2023 NBA Mock Draft: Victor Wembanyama and Teammate Go in TOP 10 + FULL First Round | CBS Sports

hours now until this year's NBA draft

here's a look at the top five picks for

Thursday the Spurs are going to kick

things off with uh they're picking far

from a secret here followed by the

Hornets Blazers Rockets and pistons to

round out the top five

hey everybody Russ thaler At Your

Service for our final mock draft

presented by Jeep there's there's only

one this mock will be based on what we

know right now on Tuesday night

understanding that certain things are

pretty fluid and we'll be uh and we'll

be up to the draft itself on Thursday we

welcome in our team of draft experts we

got 24 7 Sports director of scouting

Adam ficklestein here with me in studio

CBS sports college basketball Insider

Matt norlander and CBS Sports NBA draft

analyst Kyle Boone gentlemen good

evening and you were all assigned picks

for the final edition of our mock draft

we're going to focus here on picks one

through five Matt you've got it easy you

get the number one pick Victor

webmanyama is in the Big Apple ready for

his big night why are the Spurs so keen

on taking him at one

well it's not because of his baseball

skills there's some concerning video

that is emanated out of the Bronx on

Tuesday of a first pitch from one

banyama thankfully he is a basketball

player here it is oh you hate to see it

Wendy don't let it be an omen please

don't lembanyama is a Surefire number

one pick and he is the prospect who is

the best in this class he is the best in

the past decade he is the best since

LeBron James the San Antonio Spurs have

the opportunity in drafting wembanyama

to refuel the franchise and potentially

make the Spurs a relevant Championship

contender in short order and potentially

for the next decade plus he is that

talented we have never seen someone at

wembanyama size with his skill that can

do so much he is going to go first but I

do want to remind viewers of this one

thing and talking to some NBA folks in

the lead up to the giraffe it is not 100

Universal opinion across the board that

when benyama is going to be you know a

10-time All-Star most believe that he is

headed toward a very very bright future

however in speaking to a few front

office people earlier this week there is

still just a little bit of a hmm I want

to see the body and how it holds up

against the rigors of an NBA schedule in

year one in year two in year three so we

wait and see on that if you can avoid

any kind of injury issues there's so

much reason for so much optimism you can

see what they've done previously

webinyama's bar is actually even higher

than these two players if you can

believe it but San Antonio wins the

rights to him and we all cannot wait to

see him get on a professional floor on

Stateside soil as soon as possible all

right Matt you got off easy Kyle

you are where the Intrigue begins at

number two Hornets had Brandon Miller

and Scoot Henderson in for workouts on

Monday this week and now the Vegas lines

of move where Brandon Miller was once

the betting favor to go number two to

Charlotte now it's scoot Henderson who

do you have as the pick here

yeah Russ it felt like a long time that

that Brandon Miller was the front runner

to go number two here to the Charlotte

Hornets betting markets as you just

alluded to now have scoot Henderson the

favorite to go number two but hold the

line I'm gonna take Brandon Miller at

number two for the Hornets it makes a

ton of sense that maybe there's some

smoke screens being thrown out here

Miller is six foot nine he's a great

three-point shooter he's the guy who I

think would be an excellent sidekick

next to lamelo ball six foot nine inch

shoes shot 38.4 percent from three in

his one and done season at Alabama he

led the SEC get this as a freshman in

scoring in win shares in box plus minus

it made three pointers I think his game

projects very easily to becoming a

scoring Wing I think he could play next

to lamelo ball can develop into a

co-star so look I think scooter

Henderson is the better Prospect if I

were the Hornets picking here I would

take scoot Henderson however I do

believe that they end up taking Brandon

Miller here at number two and would make

a lot of sense I think from a fit

perspective that they select the Alabama

Wing here at number two all right so

Adam after Miller then goes at number

two we're talking about a foregone

conclusion then at number three yeah we

are I mean I I think the Portland's

choice is real easy assuming they're not

going to trade the pick and there's been

some smoke screens about that about that

specifically uh to them reaching out to

Miami a team that was initially expected

to Target Dame Lillard now it's Portland

saying hold on maybe we want to Target

bam but if if they stand Pat this is

going to be scoot Henderson if somebody

trades for the pick it's going to be

scoot Henderson scoot Henderson I think

began the year as a consensus top two

Prospect Brandon Miller really asserted

himself into that conversation but you

were talking about just a physical

specimen at the point guard position an

elite athlete who can attack in the open

floor like no one we've seen in recent

years not only is he totally explosive

but he's also creative and instinctive

he can see the floor he can make reads

he can play pick and roll even in a

spacing that wasn't quite up to NBA

standards with g-league Ignite now the

question marks are his shooting quite

frankly he's got to get better although

he's more comfortable in the mid-range

area than he is from the three-point

line and while he is a long powerful and

explosive athlete he doesn't take quite

frankly the same amount of pride in the

defensive end of the floor as he does

the offensive end but I think Dame

Lillard would be an absolutely ideal

Mentor for this player to bring it on an

everyday basis because he has multi-year

NBA All-Star type potential that was

such a kind way of explaining his

defensive deficiencies but well done how

do you Matt the Rockets are up now at

number four they got a new head coach

nime odoka who do you have them taking

here

I want to have the Houston Rockets

taking amen Thompson in the fourth spot

and you know as we move closer to the

draft there certainly is uh some noise

