Walsh has flashed enough shooting mechanics plus off-the-dribble maneuvering, touch shots, physical finishes (64.9% at rim), effort and foot speed for teams to bet on off-ball scoring and defense from the 3 or 4 position. Hes making great decisions with the ball in his hands, getting into the lane enough to keep defenders honest, and becoming an analytics darling in the process. He picks his spots well to attack, and he uses his strength and off hand to convert around the basket. UCLA coach Mick Cronin holds the Bruins Hungry Dog Award, which goes to the player with the most deflections defined as steals, blocks, tipped passes and loose balls collected at the end of the season. Jalen Pickett - Wikipedia Two new underclassmen have jumped into our first-round projections, including one who's making his debut on the 2023 board. Age (18) and a valued archetype will keep NBA teams patient with Rupert, a 6'6" wing who has a projectable shooting stroke and 7'3" wingspan for defense. We began this years NBA Draft coverage by ascertaining exactly how things work behind the scenes. While it may be unrealistic to expect him to shoot the ball this well all season long, if the floor-spacing is real (he shot 20% from three as a freshman and 26% as a sophomore), hell project as a three-and-D type versatile guard. Kind of reminds me of Halliburton. Then, we looked at five other prospects whose draft stock is trending in the right direction. Its obviously important for the shooting to continue, though the early consistency remains promising, as hes at 41% from deep on 4.4 attempts per game while converting 79.1% of his free throws. Miller has not been charged in the case and continues to play for Alabama. He connected on just 33% of those looks last season though, and wasnt necessarily on the draft radar because of it. Overlooked because of:Limited creation, shooting struggles, average wing size, Undervalued because of:Easy-fit versatility/adaptability, defensive impact, projectable role. Cleveland Cavaliers (via Warriors): Terrence Shannon Jr. (Illinois, SF, Senior). 34. NBA 2021 Draft Prospects | Jalen Suggs - National Basketball Association UCLA's Jaylen Clark follows in defensive footsteps of Darren Collison There will ultimately be NBA teams who put extra stock into predraft scouting, when Whitehead flashed more self-creation for three-level scoring and athleticism in transition at Montverde. First, he shines on the defensive end of the floor. (Photo: Scott Wachter, USA TODAY Sports) On the surface, Dillon Mitchell looks like a no-brainer candidate to come back for his sophomore year. Miller has been productive in the G League by tapping into his mobility, face-up agility and rim running. Sacramento Kings: Zach Edey (Purdue, C, Senior). Bleacher Report: Sleeper NBA Draft picks to watch in 2023 Jaylen Clark. General managers can safely ignore the lack of production and percentages for an 18-year-old with a 16.3% usage rate. And good luck with dribble handoffs in his vicinity. He's also playing with noticeable energy and activity, which has made him a bigger off-ball scoring threat and disruptive defender. They were a massive disappointment, yes, but also so transcendent for brief moments. Then, they dive deep on Clark's defensive impact, discussing his exceptional ability to generate steals and great on-ball defensive skills at length. Despite having already turned 23 years old, Peterson is becoming interesting with his ball-handling and creation flashes, shot-making versatility and passing (4.7 assists) at 6'9". Phoenix Suns: uolas Tubelis (Arizona, PF/C, Junior). Remember Darren Collison? Indiana Pacers (via Cavaliers): Maxwell Lewis (Pepperdine, SG/SF, Sophomore). First, he shines on the defensive end of the floor. STATS Hosted Solution | Player Stats - Jaylen Clark - UCLA Bruins Racking up double-doubles lately, Gueye has drawn attention with his 6'11" size, production around the basket and flashes of mid-range shooting and hard drives in space. Wembanyama is being used in every possible way for a bigas a post player, pick-and-pop shooter and ball-handler. The most common categories were potential lottery picks, potential first round picks, potential second round picks, players who might be invited to the G League Elite Camp or Portsmouth Invitational, and finally, prospects who may have NBA potential down the road but are not ready this year. Washington Wizards: Ausar Thompson (Overtime Elite, SG/SF, 2003). Lately, he's answered key ones that popped up earlier in the season, when he struggled to convert around the basket. Offensively, he provides a solid spot-up shooter with a compact release and a typically good passer, who can also get loose from some explosive plays and finishes in transition. Milwaukee Bucks: Mouhammed Gueye (Washington State, PF, Sophomore). While its more reasonable to project him as a combo, he has shown enough playmaking feel for coaches to use him for creation in ball-screen situations. After a strong start to the season, Pelle Larsson hasnt put up especially big numbers in his last three games. Those traits allowed Clark to defend every player on the court, from jitterbug point guards to beanpole centers. It's been tougher to picture the upside lately with Filipowski, a non shot-blocker making 28.6 percent of his threes with 77 turnovers to 44 assists, but his inside-out scoring versatility for a 7-footer is still bound to create first-round interest. Kleckner gave those questioning Clarks ability at the next level the same spiel he had delivered about Collison. Top Five. Coming up with more rebounds and steals some nights than others, Williams has room to be a more consistent factor off the ball as he showed good instincts in spurts. The performance was a reminder why he's a likely outlier who doesn't require the highest skill level to score or play-make. Brooklyn Nets: Jordan Hawkins (Connecticut, SG/SF, Sophomore). Averaging 0.79 points per pull-up jump shot [53rd percentile] he often used the threat of his jumper to help himself get downhill. On the ball, weve seen a few sequences of him identifying space, putting the ball down, attacking in a straight line and finishing with body control. Each front office will do its own due diligence by investigating and interviewing, making it difficult to assess how Miller's involvement will affect his draft stock. But, that was cancelled after some concerning news dropped. Scheierman possesses the proven shooting, passing IQ and enough defensive mobility for teams to picture a connector who won't need athleticism to be effective. Boston Celtics (via Blazers): Jaime Jaquez Jr. (UCLA, SF/PF, Senior). 