The Post’s Zach Braziller grades out the first round of the 2023 NBA Draft.
Houston Rockets — Grade: A+
No. 5: Amen Thompson, G, Overtime Elite
No. 20: Cam Whitmore, F, Villanova
The Rockets wind up with two top-five talents without trading up from No. 20. They end up as one of the big winners of this draft, following up high-upside point guard Amen Thompson of Overtime Elite at No. 4 with Villanova’s Cam Whitmore, a projected top-five pick, at 20. A combo forward who can shoot it from deep, the 6-foot-7 Whitmore fell due to a combination of poor workouts and concerns over his medicals. He’s well worth the risk.
San Antonio Spurs — Grade: A
No. 1: Victor Wembanyama, C, France
Victor Wembanyama is a Spur. Enough said.
Twenty-six years after lucking out by landing Tim Duncan, San Antonio won big again in the lottery, this time with the 7-foot-4 Frenchman some experts believe is the best prospect ever.
Wembanyama had joyful tears in his eyes after the selection. Spurs fans should have had the same reaction.
Los Angeles Lakers — Grade: A
No. 17: Jalen Hood-Schifino, G, Indiana
Jalen Hood-Schifino’s misfortune is a boon to Los Angeles.
They get one of the best guards in the draft at No. 17, a smart, two-way player who can help them right away.
This late in the draft, Hood-Schifino is an incredible value, the Big Ten Freshman of the Year who is potent in the pick-and-roll and has high defensive upside with a 6-foot-10 wingspan.
Utah Jazz — Grade: A
No. 9: Taylor Hendricks, F, Central Florida, Freshman
No. 16: Keyonte George, G, Baylor, Freshman
No. 28: Brice Sensabaugh, G, Ohio State, Freshman
Danny Ainge and Co. were a big winner of the draft, landing three prospects who all have rotational potential right away.
Hendricks is one of the best two-way big men in the draft, a rim-protecting, 3-point shooter. George is a skilled guard who was considered by many to be a lottery talent.
And Sensabaugh shot 48 percent in the Big Ten as a freshman, an impressive accomplishment for any 19-year-old.
Toronto Raptors — Grade: A-
No. 13: Gradey Dick, G, Kansas
One of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the league land arguably the draft’s best shooter.
Gradey Dick, the one-and-done marksman out of Kansas, was taken 13th overall by the Raptors, a smart selection that teams ahead of Toronto will regret.
Dick can do more than shoot, too, and paves the way for the Raptors to move one of their wings, likely OG Anunoby, who had just one year left on his contract.
Brooklyn Nets — Grade: B+
No. 21: Noah Clowney, F, Alabama, Freshman
No. 22: Dariq Whitehead, G, Duke, Freshman
The Nets get needed size in the ultra-talented 6-foot-10 Clowney and take a major swing for the fences with Whitehead, who was once considered a potential top-five pick before an injury-marred freshman season at Duke. Back-to-back shrewd picks by Sean Marks.
Portland Trail Blazers — Grade: B+
No. 3: Scoot Henderson, G, G League Ignite
No. 23: Kris Murray, F, Iowa, Junior
Henderson would be the No. 1 pick most years — he’s that talented. Scouts have made comparisons to Derrick Rose.
He either gets to learn from Damian Lillard or be the new face of the Trail Blazers, who also found a versatile forward able to stretch the floor in the 20’s in Murray.
Washington Wizards — Grade: B+
No. 7: Bilal Coulibaly, F, France
It took a pair of 2028 second-round picks to move up one spot, from eighth to seventh, but the rebuilding Wizards landed the player they coveted in French wing Bilal Coulibaly.
A monster athlete with a 7-foot-3 wingspan who played alongside Victor Wembanyama this year, the 6-foot-7 Coulibaly needs time to develop his offensive game, and he will get it with Washington.
Atlanta Hawks — Grade: B+
No. 15: Kobe Bufkin, G, Michigan
The Hawks backcourt was already strong, and now they add a third guard in Michigan’s Kobe Bufkin, a well-rounded combo guard with wing size at 6-foot-5 who shoots the ball at a high level and has a knack for scoring against bigger defenders around the basket.
A wise choice on a player who made a major leap in his second year as a Wolverine.
Miami Heat — Grade: B+
No. 18: Jaime Jaquez Jr., F, UCLA
When you think of Heat Culture, you think of someone like Jaime Jaquez Jr., their pick Thursday night at No. 18.
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The UCLA star wing is smart, tough, selfless and is used to playing winning basketball. He’ll fit in perfectly on South Beach.