around the possibility of this happening

uh and if that were to happen uh you

would have one of the youngest and most

athletically gifted uh pairs of wings

and guards in the in the in the sport

you know Houston's got a long way to go

but pairing with Jalen green among

others there Thompson is a lead guard

who as Adam Finkelstein has said on our

air previously in this lead up to the

draft is a top one percent athlete the

second he puts on an NBA uniform in the

entire league uh a very Adept passer

he's got in a very interesting

tantalizing game no doubt about it a top

10 Prospect in this class there are some

sellers on him I think his draft

variance is probably anywhere from four

to seven over on draft night we're gonna

have him going to Houston here there

seems to be some increasing noise

they're barring anyone moving in and

trading but if you were to go to Houston

it would be an intriguing fit and he has

a lot of fun you can see the highlights

here they these aren't college

basketball highlights he played for

overtime Elite and so we have a limited

sample size of high-end prospects to

come out of that system not g League

unite like scoot Henderson but overtime

Elite competition was it's the lowest

among any uh between g-league unite and

college basketball and overseas we'll

see how much that impacts or not both

the Thompson Twins but amen narrowly

over his brother Asar here he's going

forward to Houston oh yeah you're right

we should be seeing two Thompson Twins

take the stage at Barclay Center on

Thursday the last pick of the top five

Kyle the Pistons they had the worst luck

in the lottery dropping to five even

though they had the worst record in the

league during the regular season who do

you have going to the Motor City

yeah it's it's bad luck in the lottery

but I feel good if I'm the Pistons

picking at five here Jairus Walker Falls

to me from Houston I feel like Detroit

has its backcourt of the future kind of

locked up right now Kade Cunningham

former number one pick Jayden ivy last

year's top pick I think that's a good

combo that you can build around a walker

is a guy who can be a floor spacing

forward and really give this team kind

of an enforcer on the interior of its

defense Walker last season shot 35

percent from three at Houston he's a

good playmaker who I think has some

untapped passing potential at the next

level we really didn't see a ton of that

at Houston playing on a veteran Houston

team he's he's got a really Advanced

frame as you can see here's very

physically mature for being just a

teenager so someone who I think would

pair very very nicely with Cunningham

and Ivy I'd be thrilled if I'm the

Pistons getting Jairus Walker at number

five all right the AAC freshman of the

Year going number five that is a look at

the top five picks in the upcoming NBA

draft much thanks to Adam ficklestein to

24 7 Sports CBS sports college

basketball Insider Mountain Orlando and

NBA Insider Kyle Boone thank you guys so

very much here's another look at the

mock top five for Thursday's draft women

Yama going number one followed by

Brandon Miller with two scoot Henderson

the current favorite to go to according

to the oddsmakers but he is number three

in this mock the Blazers and a pair of

forwards with Cam Whitmore and Garris

Walker taking us through pick number

five who had the top pick in the draft

and the Rookie of the Year last season

same guy Bill first pick at number six

on Thursday night followed by the Pacers

Wizards Jazz and Mavs rolling out the

top ten Russ Taylor back here in studio

with 24 7 Sports director of scouting

Adam picklestein CBS Sports NBA draft

analyst Kyle Boone joins us along with

CBS sports college basketball Insider

Matt norlander and away we go with the

sixth overall pick in the 2023 NBA draft

Adam Finkelstein the Orlando Magic

select whom well they are taking cam

Whitmore and they are thrilled that he

is still on the board here for a little

context Matt and I were on CBS Sports HQ

yesterday we first reported that cam

Whitmore who was widely projected to be

a top five pick might not have worked

out as well as expected in Detroit could

consequently be slipping I think this

mock draft reflects that but Whitmore is

perceived by many to be a top five

Talent he is as explosive and Powerful

an athlete as you will find he can

really get downhill he meant immense

strides with his shooting this year at

Villanova the concerns are a little bit

of an inconsistent motor a somewhat uh

really bad to be quite frankly assist

rate just doesn't really move the ball

or share it like you would like and has

a tendency to break off from the offense

as I said went into Detroit and the

reports where he did not work out well

but make no mistake about it his upside

is one of the very highest in this draft

so if Orlando was able to pair him with

Franz Wagner and Paolo bancaro this is a

dream scenario for them at number six

all right let's keep things rolling the

Indiana Pacers are up next Matt who do

you have Indy taking at number seven

I I have them taking a seller Thompson

and when we get to draft night and

Indiana is waiting there provided it

hasn't traded out I think the Pacers are

approaching this draft with a lot of

optimism over a lot of options that will

be there we'll have them go with Asar

the other Thompson brother out of OTE

who has a higher ceiling from a shooting

standpoint uh certainly by some MBA

evaluators put Asar right there with

amen amen is again he has a little more

pop Asar more well-rounded game a little

more maturity to his game bringing in a

player of his caliber with his potential

into that Indiana system

could really benefit them long term I I

happen to believe that Asar is not a

player that necessarily is ultra Ultra

fit dependent I think his chances and in

some ways to be clear like you know he's

a twin so some of some of what his game

is resembles amen but he doesn't quite

have you know quite the level of

athleticism but he's still one of the

best in this draft but uh his eye for

passing is very very good

um

generally considered to be one who takes

pretty good care of the ball and again

the shot is good it's not great but it's

certainly better than amends it would be

a stunner if he went outside the top 10

that's why we've got him safely going to

