Ross Geiger’s 2023 NBA Mock Draft 1.0

4 min readJun 16, 2023

San Antonio Spurs: Victor Wembanyama — The perfect landing for Wemby. An organization with long storied success developing not just young talent but International talent. Also a team that features a roster with a few very talented younger pieces that should mesh well with the undisputed #1 overall pick.
Charlotte Hornets: Scoot Henderson — The momentum is building & shifting towards Scoot being selected 2nd overall. Not only would this be the correct pick for Charlotte, but it certainly would be the pick should the Hornets trade down.
Portland Trailblazers: Brandon Miller — Best player available? Maybe. (We’ll get to that soon) But certainly the top prospect left on the board with the highest ceiling. A future wing tandem of Shaeden Sharpe & Brandon Miller is what dreams & League Pass alerts are made of.

Will Cam Witmore ultimately be a Top 3 Player from this draft class? — Will Cam Whitmore end up being a Top 3 Player in this draft class?

4. Houston Rockets: Cam Whitmore — Taking the + odds on Whitmore becoming a better NBA player than Brandon Miller is a value play. Whitmore has more athleticism & most importantly the build/strength that Miller lacks. Whitmore’s rising stock could very well shake up the Top 3.

5. Detroit Pistons: Jarace Walker — Another building block that fills a hole & need for Detroit’s young core. While Walker is a bit undersized, he makes up for it with front court traits that are unteachable: superb passer, switchable defender, & toughness/motor. What Walker lacks in size & rim protection can all be made up for with Detroit’s current line of young bigs in Jalen Duren, Isaiah Stewart, & Marvin Bagley III.

6. Orlando Magic: Ausar Thompson — Many expect his twin brother Amen to be drafted first, but don’t be surprised to see the Magic yet again shock the mock draft experts & reports for the second straight year. Orlando is a team that needs help defensively on the wing & won’t be afraid to bet on their intel, scouting, & development staff that Ausar can improve offensively.

7. Indiana Pacers: Taylor Hendricks — While the Pacers will be tempted to draft the guards available (Amen Thompson & Anthony Black) they ultimately draft for fit & need already having cornerstone floor general in All-Star Tyrese Haliburton. With Haliburton leading the charge, Hendricks has the luxury of being found in his spots & eases into an offensive form he can expand on with time.

8. Washington Wizards: Amen Thompson — If the draft shakes out as predicted, new Wizards GM Michael Winger pounces on this draft day steal. With or without Beal, Thompson makes sense & triggers the full on re-build plan Winger has already hinted at. Don’t be surprised if Winger also takes calls on this pick from teams floored Amen is still available.

9. Utah Jazz: Anthony Black –The Jazz lack a floor general & are intrigued with size. Black checks both boxes. A team with patience & lacking expectations is perfect environment for Black to develop into an all-around, polished guard…fingers crossed on the jump shot.

10. Dallas Mavericks: Cason Wallace — Look for the Mavericks to dangle this pick on draft night for teams looking to snag Bilal Coulibaly or Dereck Lively II, but if they keep the pick don’t rule them out on taking the Dallas native in Wallace. Dallas shouldn’t be drafting for ultimate upside, in this case they take strong defensive guard who can also help space the floor with his shot & be a complimentary piece off the bench/ball that will undoubtedly be handled by Luka Doncic and/or Kyrie Irving (maybe?).

11. Orlando Magic: Gradey Dick — Orlando took their big gamble swing with Ausar Thompson at #6. They not only play it safe here but also draft a serious need for their wing position in Dick who can space the floor, work off the ball, & be an extremely valuable complementary piece off of Paolo Banchero.

Coulibaly’s stock continues to rise as the hype around his ceiling builds

12. OKC Thunder: Bilal Coulibaly — Maybe this pick is too predictable but then again the Thunder seem to always make the upside play no matter the risk. Wemby’s French teammate has a ton of upside but is an extremely raw wing. It always seems as though Thunder GM Sam Presti has nothing but time and is always willing to take the gamble.

13. Toronto Raptors: Leonard Miller — It may seem like a head scratcher after a quick glance at the Raptors needs on the current roster, but Masai Ujiri takes a swing snagging a young, promising, & quickly improving Miller who also happens to be an Ontario native.

14. New Orleans Pelicans: Kobe Bufkin — This pick could be headed to Charlotte should the Pelicans pull the trigger on a trade to move up as high as #2. But if they remain in this spot, don’t sleep on Bufkin who has the ability to play both on & off the ball.

15. Atlanta Hawks: GG Jackson