Looking ahead to the 2023 Draft
- Thread starter Tetsujin
- Start date
I'm not allowing myself to get too excited about any of the players this early. Last season I had Kendall Brown at around 6 or 7 in the lottery and by the end of the season I had him going in the 2nd rd. So you never know once the competition gets better who will rise, and who will fall. Multiple players that were originally thought to be first rd picks ended up going in the 2nd rd. Caleb Houstan, Max Christie, Christian Koloko and Peyton Watson, although I think Watson should have gone in the first rd, along with Ed Lidell.
Well, I think Bates has already taken quite the fall, ESPN has him at #76 on their best available list. So he's an interesting target to track for the Kings for sure.
Bates has a chance for redemption this season. good luck to him. The PG they have at Eastern Michigan, Noah Farrakhan, is a good player. They came so close to taking out Michigan they'll probably continue to make noise.
Bates has a chance for redemption this season. good luck to him. The PG they have at Eastern Michigan, Noah Farrakhan, is a good player. They came so close to taking out Michigan they'll probably continue to make noise.
Last edited:
Well, I'am excited, and I think this is a terrific class, but I'm not ready to annoint where they'll get drafted yet. There will be some surpirses, and some who fall, but overall, I agree, the Kings should be able to get one or two very good players. The 2nd rd should be full of potential 1st rounders.
There was a terrific article in The Athletic about Bates, and his journey so far. People forget that he had just turned 17 when he joined the Memphis team. It was a team made up of seniors and juniors, who decided that they didn't like Bates press clippings and thought he didn't deserve to play over them. Both Bates and Duren were sort of outcasts, which Hardaway acknowledged, and that it poisoned the team chemistry.
Hardaway said that Bates never acted like he had a big head, and was always coming to his office and asking to watch film. It was just a bad inviornment for Bates, and it became obvious toward the end of the season he was going to transfer out. Unfortunately the offers didn't come because he now had a reputation of being a head case. When the new head coach of Eastern Kentucky got wind of Bates being available, he called up his friend Larry Brown who was an assistant under Penny Haradaway to get more info on Bates. Brown told him that the kid was getting a bad rap, and not to pay attention to the rumors. That he was a hard worker and very coachable.
The car and gun incident, was a young kid being stupid. The car wasn't his, and neither was the gun. He had borrowed the car because his was in the shop. Apparently he knew the gun was in the car because he told the police that it was there before they even searched the car. He also had some weed in the car. Later there were some questions about why he was pulled over in the first place, and the charges reduced and he was put on probabation. Because he was still 17, if he made it through the probation period, there would be no official record of the incident. He then called the team together and apologized to everyone, and told them that all he wanted was to be included as one of them.
So I'm definitely going to keep my eye on him this year. He just might be a player that some teams shy away from because of his supposed reputation, and he slides to us. The kid is surpremely talented, and if he's put this stuff behind him, someone might steal themselves a star..
Hardaway said that Bates never acted like he had a big head, and was always coming to his office and asking to watch film. It was just a bad inviornment for Bates, and it became obvious toward the end of the season he was going to transfer out. Unfortunately the offers didn't come because he now had a reputation of being a head case. When the new head coach of Eastern Kentucky got wind of Bates being available, he called up his friend Larry Brown who was an assistant under Penny Haradaway to get more info on Bates. Brown told him that the kid was getting a bad rap, and not to pay attention to the rumors. That he was a hard worker and very coachable.
The car and gun incident, was a young kid being stupid. The car wasn't his, and neither was the gun. He had borrowed the car because his was in the shop. Apparently he knew the gun was in the car because he told the police that it was there before they even searched the car. He also had some weed in the car. Later there were some questions about why he was pulled over in the first place, and the charges reduced and he was put on probabation. Because he was still 17, if he made it through the probation period, there would be no official record of the incident. He then called the team together and apologized to everyone, and told them that all he wanted was to be included as one of them.
So I'm definitely going to keep my eye on him this year. He just might be a player that some teams shy away from because of his supposed reputation, and he slides to us. The kid is surpremely talented, and if he's put this stuff behind him, someone might steal themselves a star..
Terrence Arceneaux 6'7" wing freshman on Houston scores 14 off the bench in 22 minutes 3/6 from 3 with a block and a steal.
Hes an interesting 2nd rd possibility as a project. Skinny player who needs some seasoning but shows flashes (not the Josh Primo type of flashes)
Will Houston keep blowing teams out? He'll get tons of minutes off the bench.
Hes an interesting 2nd rd possibility as a project. Skinny player who needs some seasoning but shows flashes (not the Josh Primo type of flashes)
Will Houston keep blowing teams out? He'll get tons of minutes off the bench.
Well based only on current information, which will likely change these are players I would keep an eye on. Jordan Walsh, 6'7" SF who plays for |Arkansas. Non stop motor and a freak athlete. He's a one man nightmare on defense for the opposing team. If he can improve his 3 pt shot he could be special. Cason Wallace, a 6'4" combo guard who plays for Kentucky. He can do just about anything you ask of him. Terrific defender. Very good 3 pt shooter who can score at all three levels. He can play the point or off the ball.
Jarace Walker, a 6'8" PF who plays for Houston. This is more wishful thinking on my part than reality. I suspect that by seasons end he'll be a top five pick. Another non stop motor player whose strong as an ox who can go by you, or through you. Baba Miller, a 6'11" SF who plays for Florida St. Long athletic player with a 7'2" wingspan. Kel'el Ware, a 7'0" center with a huge wingspan who plays for Oregon. Very athletic player who can run the floor, block shots, and has a good post game. He can also step out and shoot the three. He's also shown some passing skills.