2023 NBA Draft Big Board: Top 60 Prospect Rankings Here's a complete look at SI's first Big Board for the 2023 NBA draft, headlined by Victor Wembanyama and Scoot Henderson. 13. The Orlando Magic would ignore their needs to draft the best player available in Walker. But February was also a key month for a handful of players who made strong impressions and improved their stock. . The 6-foot-5 junior has started in 25 games . Jaylen Clark - UCLA Basketball - RotoWire After returning to the scene, he gave shifting accounts of the wreck as an Athens police officer questioned him about whether he had been racing the car that crashed.. NBA coaches can think about using him on the ball to facilitate or off the ball as a cutter and dribble-handoff weapon. Mintz is crafty in the lane, where he uses pivots, fakes, patience and touch (14-of-28 runners). Alongside the trophies, medals, plaques, certificates and awards the UCLA guard has accumulated over a career spanning numerous youth and high school championships plus a trip to the Final Four will soon reside one improbable basketball memento. At some point, Tubelis' production becomes a selling point that suggests his rim running, finishing, rebounding and short-range touch can work in an energizer role. Houston Rockets (via Clippers): Rayan Rupert (New Zealand Breakers, SG/SF, 2004). Beyond the production though, its the way his tools could potentially translate. The five players with the most steals in UCLA history are all point guards, making Clark something of an outlier. Was his dribble a bit high? Clark knocked down 6-of-9 shots from the field, finishing with 16 points, six rebounds three steals during Thursday's win over Stanford. 37. Nevertheless, scouts came away from the Basketball Hall of Fam Tip-Off Championship wondering if he could be the type of mobile big-body to develop versatility later in his career, almost like Grant Williams. San Antonio Spurs: Scoot Henderson (G League Ignite, PG, 2004). Scouts will buy his makes and firepower, which highlight translatable self-creation and shot-making versatility/range for takeover scoring. While Henderson's explosiveness, power and off-the-dribble burst separate Henderson from the rest of his draft classmates, a recent 20-point (2-of-4 3PT), 14-assist game against a Memphis Hustle team with multiple NBA-caliber players highlighted his skill improvement, playmaking and shot-making potential. UCLA's Johnny Juzang declares for NBA draft, but Jaylen Clark stays Grabbing a piece of fabric is often the only way teammates can fight back against the disruptiveness that comes from Clarks quickness, instincts and, well, doggedness. With 41- and 32-point games in mid-February, Pickett has seemingly become too effective with his shot-making and passing for teams to worry about his age or athleticism in the second round. He's likely land somewhere in the teens or 20s on a team that's willing to have patience and bet on the development of a 6'9" 18-year-old with ball-handling and shot-making skill. Both coaches favored forcing players toward the baseline and used similar help rotations. 52. 45. His scoring has gone down and his turnovers up. Charlotte Hornets (via Jazz): DaRon Holmes II (Dayton, C, Sophomore). Earlier this month, we broke down five early-season stock-risers and five new names on the Draftables, one of which was UCLAs Jaylen Clark. Meanwhile, Jaquezs 149 deflections and David Singletons 105 have left them in a forlorn fight for second place, like Bing and Yahoo jockeying for position behind Google. Collison relied heavily on hours of film study with UCLA coach Ben Howland. Completely out of Oregon's rotation, Ware will now have to sell himself strictly on potential and the brief flashes of shooting, post scoring, finishing and shot-blocking that he showed. New Orleans Pelicans (via Lakers): Anthony Black (Arkansas, PG/SG, Freshman). Coulibaly could pass on this draft and wait for a bigger role (and weaker 2024 class) after Victor Wembanyama heads to the NBA. While scouts remain hesitant to buy Murray's volume scoring fully translating to the NBA, they do see the off-ball offense (shooting, cutting, transition finishing) carrying over. Orlando Magic: Trayce Jackson-Davis (Indiana, PF/C, Senior). Judah Mintz Syracuse. The statistical jump is true across the board though as his rebounds are up from 3.8 to 7.7 and his assists from 1.0 to 2.5. The reality is there are only four real contenders. OKC's other draft-night mission, plus the future of Wilt's storied record Nick Agar-Johnson brings Albert Ghim back on the Deep Dives podcast to talk about Albert's recent article on UCLA guard Jaylen Clark. Showing solid vision, Williams leveraged the defensive attention he commanded this season as a passer finding cutters with impressive consistency. 21. Select the players you wish to trade from the rosters below. Georgia head coach Kirby Smart released a statement regarding Carter being issued an arrest warrant, which you can read below, via The Athletics Seth Emerson. Bleacher Report: Updated Mock Draft with two-round projections 18. 35. Jalen Carter (@breadmanjalen) March 1, 2023, This morning I received a telephone call from the Athens Georgia Police Department informing me that two misdemeanor warrants have ben issued against me for reckless driving and racing, writes Carter. 60. 29. Still a limited creator and shooter, his game. He doesnt offer too much versatility, but Hawkins has a plug-and-play skill set with a valuable specialty that should continue to be effective in a catch-and-shoot role alongside NBA creators and passers. Jaylen Clark should be playing himself onto Draft boards, more so with versatility and consistent impact plays than his 14.1 points per game. 54. Here are the best prospects. 55. While his ability to impact the game without the ball in his hands has drawn praise from head coach Mick Cronin, Clark has also made notable strides on the offensive end of the floor. His versatility allowed him to roam the court like a free safety in football, anticipating passes that he either intercepted or tipped to tally another deflection in his pursuit of the deflections bone. He'll be deemed an easy fit and safe pick in the mid-to-late first round once the flashier creators and teenagers are off the board.