seven at Indiana it's still kind of cool

we got a couple of twins who are likely

to get taken in the top 10 in the draft

for the first time the wizard up next at

number eight close to a fresh start in

D.C new front office same head coach but

they did just trade Bradley Beals of the

Suns on Sunday Kyle who do the Wizards

turn to here as they hit the refresh

button

yeah they're shipping out their star

guard and they're gonna draft another

potential star guard they're going to

take Anthony black

from Arkansas Anthony black is a

defensive monster and I think that's the

foundation on which you can really build

kind of his projection and his prospects

to the NBA level he's a great on-ball

perimeter Defender has really good

length for the guard position a really

natural playmaker really selfless type

of game who really likes to get his

teammates involved he's a connective

tissue type of player and super smart I

think he's a really good attacker

getting downhill getting to the rim

needs to improve his shot I think

there's some questions about how his

shot will project to the NBA level uh

certainly did not shoot it particularly

well at Arkansas but he was trusted as

kind of the number one option at

Arkansas this past season on the roster

that was pretty loaded in terms of NBA

talent in production and I think that

says a lot about where Arkansas was with

Anthony black in terms of his trust

level and the in the the ability that

they gave him to kind of run the show so

I I like Anthony black as a pick here at

number eight I think he can be kind of

the future building block for this

Wizards franchise all right the Utah

Jazz have their first of three first

round picks lined up at number nine Adam

who do you haven't taken well I have

them taking Bilal kulabali who is the

teammate of Victor Wen banyama on

metropolitans 92. now Danny Ainge

running the Utah Jazz front office that

is relevant here because this is a big

swing this is the type of swing that a

GM doesn't make or president of

basketball operations doesn't make

unless they have a lot of job security

because let's be real about this cool I

believe is 18 years old he's relatively

he's very unproven he didn't even start

the team this season on the same team as

winning by Yama but he's made giant

strides throughout the course of the

year he's six foot six with a seven foot

two wingspan that's extreme length to

match his extreme athleticism has a ton

of defensive potential shows an ability

to slash through contact what we are

questioning at this point time is

whether or not the shooting can pan out

now players who have that kind of length

differential typically have an inverse

relationship to their ability to shoot

the ball but he has shown enough signs

so that you can be at least encouraged

about his potential to make open shots

long term he's got to show he's got a

little bit of feel for the game in terms

of navigating traffic but this is a high

risk High reward proposition that in my

mind Danny Ainge is going to be uniquely

able to take with three first round

picks in this year's draft the classic

story of everybody looking at one guy

and suddenly they're like oh there's

another 18 year old dude on the court

who's pretty darn good end up in the top

10 perhaps at least in our mock rounding

out the top ten he got the Dallas

Mavericks they got what they wanted or

at least the best they could settle for

after pretty much nose diving at the end

of the regular season they indeed have a

top 10 pick it's number 10 Matt who are

the Mavs taking here

the maps are going to take someone who

projects as potentially the best shooter

in the draft if you look at everyone

we've taken one through nine to this

point you know most of these players

don't have a proven jump shot from the

perimeter this guy does Jordan Hawkins

out of UConn Who it would not surprise

we're gonna have him go 10 here uh his

range heading into draft night is kind

of seen anywhere from like the nine to

17 or 18 range if we get closer to uh

the game time on Thursday it would not

surprise me if the buzz around Miller

continues to uh excuse me Hawkins

continues to grow because although he is

not a super well-rounded player he does

he he just shoots he shoots so well the

Yukon staff told me in terms of uh

footwork shot gather form

listen Tom Moore who's been there

forever said the only guy who was better

coming out of college at that specific

trait his name was Ray Allen so and I

get it like college coaches are supposed

to pump up their guys but wouldn't you

know it there you go that's called

production Synergy folks and so we are

going to have and I don't think this

would be a good fit by the way you got

Kyrie there we'll see if that remains to

be the case Luke is not going anywhere

Hawkins is not going to be a ball

dominant player will be wonderful off

screens I anticipate Jordan Hawkins when

we get to a decade from now as I

detailed at cbsports.com I think he's

going to be a top 10 player from this

draft class so we have him going in the

top 10 I think Dallas will be a

wonderful fit and I think he will be in

a Three-Point Contest at All-Star

Weekend in no time at all all right

excellent that's a wrap on our final

mock draft top 10 much thanks to Adam

Finkelstein Matt Orlando and Kyle Boone

let's recap picks six through ten the

guys of Orlando taking Villanova's cam

Whitmore number six then it's seven we

see the second Thompson twin sore

joining his brother as a top 10 pick

he's heading to Andy Anthony black to

the Wizards at eight Jazz taking webby's

teammate at number nine and uh national

champ Jordan Hawkins to the Mavs to

round out the top 10. defended by a Jeep

time for us to tackle Picks 11 through

17 starting with Orlando's second pick

of the first round already followed by a

first time appearances from OKC Toronto

New Orleans and Atlanta Utah comes up

for a second time number 16 followed by

the Lakers Russ Taylor back in studio

with 24 7 Sports director of scouting

Adam Finkelstein CBS Sports NBA draft

analyst Kyle Boone and CBS sports

college basketball Insider Matt

norlander I feel like we got our bases

covered pretty well here on CBS Sports

HQ with you three guys and the magic are

on the board again Kyle who do you have

Orlando taking at number 11.

