2023 Draft Thread

[shakes]

24 minutes ago, Sothron said:

I can't wait to see this kid take the ice in the Blackhawks sweater.  The team is still years away from being in the playoffs but at least there is something worth watching now.

Me too.  I've been boycotting the Hawks since they traded Panarin in 2017.   Said a year ago that if they want me back they need to get Bedard.   They held up their end of the bargain so I'm back!

[RedDawg#8]

34 minutes ago, AHF said:

You have to wonder about this?  Not trying to be sarcastic but you don't wonder about this.  You know this for a fact.  I might never have heard of him if he wasn't LeBron's son.  (This doesn't mean he can't be a successful NBA player but obviously the hype is soooooo much higher than it would otherwise be.)

Part of it is the social media age we are in as well. But Bronny has game.

MJ had 2 sons that played ball but nobody really cared because they just weren’t that good. People imagined what if they had had their dad’s ability but they just couldn’t hack it.

DWade had a son in the G-League and nobody cared, because he doesn’t have a real NBA future.

Bronny isn’t generational by any means, but he can hoop. We would not hear about him if he couldn’t.

[JayBirdHawk]

7 minutes ago, RedDawg#8 said:

Part of it is the social media age we are in as well. But Bronny has game.

MJ had 2 sons that played ball but nobody really cared because they just weren’t that good. People imagined what if they had had their dad’s ability but they just couldn’t hack it.

DWade had a son in the G-League and nobody cared, because he doesn’t have a real NBA future.

Bronny isn’t generational by any means, but he can hoop. We would not hear about him if he couldn’t.

It'll be interesting to see how he does in college.

[AHF]

9 minutes ago, RedDawg#8 said:

Part of it is the social media age we are in as well. But Bronny has game.

MJ had 2 sons that played ball but nobody really cared because they just weren’t that good. People imagined what if they had had their dad’s ability but they just couldn’t hack it.

DWade had a son in the G-League and nobody cared, because he doesn’t have a real NBA future.

Bronny isn’t generational by any means, but he can hoop. We would not hear about him if he couldn’t.

Right but we hear much more about him because he is LeBron's son.  I've been hearing about him since he was like 12 years old.  Last year, I had to learn most of the names projected later than the lottery in the draft because I just don't follow college basketball even a small fraction as much as I used to.  That is the same range where Bronny is projected but, again, I've known about him for years.  I'm not saying people who are into college basketball wouldn't know Bronny.  I am saying they wouldn't hear as much about him as they do.  I'm saying casual fans like me at this stage of my life wouldn't know him at all.  I can't name a single USC player from last year and I sure don't know a lot of non-top-10 college recruits unless they are directly involved with UK.  I shouldn't know who Bronny is and I do because of his Dad. 

None of that is to say he doesn't have game.  Kobe Bufkin presumably has game but I didn't know him this time when he was coming out of high school and didn't know him this time last year either and didn't know him 45 days ago either until I started reading mock drafts and Spud's thread and other draft content on here.

To make a short story long, I'm saying the degree of hype is a product of his famous father and his father's stated intention to play with his son.

[JayBirdHawk]

First Round Picks: Signed vs Unsigned.

First Round:

1. San Antonio Spurs: Victor Wembanyama, C, Metropolitans 92: Signed
2. Charlotte Hornets: Brandon Miller, F, Alabama: Signed
3. Portland Trail Blazers: Scoot Henderson, G, G League Ignite: Signed
4. Houston Rockets: Amen Thompson, G, Overtime Elite
5. Detroit Pistons: Ausar Thompson, G, Overtime Elite: Signed
6. Orlando Magic: Anthony Black, G, Arkansas: Signed
7. Washington Wizards: Bilal Coulibaly, F, Metropolitans 92: Signed
8. Indiana Pacers: Jarace Walker, F, Houston: Signed
9. Utah Jazz: Taylor Hendricks, F, UCF: Signed
10. Oklahoma City Thunder: Cason Wallace, G, Kentucky
11. Orlando Magic: Jett Howard, G, Michigan: Signed
12. Dallas Mavericks: Dereck Lively II, C, Duke
13. Toronto Raptors: Gradey d*ck, G, Kansas: Signed
14. New Orleans Pelicans: Jordan Hawkins, G, UConn: Signed
15. Atlanta Hawks: Kobe Bufkin, G, Michigan
16. Utah Jazz: Keyonte George, G, Baylor: Signed
17. Los Angeles Lakers: Jalen Hood-Schifino, G, Indiana
18. Miami Heat: Jaime Jaquez Jr., F, UCLA: Signed
19. Golden State Warriors: Brandin Podziemski, G, Santa Clara
20. Houston Rockets: Cam Whitmore, F, Villanova
21. Brooklyn Nets: Noah Clowney, F, Alabama
22. Brooklyn Nets: Dariq Whitehead, G/F, Duke
23. Portland Trail Blazers: Kris Murray, F, Iowa: Signed
24. Dallas Mavericks: Olivier-Maxence Prosper, F, Marquette
25. Detroit Pistons: Marcus Sasser, G, Houston
26. Indiana Pacers: Ben Sheppard, F, Belmont: Signed
27. Charlotte Hornets: Nick Smith Jr., G, Arkansas: Signed
28. Utah Jazz: Brice Sensabaugh, F, Ohio State: Signed
29. Denver Nuggets: Julian Strawther, F, Gonzaga
30. Los Angeles Clippers: Kobe Brown, F, Missouri

https://www.hoopsrumors.com/2023/07/2023-nba-draft-pick-signings.html#ref=home