2022-23 NBA The season is officially over, and there is only one week left until 2023 NBA Draft. The eternal Hope will cruise on draft night for franchises across the competitive landscape, particularly for those with early picks as the front offices try to identify players who can move their teams toward the top of the sport.
While those with picks inside the top 14 of the draft — lottery picks — are more likely to end up with a future star than a later teams pick, there’s still reason for those outside the lottery to be optimistic. Look no further than 2023 NBA Finals MVP Nikola Jokic as an example.
Denver selected Jokic with the 41st overall pick in the 2014 draft and he’s already won two MVP awards and appears to be a lock for the Hall of Fame at age 28. Jokic is an extreme example, but the 2023 All-Star Game rosters offer more evidence that stars can be found. The future is out of the lottery. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jrue Holiday, and Pascal Siakam were all selected out of the lottery in their respective drafts and were All Stars this season.
Which players expected to be picked out of the lottery this year could become an All-Star? Our writers make their picks for this week’s edition of Dribble Handoff.
Personally, I think Howard should be a lottery pick and I wouldn’t be surprised if he actually becomes one next week. Having said that, I seem to be in the minority. Most people wouldn’t expect the 6-foot-8 winger to enter the first 14 selections, which would qualify him as an answer in this Dribble Handoff.
I’ve always been a believer.
When I was on the sidelines at the Iverson Classic in the spring of 2022, every former NBA player I spoke with — JR Smith, Stephen Jackson, etc. — had called Howard the most NBA-ready prospect at the event, and it should be noted. Noted that Brandon Miller, Conti George, Anthony Black, and Kison Wallace were also at the party. In the spirit of the game you recognize the game that registered with me. And Howard did nothing in his first year at Michigan that made me reconsider his potential as a pro. He has great genes as the son of a former NBA player, amazing positional size for a winger, and is a reliable three-point range shooter. This is a great foundation and why I expect Howard to eventually surpass many of the players that have been selected before him and eventually find himself as a member of the All-Star Team. – Gary Parish
I guess I’m left to play the historical odds here, right? The truth is, I was never too big for Smith in terms of seeing him as one of the top five talents in the class of 2022. That aside, consider this: Historically, players have ranked in the top five of their high school class (and even more so), In the top two, as Smith was in the eyes of many evaluators) have a healthy chance of making it long-term in the NBA. Injuries have set Smith back, but it’s not like he missed most of the season. Smith played in 17 of Arkansas’ 36 games. He averaged 12.4 points and shot 34% from 3-point range. He’s weak, but he’s a scorer. His offensive surge and natural hitting make him one of the more de facto All-Stars of anyone featured outside the top fifteen. Matt Norlander
Bilal Coulibaly Mets 92
If it’s easy to identify All-Star talents outside of the lottery, the truth is — to state the obvious — these prospects will easily enter the lottery. So that’s obviously a bit of a projection. But Coulibaly if all goes well for him, he has all the physical tools to develop in time into a potential All-Star piece. Playing alongside Victor Wimpanyama in France, he has asserted himself throughout the pre-draft process as one of the more exciting talents and tools in the class in terms of height, size, skill and improved jumping, although questions remain about the consistency of the game. Shot optimization is. If he’s a consistent shooter and can marry that with his straight-line driving ability and defensive tools, there’s a real shot that Coulibaly will take from picking his teens or twenties and grow into a top-10 player in the category. – Kyle Boone
Sensabaugh flew under the radar during the 2022-23 college basketball season because the Ohio State team he played for struggled to a 16-19 (5-15 Big Ten) record. His relatively modest No. 86 ranking of 247 Sports in the 2022 class also turned Hype from 6-6 to the forward. But Sensabaugh exceeded expectations and emerged as one of the only bright spots for the Buckeyes averaging 16.3 points per game on 48% shooting from the floor in just 24.5 minutes per game. It’s built like a tank at 235 pounds but has the strength and athleticism needed to create space for shooting. He hit 40.5% of his 3-point attempts—a mark that remained relatively stable even through the Big Ten grind—and hauled an impressive 83% of his free throws.
Sensabaugh’s defense left a lot to be desired for Ohio State, but he has all the physical tools needed to develop to that end. The combination of size and shooting touch make it unique among the expected post-lottery crowd. It’s easy to imagine him shining as a starting scorer in his career and vying for an All-Star showdown as the rest of the game winds down. – David Cobb