With the 2022-2023 NBA Regular Season set to start on October 18th, the majority of the teams will shift their focus on making a deep playoff run and competing for the 2023 NBA Finals. For some teams, however, their goal for the 2022-2023 season isn’t focused on the present, but rather on the future. One of these aforementioned teams is the Orlando Magic, who are in the midst of their rebuild. As a result of this, Orlando isn’t expected to make the 2023 NBA Playoffs, and will likely have a pick in the 2023 NBA Draft Lottery for the fourth straight season.
In spite of this, the future trajectory of the Magic’s future looks brighter than ever due to their accumulation of young talent through the NBA Draft. Even though the 2023 NBA Draft is almost one year away, it’s never too early for teams such as Orlando to begin scouting future prospects. In reference to this, these are four 2023 NBA Draft prospects that the Magic should continue monitoring throughout the 2022-2023 basketball season.
Emoni Bates, SG/SF, University of Eastern Michigan
Before committing to the University of Memphis in 2021, Bates was universally viewed as one of the best high school prospects in the nation due to his three-level scoring ability and immense potential. Standing at 6’9″ and 190 pounds, Bates’ ability to score in a variety of ways made him the best scorer in high school basketball, as shown by his Senior Season at Ypsilanti Prep Academy. At just 17 years old, Bates averaged an impressive 24.6 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 2.4 APG, and 1.6 SPG while shooting 38.8% from the field and 79.2% from the free-throw line in his Senior Year. As a result of Bates’ dominance, he was ranked as the No. 1 player in the 2022 class, but decided to reclassify to 2021 and dropped to No. 3. Once Bates decided to commit to the University of Memphis, expectations were sky-high; he was even named to the 2021-2022 Preseason John Wooden Award.
Shockingly, Bates had an extremely disappointing season, averaging just 9.7 PPG, 3.3 RPG, and 1.3 APG while shooting 38.6% from the field and 32.9% from three-point range in 18 games. Part of Bate’s struggles can be attributed to multiple injuries he dealt with throughout the season, but his performance was so bad that Memphis performed better without Bates on the floor than with him. With Bates in the lineup during the regular season, Memphis went 11-8, and outscored their opponents by 7.1 points per 100 possessions. When Bates wasn’t playing, Memphis went 10-2 and outscored their opponents by 16.7 points per 100 possessions, per Pivot Analysis. Now at Eastern Michigan, Bates will attempt to revitalize his basketball career and draft stock, and it’s certainly worth monitoring throughout the 2022-2023 college basketball season.
Gregory “GG” Jackson, SG/SF, University of South Carolina
Similar to Bates, Jackson’s success at the high school level helped facilitate his rise to become one of the nation’s top prospects entering college. Simply put, Jackson is a force on the offensive end, as the 6’9″, 210-pound forward is able to do it all with the ball in his hands. From throwing down thunderous dunks in transition to pulling up and converting on a highly contested three-point shot, Jackson is an extremely tough player to guard. During his junior year of high school, Jackson averaged 22.1 PPG, 10.9 RPG, and 1.0 SPG en route to earning Gatorade Player of the Year Honors in South Carolina. Jackson was also named as the MVP of the prestigious NBPA Top 100 Camp in June of 2022 after averaging 14.0 PPG and 9.2 RPG.
Due to his fantastic play in high school and some of the nation’s most prestigious basketball camps, Jackson was highly touted by the best college basketball schools in the country leading up to his college commitment. On April 27th, Jackson announced his commitment to the University of North Carolina, but decided to de-commit from the Tar Heels on July 14th, becoming the first player in the modern recruiting era to de-commit from the Tar Heels and go elsewhere for college. Ten days after de-commiting from North Carolina, Jackson decided to commit to the University of South Carolina, quickly becoming the Gamecocks’ best transfer in recent memory. With Jackson now situated in Charleston for the 2022-2023 college basketball season, Jackson will attempt to solidify himself as one of the top prospects in the 2023 NBA Draft and bring South Carolina’s men’s basketball program back to relevance.
Leonard Miller, SG/SF, G-League Ignite
Throughout the 2022 NBA Draft process, there were few Draft Prospect that rose up draft boards further than Miller, due to his effective scoring ability and his future potential. At just 18 years old, Miller already has a 7’3″ wingspan and possesses a well-rounded offensive game, highlighted by his good ball-handling and passing skills, along with his three-level scoring ability. In nine regular and postseason games in the Ontario Scholastic Basketball Association (OSBA), Miller posted an absurd statline of 31.0 PPG, 11.6 RPG, and 2.8 APG while shooting 49.3% from the field and 30.8% from the three-point line. Miller’s statistical performance was so impressive that her ended up winning the OSBA 2021-2022 MVP Award, despite being one of the youngest players in the league.
After dominating in the OSBA, Miller was rated as the No. 2 overall recruit in the final rankings for his class, ahead of 2023 Draft Prospects Dillion Mitchell, Cason Wallace, Dariq Whitehead, Cameron Whitmore, and Dereck Lively. In spite of his dominance at the OSBA, Miller is still a raw prospect and has a long way to go before becoming a star in the NBA, as his defense needs improvement and needs to become more disciplined when passing the ball (3.8 TPG). These issues are exactly why Miller decided to withdraw from the 2022 NBA Draft and join the G-League Ignite for the 2022-2023 season. After the Ignite lost Dyson Daniels (No. 8), MarJon Beauchamp (No. 24), and Jaden Hardy (No. 37), to the 2022 NBA Draft, Miller is in a prime position to become the No. 1 option for the Ignite this season, and to become one of the premier 2023 draft prospects.
Marcus Sasser, PG/SG, University of Houston
Unlike Bates, Jackson, and Miller, Sasser has already proven himself as one of the nation’s premier guards over his three-year career at the University of Houston. Standing at 6’1″ and 190 pounds, Sasser is a very talented and athletic combo guard who thrives on both ends of the floor. In 71 career collegiate games (57 starts) at Houston, Sasser has averaged 28.5 MPG, 12.0 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 2.1 APG, and 1.2 SPG while shooting 38.7% from the field, 36.1% from the three-point line, and 79.7% from the free-throw line. During his Freshman and Sophomore seasons, Sasser was typically thought as an afterthought due to the stardom of Quentin Grimes and Caleb Mills. After Grimes entered the 2020 NBA Draft and Mills transferred to Florida State, Sasser received his chance to become the No. 1 option for Kelvin Sampson and the Cougars in 2022, and he didn’t disappoint.
In 12 games this past season, Sasser averaged 32.0 MPG, 17.7 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 2.6 APG, and 2.2 SPG, all career-highs. In addition to this, Sasser was also an extremely efficient shooter, going 43.7% from the field, 43.7% from three-point range, and 74.4% from the free-throw line. In reference to his breakout season, Sasser ended up deciding to return for his Senior Season at Houston to elevate his draft stock, which took a substantial hit after suffering a foot fracture midway through the season. In fact, Sasser’s foot fracture was so severe that he was forced to miss the remainder of the 2021-2022 college basketball season, and Houston quickly felt the absence of the 2020-2021 All-ACC Guard. Without Sasser, their best player and team captain, Houston began to falter down the stretch of the basketball season, as shown by losses to Southern Methodist and Memphis. With Sasser fully healthy and ready to begin his senior year, he has a prime chance to rise up 2023 NBA Draft boards due to his fantastic two-way play and intangibles.