The San Antonio Spurs will select first in the 2023 NBA Draft after winning the draft lottery this morning with French phenom Victor Wembanyama the odds-on favourite to be first off the board.
It will be the third time that the Spurs have selected first overall after taking Hall of Famers Tim Duncan in 1997 and David Robinson in 1987.
Should San Antonio land on Wembanyama, he will join their young core of Keldon Johnson, Devin Vassell, Jeremy Sochan and Tre Jones.
Charlotte will select second, Portland third, and Houston fourth.
The 2023 NBA Draft order:
- San Antonio Spurs
- Charlotte Hornets
- Portland Trail Blazers
- Houston Rockets
- Detroit Pistons
- Orlando Magic
- Indiana Pacers
- Washington Wizards
- Utah Jazz
- Dallas Mavericks
- Orlando Magic (from Chicago)
- Oklahoma City Thunder
- Toronto Raptors
- New Orleans Pelicans
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Wembanyama enters the draft process as the most anticipated prospect since a teenage LeBron James two decades ago.
A 7-foot-5-inch 19-year-old hailing from Le Chesnay, France, Wembanyama is averaging 21.6 ppg, 10.5 rpg, and 3.1 bpg – all league-leading marks – for Metropolitans 92 in France’s LNB Pro A.
Metropolitans 92 – who finished with the league’s second-best record – begin their playoff journey this weekend.
Whilst Wembanyama’s name has dominated draft discourse for some time now, there are talented options aside from him that teams will be monitoring closely.
G-League Ignite’s Scoot Henderson, Alabama’s Brandon Miller, and Overtime Elite’s Amen Thompson are among the names that are expected to contend for the second pick.
Houston’s Jarace Walker, Villanova’s Cam Whitmore, Overtime Elite’s Ausar Thompson, Arkansas’ Anthony Black and UCF’s Taylor Hendricks are also expected to meet with teams selecting in the early lottery.
