NBA: G League-Boulogne-Levallois Metropolitans at Ignite
USATSI

With only two weeks (and change) standing between us and NBA Draft night, it's time to kick things up a notch as we barrel into the homestretch of the pre-draft coverage process and really drill down into the studs of what makes this year's studs ... well, studs

So today -- building off of our Top 100 Big Board, which will be updated into the final days leading up to the draft -- we're beefing up our prospect rankings with scouting reports on the top 10 prospects in this year's class.

Order of prospects below is consistent with how yours truly ranks the class, as is the same methodology of the Big Board until we finalize our final rankings with a consensus ranking formulated by our team. For how we think where players will land, you can find that intel in updated mock drafts from Gary Parrish, David Cobb or yours truly.

Check out Kyle Boone's entire updated Top 100 Big Board

1. Victor Wembanyama | 7-4 | C | Mets 92

Long considered one of the best basketball prospects on planet earth, Wembanyama finished his regular season in the Pro A as the leading scorer, rebounder and shot-blocker for Mets 92. Standing at 7-foot-4 with an 8-foot wingspan, Wembanyama projects as the No. 1 player in the class and one of the best basketball prospects since LeBron James with his rare combination of size, skill and defensive versatility.

Strengths

  • Advanced ball-handling skills for his position and size
  • Elite defensive prospect who can cover ground quickly and moves fluidly
  • Great defensive anchor who can block shots from anywhere on the court; affects shots with his length and long frame
  • Mechanically sound shot and repeatable shooting motion that extends to the 3-point line 

Weaknesses

  • Tall, slender frame raises questions about how his body could hold up in the NBA; he plays roughly once weekly with Mets 92, can he play 82 games in an NBA season and be durable?
  • Can sometimes be turnover prone and foul prone; he struggles sometimes to play within himself and frequently, likely because of his situation, tries to do too much
  • Has tendency to take wild shots, though even the one-legged trick shots frequently fall through the hoop 

Pro Comparison

  • Kristaps Porzingis' length and shooting with Rudy Gobert's shot-blocking

Key numbers

  • Led LNB Pro A in scoring, rebounding and blocked shots
  • Two-time LNB Pro A All-Star; All-Star Game MVP in 2022-23 season 

2. Scoot Henderson | 6-2 | PG | G League Ignite

A former five-star recruit from Marietta, Georgia, Henderson is a first-of-his-kind prospect who spent two seasons with G League Ignite developing the last two years into a bona fide top-five prospect in the 2023 class. Henderson's combination of playmaking, athleticism and competitiveness makes him an appealing lead guard who could serve as a building block for a franchise.

Strengths

  • High-level competitor who plays with an edge and chip on his shoulder
  • Bouncy athlete who is unafraid to attack the basket and can finish around the rim
  • Tight handles help him operate as a lead guard; has savvy to facilitate for others and knows when to be aggressive

Weaknesses

  • Capable outside shooter but did not make developmental leap as 3-point shooter that some hoped he would
  • Good, but not great frame; a really good defensive hound at point of attack but doesn't project as switchable defender
  • Needs to improve as shooter, particular in catch-and-shoot situations to become a more rounded weapon

Pro Comparison

  • Collin Sexton

Key numbers

  • Led G League Ignite in scoring, steals and assists in 2022-23
  • Shot 33% on catch-and-shoot jumpers in 2022-23 and 31.3% on pull-up jumpers from beyond the arc
  • Reported 6-9 wingspan makes him one of the longer athletes comparative to height in this class

3. Amen Thompson | 6-7 | PG | Overtime Elite

Thompson is the twin brother of Ausar, both of whom project as lottery picks in the 2023 draft. Amen is a natural playmaker who has explosive athletic ability and a long frame to buttress one of the most exciting long-term profiles in the class. He spent the last two seasons developing with Overtime Elite and could be the program's first-ever first round pick — if his twin brother doesn't beat him to the punch.

Strengths

  • Special athlete with rare combination of size and leaping ability for a point guard prospect
  • Twitchy with his ability to stop and start
  • Can make advanced reads as playmaker and facilitator

Weaknesses

  • Can be turnover-prone, a product of trying to force passes into tight windows
  • Jump shot has improved but needs to continue developing
  • Level of competition faced against OTE leaves questions about scouting him and how his game will project early on

Pro Comparison

  • Dejounte Murray

Key numbers

  • Shot 25% from 3-point range with OTE in 2022-23 
  • Led OTE in playoffs with 9.2 assists per game in helping lead the City Reapers to a championship

