It’s the easiest call of the 2023 NBA draft: The San Antonio Spurs won.
That’s not to say other teams didn’t do very well Thursday night — and into the wee hours of Friday — when 58 players were selected as the league’s newest additions. But the Spurs having the No. 1 overall pick and being able to take generational talent Victor Wembanyama, a 7-foot-4 French teenager with a versatile game, puts them at the head of the class.
Some of the other teams that did well: the Denver Nuggets, who are coming off their first NBA championship; the Golden State Warriors, who won half of the league titles awarded from 2015 to 2022; the Toronto Raptors, even with just one pick for the 2019 champs; and the Orlando Magic, who might now be closer to returning to the postseason mix.
Here’s a report card for each team that drafted, broken down by the categories of excellent, good, wait and see.
EXCELLENT
Dallas Mavericks
Picks: Dereck Lively II (12, via trade); Olivier-Maxence Prosper (24, via trade).
The Mavs got the big man they wanted and created opportunity by moving Davis Bertans, so it’s hard to argue this wasn’t a good night in the Big D. And now free agency awaits. Prosper is another player with big potential and was extremely hard to guard at Marquette.
Denver Nuggets
Picks: Julian Strawther (29), Jalen Pickett (32, will be acquired via trade), Hunter Tyson (37).
Pickett should have gone in the first round. He’s that good, and the NBA champions just got another do-it-all guy who will also serve as insurance if Bruce Brown leaves in free agency.
Detroit Pistons
Picks: Ausar Thompson (5), Marcus Sasser (25, via trade), James Nnaji (31).
No matter what, the Pistons were going to get better and deeper in this draft. Thompson is incredibly athletic (even by NBA standards) and plays defense with a ton of energy.
Golden State Warriors
Picks: Brandin Podziemski (19), Trayce Jackson-Davis (57, via trade).
The Warriors played to their strength, getting another shooter to add to the Splash Brothers mix of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. Podziemski could bring something right away, and he joined not long after they crafted a deal for veteran point guard Chris Paul by sending Jordan Poole to the Washington Wizards.
Houston Rockets
Picks: Amen Thompson (4), Cam Whitmore (20).
Thompson is a great pick and gives Houston another great option as it builds. If Whitmore is healthy, then the Rockets got an absolute steal by getting the Villanova forward at No. 20.
Oklahoma City Thunder
Picks: Cason Wallace (10, via trade), Keyontae Johnson (50).
Wallace was great for Kentucky in his lone college season and played perhaps his best game in the Wildcats’ finale in the NCAA tournament. He can score, even if he didn’t attempt to often enough in college.
Orlando Magic
Picks: Anthony Black (6), Jett Howard (11).
Paolo Banchero, the No. 1 pick a year ago, got a couple more shooters to help him out, and the young and talented Magic got more young talent. It’s time to start thinking about Orlando as a team that should make a run at the play-in tournament — at least — next season.
San Antonio Spurs
Picks: Victor Wembanyama (1), Sidy Cissoko (44).
Their grade was secured at the very moment that the last ping-pong ball appeared at the draft lottery last month. Wembanyama was a no-brainer, and now it’s up to the Spurs to start the real work: Get him into the gym, see how he fits, and figure out what the plan is going forward.
Toronto Raptors
Pick: Gradey Dick (13).
He showed up to the draft in a red-and-black jacket, a nod to Dorothy from “The Wizard of Oz” and his Kansas roots. The color scheme will work in Toronto as well. Dick is a pure shooter, and no team can have too many of those. The jury’s still out on what the Raptors will be this coming season, but this kid will be a rotation piece.
Utah Jazz
Picks: Taylor Hendricks (9), Keyonte George (16), Brice Sensabaugh (28).
Hendricks is what an NBA big man pretty much is now: a power forward who can also guard centers. George was the Big 12 rookie of the year at Baylor and is a proven scorer. He’s good from the line, has 3-point potential and can get to the rim. There’s some work to do, but he’s a serious prospect.
GOOD
Brooklyn Nets
Picks: Noah Clowney (21), Dariq Whitehead (22), Jalen Wilson (51).
Clowney is an athletic big man from Alabama whose game is still a bit unfinished. Whitehead has enormous potential and was highly recruited by Duke, but foot injuries are a concern. Wilson was the Big 12 player of the year at Kansas. The Nets likely didn’t choose three elite programs accidentally. There’s a lot to like here.
