NBA mock draft 2023: Final projection for 2 rounds on draft day

Here’s our final NBA mock draft based on intel around the league.

Jun 22, 2023, 12:00 PM UTC

Photo by Jeff Haynes/NBAE via Getty Images

Ricky O'Donnell has covered basketball at all levels for more than a decade at SB Nation. He’s currently the Associate Director of Programming.

The 2023 NBA Draft is finally here, and with it comes the realization of a lifelong dream for the 58 players who will hear their name called. This year’s draft features two fewer picks than normal after the Chicago Bulls and Philadelphia 76ers were stripped of second rounders for tampering violations during free agency.

We have been covering this draft class since the day after the 2022 draft, and our initial board looks mostly accurate 12 months later. Be sure to read all of our draft coverage at SB Nation, which includes a feature on twins Amen and Ausar Thompson, a top-60 overall big board, a look at Victor Wembanyama’s 35 most incredible plays, and a mock draft with what we would do at every pick.

It’s time for one last mock draft — this time projecting both the first and second rounds. This mock is based off intel we’re hearing around the league. It’s what we actually think is going to happen with the draft just hours away. Let’s mock every pick in the 2023 NBA Draft:

NBA mock draft 2023: Final update for all 58 picks

Pick	Team	Player	Position	From
1	San Antonio Spurs	Victor Wembanyama	Big/Forward	Metropolitans 92 (France)
2	Charlotte Hornets	Scoot Henderson	Guard	G League Ignite
3	Portland Trail Blazers	Brandon Miller	Wing	Alabama
4	Houston Rockets	Amen Thompson	Guard	Overtime Elite
5	Detroit Pistons	Ausar Thompson	Wing	Overtime Elite
6	Orlando Magic	Anthony Black	Guard	Arkansas
7	Indiana Pacers	Jarace Walker	Forward	Houston
8	Washington Wizards	Cam Whitmore	Wing	Villanova
9	Utah Jazz	Taylor Hendricks	Forward	UCF
10	Dallas Mavericks	Dereck Lively II	Big	Duke
11	Orlando Magic	Gradey Dick	Wing	Kansas
12	Oklahoma City Thunder	Kobe Bufkin	Guard	Michigan
13	Toronto Raptors	Jalen Hood-Schifino	Guard	Indiana
14	New Orleans Pelicans	Cason Wallace	Guard	Kentucky
15	Atlanta Hawks	Keyonte George	Guard	Baylor
16	Utah Jazz (via Timberwolves)	Bilal Coulibaly	Wing	Metropolitans 92 (France)
17	Los Angeles Lakers	Jordan Hawkins	Guard	UConn
18	Miami Heat	Olivier-Maxence Prosper	Forward	Marquette
19	Golden State Warriors	Kris Murray	Forward	Iowa
20	Houston Rockets (via Clippers)	Leonard Miller	Forward	G League Ignite
21	Brooklyn Nets	Nick Smith Jr.	Guard	Arkansas
22	Brooklyn Nets (via Suns)	Noah Clowney	Big/Forward	Alabama
23	Portland Trail Blazers (via Knicks)	Jaime Jacquez	Wing	UCLA
24	Sacramento Kings	Brandin Podziemski	Guard	Santa Clara
25	Boston Celtics	Jett Howard	Forward	Michigan
26	Indiana Pacers (via Cavs)	James Nnaji	Center	FC Barcelona
27	Charlotte Hornets (via Nuggets)	Dariq Whitehead	Guard	Duke
28	Utah Jazz (via 76ers)	Rayan Rupert	Wing	New Zealand Breakers (France)
29	Denver Nuggets	Ben Sheppard	Guard	Belmont
30	Washington Wizards	Amari Bailey	Guard	UCLA
31	Detroit Pistons	GG Jackson	Forward	South Carolina
32	Denver Nuggets	Brice Sensabaugh	Wing	Ohio State
33	San Antonio Spurs	Colby Jones	Guard	Xavier
34	Charlotte Hornets	Jordan Walsh	Forward	Arkansas
35	Boston Celtics	Andre Jackson	Guard	UConn
36	Orlando Magic	Tristan Vukčević	Big	Spurs
37	Denver Nuggets	Julian Phillips	Wing	Tennessee
38	Sacramento Kings	Kobe Brown	Forward	Missouri
39	Charlotte Hornets	Maxwell Lewis	Wing	Pepperdine
40	Indiana Pacers	Trayce Jackson-Davis	Big	Indiana
41	Charlotte Hornets	Marcus Sasser	Guard	Houston
42	Washington Wizards	Julian Strawther	Wing	Gonzaga
43	Portland Trail Blazers	Sidy Cissoko	Wing	G League Ignite
44	San Antonio Spurs	Terquavion Smith	Guard	NC State
45	Memphis Grizzlies	Colin Castleton	Big	Florida
46	Atlanta Hawks	Jalen Wilson	Wing	Kansas
47	Los Angeles Lakers	Ricky Council IV	Wing	Arkansas
48	Los Angeles Clippers	Chris Livingston	Wing	Kentucky
49	Cleveland Cavaliers	Emoni Bates	Wing	Eastern Michigan
50	Oklahoma City Thunder	Seth Lundy	Wing	Penn State
51	Brooklyn Nets	Jalen Pickett	Guard	Penn State
52	Phoenix Suns	Keyontae Johnson	Wing	Kansas State
53	Minnesota Timberwolves	Adama Sanogo	Big	UConn
54	Sacramento Kings	Jordan Miller	Forward	Miami
55	Indiana Pacers	Isaiah Wong	Guard	Miami
56	Memphis Grizzlies	Mouhamed Gueye	Big	Washington State
57	Washington Wizards	Tosan Evbuomwan	Princeton	Big
58	Milwaukee Bucks	Jaylen Clark	Wing	UCLA

