2023 NBA Draft Preview, Part 1: Scoot Henderson, Ausar Thompson, and more
Next year’s draft have you feeling unclear? The Strickland draftniks are here with what you need to know about the next gen.
Why hello again! Salutations and happy holidays to you draft addicts, NCAA hoop fanatics and filthy casuals alike. Welcome to yet another year of blue-and-orange-tinted draft coverage here at The Strickland. I come bearing good tidings.
Firstly, this class is AWESOME, TALENTED, DEEP, and TONS of fun, and for some reason everyone is like 6-foot-8. Even if you take outliers like Victor Wembanyama (7-foot-5) and Scoot Henderson (6-foot-2) and average them out, they are basically 6-8. STILL COUNTS. Secondly, I don’t know where the hell the Knicks are gonna pick. Could be 20th. Could be 10th. Could be both. Could be not at all if they do what they did last year. I have no earthly idea. I don’t know what to make of New York having Dallas’ pick, and possibly a third pick if the Wiz make the play in and win twice. Is it good to have two cracks at this great class? Seems like it! But they already don’t have room for our own kids to get adequate playing time, so . . . your mileage may vary!
Finally, we – The Strickland – got some backup. Yes, our team of draft contributors is growing. You may have seen some of the new names already. We’ve gotten the gang together to give you a four-part overview of some of the talent whose names you might hear on ESPN or Twitter in the coming months. Here in part one, allow us to introduce you to a few of the writers, and more than a few of the prospects.
Prospects are listed in no particular order; this ain’t a mock or a big board! Almost everyone on this list – and it is a long list, hence breaking it up into multiple parts – has a case to be a lottery guy in a normal, not-too-bad-but-not-too-great year. Which is kind of nuts.
Scoot Henderson
6-foot-2
Guard
G League Ignite
19 years old
Adam: Scoot Henderson, first and foremost, passes the name test. This alone should be enough to justify his reputation as the consensus No. 2 prospect in this class, behind Wembanyama. But if that’s not enough, you’ll be pleased to learn the player behind the name is an uber-athletic lead guard with the cerebral capabilities to eventually become one of the premier initiators in the NBA.
His offensive game stems from one key skill: his rim pressure. Henderson’s electric burst and advanced handle make his presence in the paint almost inevitable. And once he beats the initial defender, he has numerous options at his disposal. He can put his vertical explosiveness, strength, and flexibility to use and attempt both graceful and powerful finishes at the rim. He can also stop on a dime and watch the defender zoom past him as he rises up for a reliable mid-range pull up. Although his 3-point shot hasn’t come along just yet, his knack for said midrange pull-up and his great touch provide some optimism about Scoot’s development as a shooter. And to top it all off, he’s one of the best passers in the draft, adept at reading defenses and polished as a decision maker. No slouch on defense, Henderson often guards the opposing team’s primary ball handler while displaying his motor and lateral quickness. While he might be overshadowed by Wembanyama (a pretty tall shadow), Scoot’s talent is undeniable and he would easily be contending for the first pick in most other draft classes.
Ausar Thompson
6-foot-8
Wing
Overtime City Reapers (OTE League)
20 years old
Prez: Yes, he and his brother Amen are twins and both top-10 picks waiting to happen. No, they are not the same style of player. They do, however, share some on-court commonalities, namely incredible explosiveness and high motor. Like Amen, Ausar is going to likely be the most- or second-most athletic player on the court at any given moment as a NBA rookie. Like Amen, he is an absolute dawg on defense. Unlike Amen, he has not developed into an initiating, facilitator/scorer hybrid. He doesn’t run point guard for the Reapers, though he does pass quite a bit.
Instead, Ausar plies his trade as more of a two-way wing. While his athleticism with the ball, though elite, may be a slight tick behind his brother Amen, his jump shot is more advanced. As a result, Ausar is a budding three-level scorer with developing handles and outrageous talent who’s beginning to leverage his athleticism and his emerging jumpshot. He might need to relax as far as his shot selection, but with a high floor and high ceiling Ausar would likely be a top-5 lock any other year.
Nick Smith Jr.
6-foot-4
Guard
Arkansas
19 Years Old
Prez: Usually when we see an explosive scorer/combo guard prospect, there’s some glaring red flag in their profile. Maybe they can’t finish. Sometimes they’re too short, or too old. Maybe they hunt their shot too much and are a ball hog; often, they stink on defense or can’t hang athletically. Nick Smith’s debut was delayed until the Thanksgiving holiday due to injury, but he seems different. Why? Simply put, he doesn’t seem to have any of those glaring flaws. Smith is an electric shot creator, with a splashy jumper ranging out to 30 feet. He also has a high motor on both ends. To top it off, he can run nifty pick-and-rolls and will likely co-captain the Arkansas offense with fellow likely lottery pick and point forward Anthony Black.
