![]() ![]() Henderson can get into the paint when he wants, knock down shots off the bounce, and already has terrific pick-and-roll acumen. He has every physical tool in the box, good leadership traits, and offers a pretty high floor as a starting-caliber point guard, not to mention a star trajectory. Henderson needs little introduction following a successful first year in the G League, during which he turned 18 midseason and fully established himself as a highly advanced prospect for his age. When we see teams start to quietly tank in January, this will be why. But the bankable value offered by his defense and shot-blocking coupled with considerable room to grow as a scorer could make him one of the better bigs in the NBA pretty early in his career. Of course, Wembanyama will need to remain healthy at his size to deliver on his promise. On the offensive end, Wembanyama is still kind of scratching the surface, but he’s efficient around the basket, has flashed jump shooting ability and operates with a type of fluidity atypical for a 7-footer, which gives him room to grow creating his own offense. He’s been listed with a 7'9" wingspan, and also has above-average mobility and foot speed for someone his size. Wembanyama is foremost an exceptional defensive talent, with the size, reach and instincts to cover quite a bit of area by himself, and a knack for bothering shots. 1 prospect, which doesn’t happen as often as you think, nor does it usually happen this early in the process. This is a potentially transformational player who’s earned his status around the league as a near-unanimous No. Well, here’s the guy everyone wants: Wembanyama has been driving quite a bit of excitement in NBA circles for some time, with teams having already done quite a bit of homework in anticipation of his arrival. Victor Wembanyama, C, Metropolitans 92 (France) Oscar Gonzalez/NurPhoto via Getty Images 1. 1 prospect on SI's early 2023 NBA draft big board. Projecting most things with certainty this early in a draft cycle is often folly, but it’s still fun to think about. I’ve had an opportunity to see most of these players live at various junctures during their careers to this point and spent a lot of time digging back into old games to try and make this list as responsibly as possible. While it’s important to keep in mind that this is more of a watch list than anything else, given how far away we are from June and how quickly things will shift as soon as the season starts, I actually feel more optimistic than originally expected about next year’s draft. Now that I’ve had sufficient time to watch film, do research, canvas some early opinions around the NBA and clear my head (and not necessarily in that order), our first Big Board for the 2023 draft class is ready to go. We’re two months removed from the 2022 draft and hurtling straight into 2023, where Victor Wembanyama lies in wait atop an intriguing group of incoming freshmen, college returners and international prospects.
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