yeah Orlando added Kim Whitmore at

number six here I'm gonna come back and

I'm gonna add some shooting I think I'm

gonna add Grady dick from Kansas I think

he is the best shooter in this draft and

I think most importantly someone who I

think would perfectly compliment Palo

bencaro and Franz Wagner add some

spacing add some shooting to this roster

I think would unlock a lot of potential

he's a really good transition player

he's got size he's got skill he's got

scoring I think we'll add to that Wing

depth there in Orlando comfortable

playing on the ball I think he has sharp

enough handles to run some pick and roll

options we saw that at Kansas in some

limited action this is a guy who I think

will will be a Difference Maker for the

Orlando Magic and someone who I think

most importantly is a really good fit

it's a good value here at number 11. I

think we'll end up being a top 10 player

from this draft just in terms of his

productivity we'll have a long NBA

career a great three-point shoot or add

a ton of dynamic offensive Weaponry to

this magic cross we're really excited

about getting him here at number 11. all

right Adam the Thunder up next kind of a

Plucky young bunch a season ago I think

that's a fair way to describe him and

then they had the two overall picker

didn't even play they're gonna get

they're gonna get Chad Holmgren back

remember it was LeBron who injured well

a kid not really actually LeBron kind of

got him in a in a Pro-Am yeah stepped on

his foot he was out for the season Liz

Frank said you are skinny you're going

down yeah but they're going to get him

back so they have a chance to get like

two really good rookies coming up this

season who do you haven't taken here

yeah and and let's be real about

something if the draft works out this

way and Taylor Hendricks is available at

number 12 that would be just a

phenomenal outcome for Oklahoma City

Taylor Hendricks is one of my personal

favorite prospects in this draft he's

someone that I think should be in

consideration as high as five I think he

is in consideration at five six and

seven in this scenario he would fall all

the way to 12. the reason why he is held

in such high regard is because he is the

prototypical three in D four-man

four-man by NBA standards he's six foot

nine he's a quick off his feet

athletically he's got solid length he

can really move his feet laterally he

runs the floor exceptionally well so

defensively he gives you somebody who

can block shots and also move out on the

perimeter and guard pick and roll

offensively he's a vertical spacer you

see that bounce there and then he can

step away and knock down open three so

he provides both ends of the floor

spacing Spectrum so again at number 12

he's an absolute steal people will tell

you that he has a high floor but a low

ceiling because we haven't seen any shot

creation from him yet my counter to that

would be he's 19 years old and he's

improved by Leaps and Bounds in the last

year I have a really hard time putting a

ceiling on how much better he can

continue to get I'm moving along Matt

you have pick number 13 with the Raptors

you've got him taking Duke Center Derek

Lively before we get to your reasoning

why they're doing that let's take a look

at his draft Journey presented by Jeep

started playing basketball in

in Nautilus because my size just because

I was taller than everybody

just felt like I could be authentic to

who I am

good pop your feet being able to know

that by game transfer as well to the

next level

this isn't the time to mess around this

isn't a time to take your foot off the

gas

there's a lot of other people trying to

fill your spot

this is where the best of the desk come

this is where you find out who you

really could be

begin to visualize yourself

your performance how you want to play

how you want to look how you want to

start off today visualize and see it

I'm from Philadelphia PA and I've lived

all over PA my childhood has been a

bumpy road and we've been able to live

in a lot of different locations yes sir

let's get a jump break inside big J but

me and my mom and my family just always

used to just living on the road be

thankful for vices be great one two

three four five six be great let's go

get out talk it out let's go for it

my mom played basketball and my mom's

father played basketball two one two yes

sir she scored a thousand points at Penn

State she's grabbed over 700 rebounds

driving Baseline

step away Derek finish

oh good she's the reason why I play

basketball she's the reason why I'm

doing all this so that I can give her

the best life possible

so being able to play basketball and I

ended up finding myself at West Town

sophomore years whenever I finally

stepped on the court as a high school

player and that's when I started to find

myself making a name for myself

[Music]

I got my first offer my sophomore year

summer that's what we're here for every

day man that was always something I've

always wanted just being able to say I

have a College D1 offer it's something

I've always dreamed of yep step through

good freshman Year to my senior year I

went from a jump from being an unranked

nobody

to my senior year being the number one

player in the class you ain't ready for

it for you there you gotta work every

day till you get ready

being able to go to Duke knowing that I

have a Target about that

that's just the environment that I just

love being in this moment is where you

feel you're building yourself challenge

yourself

you break yourself down until you want

to quit and you keep going I just really

look forward to the Competitive Edge

being able to play just the best of the

best being able to play against the pros

it just comes with a certain level of

respect

yep yep yep good job Derek because the

real work really starts

you can always dream about it but your

dreams is never going to live up to

reality whenever you get your name

[Music]

I've always thought about it I've always

had dreams at night about it but there's

nothing's going to live up to the real

moment

I'm Derek Lively II and this is my road

of the draft

well that's a big look at why I'm in

particular very high on lively I've got

I've got them going 13 here uh to

Toronto he his stats from college are

not going to pop out at you if you watch

Duke last season the role that he played

he and defensively he was good I think

he is going to grow into a big man that

is one of the best again we're talking

years down the road fill out that frame

by another 10 12 pounds of muscle I

think he will have a reliable perimeter

shot and I'm not just talking the corner

of Threes that he was sometimes was uh

was popping up at Duke there I saw him

as a high school Prospect and he was

able to rim run catch on the Run catch

pop hit threes I think that he is going

to be inevitably taking many spots too

late even here but we're trying to

project some team Behavior Lively 13.

give him a little bit of time for some

more growth and you saw a lot there why

he is a particularly intriguing Prospect

and I do believe as we head into

Thursday night his stock is actually

starting to creep before it was a lot of

he could go anywhere from like 15 to 20

and now you're hearing more and more

likelihood that he's going to wind up

getting taken in the lottery

all right let's move along Kyle this

seems to be as good as time as any to

maybe change for the conversation that

surrounds the Pelicans

um who's New Orleans taking now at

number 14.

