On draft

How will the 2023 NBA Draft shake out after the No. 1 pick? The Field of 68 had some thoughts.

1. Si experts, 30 picks, 1 mock draft

Couldn’t watch The Field of 68’s live mock draft on Thursday night? You’re in luck because it’s on YouTube.

Host Greg Waddell was (obviously) joined by Jeff Goodman and Rob Dauster, along with three NBA Draft analysts in Jonathan Wasserman, Matt Babcock and Sam Vencenie. They ran through the entire first round, with French phenom Victor Wembanyama (obviously) going No. 1.

But there were some surprises after that. Check out the video above for the full mock draft. Here are some takeaways.

Cam Whitmore over the Thompson twins at No. 4

The first three picks weren’t a surprise: Wemby, Scoot Henderson and Brandon Miller. But Dauster picking Cam Whitmore at No. 4 for the Rockets might be one. The Thompson twins (Amen and Ausar) are viewed as ideal options. Yet Whitmore, a freshman wing from Villanova, has seen his stock rise as of late.

Gradey Dick vs Jordan Hawkins

Goodman had both of Orlando’s lottery picks. At No. 6, he selected Houston forward Jarace Walker. At 11, he weighed options for the Magic to add shooting. So who is the best shooter in the draft: Gradey Dick or Jordan Hawkins?

Michigan had two first-round picks on its roster

Six college teams had multiple players selected. Duke, Arkansas and Alabama headline the group, along with two others that made the NCAA Tournament. The lone program that didn’t? Michigan, which had both Kobe Bufkin and Jett Howard selected.

Jett, the freshman wing and son of coach Juwan Howard, just slid into the top 30, and there was plenty of debate about his pros and cons. Bufkin, the breakout star sophomore at Michigan, was among the biggest surprises when he got selected. Do you agree with where he landed?

One mid-major player in the top 30

Each year, there is usually one player outside of the top seven conferences that gets selected in the 1st round. Players such as Ben Sheppard (Belmont), Maxwell Lewis (Pepperdine), Julian Strawther (Gonzaga) and Brandin Podziemski (Santa Clara) have a chance this year, but the guys picked just one of them in this mock.

Group of freshman PGs

Henderson, Amen Thompson and Anthony Black are the standout lead guards. But there’s another group below them that are projected first-round picks. Jalen Hood-Schifino (Indiana), Keyonte George (Baylor), Nick Smith (Arkansas) and Cason Wallace (Kentucky) all looked like stars in college. Yet who is most likely to succeed at the NBA level? It may depend on where they land, and this mock could be a hint at who’s looking at a guard.

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2. Antonio Reeves saga continues

At the NBA Draft deadline, there were technically three players that didn’t announce their intentions for next season. Paul Mulcahy, who entered the transfer portal, and Jalen Bridges, who weighed playing another year in Waco versus pro ball in Australia, and Kentucky’s Antonio Reeves.

Reeves, a 6-5 senior guard who averaged 14.4 ppg on 40 percent 3-point last season, won the SEC’s Sixth Man of the Year award. He averaged 18 ppg in his final 10 games (including 37 against Arkansas) and has been a rumored transfer portal candidate for the past couple of weeks. And now there’s been an update on this situation.

This is where things get complicated. To be clear, Reeves is not transferring back to Illinois State. But he isn’t able to graduate from his current school (Kentucky). If he entered the portal after graduating, Reeves would have to get a waiver from the NCAA to be eligible as a two-time transfer. By taking classes at his first school, Reeves would be able to graduate from there and thus be eligible to play next season anywhere else.

HOWEVER, this is quite the scene. To my knowledge, no player has previously been a grad transfer after playing at a school and then graduating from the previous school. Depending on how the NCAA rules on this, the veteran guard could still have some eligibility issues.

Also, this is mostly speculation: He could return to Kentucky, using this as NIL leverage. Until we hear from Reeves and Kentucky, the speculation will surely continue.

3. Guys who should’ve returned for one more year

Which players weren’t in the Field of 68’s mock draft and could’ve benefited from returning to college for another season? We’ve got thoughts.

Charles Bediako, Alabama

The former 5-star prospect left after two seasons with the Tide, averaging 6.4 ppg and 6.0 rpg. He’s a good defender and athlete but didn’t produce enough to likely get drafted. With both Brandon Miller and Noah Clowney gone, Bediako could’ve had a larger role in the frontcourt to showcase more of his offensive game. Looks like transfer Grant Nelson will benefit from that decision.

Julian Phillips, Tennessee

Phillips was a former top-20 prospect who averaged 8.3 ppg and 4.7 rpg as a freshman at Tennessee. He showed that he was a good defender and has the athleticism that’ll translate to the NBA. But he shot just 24 percent from 3-point range and was hardly part of the offensive gameplan. He originally entered the transfer portal and could’ve been a lottery candidate a year from now.

Amari Bailey, UCLA

Bailey averaged around 20 ppg in the final six games once Jaylen Clark got hurt, which probably fueled most of his decision to go pro. Yet, considering that the Bruins’ top three scorers are gone, Bailey would’ve not only been the clear go-to option next season but also would’ve had preseason All-American hype. And if those last six games became the normal going forward, Bailey would’ve been a no-doubt top-20 or better prediction in 2024. Also, Robbie Hummel thinks the same thing.

Marcus Bagley, Arizona State

Due to injuries and suspensions, Bagley played a grand total of 17 games at ASU in three seasons with a career average of 10.9 ppg and 5.5 rpg. When he was on the court, we saw flashes of stardom from the 6-8 forward. He could’ve entered the transfer portal and got a fresh start, but now, he seems more likely to play overseas than in the NBA.

Chris Livingston, Kentucky

This former 5-star forward averaged just 6.3 ppg and 4.2 rpg, and other mocks don’t even have him in the top 60 right now. Considering how much talent Kentucky lost this offseason and how young they’re projected to be, Livingston had a chance to come back and be a potential focal point of the offense and upgrade his stock.

So many questions

Is there such a thing as too many Kentucky videos? Nah. Not when Robbie Hummel and Jeff Goodman can have an honest, open-ended discussion about what’s ailing BBN this offseason.

Subscribe to The Field of 68 on YouTube here and subscribe here to The Goodman and Hummel podcast

Links while you watch more of the Field of 68’s mock draft.

• Charlotte hired Aaron Fearne as interim head coach.

• Washington added former Nebraska center and top-100 prospect, Wilheim Breidenbach.

• NEC changed its rules to allow new members Stonehill and Le Monye to play in its conference tournaments.

• Gonzaga and USC are reportedly set to play in Las Vegas in early December.

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