2023 NBA Draft: Could Gamecock GG Jackson be taken in the Lottery?
By Kevin Miller
The 2023 NBA Draft Lottery was on Tuesday night. The San Antonio Spurs won the lottery to secure the top pick (almost assuredly French big-man Victor Wembanyama). The entire 2023 NBA Draft Lottery order is listed below:
- San Antonio Spurs
- Charlotte Hornets
- Portland Trail Blazers
- Houston Rockets
- Detroit Pistons
- Orlando Magic
- Indiana Pacers
- Washington Wizards
- Utah Jazz
- Dallas Mavericks
- Orlando Magic (via trade with Chicago Bulls)
- Oklahoma City Thunder
- Toronto Raptors
- New Orleans Pelicans
For the first time in many years, South Carolina basketball fans could have a real interest in the NBA lottery as former Gamecock GG Jackson has a chance to be selected in the 2023 NBA Draft Lottery. Early draft projections show Jackson to be a polarizing prospect as his projections range anywhere from the back end of the lottery to the back end of the first round. Former Gamecock AJ Lawson was the most recent Gamecock with draft buzz, but unlike Lawson, Jackson is a guarantee to be taken in June’s draft.
Jackson, the former top-overall prospect from the 2023 high school recruiting class, reclassified to the 2022 high school recruiting class so as to enroll early at South Carolina, and his youthfulness (youngest player in the 2023 NBA Draft class) is a major draw for NBA teams. His youth and subsequent battles with immaturity during the 2022-2023 college basketball season also has been viewed as detriment.
In analyzing the teams at the back end of the lottery, the Orlando Magic, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Toronto Raptors do not appear to be in the market for combo forwards like Jackson.
The Raptors’ three best players are combo forwards, so unless they blow up the roster to rebuild, Toronto doesn’t seem to be a likely landing spot. The Magic have an almost never-ending supply of forwards, so a home in Orlando doesn’t seem likely for Jackson, either. The Thunder also have a plethora of forwards on their roster. The Pelicans’ biggest need is ball-handling guard who can take over for CJ McCollum and play next to Brandon Ingram and the team’s other forwards.
Barring a trade, it seems most likely that Jackson will slip outside of the lottery.
The rest of the 1st round looks like this:
15. Atlanta Hawks
16. Utah Jazz
17. Los Angeles Lakers
18. Miami Heat
19. Golden State Warriors
20. Houston Rockets (via trade with Los Angeles Clippers)
21. Brooklyn Nets (via trade with Phoenix Suns)
22. Brooklyn Nets
23. Portland Trail Blazers (via trade with New York Knicks)
24. Sacramento Kings
25. Memphis Grizzlies
26. Indiana Pacers (via trade with Cleveland Cavaliers)
27. Charlotte Hornets (via trade with Denver Nuggets)
28. Utah Jazz (via trade with Philadelphia 76ers)
29. Indiana Pacers (via trade with Boston Celtics)
30. Los Angeles Clippers (via trade with Milwaukee Bucks)
Jackson makes sense for teams like the Atlanta Hawks (if they move off of often-shopped forwards John Collins, Clint Capela, or Jalen Johnson), Brooklyn Nets, the Los Angeles Lakers, or any of the rebuilding franchises like the Houston Rockets, Portland Trail Blazers, Charlotte Hornets, Utah Jazz, or Indiana Pacers.