Jackson-Davis, Hood-Schifino Projected First-Round Picks in NBA Mock Draft
The 2023 NBA Draft is just under a month away, and CBS Sports' Kyle Boone released his latest mock draft Friday afternoon.
France's 7-foot-4 phenom Victor Wembanyama has been the anticipated No. 1 pick for over a year, and that remains the case now, with the San Antonio Spurs winning the lottery.
Perhaps less expected over the last year has been the rise of a pair of Indiana Hoosiers into the first round. Trayce Jackson-Davis declared for the draft in 2022, but after catching COVID-19 just before the combine, coupled with a second-round projections, he returned to Indiana for his senior year.
Jackson-Davis was a unanimous first-team All-American in 2022-23, averaging 20.9 points, 10.8 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.9 blocks with a 58.1 field goal percentage. He became Indiana's all-time leader in rebounds and blocked shots and rose all the way to No. 3 on the program's all-time scoring list.
If his dominant senior season wasn't enough, Jackson-Davis has seemingly improved his stock throughout NBA Draft process. At the combine, he ranked first among centers in standing vertical, max vertical, 3/4 court sprint and the shuttle run, not to mention showing off his often-questioned 3-point shooting stroke.
"I feel really really good about how I did,'' Jackson-Davis told HoosiersNow.com in an exclusive interview at the NBA Combine after starting 9-of-12 in a 3-point drill. "Teams here have never seen me shoot the ball, so showing them I have the ability to space the floor is good for me. I just have to keep building on it, and I have a pro day here on Friday, so it's all good."
Jalen Hood-Schifino arrived at Indiana as a top-25 recruit, but it was no guarantee that he'd take the one-and-done route to the NBA. The 6-foot-5 guard started his freshman campaign alongside veteran point guard Xavier Johnson in the back court, but Hood-Schifino confidently took the reins of Indiana's offense when Johnson suffered a season-ending foot injury in December.
Indiana coach Mike Woodson put his trust in the freshman, and by March, Hood-Schifino improved his draft stock to a borderline lottery pick. He earned Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors, highlighted by his 35-point effort in Indiana's win at Purdue.
"I'm the type of player that I'm never going to shy away from the bright lights or the moment," Hood-Schifino told Big Ten Network's Andy Katz. "As you see whenever the ball's put into my hands, great things happened, and it allowed me to take off and have a successful season and put me in a position to potentially be a lottery pick and first round pick."
Hood-Schifino is No. 13 on Boone's prospect rankings, but he was selected with the No. 15 pick by the Atlanta Hawks in this mock draft.
"NBA teams are always on the hunt for combo guard/creators like Hood-Schifino, and he flashed enough on both ends at Indiana to push for a potential lottery spot in this year's draft," Boone wrote. "Great frame, really good defensively, and knows how to attack and make plays off the bounce. His shot needs to become more developmentally consistent but the tools here are undeniable."
Boone slotted Jackson-Davis No. 29 in his prospect rankings, but had the Sacramento Kings selecting Indiana's first-team All-American with the 24th pick in the first round.
"Big men who don't shoot 3-pointers don't pop off the page as definite first-rounders, and yet Jackson-Davis by most measures appears to be an anomaly," Boone wrote. "He's a dominant interior scorer and rebounder who shows great touch and makes great plays as a passer, and there is optimism in NBA circles that he will in time develop into a floor-spacer."
Related stories on Indiana basketball
- JACKSON-DAVIS PERFORMS AT NBA COMBINE: Indiana's Trayce Jackson-Davis never made a three-pointer at Indiana, and never bothered to even shoot them in a game. But at the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago on Monday, he showed he can step out and make shots when asked. He made 9 of his first 12 three-point attempts in a shooting drill, and performed well in the other events as well. CLICK HERE
- HOOD-SCHIFINO COMMENTS ON DRAFT POTENTIAL: Former Hoosier guard and projected lottery pick Jalen Hood-Schifino caught up with Big Ten Network's Andy Katz at the NBA Combine in Chicago to talk about how he believes he'll translate to the NBA. CLICK HERE
