Cason Wallace, Chris Livingston Included in Latest ESPN Mock Draft
With the 2023 NBA draft just eight days away, mock drafts are flying in hot and heavy.
The professional route has collected four now-former Kentucky Wildcats, as guard Cason Wallace and forwards Chris Livingston, Oscar Tshiebwe and Jacob Toppin all have their name in the draft pool.
On Wednesday, ESPN's resident draft expert Jonathan Givony released a new mock draft, projecting 2022 McDonald's All-Americans Wallace and Livingston to hear their names called on June 22.
Wallace, who — as reported by Givony — is headed to the Barclays Center to be in the green room on draft night, is tabbed to fall No. 15 overall in the first round to the Atlanta Hawks, though he says the combo guard is tough to peg for a specific spot on the board:
"Wallace is a player with one of the biggest draft ranges of any prospect in the class, starting with Washington, Utah and Dallas in the top 10 and continuing through the late teens depending on how the night evolves," Givony wrote. "A tough, defensive-minded combo guard such as Wallace, who can operate in various lineups, could make sense in either their present situation or a future one depending on how the franchise proceeds with Trae Young."
Down toward the end of the second round, Livingston is placed at No. 53 overall, going to the Minnesota Timberwolves in a pick that comes via the New York Knicks.
Livingston was a hot topic surrounding the state of Kentucky basketball, as though many thought a second season in Lexington would serve the would-be-sophomore well, he and his agency Klutch Sports Group felt the time to move onto the pros was now.
Draft talk has been quiet surrounding Toppin, while Tshiebwe has continued to work out for teams as he attempts to swipe a pick late in the second round, most recently with the Indiana Pacers.
The draft will begin around 8 p.m. ET on June 22 and will air on ESPN.
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