yeah the Pelicans are going to use this

welcome distraction to select Jalen Hood

shafino from Indiana really productive

player one and done with the Hoosiers

this past season one big ten Rookie of

the Year as a true freshman six foot

five guard Wing skills combo guard who

can create he can attack it's a really

good defensive prospect when he is

engaged and he's willing to really lock

in on that end of the floor uh needs to

improve as a shooter I think there's

some questions about how that will

project to the NBA but shot 33 percent

from three at Indiana I think that's a

pretty good serviceable level and if he

gets to an average shooting level at the

NBA level I think it will be a really

good quality combo guard at the next

level

um huchifino had had some flashes as a

as a Hoosier last season scored 35

points on the road against the top five

Purdue team to help take down the

Boilermakers so I think long term you're

looking three or four years down the

line who should be knows someone who has

All-Star potential and if I'm the

Pelicans I'm looking three or four three

or four years down the road hoping that

this could end up being one of the best

value picks in the draft

all right Jalen Hood cifino going to New

Orleans Adam every time we talk about

the Atlanta Hawks I feel like Trey

Young's name comes up uh who do you have

dropping into that situation in Atlanta

at number 15. well I've got a guy who

could play either with or without Trey

young and that's case and Wallace and I

think obviously there are some variables

undetermined variables in Atlanta in

terms of whether they're going to

continue to build around Trey young or

whether they're ultimately going to move

off him I think with the coaching change

they're certainly going to give it a

good hard look before they make any

decisions but case and Wallace is a

guard who was one of the most efficient

players in high school basketball a year

ago he went to Kentucky and then all he

did there was show that he was even

farther along offensively than we

thought and still an outstanding

Defender here's what he is he is as

tough a competitor as you will find in

this class he's exceptionally long he's

physical and he's physically strong now

offensively we didn't really think he

was a dynamic Creator in high school but

he exceeded our expectations not just in

terms of visibility to get paint touches

but also to make open threes that's

going to be really important when you're

talking about playing alongside someone

like Trey young and then defensively

he's a standout so with dejante Murray

already in Atlanta this gives them

another strong two-way guard that you

can surround Trey young with to try and

protect him on the defensive end of the

floor and then enough offensive upside

so that if he has to take on a bigger

play-making role he's capable of doing

that

all right let's go back to the Utah Jazz

second time they're picking here in the

first round Matt uh who do you have them

selecting at 16th overall here well you

mentioned second time there is uh some

curiosity around whether or not Utah

will ultimately end up shipping this

pick they have three first round picks

they've got one at the tail end of the

first round as well uh and this is the

second G League unite player we're going

to talk about scoot Henderson obviously

being the one everyone knows about we'll

go with Leonard Leonard Miller he's a

six nine and a half seven two wingspan

uh really has a good potential to step

in and be a very nice role player and I

bring that up because I think it's

important to remember especially once we

get out of the lottery and even before

then so many of the players that get

drafted the big picture here and there

are special exceptions like you are

hoping that you can play a role in the

NBA and stick around for a second and a

third contract Miller's an intriguing

Prospect like defensively there's a lot

of potential there he's actually a

pretty good pastor he's a he's a really

good power Wing who kind of ask around

the league it feels like the opinion on

him is floating a bit but this range

feels about right we'll see if Utah

holds on to the pick he has no business

in my opinion dropping out of the top 20

um and certainly a team might see a lot

there a good potential but a a fine fine

NBA ready body we've got Leonard Miller

going at 16. all right final pick before

we hit a break Kyle you've got the

Lakers taking a guy named Kobe no

pressure or anything right

yeah seriously good luck Kobe buffkin

from Michigan is going to be the pick

here for the Lakers at number 17. was a

French top 50 Prospect coming out of

high school but buffkin this past season

as a sophomore really developed into the

number one option for the Wolverines

down the stretch I actually had a slow

start Jed Howard was kind of their go-to

option to start the season but buffkin

really came along they turned the keys

over to him and he was kind of their

go-to playmaker score Creator initiator

did a little bit of everything hit 35.5

percent from three last season developed

kind of as the the number one option for

the Wolverines a two-way Talent can play

on and off the ball uh really crafty

really kind of a slithery type of option

got a smooth old man game that uh is I

think will translate really well

to the MBA level averaged just three

points as a freshman at Michigan but

really came on in Blossom last season

averaged 14 points per game so his

developmental Arc history trajectory I

think is really promising if I'm

projecting ahead I think I'd like Kobe

buffkin's prospects going forward into

the NBA and that is CBS Sports NBA draft

analyst Kyle Boone much thanks to you

and also to 24 7 Sports is Adam

Finkelstein and CBS Sports is Matt

norlander as well let's relive the glory

of picks 11-17 the magic taking the

Kansas freshman at number 11 the Hawks

going with Cason Wallace and 15 the

Lakers

selecting Kobe buffkin out of Michigan

at number 17. we've hit the 18 to 24

demographic or something like that fresh

drop in NBA Finals appearance after

coming in as an 8C the Miami Heat we'll

have the 18th overall pick in the first

round of the draft on Thursday night

followed by Golden State Houston the

Nets Blazers and the Kings

Russ Taylor glad to be back with CBS

sports news Matt norlander and Kyle

Boone Adam Finkel scene of 24 7 Sports

here with me in studio Adam the Heat

outplayed their draft position by a long

shot here and they are at number 18

after getting all the way to the finals

so who are they adding to this roster

well I think they are going to add a

high upside Prospect and that is Derek

Whitehead Derek Whitehead was one of the

top three players in the high school

class A year ago but at Duke we never

saw a healthy version of Tariq Whitehead

to his credit he tried to play through

it on multiple occasions unfortunately

all that did was really hurt his draft

stock because this is a player who a

year ago was widely believed to be a

lottery pick caliber Talent now the only

thing that changed for me in the last

year in terms of his long-term

progression I think he's a better

shooter than I did a year ago I didn't

have nearly as much faith in his

shooting coming out of high school as I

do given his year at Duke in high school

we knew him as an ultra competitor as a

Defender a big Wing who could play as a

secondary ball Handler and a pinch I

think he fits that Miami culture and I

think given the progression he's shown

as a shot maker if he can get healthy

and that's the big if he's got a very

high ceiling all right Matt it kind of

feels like an off season of transition a

little bit San Francisco who do you have

Golden State taking at 19.

