2023 NBA Mock Draft: Alabama’s Brandon Miller is first college player to go in projections before lottery

The 2023 NBA Draft Combine is underway and the NBA Draft Lottery is just minutes away. This is when the sprint to the finish for the draft cycle begins in earnest. Over the coming days we will get measurements, interviews, drill work and see five-on-five action as we inch closer to the draft and sort out how this year’s class stacks up.

Now it’s time for a little mock draft action as we check in before things start to really settle. And at the top? Well, debate with a wall on that one. France’s Victor Wembanyama is No. 1, with a bullet, in a star-studded class loaded with wings and guards. It is not up for discussion. Wembanyama isn’t expected to attend the Combine as his season continues to play out in the Pro A, but his stock is unchanged as the clear alpha in this class.

Things get more challenging after No. 1, though, with Brandon Miller, Amen Thompson and Scoot Henderson challenging as the potential No. 2. But in this pre-combine mock, Henderson — as he has been throughout the process — holds firm at the No. 2 spot. Miller is in position to potentially unseat him in the coming weeks, as the No. 2 in this class very much feels unsettled, but Henderson has the passing and athleticism teams look for in a lead guard and checks the boxes from a competitive standpoint to boot.

So how does the rest of the lottery shake out and project ahead of the combine and lottery next week in Chicago? Which players are rising and falling as we gear up for the next phase of the pre-draft cycle? Let’s jump into the latest mock to check the pulse on the draft landscape. (Note: you can find our updated Top 60 Big Board prospect rankings here.)