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Although the 2022 draft remains the primary focus for NBA teams -- at least for the 22 teams no longer pursuing a championship this season -- evaluations are also being made and intel is being gathered for a 2023 draft that projects as potentially historic.
Much of that sentiment has to do with the presumptive No. 1 pick -- 7-foot-3 French big man Victor Wembanyama, an 18-year-old with guard skills who a growing legion of evaluators believe can be an NBA All-Star ... as a rookie. The chance to select Wembanyama, a generational talent with the ability to instantly transform a team's fortunes, will be greatly coveted and figures to be a subplot that runs throughout the 2022-23 NBA season.
As that storyline unfolds, ESPN draft experts Jonathan Givony and Mike Schmitz have been watching, collecting data and talking to evaluators about all of the potential 2023 picks, updating their 2023 NBA mock draft accordingly. Givony and Schmitz offer projections below for all 59 projected picks, including evaluations of every first-rounder.
The 2023 draft order is based on ESPN projections, and reflects the current state of picks owed and owned. Also, please note that anyone currently in the 2022 draft -- including those just testing the waters -- was not considered for this edition of the 2023 mock.