spots behind industry

  • Didn’t like how he was always sped up
  • I think his floater style in the midrange and wanting to be ball dominant is a tough way to live in the NBA
Adam Bushman's Big Board
2023 NBA Draft | As of June 19th, 2023
Range Prospect Name Club Name Position Measures
Tier: 4
11 13 - 21 Jalen Hood-Schifino Indiana Guard
Guard		 6'4"
217 lbs
20.0 yrs
12 11 - 22 Kobe Bufkin Michigan Guard
Guard		 6'4"
187 lbs
19.8 yrs
13 20 - 30 Dariq Whitehead Duke Wing
Wing		 6'6"
217 lbs
18.9 yrs
14 15 - 35 Maxwell Lewis Pepperdine Wing
Wing		 6'6"
207 lbs
20.9 yrs
15 10 - 26 Keyonte George Baylor Guard
Guard		 6'4"
185 lbs
19.6 yrs
16 16 - 36 GG Jackson South Carolina Wing
Forward		 6'8"
214 lbs
18.5 yrs
17 13 - 27 Leonard Miller G League Ignite Forward
Forward		 6'9"
213 lbs
19.6 yrs
18 11 - 25 Jett Howard Michigan Guard
Wing		 6'8"
215 lbs
19.8 yrs
19 13 - 22 Jordan Hawkins UConn Guard
Guard		 6'4"
186 lbs
21.2 yrs
20 9 - 17 Bilal Coulibaly Metropolitans92 Wing
Wing		 6'7"
194 lbs
18.9 yrs
21 9 - 18 Gradey Dick Kansas Guard
Wing		 6'6"
204 lbs
19.6 yrs
22 10 - 19 Dereck Lively II Duke Big
Big		 7'1"
230 lbs
19.4 yrs
23 23 - 44 Sidy Cissoko G League Ignite Forward
Forward		 6'6"
224 lbs
19.2 yrs
24 14 - 36 Brice Sensabaugh Ohio State Wing
Wing		 6'6"
235 lbs
19.7 yrs
25 9 - 26 Nick Smith Jr. Arkansas Guard
Guard		 6'5"
185 lbs
19.2 yrs
Adam Bushman | Twitter: @adam_bushman

Tier 5

Any variation from industry average is likely captured in the range

Adam Bushman's Big Board
2023 NBA Draft | As of June 19th, 2023
Range Prospect Name Club Name Position Measures
Tier: 5
26 21 - 48 Colby Jones Xavier Guard
Wing		 6'5"
199 lbs
21.1 yrs
27 17 - 30 Kris Murray Iowa State Forward
Forward		 6'8"
213 lbs
22.9 yrs
28 22 - 40 James Nnaji Barcelona (ACB) Big
Big		 6'11"
251 lbs
18.9 yrs
29 29 - 44 Andre Jackson UConn Forward
Forward		 6'6"
198 lbs
21.6 yrs
30 18 - 42 Brandin Podziemski Santa Clara Wing
Wing		 6'4"
204 lbs
20.3 yrs
31 39 - 61 Jaylen Clark UCLA Wing
Wing		 6'4"
204 lbs
21.7 yrs
32 25 - 44 Marcus Sasser Houston Guard
Guard		 6'1"
196 lbs
22.8 yrs
33 31 - 57 Terquavion Smith NC State Guard
Guard		 6'3"
163 lbs
20.5 yrs
34 16 - 35 Noah Clowney Alabama Forward
Forward		 6'10"
210 lbs
18.9 yrs
35 20 - 38 Ben Sheppard Belmont Guard
Wing		 6'5"
195 lbs
22.4 yrs
Adam Bushman | Twitter: @adam_bushman

Tier 6

Any variation from the industry is likely captured in the range

Adam Bushman's Big Board
2023 NBA Draft | As of June 19th, 2023
Range Prospect Name Club Name Position Measures
Tier: 6
36 18 - 36 Rayan Rupert NZ Breakers Wing
Wing		 6'6"
193 lbs
19.1 yrs
37 28 - 45 Amari Bailey UCLA Guard
Guard		 6'3"
191 lbs
19.4 yrs
38 44 - 67 Omari Moore San Jose State Guard
Guard		 6'5"
189 lbs
22.8 yrs
39 43 - 65 Ricky Council IV Arkansas Wing
Wing		 6'5"
208 lbs
21.9 yrs
40 30 - 39 Trayce Jackson-Davis Indiana Big
Big		 6'8"
240 lbs
23.3 yrs
41 38 - 62 Mike Miles Jr. TCU Guard
Guard		 6'1"
205 lbs
20.8 yrs
42 34 - 59 Jalen Wilson Kansas Wing
Forward		 6'6"
230 lbs
22.6 yrs
43 23 - 45 Jaime Jaquez Jr. UCLA Forward
Forward		 6'6"
226 lbs
22.3 yrs
44 18 - 39 Olivier-Maxence Prosper Marquette Forward
Forward		 6'7"
212 lbs
21.0 yrs
Adam Bushman | Twitter: @adam_bushman

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