2023 NBA Draft

[azzefkram]

The Field of 68 scouting report on Dereck

[UrinalCake]

Huge news for Clemson as PJ Hall withdraws from the draft. I'm happy for them and hopeful that this elevates the conference just a smidge.

[JasonEvans]

Huge news for Clemson as PJ Hall withdraws from the draft. I'm happy for them and hopeful that this elevates the conference just a smidge.

WOW!!!

I really did not expect that as he performed really well at the G-League camp and got an invite to the main NBA combine. It wasn't a sure-thing that he would be drafted, but certainly seemed likely. I think it was a sure-thing that he would at least get a 2-way deal.

This is massive for Clemson... cannot be understated. They have had some nice success in the portal this summer, but without Hall I think most folks probably saw them as a bubble NCAA tourney team. That all changes now. I think they probably now slot in something like 3rd or 4th (alongside Miami) in the conference in the pre-season standings.

This is great news for the ACC. It is one of many pro-or-stay decisions that could serve to really boost the conference in the national rankings.

-Jason "I bet someone at Clemson (a booster) stepped up in a pretty big way to ensure that Hall had a really nice NIL incentive to come back... nothing wrong with that" Evans

[tommy]

I see the other big decision for the ACC as PJ Hall. Seems like he is fairly likely to get taken somewhere in the back half of the second round and would at least get a 2-way deal from a NBA club. I suspect he will stay in the draft.

Hall has withdrawn from the draft and will return to Clemson. Good for the Tigers and the ACC.

Edit: ooops sorry you beat me to it!

[MChambers]

Huge news for Clemson as PJ Hall withdraws from the draft. I'm happy for them and hopeful that this elevates the conference just a smidge.

I hope his return means Clemson beats UNC.

[brevity]

Dereck Lively II took part Thursday in the Klutch Sports Pro Day with Arkansas' Nick Smith Jr and Alabama's Noah Clowney. Ball Dawgs tweeted a short video specific to Lively.

The Field of 68 scouting report on Dereck

A few hours after The Field of 68 posted their discussion of Lively, we see Jeff Goodman and Randolph Childress make a scouting report video of Dariq Whitehead.

[scottdude8]

Marquette's Olivier-Maxence Prosper is staying in the draft: https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/...ying-nba-draft

Prosper is the first significant loss for Marquette this offseason, a team that has been a fixture in the Top 5 of most Way-Too-Early lists considering they were expected to return almost every contributor on their Big East Championship squad.

[tommy]

Marquette's Olivier-Maxence Prosper is staying in the draft: https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/...ying-nba-draft

Prosper is the first significant loss for Marquette this offseason, a team that has been a fixture in the Top 5 of most Way-Too-Early lists considering they were expected to return almost every contributor on their Big East Championship squad.

Not surprising. From several accounts I have read about the recent combine, Prosper was the guy who stood out the most, and helped himself the most. He's a first rounder now.

[camion]

Not surprising. From several accounts I have read about the recent combine, Prosper was the guy who stood out the most, and helped himself the most. He's a first rounder now.

Yeah, I could definitely see that guy prosper in the NBA.*







*I know you were all thinking it.

[dukelifer]

Yeah, I could definitely see that guy prosper in the NBA.*







*I know you were all thinking it.

I think with that thought you should go forth and …

[brevity]

Marquette's Olivier-Maxence Prosper is staying in the draft: https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/...ying-nba-draft

NBA.com: "Under NCAA rules, in order to retain college basketball eligibility, college players who have entered NBA Draft 2023 must withdraw by Wednesday, May 31."

The following lists will need updating by then, but for now, here are the testing-the-waters players who have announced one way or the other. Stats in parentheses are PTS/REB/AST from the 2022-2023 season.

Withdrawing from the draft and returning to college (ACC, then other power conferences, then mid-majors)

Joe Girard, Clemson (16.4/2.8/3.0 at Syracuse)
PJ Hall, Clemson (15.3/5.7/1.0)
Casey Morsell, NC State (11.8/4.4/0.9)
Norchad Omier, Miami (13.1/10.0/1.3)
Nijel Pack, Miami (13.6/2.7/2.3)
Quinten Post, Boston College (15.1/5.6/1.5)

Frankie Collins, Arizona State (9.7/4.1/4.3)
Marcus Domask, Illinois (16.7/5.8/3.8 at Southern Illinois)
Tyrese Hunter, Texas (10.3/3.0/2.5)
Meechie Johnson, South Carolina (12.7/3.7/3.6)
Pelle Larsson, Arizona (9.9/4.3/3.1)
Tramon Mark, Arkansas (10.1/4.9/1.8 at Houston)
Kevin McCullar, Kansas (10.7/7.0/2.4)
Rayqwandis Mitchell, Penn State (17.3/3.8/1.6 at UMKC)
Tyrece Radford, Texas A&M (13.3/5.3/2.4)
Tolu Smith, Mississippi State (15.7/8.5/1.7)
Qudus Wahab, Penn State (9.6/7.1/0.4)