Charlotte Hornets
Picks: Brandon Miller (2), Nick Smith Jr. (27), Amari Bailey (41).
Miller made sense over Scoot Henderson with the No. 2 pick because the Hornets have a point guard already, but Henderson might be the more NBA-ready player.
Indiana Pacers
Picks: Jarace Walker (8, via trade), Ben Sheppard (26), Julian Strawther (29), Mojave King (47, via trade), Isaiah Wong (55).
Walker plays hard on both ends of the court, and this is rare to say, but he might play harder on defense than he does on offense. And getting Wong — the Atlantic Coast Conference player of the year — so late is a steal.
Los Angeles Clippers
Picks: Kobe Brown (30), Jordan Miller (48).
Brown is a strong player, addicted to rebounding, and probably needs to improve considerably on the offensive end. Miller did a little of everything for the Miami Hurricanes in their run to the NCAA tourney’s Final Four.
Los Angeles Lakers
Picks: Jalen Hood-Schifino (17), Maxwell Lewis (40, via trade).
Hood-Schifino got NBA coaching in college last season; the Indiana Hoosiers are led by Mike Woodson, who had stints in charge of the Atlanta Hawks and New York Knicks and several other NBA assistant gigs before moving on to the NCAA. Hood-Schifino is a winner; his high school teams won, the Hoosiers went to the NCAA tourney and he’ll obviously benefit from time with LeBron James.
Miami Heat
Pick: Jaime Jaquez Jr. (18).
A four-year college player whose game got more complete each season, Jaquez has a famous work ethic that should fit in quite well with the reigning Eastern Conference champions.
New Orleans Pelicans
Pick: Jordan Hawkins (14).
He was a big part of Connecticut’s national title team this year, earning all-tourney recognition during March Madness, so New Orleans got a winner.
Portland Trail Blazers
Picks: Scoot Henderson (3), Kris Murray (23), Rayan Rupert (43).
Henderson has shown that he’s ready. The Blazers drafted well. But really, the only question now is whether Damian Lillard is happy or not. Murray, the twin brother of Keegan Murray of the Sacramento Kings, had a big season for the Iowa Hawkeyes by averaging just more than 20 points per game.
Washington Wizards
Picks: Bilal Coulibaly (7, via trade), Tristan Vukcevic (42).
The Wizards are starting over, and on the day they also agreed to acquire Poole from Golden State, they just happened to get a French player. No, not that one, but Coulibaly is highly touted by Wembanyama, and that’s enough of an endorsement for now.
WAIT AND SEE
Atlanta Hawks
Picks: Kobe Bufkin (15), Mouhamed Gueye (39, via trade), Seth Lundy (46).
Bufkin had a great second half of the season at Michigan, and left-handers always provide defenses with an extra challenge. The best way to describe his game is this: He doesn’t do much wrong. He’s very solid and can help the Hawks in a lot of ways.
Boston Celtics
Picks: James Njaji (31, via trade), Jordan Walsh (38, via trade).
Still only 18, Njaji started playing the game about seven years ago and is not even close to reaching his potential yet. Big prospect.
Chicago Bulls
Pick: Julian Phillips (35, via trade).
The Bulls had to forfeit what would have been their pick because of free agency violations last summer, so they swung a deal with Boston to land the wing who helped Tennessee reach the Sweet 16 this spring.
Cleveland Cavaliers
Pick: Emoni Bates (49).
He was touted as a star since basically middle school, had more than his share of promising moments in college, and now has to really prove himself.
Memphis Grizzlies
Picks: Gregory Jackson II (45), Tarik Biberovic (56).
Neither of these prospects is expected to provide any real help any time soon.
Milwaukee Bucks
Picks: Andre Jackson (36, via trade), Chris Livingston (58).
Another key player for this year’s NCAA champs, he’s only going to benefit from being around Giannis Antetokounmpo every day.
Minnesota Timberwolves
Picks: Leonard Miller (33, via trade), Jaylen Clark (53).
Miller had a lot of big moments playing with Henderson and the G League Ignite this past season. Athleticism is tough to ignore.
Phoenix Suns
Pick: Toumani Camara (52).
Given the trades the Suns are making, this might be one of their last picks for quite some time. There’s nothing wrong with not making the draft the priority for building a roster, but giving up on it entirely is a dangerous game to play too often.
Sacramento Kings
Picks: Colby Jones (34, via trade), Jalen Slawson (54).
Jones has skills the Kings crave: great vision, great passing and great shooting, akin to a younger Kevin Huerter.