Smith isn’t an explosive athlete, but he is quick and crafty, and has some long-ass arms and a deadly floater to help make up for the lack of imposing physical strength and explosiveness. He loves full-on sprinting with the ball in transition. The league has proven to be averse to drafting tweener guards who aren’t explosive athletes or Obvious True Point Guards™ in the top 10, but Nick will try to be the first to buck that trend since Coby White. Is he the next Coby (hopefully not)? The next Tre Mann? The next Bones Hyland, Immanuel Quickley or Tyrese Maxey? Is he something else – something even better?
Keyonte George
6-foot-4
Guard
Baylor
19 Years Old
Adam: Keyonte George is a combo guard who’ll be the next NBA product of a Baylor program that’s established itself as one of a college basketball powerhouse. One of the best players in high school during his tenure at IMG Academy, George is a gifted scorer who’s shown flashes of enticing ancillary skills to tempt front offices come draft season. His calling card is his jumpshot – George’s fluid stroke has proven to be a lethal weapon and should continue to be that throughout his career. His mechanics, featuring a quick two-motion release, a high release point and solid vertical lift allow him to extend his range several feet beyond the 3-point line and get his shot off over larger defenders, which he does often and without warning. At the rim, his rare combination of feathery touch and brute strength provide some optimism about his future as a finisher, though his lack of vertical pop and craft cause him to struggle finishing over and around big rim protectors.
Additionally, drafting Keyonte as high as he’s projected – some have him in the top five -- means gambling on his creation. There are legitimate questions about his lack of shiftiness, and his handle can be loose at times. However, it’s hard to see his squeaky-clean track record as a scorer and displays of elite burst and have much concern about this facet of his game. He has also shown flashes of playmaking juice, delivering accurate and well-timed skip passes with either hand and leveraging his scoring gravity to create open looks for teammates’ his court vision and decision making are still works in progress. Keyonte has also shown promise on the defensive end: he’s tenacious on the ball and his outlier strength allows him to stonewall drivers. There are occasional lapses in awareness and effort, but these are common among guards of his age to carry such an offensive load. George is a fun prospect with a unique toolbox and I’m excited to see how his development plays out in the coming years.
Cam Whitmore
6-foot-7
Forward
Villanova
18 years old
Tyrese London: Cam Whitmore is an explosive wing who will walk into the league with an abundance of youth and athleticism in a 225-pound, NBA-ready frame. If you’re ever watching Villanova (and you should be, it’s a Fortune 500 company), just look for the guy jumping over/through/on top of everyone else. He can score off the dribble, does damage off the ball as a supreme cutter and can even mix it up on the boards to create second-chance opportunities and transition points. His questions offensively lie with how good of a shooter and playmaker he can be, but there are reasons to be optimistic about both. There are also questions about how much he can do defensively, but his athleticism – and the program he plays for – bodes well for that side of the ball developing. Before arriving at Villanova, he had a highlight-filled summer with Team USA where his jumper was falling. One of the more touted prospects in this cycle, Whitmore has all the potential in the world to be a premier two-way wing. He’s also one of a few prospects who are babies, turning 18 on draft night. He has no ceiling.
GG “Gregory” Jackson
6-foot-10
Forward
South Carolina 18 years old
Prez: GG is a gigantic forward, and also a small ball big, and also the youngest player in this class, debuting at 17. He was a top player in the 2024 class, coming up as a mobile big and then a wing, reclassified, decommitted from North Carolina, and joined an up-and-coming Gamecock program. A busy year for young GG. On the court, he leapt off the screen to me because large forwards (he’s 6-foot-10 and not skinny) shouldn’t be able to bust out combo ankle breakers and pull-ups. He moves remarkably well on both ends for someone his size, like a guard. You see it most clearly on defense where he can fly around for rebounds and blocks, and slide with ball handling water bug guards. At the moment he is just barely scratching the surface of what he might be. Also, he doesn’t pass much. Like, doesn’t pass ever, so far. That being said, the potential is tantalizing given his age. Even if he doesn’t begin the year in most mock top-10s, I suspect – like tall youthful prospects Josh Giddey, Jonathan Kuminga and Ousmane Dieng before him – teams will end up betting on the tools, size and age.
Dereck Lively
7-foot
Center
Duke
18 years old
Prez: A highly-touted stretch big (and top-five recruit of the class, depending which scout service you cite) finds himself beginning the year coming off the bench, with mediocre numbers, stuck behind fellow possible first-rounder Kyle Filipowski, a talent in his own right. Thanks, Duke!
For now, we’re limited to tantalizing flashes, mostly from before Duke. Even in college, Lively still shows flashes of everything: monster rim protection, the flexibility and nimbleness to switch on the perimeter, and the length and agility to cause havoc around the court. He isn’t taking threes early on, but his mechanics are gorgeous and he shot quite a bit in both high school and AAU. He also has a nose for passing. So what are we hesitant about with Dereck? Well, he’s a bit skinny – he’s not going to post many mismatches yet. He might not destroy teams on the glass using length and top-notch instincts, a la Chet Holmgren. Is his slow start the result of too much hype, or Duke not utilizing him correctly (wouldn’t be the first time)? Your answer determines where you rank him.
That’s all for Part 1. Stay tuned for Parts 2, 3 and 4 coming soon.