you know what I've got a guy that if he

is there at 19 I think uh the new GM

Mike Dunleavy Jr will uh will be excited

to take that's Jaime Hawkins and stay

out of UCLA uh plenty of experience and

after taking a few chances on some young

players in recent drafts I think Golden

State might embrace the idea that if

there's a guy that is just all in as a

competitor also a pretty good athlete

and uh and has some experience behind

him I think Hawkes is is that kind of

player he got a really good showing at

the combine has really held a wonderful

reputation as a player as a teammate as

a person for a while

and I understand that he's you know in

some ways he's not a guy that is getting

a lot of pop and Buzz but I tell you

what behind the scenes there's an

increasing notion I mean he received a

green room of invite there's an

increasing notion here that he's not

going to last outside the top 20. so we

have him going on the back end of that

going to Golden State if that does wind

out playing that that way I think that

would be a wonderful fit frankly what we

just talked about podcast in Miami or

Golden State either of those spots would

not surprise me at all and we've reached

the final pick of the top 20. here we

are with the Houston Rockets Kyle who do

you have them taken

yeah to round this out I'm gonna I'm

gonna take Andre Jackson Jr from UConn

this is someone who I think

we will look back in a few years and

think man this guy should have gone 10

spots higher 15 spots higher he is a top

15 Prospect according to CBS sports's

Matt norlander and I think the big

question is the jump shot can he fix his

shot and if he does I think he's clearly

on trajectory to be one of the best

combo guards in this draft he's long

plays great defense brings in tangibles

to the field and this is a player who

last season kind of helped keep UConn

together they had a really poor stretch

where they won the National Championship

but before that they lost six of eight

games kind of helped that helped keep

that team together a really good

teammate very vocal a really good leader

when I was at the NBA draft combined in

Chicago last month he was someone who

when you're watching the scrimmages in

Chicago he was the guy you heard talking

he was keeping his teammates in check he

was keeping kind of everyone in line so

a guy who brings a lot of uh intangibles

leadership someone who I'd want to bet

on at number 20. I think this is a good

value here for the Houston Rockets all

right Adam you uh you got picked number

21 with the Nets you've got him taking

Arkansas guard uh Nick Smith Jr now

before we get to your reasoning why

they're doing that let's take a look at

his draft Journey presented by Jeep

foreign

always believed in me since day one

and start that in me just as long as I

stay positive and just put the work in

and whatever you want to do you can

really accomplish

it just says Nick Smith day right here I

hope that you still got work to do and

we still got those we want to reaching

[Music]

we're just just the beginning when the

time come I'll be ready

I'm Nick Smith Jr and this is my road to

the draft

I grew up in Jacksonville Arkansas a

small town

my dad put the ball in my hands when I

first came out the woman

he went to college at Jacksonville State

Alabama he I'm a coach I just grew

around the players and that's how I fell

in love with the game

my mom was always there for support and

you know and the help I needed and the

guidance you know helped me out a lot

[Music]

just learned a lot about myself how

competitive I am throughout my life

that kind of turned me into a whole

different player on the court yeah right

there all I know is

there you go

all I know is

[Music]

that first really wasn't getting a lot

of improvements

yeah

good good

recruitment process it was crazy

pretty much every school in America was

hit me up

I feel like going to Arkansas was a good

fit okay

all seasons for a reason we're in the

process of you know just preparing for

the draft

still got work to do and we still got

those we want to reach it it ain't over

so you know just just the beginning

[Music]

what I'll be bringing to the team was

just a competitive fear

[Music]