Keylan Boone, UNLV (13.9/4.2/0.8 at Pacific)
Jordan Ivy-Curry, UTSA (10.3/2.6/1.5 at Pacific)
Toby Okani, Illinois-Chicago (11.0/7.1/2.3)
Rob Perry, Murray State (14.4/4.8/1.8)
Zhuric Phelps, SMU (17.5/3.7/3.2)
Isaiah Stevens, Colorado State (17.9/3.4/6.7)
Tyler Thomas, Hofstra (16.5/3.8/1.3)

Staying in the draft or otherwise going pro (ACC, then other power conferences, then mid-majors)

Bobi Klintman, Wake Forest (5.3/4.5/0.8)

Manny Bates, Butler (11.6/5.5/1.4)
Charles Bediako, Alabama (6.4/6.0/0.6)
Mouhamed Gueye, Washington State (14.3/8.4/1.9)
Olivier-Maxence Prosper, Marquette (12.5/4.7/0.7)
Uros Plavsic, Tennessee (4.9/3.4/0.7, reach 84", knockouts 23, TKO 15)

Damezi Anderson, Detroit (9.4/4.5/1.0)
Omari Moore, San Jose State (17.4/4.7/4.8)
Brandin Podziemski, Santa Clara (19.9/8.8/3.7)

[Phredd3]

Uros Plavsic, Tennessee (4.9/3.4/0.7, reach 84", knockouts 23, TKO 15)

OK, bravo for this. I had to highlight it, in case others just skimmed the list.

[brevity]

AOL/Raleigh News & Observer: Duke freshman Dereck Lively II says NBA teams will be ‘surprised’ by what he brings

Free reprint of a paywall article by Adam Zagoria.

ESPN draft analyst Jonathan Givony says Lively has the potential to be a different player in the NBA because “he’s 19 years old right now, he’s at a very early stage of physical development, his offensive game is a major work in progress, so for him to have the kind of NBA career he wants to have, he’s going to have to develop different parts of his game and put some weight on his frame. That’s going to be the big thing for him.

“He got pushed around a lot at Duke, especially early in the season, but you can’t argue with the shot-blocking ability that he brings,” Givony said Friday in a conference call. “He’s probably the best rim-protector in this draft — five blocks per 40 minutes — (has) the ability to cover ground on the perimeter and he’s that switchable big man that everybody’s looking for. That’s really intriguing.”

I don't think anyone has posted this highlight video from No Ceilings NBA recapping Dereck Lively II's season. It's broken down into scoring, then playmaking, then defense.

Dereck Lively II took part Thursday in the Klutch Sports Pro Day with Arkansas' Nick Smith Jr and Alabama's Noah Clowney. Ball Dawgs tweeted a short video specific to Lively.

Sam Vecenie @Sam_Vecenie

For what it's worth, the two NBA Draft Prospect Pro Days I've gotten the most positive feedback on from sources across the NBA over the last week:

Cam Whitmore and Dereck Lively.

Some others helped themselves. But those two are by far the ones where feedback was most effusive.

7:35 AM · May 27, 2023

[clinresga]

Dereck Lively II took part Thursday in the Klutch Sports Pro Day with Arkansas' Nick Smith Jr and Alabama's Noah Clowney. Ball Dawgs tweeted a short video specific to Lively.

Loved his 3 pt stroke in the video. I've said all along that his offensive game will follow his defensive game. When it does, he'll be another unicorn.

[Furniture]

Loved his 3 pt stroke in the video. I've said all along that his offensive game will follow his defensive game. When it does, he'll be another unicorn.

Some team will get a bargain!

[JasonEvans]

Pitt's Blake Hinson has pulled out of the draft and will return to Jeff Capel's squad. Has to be a potential preseason first-team All-ACC pick. Huge news for Capel and gives Pitt a very legit chance to get back to the Big Dance next season. Hinson and URI transfer Ishmael Leggett will form one of the conference's better backcourts and they bring Federiko Federiko and the Diaz-Graham twins back in the front-court. If they allow 5-star redshirt recruit Dior Johnson (he was suspended last year after being convicted of assault) to play this could be a really good squad.

[dukelifer]

Pitt's Blake Hinson has pulled out of the draft and will return to Jeff Capel's squad. Has to be a potential preseason first-team All-ACC pick. Huge news for Capel and gives Pitt a very legit chance to get back to the Big Dance next season. Hinson and URI transfer Ishmael Leggett will form one of the conference's better backcourts and they bring Federiko Federiko and the Diaz-Graham twins back in the front-court. If they allow 5-star redshirt recruit Dior Johnson (he was suspended last year after being convicted of assault) to play this could be a really good squad.

Looks like the ACC will be stronger this year.

[sagegrouse]

Looks like the ACC will be stronger this year.

Maybe we'll win some damned games in November!

[MChambers]

UK takes a big hit, with Tshiebwe staying in the draft, as are two other UK players. None are expected to be first round picks and they all may go undrafted.

https://theathletic.com/4568638/2023...ba-draft-2023/ (paywall, unfortunately)

[DukeTrinity11]

Wow, Kentucky lost Tshiebwe, Livingston and Antonio Reeves to the draft and its likely none of them will be drafted.

Meanwhile, Scheyer returns 3 5 star freshmen and a senior 5 star PG.