For the second straight year, I've decided to take a look at the entirety of the recent NBA Draft, and pick from the 58 players to select my favorite fits between team and player. Multiple factors contribute to this, including my overall opinion of the prospect since the beginning of my scouting process, the current state of the team that they joined, and the amount that I feel they will be able to contribute both early in their careers, and down the line.
It's worth noting that I excluded the top three draft selections from the 2023 Draft for the following reasons:
Victor Wembanyama is the obvious number one on literally every single version of this list, he makes any team in the NBA better day one. That's fucking boring, so let's not do that.
Brandon Miller fits well in Charlotte, but I have some questions about both what he's going to be on the court, and the potential level of distracting he already seems to be off of it.
To be honest, I'm not sure Scoot Henderson will be a Trail Blazer by the beginning of the season. With the objective turmoil and potentially huge overhaul that Portland is going through, it's nigh impossible to figure out what his role could be amidst the currently rostered Damian Lillard, Anfernee Simons, and Shaedon Sharpe.
So without any more wildly unnecessary exposition...
10. Kobe Bufkin, Guard, Atlanta Hawks (Selected at Pick #15)
After his progressive ascension up draft boards throughout Michigan's season, the crafty Bufkin should slot in nicely to the small-wing rotation in Atlanta. Behind Trae Young, he can pick up tips and tricks on extending his already competent range, and behind Dejounte Murray, he can further improve his two-way play and slashing, especially considering their similar-ish body types. If he develops into a starting-caliber player, or even a reliable bench scoring option, it may allow the Hawks to move on from the recently-extended Bogdan Bogdanovic, should they find a suitor for the Serbian sniper.
9. Sidy Cissoko, Guard/Forward, San Antonio Spurs (Selected at Pick #44)
As previously mentioned, that guy the Spurs picked at number one is the obvious best fit they ended up with from draft night, but landing the G League Ignite's Cissoko at pick 44 is tremendous value. A long, sinewy athlete who can play multiple spots with his 6'8" frame with more than 0 three point potential, Cissoko may not be expected to provide a ton of minutes or stats in year one. His two-way potential and athleticism slides in nicely to a roster full of guys like Jeremy Sochan, Devin Vassell, and Keldon Johnson.
8. Jalen Hood-Schifino, Guard, Los Angeles Lakers (Selected at Pick #17)
Indiana's JHS was a guy who was hard to pin in terms of his stock, as an oversized point guard without a clear skillset that defines him more than another one. He's solid, with a 215 pound frame to match his legit 6'6" height, and the Lakers employ enough big-ish, combo-ish guards that he should be able to pick up a lot. Austin Reaves could command more money than he probably should in free agency, and D'Angelo Russell's status seems to be up in the air, especially considering the rumors of a Kyrie Irving/LeBron James reunion in Los Angeles. Should the Lakers' backcourt thin out in such a way, Hood-Schifino's size and in-between scoring ability should provide a burst to an offense that occasionally needs it. His playmaking in the pick-and-roll with everyone from Anthony Davis to Wenyen Gabriel will likely be something he's deployed to use early.
7. Brandin Podziemski, Guard, Golden State Warriors (Selected at Pick #19)
New General Manager Mike Dunleavy's first draft selection, former Santa Clara standout Podziemski was more or less clearly selected as a replacement (that might be a bit less of a head case) for Jordan Poole. Podziemski was an elite shooter in the NCAA once he transferred from Illinois and began receiving starter-caliber minutes. While a pick from this list last year, Patrick Baldwin Jr., isn't a Warrior anymore, Podziemski is clearly more well-equipped to contribute on Day One. A tall guard who shot 44% from three-point range last season feels illegal to add to the Warriors, regardless of where in their dynasty they find themselves. It's also worth mentioning that Donte Divencenzo is a free agent this summer, so should the Dubs fail to reach an agreement with the former Villanova standout, Podziemski could see significant run much earlier in his career than expected.
6. Noah Clowney, Forward/Center, Brooklyn Nets (Selected at Pick #21)
Clowney's draft position was a mystery to most analysts for a gross majority of the NCAA season, with his early floor being the later part of the second round, and his Christmas projections being as high as top ten. Both pre-and-post Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, the Nets' lack of size has been well-documented. Nic Claxton is an admittedly fearsome presence in the middle, especially on the defensive side of the ball, and the Georgia product seems to be improving. Ben Simmons will be a potential trade target this summer, maybe for a team like Portland, so adding a super-young, skilled 6'10" forward was a smart move for the Nets. His three-point ceiling, along with his playmaking and already solid defensive instincts are tantalizing for any team, but if the Nets take care of his development and he adds some muscle, he could be a real contributor as soon as year two.