ready to work ready to get better each

and every day hey

being coachable being a guy that

everybody want to play with just being a

guy that's going to get everybody else

better

good job Nick

so here's the part of the story that you

didn't see in that flashback two years

ago Nick Smith came in on a team named

Brad Beal Elite and the Nike eybl was

just coming out of covid he played

alongside a guy who was perceived to be

the star of that team named Brandon

Miller they got to Nike P gym as a first

time college coaches were back out in

two years and Nick Smith stole the show

he was clearly better than Brandon

Miller on that team he went on to finish

as the top-ranked High School Prospect

in the country going in Arkansas now he

didn't necessarily live up to that hype

at Arkansas but a good uh piece of that

was because he had that knee injury so

the question is was the player we saw at

Arkansas indicative of what we're going

to see in the NBA because if it is there

are real concerns in the defensive end

of the floor and in terms of his overall

feel for the game or was he just rushing

because he wasn't totally healthy and he

was trying a little too hard to prove

himself there is a significant upside

here because we are talking about a very

skilled very smooth guard with good

positional size who can play on or off

the basketball if he can hold his own

defensively his shot creation his shot

making can be a huge asset especially

when you're talking about this late in

the first round so there is a very high

ceiling for Nick Smith and quite frankly

a reason why he was the number one

recruit in the country a year ago

well the Nets have a kid who's got a big

upside and they've got two picks in a

row here 21-22 Matt the back end of a

Brooklyn double dip is yours who do you

have them taken

well if this doesn't wind up sticking

I'm taking a different kind of player as

the net should do if they wind up being

in the spot I'm gonna go Bryce sensible

out of Ohio State Chris Holtman is

coming off a terrible season the worst

of his head coaching career but he has

another one and done player and since

the ball is not a top 80 recruit coming

into Ohio State but he turned it he

turned in a really good season a lot of

that's because of the shooting the

scoring kind of did it out of necessity

a big player big body now he is not

someone with immense amount of burst I

think defensively there is definitely a

lot of road to make up but it's there is

a there's a belief out there among some

NBA evaluators that sensible is

offensive upside puts him close to top

10 in this draft class so we'll see if

that winds up actually coming to uh to

be the case there he he stepped into a

role that he maybe wasn't even fully

expecting and he thrived there he's big

I mean when you see him on the floor he

he's got a lot to him from the

physicality standpoint he is ready for

the NBA I do happen to think that with

him fit matters and enroll matters where

he actually goes is going to have a real

impact on his success in statistical

profile guys and his on his rookie deal

but this feels like a good range and I

could certainly see Brooklyn taking the

chance on sensible if he's there there's

a chance he's actually gone before we

even get to this point as well

all right that's the Nets back-to-back

picks at 21 and 22. Portland's up next

at number 23 and Kyle the pick is yours

yeah we already got scoot Henderson

going to Portland so I'm going to add

some size for the Trailblazers here and

select Trace Jackson Davis from Indiana

four-time all Big Ten performer former

consensus All-American there was a

stretch last season where he was the

most impressive and I think the best

college basketball player better than

Zach Edie better than some of the other

National Player of the Year candidates

so this is a guy who spent four years in

college I think the NBA typically

overlooks or at least under values

players who spent four years in college

or spent multiple seasons in college but

his production profile really speaks for

itself and someone who I think can can

be a really efficient scorer he's a

really good rebounder someone who can

add some toughness I think there's some

optimism even that he can add some

three-point shooting to his game I was

watching him at the NBA draft combine

working out and that was kind of an

asset facet of this game that he was

trying to work on on and develop and so

if you're adding Trace Jackson Davis and

he's potentially adding a three-point

shot to his Arsenal in addition to what

he already brings I like the value here

that I'm getting at number 23 a guy who

I think can be a really good rotation

player someone who can play multiple

positions in the front Court like his

upside and his future long term in the

NBA all right the last pick of our

second last segment of this show and

this mock draft goes to the team that

just snapped the longest postseason

drought in NBA history the Sacramento

Kings who do you have them taking

Sacramento Kings are going to take

Olivier Max sense Prosper known as omax

out of Marquette now omax was one of the

big winners of the pre-draft combine in

Chicago because he not only measured in

as very long he was very athletic he

played with an elite motor and he showed

enough shot making ability so that he

can check a lot of boxes now this is not

a player who anyone is anticipating is

going to go on to be a star in the NBA

but he is a versatile Jack of all trades

who can potentially contend for a spot

within the rotation and on a Sacramento

team that lacks some athleticism in size

up front especially along the wing he's

a really good fit again an athlete a

Defender someone who can make an open

shot he doesn't need to be the focal

point of your offense as he showed this

year in Marquette and that is going to

make the transition to the NBA game much

easier for him than it will a lot of the

names that we've already talked about

here tonight all right Adam Kyle Matt

thank you guys so much we're almost done

almost there not quite all the way there

here's a look at the picks 18 through 24

the heat look to Duke for their first

round selection the Nets go back to back

at 21 and 22 while the Blazers take

Indiana's Trace Jackson Davis at 23 and

the Kings round things out now uh with

the 24th pick of the first round they

are the final selections of the first

round Memphis followed by the Pacers

Hornets Jazz Pacers again the Clippers

to finish things out

Russ Taylor back here in studio with

Adam Finkelstein 24 7 Sports director of

scouting Matt in Orlando the CBS sports

college basketball Insider and CBS

Sports NBA draft analyst Kyle Boone Now

Matt the Grizzlies they won't have John

Moran for at least 25 games this season

we know who do you have them taking with

their first round selection at number

25.

well it's it's you know Memphis is not

going to draft anyone at 25 that is

going to make up for the loss of Morant

for 25 games however I'm going to have

someone here that uh isn't the best or

maybe the second best maybe not even the

third best at any single individual

trait in this draft but you know what

Chris Murray out of Iowa does so much

good all around he's a great

interlocking piece on any team I think

he can step in and play a real role as

as a rookie and then grow in the years

to come after that obviously what his

brother Keegan did while at Sacramento

has has probably even helped his

reputation away and and frankly maybe it

should

um college basketball Watchers saw just

uh how good of a knack Murray has to

make the right plays I find him to be

one of the most intelligent and Savvy

players in this draft we've got him

going 25 here I don't think he's gonna

be there at 25 on draft night just to be

honest I don't think that's gonna happen

he turned down a green room invite not

because he doesn't think he's gonna get

picked stay in the top 20. I think he

just wants to chill at home and and and

experience one of the greatest nights of

his life in the Comforts of a household

with his family and friends there so

this would be a wonderful pick from

Memphis if it doesn't move off this

Chris Murray has a really good Intrigue

and a very very high floor I might even

say as high as almost any other player

you will see taken in the 20s all right

Indiana still has two picks left here

before the first round is done Kyle I

don't know what the odds are of them

still having these two picks this late

on Thursday night but say they do who do

you have the Pacers taking at number 26.