4. Brandon Miller | 6-9 | SF | Alabama

Long wings who can score are among the more valuable archetypes in the NBA, and Miller projects neatly as exactly that. The former five-star recruit led all freshmen in scoring last season at Alabama and led the Tide to an SEC regular season and SEC Tournament championship while going on to secure a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Strengths

  • Excellent shooter who can be a threat from distance and space the floor
  • Can create and operate as ball-handler in spots; knows how to operate in transition and savvy at creating looks for himself
  • Long frame with big reach; projects as solid wing defender and embraced his role on defensive end as true freshman for Alabama team that finished top-three in adjusted efficiency on defense

Weaknesses

  • Improved during the season at Alabama, but still can struggle finishing around the rim
  • Shows signs of being a good playmaker and passer but can be turnover prone; had a higher turnover rate than assist rate in one season at Alabama
  • Has tendency to play rushed when running as lead guard in pick-and-roll; doesn't do a great job of setting up his defender on screens, and makes mistakes with loose handle/errant passes

Pro Comparison

  • Playmaking Jabari Smith Jr. 

Key numbers

  • Led SEC in points per game and led all freshmen in points per game in 2022-23
  • Finished in 22nd percentile as at-rim finisher on shots that qualified as layups, per Synergy data, finishing 46.8% (58/124) on such shots
  • Shot 38.4% from 3-point line on 276 attempts

5. Cam Whitmore | 6-7 | SF | Villanova

The first Villanova one-and-done since Tim Thomas in 1997, Whitmore brings power and explosiveness to the table as one of the most appealing long-term wing prospects in this year's draft class. A former five-star recruit who ranked as the No. 1 prospect in his class from the state of Maryland, Whitmore is an above-the-rim wing finisher who can provide floor-spacing as a spot-up threat and showed immense talent making shots in a variety of ways, though his playmaking ability for others is an area of improvement. 

Strengths

  • Explosive athlete with jaw-dropping hops who can finish above the rim and thrives in transition
  • Good catch-and-shoot weapon; hit 34.3% on 3-pointers at Villanova and rated in 84th percentile in catch-and-shoot across all opportunities, per Synergy data
  • Powerful athletic ability that he uses to attack downhill; can be a load for defenders to keep in front of and has good off-the-ball creation flashes
  • Smart cutter who plays well off the ball and knows when to flash into gaps in the defense
  • Can be a winner in isolation situations given his power and athletic ability

Weaknesses

  • Needs to improve playmaking ability; very low assist rate in one college season, though he was mostly asked to play as an attacking wing and not as a creator
  • Can at times be a record-scratcher; his unwillingness/inability to make plays for others slows down the flow of the offense and can lead to him making forced errors

Pro Comparison

  • Miles Bridges

Key numbers

  • Turnover rate (15.1%) more than double his assist rate (6.4%) at Villanova 
  • 85% of his drives in college were to his left, per Synergy data

6. Ausar Thompson | 6-7 | SF | Overtime Elite

The twin brother of potential top-five pick Amen Thompson, Ausar, like his brother, has long been viewed as a blue-chip prospect with NBA pedigree. Ausar spent the last two seasons developing with Overtime Elite and has grown into his own as a gifted scorer and improved shot-maker. He brings great size and skill to the wing spot and projects as a boom prospect with loads of long-term upside.

Strengths

  • Has made significant developmental strides as a shooter and functional scorer
  • Top shelf athlete like his twin brother who can play above the rim and use his length to affect plays on defense
  • Improving finisher with good shooting touch around the basket

Weaknesses

  • Still not a reliable shooter; while he has made improvement in this area, he still needs to work on strengthening his shot to become a threat
  • Can struggle to finish through contact – or finish in general – when getting to the rim
  • Can get boxed out in offensive situations; really good in transition and shows signs of promise on-ball as playmaker, but hard to envision him being a star if his shooting doesn't improve

Pro Comparison

  • Dejounte Murray

Key numbers

  • Led OTE in regular season in assists per game (6.1)
  • Shot 40% on catch-and-shoot jumpers in OTE playoffs (12 of 30)

Keyonte George | 6-4 | SG | Baylor

A nagging ankle injury sapped some of George's sensational skill set in his one-and-done season at Baylor, but he has made a strong impression on NBA teams during the pre-draft process both with his athleticism and his polished scoring ability. George led all Big 12 freshmen in scoring last season and showed growth as a playmaker, making him an appealing two-way guard whose offensive versatility is his biggest selling point. 

