ACC players taken in the 2023 NBA draft
It’s no secret that the ACC is in a rough spot right now. Over the past couple of years, the conference’s quality of play has suffered, and the NCAA Tournament selection committee has taken notice, giving the power conference only four at-large bids in each of the past two years.
Now, we’re seeing the lull carry over to the NBA draft. A conference that typically sees one of its own go off the board within the first four picks had to wait until the 12th pick in 2023. In fact, that was the only lottery pick for the conference.
So it stands to reason that there isn’t a lot of hope for this ACC class of incoming NBA players, but stranger things have happened. As we just saw with the champion Denver Nuggets, even a diamond in the rough on draft night can turn into a franchise-altering player. It could happen again with one of these players:
No. 12: Dallas Mavericks (from Oklahoma City Thunder) - Dereck Lively II, Duke
In his lone season with the Blue Devils, Lively started 27 of 34 games. He averaged 5.2 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.4 blocks a game. That was enough to land him on the ACC All-Defensive Team as well as the All-Freshman Team. He’ll provide solid interior defense for a Mavericks team that sorely needs depth in the middle with the aging JaVale McGee as the only center currently under contract.
No. 22: Brooklyn Nets - Dariq Whitehead, Duke
Whitehead started only seven of the 28 games he played for the Devils, but that obviously didn’t matter as the Nets took him in the first round. He averaged 8.3 points and 2.4 rebounds a game, which clearly aren’t numbers that mattered a whole lot to Sean Marks when he made this decision. While it might be tough for him to gain significant minutes behind more established talent as a rookie, especially coming off foot surgery this summer, this is a player that only can grow the longer he spends in the NBA.
No. 37: Denver Nuggets (from Oklahoma City Thunder) - Hunter Tyson, Clemson
This is a bit of a surprise as Tyson wasn’t even included in some mock drafts. Nevertheless, the Nuggets clearly see some value in the five-year Tiger who made the All-ACC First Team this past season while nearly averaging a double-double (15.3 points and 9.6 rebounds a game). With the Nuggets primed for another championship run, it will be interesting to see if he spends most of this upcoming season with the big club or in the G-League.
No. 48: Los Angeles Clippers - Jordan Miller, Miami
Miller spent the past two seasons with the Hurricanes after three years at George Mason. His 15.3 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists a game netted him All-ACC Second Team honors. He took his game to another level in the NCAA Tournament and led the Hurricanes to their first Final Four. There’s no telling how much playing time he’ll get with the Clippers as a rookie, but he could force Tyronn Lue’s hand if he has a good training camp.
No. 55: Indiana Pacers - Isaiah Wong, Miami
Wong’s fourth season with the Hurricanes was a culmination of his college career. He led his team in scoring (16.2) and assists (3.2) en route to being named ACC Player of the Year and making a Final Four run. If all goes well in training camp, he could be seen as a legitimate backup to Pacers All-Star Tyrese Haliburton.
