Re-Drafting the 2023 NBA Draft’s Lottery

The 2023 NBA Draft was mostly lauded for its grand prize of Victor Wembanyama, who’s more than lived up to the hype through a few short seasons. But the rest of the class was viewed positively in real time.

With three seasons now under their belts, the 2023 class is shaping up to be a relatively normal class, with Wembanyama still serving as the cherry on top. There's been a number of surprises and dissapointments, though there's still plenty of time for each prospect to figure things out.

Below, we’ll re-draft the ’23 class three years later:

1. Victor Wembanyama, Spurs

Original pick: No. 1

As easy as re-draft selections get, Wembanyama has been the most transformation No. 1 pick in the last decade, hitting the ground running in the NBA and turning the Spurs into a contender in a matter of years.

2. Brandon Miller, Hornets

Original pick: No. 2

There have been some small issues with Brandon Miller’s career through three seasons, though he’s likely still the best bet as the No. 2 overall pick in the class, as he was on draft night.

He’s averaged over 20 points for the second straight season, and need only to raise his efficiency to cement himself as one of the league’s top young scorers.

There have been a handful of more impactful 2023 draftees, though it’s still worth betting on him refining the edges of his game as a score-first wing.

3. Amen Thompson, Rockets

Original pick: No. 4

The biggest question on draft night was “will Amen Thompson be able to shoot the 3-pointer?” Years later, it’s still a massive question mark, as he just shot 22% from three in his junior season.

Despite that, he also just inked a massive deal due to his overall impact, which still includes 18.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.5 steals per game.

4. Keyonte George, Jazz

Original pick: No. 16

The biggest surprise from the class so far, Jazz’ guard Keyonte George takes one of the biggest leaps here, selected at No. 16 on draft night. He trailed only Wembanyama in points per game last season, going for 23.6 per game on a lowly Jazz team.

There are questions about how George will fit with new No. 2 pick Darryn Peterson in Utah, though it’s clear that the Jazz have a key cog in George in the backcourt.

5. Ausar Thompson, Pistons

Original pick: No. 5

Ausar hasn’t yet matched his Houston counterpart in scoring, adding just 9.9 points per game. But he’s been vital to the identity of the Pistons’ defense, earning First Team All-Defense honors last season.

Thompson averaged 2.0 steals and shot 53% from the field, and now needs to scale up his production.

6. Cason Wallace, Thunder

Original pick: No. 10

7. Anthony Black, Magic

Original pick: No. 6

8. Dereck Lively II, Mavericks

Original pick: No. 12

9. Toumani Camara, Trail Blazers

Original pick: No. 52

10. Jaime Jaquez Jr., Bucks

Original pick: No. 18

11. Brandin Podziemski, Warriors

Original pick: No. 19

12. Brice Sensabaugh, Jazz

Original pick: No. 28

13. Bilal Coulibaly, Wizards

Original pick: No. 7

14. Scoot Henderson, Trail Blazers

Original pick: No. 3

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