The Hornets are set to take Scoot Henderson at No 2, per report

We’ve maintained all year that Scoot Henderson should be the second pick in the draft. The Hornets have the least talented roster in the NBA outside of LaMelo Ball, and are in no position to draft for fit.

Shams Charania reported the Hornets are favoring Henderson over Brandon Miller with the second pick:

Outgoing majority owner Michael Jordan has the final say on the pick, according to GM Mitch Kupchak. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski was convinced on Wednesday that Miller would be the pick:

Of course, just last year, ESPN reported that Jabari Smith Jr. would go No. 1 overall to the Orlando Magic. The Magic ended up taking Paolo Banchero, which was the right pick.

Will the Hornets call an audible at the last second and make the right choice? It’s still possible, but we can no longer ignore all the smoke around Miller.

What are the pivot points of this draft after No. 2?

The Hornets hold the keys to the draft with the second pick. Here are the other picks that can swing the outlook of the draft at the top of the first round:

Detroit Pistons at No. 5: Cam Whitmore should be the pick here, but Detroit doesn’t appear to like him as much as other players in this draft. All the intel says this pick will come down to Jarace Walker vs. Ausar Thompson. Either way, the Pistons are going to have a major shooting crunch with Jalen Duren and Jaden Ivey already in their core.
Orlando Magic at No. 6: The Magic need shooting more than anything else. They could also use a dose of athleticism, and help in the backcourt. I’d guess this pick comes down to a Thompson twin vs. Anthony
Dallas Mavericks at No. 10: Consistently the hardest pick to project in the draft. I view this draft as having 11 worthy lottery picks. Derrick Lively is not one of those players. I’m putting him here because Dallas could use size and defense, and he checks both boxes. I wouldn’t love the pick, but it makes sense for them.

Who are the most interesting second round talents?

Here are a few second round picks I think could be steals:

Brice Sensabaugh, G, Ohio State: I have Sensabaugh rated as a lottery talent. NBA teams are lower on him because he’s a poor defender, lacks court vision, and has been dealing with knee injuries. The latest intel says he could slip out of the first round entirely. Personally, I believe his three-point shot and all-around shot-making is just too valuable to slip that far.
Jordan Walsh, F, Arkansas: Walsh has a strong 6’7 frame, a massive 7’2 wingspan, and sky-high defensive potential. He can handle the ball in the open floor, and has shown connective passing traits. There’s one swing skill for Walsh, and that’s his shot. He’s a bad shooter right now, but I watched him hit a critical three-pointer in Arkansas’ upset of Kansas in the NCAA tournament. I’d bet on his mentality, physical tools, and ability to improve.
GG Jackson, F, South Carolina: Jackson was the top-rated high school player in next year’s incoming freshman class before reclassifying to enroll at South Carolina. He put up some big numbers and had impressive shot-making flashes for the Gamecocks, but he was brutally inefficient and reportedly immature off the floor. Either way, Jackson’s combination of size (6’9), strength, and shot-making gives him a higher ceiling than a typical second rounder if he lasts that long.
Maxwell Lewis. G, Pepperdine: Lewis is so much fun to watch with long strides, spot-up shooting ability, and a deep bag of scoring tricks inside the arc. The problem is that his play slipped as the season went on, his defensive intensity can wane, and he might be harder to fit into team structures than other players in this range. Still, I like his upside and would consider him a home run pick in the second round.