5. Andre Jackson, Jr., Forward/Guard, Milwaukee Bucks (Selected at Pick #36)
While Khris Middleton's status is the more noteworthy storyline to follow with the current state of the Bucks, adding UConn's Andre Jackson in round two is certainly worthy of attention. A 6'6" full-speed burly playmaker and defensive stalwart, his style of play will fit like a glove amidst the system that was left in Mike Budenholzer's wake. He's a winner joining a winning franchise, as a high-level contributor to Connecticut's championship run in 2023. Depending on the orientation of the opponent, he could probably play 1-5 or at the very least, 1-4. He's a good positional rebounder, and while his shooting apparently drew "laughs" at pre-draft workouts, should Middleton stay, he'll have a mentor. Even if his offensive game never develops much further outside the paint where it currently resides, his combination of defense, leadership, rebounding, and doing small things to contribute to winning will certainly be welcome in Milwaukee.
4. Jordan Hawkins, Guard, New Orleans Pelicans (selected at Pick #14)
The pick that most people wanted the Pelicans to make, they used their lone 2023 selection to snag arguably the best shooter in college basketball during 2022-2023, depending on who you ask. The best player on the national championship winning Huskies, Hawkins' stock was the classic case of a collegiate player exceeding all statistical and intangible expectations and raising him about 20 slots from November. He's elite at running off screens and hitting threes at wild angles and from a variety of distances. Forward Zion Williamson's status in New Orleans seems to be as up in the air as it's ever been, but whether he's there or not, many of New Orleans' best creators are drive-and-kick types, and Hawkins sure is good at making the most of those "kick" opportunities. Learning under CJ McCollum is another thing that could be beneficial, as their are obvious similarities in some of the off-ball aspects of their games.
3. Jaime Jaquez, Jr., Forward/Guard, Miami Heat (selected at Pick #18)
While I'm not going to sit here and say that I had UCLA's Jaquez Jr. as a mid-first-rounder (to be fair, I don't think anyone did), if you asked what the perfect kind of fit for the way that dude plays, just about anyone would say Miami. Jaquez plays with his hair on fire, and rebounds far beyond his height or frame may suggest. He's a switchable defender, willing to do his best in front of small guards, and throwing his 220+ pounds into bigs. At 6'7" with the majority of his offensive game coming in the in-between ranges, it may be a bit hard to picture what he becomes as a pro. That being said, his pure hustle and effort undoubtedly sold Pat Riley and Co. on him at #18, and during the phone call where Jaquez was informed he was about to join the reigning Eastern Conference champs, Riley was apparently surprised that he even fell that far. That both says he likely had elite-level workouts and/or interviews during the pre-draft process, as many mocks had him between picks 30 and 40. If his floor as an older prospect is basically "he has everything he needs, just needs to sort of become a better shooter", then he could end up being a steal for a team known for finding them.
While the Thunder's side of this trade was...weird, as their best players are all guards and bigger than Kentucky's Cason Wallace is, the Mavericks were undoubtedly thrilled to get a center with the physical profile of Duke's Lively, the number one recruit in the 2022 high school class. Having a lob threat of that size may be enough to lure Kyrie Irving back to Dallas, and with another draft night trade landing them former King Richaun Holmes, Lively may be allowed to take his time more than expected. His three-point shooting, while advertised coming into Duke, wasn't on display much during that campaign. During his pre-draft workouts, he was able to put some of that shooting back into peoples' minds, and with the lack of non-Wemby centers available, that potential surely sold teams on him higher than his stats may have. God, imagine he landed in OKC and Wallace landed in Dallas though. Kyrie could leave Luka alone, and the Thunder could just continue to get monstrously huge. Probably for the best that didn't happen.
When I heard Adam Silver say that the Pacers selected Bilal Coulibaly, the still-18 year old teammate of Victor Wembanyama at pick seven, I was definitely surprised, and wondered if Kevin Pritchard was about to make a fairly uncommon mistake (for him, guy's kinda killed it so far). Then, when I heard that pick was on the move to the Wizards, who'd just selected Houston's Jarace Walker with the following pick, I realized that I was dealing with a real knower-of-ball in that front office. Pritchard knew that he could bait the rebuilding Wizards into reaching on a high-ceiling wing scorer like Coulibaly and get the guy he wanted more at a pick later, and come away with two future seconds, increasingly valuable assets. With Walker, the Pacers can fill their immediate need at Power Forward, and he'll likely start alongside Myles Turner day one. He's built like a 6'8" linebacker, and has a greater amount of skill than some would guess based on the eye test. He's quick enough to guard threes, and certainly strong enough to bang with fours and fives.
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