2023 NBA Draft Shaping Up to Have Plenty of Swing Picks

The top of each NBA Draft is oft talked about.

Be it Zion Williamson, the 2021 trio or 2023 phenoms Victor Wembanyama and Scoot Henderson, the buzz is usually all about those first few picks off the board.

And while all those players are going to be pivotal to winning over the next decade or so, the draft is truly won in the middling picks. Grabbing Giannis Antetokounmpo 15th overall. Back-to-back MVP Nikola Jokic in the second round. Or searching for a shooter but finding much more in Desmond Bane.

Make no mistake, the 2023 NBA Draft has plenty of talent up top. But when that’s the case, it just pushes even more talent further back, leading to valuable picks going later than expected.

As far as freshman, there’s already been several who have underperformed who would be considered swing picks, were they drafted today. The 7-foot duo of Oregon’s Kel’el Ware and Duke’s Dereck Lively come to mind first.

Other highly-lauded players from the 2022 high school class, Duke’s Dariq Whitehead, Texas’ forward Dillon Mitchell and UCLA’s Amari Bailey, haven’t exactly played like lottery picks so far this season, but NBA teams are looking to play the long game.

There’s plenty of other value picks to be had following the lottery and even near the end of the first to the second round.

Arkansas’ forward Trevon Brazile and NBL product Rayan Rupert are both lengthy, high-potential players who lost their season to injury. And both have premier upside looking forward.

Florida State’s Baba Miller has yet to see action due to suspension. And there’s a variety of shooters who haven’t seen great years, but have clean, projectable strokes that team’s could key in on.

There’s bound to be plenty of fireworks in the lottery, but be sure to stay for the afterparty that will be the rest of the 2023 NBA Draft.

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