Golden State Warriors — Grade: B
No. 19: Brandin Podziemski, G, Santa Clara
Meet the newest splash brother: Brandin Podziemski, a 43.8 percent 3-point shooter on 5.8 attempts this past season at Santa Clara.
At 6-foot-5, Podziemski has good size for a guard, is a strong rebounder for his position (8.8 rebounds last year) and can be a key part of the Warriors’ bench following the trade of Jordan Poole.
Oklahoma City Thunder — Grade: B
No. 10: Cason Wallace, G, Kentucky
At No. 10, the Thunder get arguably the best perimeter defender in the draft in Cason Wallace of Kentucky after moving up from No. 12.
There is untapped offensive potential with Wallace, who averaged 4.3 assists and shot 34.6 percent from long range on four attempts per game as a freshman, to match his defensive prowess.
Dallas Mavericks — Grade: B
No. 12: Dereck Lively II, C, Duke
No. 24: Olivier-Maxence Prosper, F, Marquette
Dallas was busy, trading back from No. 10 for Lively and purchasing the Kings’ pick for Prosper.
In doing so, the Mavericks added two defense-first players to fill the void at that end of the floor, which led to a dismal close to an underwhelming season.
While Lively doesn’t feel like an immediate impact player – he was underwhelming for most of his freshman year at Duke – Prosper presents terrific value where he was picked as a physical defender who took a major leap on the offensive end this year.
Charlotte Hornets — Grade: B
No. 2: Brandon Miller, F, Alabama, Freshman
No. 27: Nick Smith Jr., G, Arkansas, Freshman
Charlotte passed on Scoot Henderson, going with the better fit – LaMelo Ball’s presence was a factor here – rather than the player with the bigger upside.
The Hornets could regret this.
Near the end of the first round, they took Smith, who was at one time considered a potential top-five pick before an underwhelming and disjointed one season at Arkansas.
The two prospects grew up playing together, making for a nice story of familiarity.
Denver Nuggets — Grade: B
No. 29: Julian Strawther, G, Gonzaga, Junior
The reigning NBA champions found a rotational piece at No. 21 last year in Christian Braun and they may have found one here is this shotmaking 6-foot-7 wing who shot a shade under 41 percent from distance last season.
Indiana Pacers — Grade: B-
No. 8: Jarace Walker, F, Houston, Freshman
No. 26: Ben Sheppard, G, Belmont, Senior
The defensively woeful Pacers added toughness and physicality in the underrated Walker and took a capable shotmaker with Sheppard late, two players who should be able to crack rebuilding Indiana’s rotation from the jump.
The sharpshooting Sheppard could be useful, as Indiana looks to surround dynamic point guard Tyrese Haliburton with shooters capable of stretching the floor.
Los Angeles Clippers — Grade: B-
No. 30: Kobe Brown, G, Missouri, Senior
An experienced shooter with size, Brown is one of a select few players that broke the mold, seniors who heard their name called in the first round.
New Orleans Pelicans — Grade: B-
No. 14: Jordan Hawkins, G, Connecticut
The Pelicans took Jordan Hawkins 14th, drafting one of the best shooters in this draft.
This won’t be James Bouknight Part II, a fellow UConn star who was a bust after going 11th two years ago.
Hawkins is deadly when his feet are set, moves extremely well without the ball and can shoot on the move, although there are defensive and athleticism questions.
Detroit Pistons — Grade: C+
No. 5: Ausar Thompson, G, Overtime Elite
No. 25: Marcus Sasser, G, Houston
The in need-of-shooting Pistons passed on shooters at No. 5, drafting another slasher in Ausar Thomspon of Overtime Elite rather than Villanova’s Cam Whitmore or Kansas’ Gradey Dick.
Thompson is a big-time athlete, and he can shoot the ball better than twin brother Amen, but that jumper remains a major work in progress.
This feels like a reach and a questionable fit at that. Later on, the Pistons traded for the Celtics’ pick for Sasser, who can help them on the perimeter from a shooting perspective and has a reputation as a hard worker and dogged defender.
Orlando Magic — Grade: D
No. 6: Anthony Black, G, Florida
No. 11: Jett Howard, G, Michigan
First, Orlando chose another guard who can’t shoot in Arkansas’ Anthony Black at No. 6, then they reached for Michigan’s Jett Howard at No. 11, who wasn’t expected to go until the mid-20’s.
Howard, the son of former NBA player and Michigan coach Juwan Howard, does shoot the ball at a high level – and Orlando had a major need there – hitting 36.8 percent on 7.3 attempts.
But he doesn’t impact the game in any other way. Curious decisions, to say the least.
The Knicks, Celtics, Kings, Timberwolves and Grizzlies didn’t have first-round picks.