I have them selecting Brandon pajemski

from Santa Clara and this is a prospect

too it's a four-star recruit coming out

of high school signed with Illinois and

it's almost as soon as he signed with

Illinois uh some some veteran pieces

decided to come back he virtually did

not play did not make an impact with

Illinois and Brad I know what the coach

there essentially said you're not good

enough to play for us he goes to Santa

Clara develops into one of the most

underrated and most productive players

in college basketball last season was

the code WCC Player of the Year averaged

20 points per game with Santa Clara hit

43.8 percent from three-point range and

has had a really good pre-draft process

was one of the big stars at the NBA

draft combine really stood out in the

scrimmages good frame good passer good

combo guard reminds a little bit of Manu

Ginobili with a smooth left-hander

guy who I think will be a good rotation

piece in a backcourt for an NBA team for

a really long time at number 26 I like

the value that I'm getting here with

Brandon the gymski

all right the Hornets had the second

overall pick there'll be a lot less

pressure on this next pick that they've

got here at number 27 although whoever

they're going to pick here is going to

have to make the team as well so who do

you have them taking at 27. I've got him

taking chiante George who is a player

who many people expected to be off the

board at this point at least earlier on

in the process now as other

upperclassmen have risen up the board

it's caused some underclassmen like

George to potentially fall we'll find

that out in about 48 hours but George is

a super confident shot making guard I

mean this guy just gets buckets plain

and simple he can really shoot the ball

off the dribble and while he is played

primarily off the ball to this point in

his career not just this past year at

Baylor but previous to that at IMG he's

got on the ball potential and again this

is a theme if you're listening to this

analysis uh over and over again on off

ball guards who can score the ball who

can make plays for others they have

value in today's NBA and I just think

keante George has got a good chance to

be an instant offense type guy coming

off the bench in the future you have to

give him a lot of credit he totally

changed his body in the last year in the

best shape of his life playing with more

athletic pop if he can prove to be as

good of a shooter off the catch as he is

off the dribble and hold his own

defensively I think he's going to be in

the NBA for a long time

all right we're getting down to it the

Jazz are gonna have three first round

picks at the start of the night Thursday

this is the last of them Matt who do you

have Utah taking

I've got a guy that I think there's a

wide variety of opinions on and his

spectrum is fairly wide I've got jet

Howard here

um jet Howard I mean I saw him play

before he got to college so I'm playing

college he had some really bright

moments

um you know on the defensive end there's

just so much work that clearly needs to

be done

but all I know is I've seen Jett Howard

step up and make uh a lot of Big Time

basketball plays and a lot of Big Time

moments and I trust I was just about to

say I trust his range here we go again

we see him some shot making see him

driving to the to the tin there I just

think he has enough of a game to stick

in the league and to be worth a first

round pick I have a first round great on

him there is there are trust me there

are weaknesses to his game he's got some

work to do uh he doesn't have you know

Elite athleticism or anything like that

but I just think he has enough in his

bag and you know oh by the way

go check out who his father is he last I

mean Juwan Howard played like 29 years

in the NBA so I do take stock into that

as well I think he's absolutely worth a

late first round flyer if by chance he's

still there some believe he will be gone

before pick 25. yeah look Jets got a lot

to live up to if he's trying to live up

to his dad's NBA Legacy uh like Utah

Indiana has three first round picks

unlike that two of them are in the final

five picks or the first round Kyle I I

certainly hope the Green Room is empty

by now who do you have the Pacers

selecting 29th overall

yeah someone who is expected to be in

the green room that is Noah Clowney from

Alabama this this class in general is

pretty thin when it comes to big men

outside of Victor wimanyama we've seen

Derek Lively get off the board here

pretty early Noah Clowney I would be

stunned if he is still on the board here

at number 29 per 40 numbers last season

at Alabama he had more productivity than

Derek Lively in in points in rebounds in

three-point shooting percentage uh this

guy who has a seven foot three wingspan

I think he's a high level defensive

prospect really good Mobility someone

who can be kind of Above the Rim flyer

he can be a lob threat someone who can

space the floor a little bit there's

some some optimism that he could be a

floor spacer showed some promise there

as a three-point shooter and you're

seeing some some highlights there he's

actually taking some players off the

bounce so there's a lot to like here for

someone who's six foot eleven can play

both ends of the floor number 29 I think

you're getting someone who can be a

potential starter and I think that's

pretty good value

all right Adam you've got the honor of

announcing the final pick of our final

mock draft before the real deal comes

our way on Thursday night

who are the Clippers selecting 30th

overall they're going to take Xavier's

Colby Jones because he's another one of

these college basketball veterans who

doesn't necessarily have a ton of star

potential in the NBA but is very rare in

terms of his ability to step right in

and potentially contend for a spot in

the rotation six foot five strong body

really NBA caliber frame right off the

bat another one who can play both on and

off the ball and with the Clippers you

see someone like Terence Mann who's not

necessarily a true point guard get

plenty of on-ball reps as they build

around Paul George and Kawhi Leonard

he's a very good Defender he's a very

good perimeter rebounder he knows how to

cut he's a very good passer if the

three-point shooting can pan out we saw

some really important strides from him

in terms of his floor spacing ability

last year if he can stay consistent with

that he's going to be a solid role

player in the NBA but the three-point

shooting is the key all right there you

have it folks our final mock draft is

now in the books much thanks to our

experts Matt norlander and Kyle own

college hoops Insider and NBA draft

experts for CBS Sports respectively and

24 7 Sports director of scouting Adam

Finkelstein in studio I'm Russ Taylor

and for all things NBA draft you're

going to want to tune in to CBS Sports

HQ Thursday night 8 P.M Eastern for on

the clock coverage our team of experts

will react to each and every pick

heading out complete draft grades as

well we'll also have you covered all day

with previews and the best NBA draft

analysis you're going to find anywhere

thanks so much for watching this edition

of on the clock presented by Jeep