Grady Dick, a 6'8" SF/SG who plays for Kansas. Very good shooter and smart player. He could start rising up the draft boards. Emoni Bates, a 6'9" SF who plays for Eastern Micigan. If you believe he has his trouble behind him, you could be looking at a future star. Kris Murray, a 6'8" PF who plays for Iowa. Just think Keegan! Nikola Durisic, a 6'8" SF/SG who plays for K. K. Mega. Good shooter and very skilled player with great BBIQ. Good handles for a player his size.
Other players that are almost guaranteed to be in the lower part of the 1st rd or top of the 2nd are: Kyle Filipowski, 6'11", PF, Duke. Leonard Miller, 6'10" SF, GL-Ignite. Dillon Mitchell, 6'7", SF, Texas. Terquavion Smith, 6'3" PG, N.C. State. Julian Strawther, 6'7", SF, Gonzaga. Marcus Sasser, 6'2" PG, Houston. Julian Phillips, 6'7", SF, Tennessee. Mark Mitchell, 6'8", SF/PF, Duke. Will Richards, 6'5", SG, Florida. Tyrese Proctor, 6'5", PG, Duke. Maxwell Lewis, 6'7", SF, Pepperdine. Jett Howard, 6'8", SF, Michigan. And last but not least, a player that is likely to go in the 2nd rd because he's a senior, who has gotten better every year is Amando Bacot, a 6'11" Center/PF who plays for North Carolina.
Right now, every player I've listed is a potential 1st round pick, and of course many won't be because of all the talent at the front of the draft. But that shows how deep this draft is, and there are still players I didn't mention like Amari Bailey of UCLA or Chris Livingston from Kentucky. Anyway, that should give you something to chew on.
Jarace Walker, a 6'8" PF who plays for Houston. This is more wishful thinking on my part than reality. I suspect that by seasons end he'll be a top five pick. Another non stop motor player whose strong as an ox who can go by you, or through you. Baba Miller, a 6'11" SF who plays for Florida St. Long athletic player with a 7'2" wingspan. Kel'el Ware, a 7'0" center with a huge wingspan who plays for Oregon. Very athletic player who can run the floor, block shots, and has a good post game. He can also step out and shoot the three. He's also shown some passing skills.
Grady Dick, a 6'8" SF/SG who plays for Kansas. Very good shooter and smart player. He could start rising up the draft boards. Emoni Bates, a 6'9" SF who plays for Eastern Micigan. If you believe he has his trouble behind him, you could be looking at a future star. Kris Murray, a 6'8" PF who plays for Iowa. Just think Keegan! Nikola Durisic, a 6'8" SF/SG who plays for K. K. Mega. Good shooter and very skilled player with great BBIQ. Good handles for a player his size.
Other players that are almost guaranteed to be in the lower part of the 1st rd or top of the 2nd are: Kyle Filipowski, 6'11", PF, Duke. Leonard Miller, 6'10" SF, GL-Ignite. Dillon Mitchell, 6'7", SF, Texas. Terquavion Smith, 6'3" PG, N.C. State. Julian Strawther, 6'7", SF, Gonzaga. Marcus Sasser, 6'2" PG, Houston. Julian Phillips, 6'7", SF, Tennessee. Mark Mitchell, 6'8", SF/PF, Duke. Will Richards, 6'5", SG, Florida. Tyrese Proctor, 6'5", PG, Duke. Maxwell Lewis, 6'7", SF, Pepperdine. Jett Howard, 6'8", SF, Michigan. And last but not least, a player that is likely to go in the 2nd rd because he's a senior, who has gotten better every year is Amando Bacot, a 6'11" Center/PF who plays for North Carolina.
Right now, every player I've listed is a potential 1st round pick, and of course many won't be because of all the talent at the front of the draft. But that shows how deep this draft is, and there are still players I didn't mention like Amari Bailey of UCLA or Chris Livingston from Kentucky. Anyway, that should give you something to chew on.
Houston has a lot of talent starting with Jarace Walker who I would give up my first born for. Pleas don't tell my daughter! You have Walker, Arceneaux, and then add Marcus Sasser, you have the beginning of a possible national champion. Of course Duke, Kentucky, Arkansas, Kansas, Gonzaga, and maybe Indiana will have something to say about it.
Brice Sensabaugh is looking like a possible OAD candidate for Ohio State. 6'6 with a strong 235lb frame. He looks like a tweener, but flashes shot-making ability. Not really sure what to make of him yet because he's been playing against inferior competition, but that quickly stops next week.
Speaking of OSUs and freshmen, Jordan Pope was a Prolific Prep kid who's doing really well at Oregon State. He's 6'1 scoring PG. I don't think he's a NBA prospect at this stage, but he's made his team fun to watch. My buddy swears by him
Speaking of OSUs and freshmen, Jordan Pope was a Prolific Prep kid who's doing really well at Oregon State. He's 6'1 scoring PG. I don't think he's a NBA prospect at this stage, but he's made his team fun to watch. My buddy swears by him
It's really hard to tell what each brother can do that the other can't just because Fran had them playing different set roles last season. I had absolutely no idea that Keegan would be so good as a movement shooter for the Kings because that is absolutely not something they had him do at Iowa whereas I had an inkling Kris might be solid in that regard since they had him pivoting off of Keegan all season.
I will say that working out with Keegan in the predraft process has done wonders for Kris because he's playing a whole lot faster than he did last year.
I will say that working out with Keegan in the predraft process has done wonders for Kris because he's playing a whole lot faster than he did last year.
They're games are very similar. Kris might be a slightly better 3 pt shooter, and maybe plays more like a SF than a PF, however he rebounded very well tonight. He keeps playing like he did tonight and he'll be a lottery pick just like his brother. The major difference between them is that he smiles while he's playing!