Strengths

  • Dynamic shot-maker and shot-creator who can function as an offensive hub
  • Lots of untapped potential as facilitator and playmaker with good passing and vision
  • Microwave scoring option who can play on and off the ball 

Weaknesses

  • Can be streaky at times as a shooter; needs to improve consistency with which he scores
  • Shows playmaking promise, but needs to cut down on turnovers; turnover rate and assist rate were virtually identical during freshman season at Baylor
  • Needs to improve defensive discipline; has tools to be multi-positional defender but has tendency to stand upright and out of stance, and frequently bites on pump fakes

Pro Comparison

  • Bradley Beal

Key numbers

  • Led all freshmen in Big 12 in points per game (15.8) and finished second among all Big 12 freshmen in assists per game (2.8)
  • Ranked as the No. 1 shooting guard prospect in the 2022 class by 247Sports and a consensus five-star, top-10 national recruit

8. Jarace Walker | 6-7 | PF | Houston

Walker became the highest-rated signee in Houston men's basketball history in 2022 in signing with the Cougars out of high school, and paid off right away as a floor-spacing forward with talents galore on both ends of the floor. He was a versatile defensive weapon and swiss-army knife offensive player for a 33-win Houston team that was primarily comprised of upperclassmen, and there is untapped potential in his game as a playmaker and scorer that should be unlocked in NBA spacing.

Strengths

  • Playmaking power forward who has guard-like playmaking and passing vision
  • Physically advanced body and frame with movement skills and fluidity of a four-year college player
  • Gifted playmaker with off-the-dribble skills; projects as combination forward who can slide anywhere from the wing to a small-ball center

Weaknesses

  • Can fade in and out of action. Was the best talent on a veteran Houston team, but had a tendency to be standoffish. 
  • Has playmaking upside as both a creator and passer, but had a higher turnover rate than assist rate as freshman, owing partly to erratic decision-making and partly to carelessness when handling the ball and driving. 

Pro Comparison

  • Thomas Bryant

Key numbers

  • Shot 34.7% from 3 on 101 attempts as freshman for Houston
  • McDonald's All-American and former five-star recruit who went on to win AAC Freshman of the Year honors in 2022-23

9. Anthony Black | 6-7 | PG | Arkansas

SUMMARY: Black was the No. 1-ranked point guard prospect in the Class of 2022 and a consensus five-star recruit who signed with Arkansas out of high school. Hed led the team in assists and minutes per game as a true freshman in 2022-23 and profiles as a big-bodied combo guard who can make plays and score. If his 3-point shot shows continued improvement he will be one of the most complete NBA prospects in this class.

Strengths

  • Smart guard who has quick processing skills and showed he can function as a facilitator and playmaker
  • Big frame who uses it well as a dynamic defensive player; knows how to slither his way to spots on offense as smooth operator
  • Immense feel for the game as young player; knows how to read defenses as lead guard and has innate sense for where to be and when

Weaknesses

  • Needs to improve his shooting, particularly as spot-up shooter and in distance shooting; he shot 30.1% from 3-point range and rated in the 34th percentile in spot-up shooting situations
  • Rarely put in isolation situations at Arkansas, but in the instances he was, he averaged .375 points per possession – in the 5th percentile among all college players last season, per Synergy. His creation ability and talents to create space one-on-one needs improvement.

Pro Comparison

  • Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Key numbers

  • Led all Arkansas players as true freshman in assist rate at 20.9% and steal rate 3.4%, per KenPom data
  • Shot 30.1% from 3 on 93 attempts at Arkansas 

No. 10 Taylor Hendricks | 6-8 | PF | UCF

Ranked as the No. 84 player in the Class of 2022 coming out of high school in Florida, Hendricks is the most meteoric of risers over the last year among potential top-10 picks after a stellar one-and-done season at UCF. He flashed dominance as a do-it-all defender and shot nearly 40% from 3-pint range on 155 attempts throughout the year, earning Second Team All-AAC honors as a true freshman.

Strengths

  • Versatile defensive prospect who brings good length, smarts and savvy positioning to the table for his position
  • Excellent shooter who showed shot-making skills and shot-making versatility not only as a floor-spacing spot-up threat but also in some dynamic situations off the dribble and attacking
  • Explosive athlete who can be a pogo-stick leaper and lob threat around the basket; that skill allows him to recover on defense and act as a high-level rim protector and weak-side shot blocker

Weaknesses

  • Shows great shooting touch but his finishing ability at the rim leaves something to be desired; improved strength and reps will in time likely quell concerns 
  • Needs to show improvement as a playmaker and decision-maker to hit his high-end NBA outcome; had more turnovers than assists and sometimes looked out of his depth when asked to make plays with the ball in his hands

Pro Comparison

  • Jaden McDaniels

Key numbers

  • Rated in the 98th percentile as post-up defender at UCF, per Synergy, allowing only a staggering 0.4 points per possession
  • One of the best transition players at his position in the draft, averaging 1.458 points per possession, per Synergy data