The 2023 NBA Draft is just around the corner as the next generation of NBA stars prepares to take the next step in their basketball careers.
With the bulk of players coming from the pool of talent in college basketball, there is also a strong contingent of prospects from overseas leagues, as well as the new development programs in the G League Ignite and Overtime Elite.
With 60 picks coming into the league every year, how exactly does the draft work?
How many rounds are in the NBA Draft?
There are two rounds in the NBA draft, each round consists of 30 picks. 60 draft-eligible players in total are selected each year.
The 60 draft picks are originally designated two per team, but teams can trade their picks for players, other picks, or money. So often teams are selecting players on behalf of other teams.
The draft has had two rounds since 1989. Prior to 1989 teams used to make as many selections as they wanted. As a result of this, the 1968 Draft lasted 21 rounds!
This year, there will only be 58 picks in the draft after the Chicago Bulls and Philadelphia 76ers were penalized for breaking rules in free agency, engaging in premature discussions with players.
NBA Mock Draft 2023: Will Scoot Henderson or Brandon Miller go No. 2?
How does the NBA draft work?
Picks are made in descending order from the first pick of the first round to the 60th pick of the second round.
The order of the draft is dictated by the Draft Lottery. The 14 teams that missed the playoffs the previous season are entered into the Draft Lottery.
Ideally, the teams with the worst records from the previous season draft their future stars before teams with better records.
The Draft lottery was introduced to curb teams ‘tanking’ or purposely losing to get the number one pick.
The bottom three teams have an equal 14 percent chance of winning the lottery, while the other teams, fourth through 14th worst, have a decreasing probability to win the number one pick.
MORE: NBA Draft lottery odds, explained: When and why No. 1 pick chances changed
NBA Draft order 2023
Round 1
| Pick | Team |
| 1 | Spurs |
| 2 | Hornets |
| 3 | Trail Blazers |
| 4 | Rockets |
| 5 | Pistons |
| 6 | Magic |
| 7 | Pacers |
| 8 | Wizards |
| 9 | Jazz |
| 10 | Mavericks |
| 11 | Magic (via Bulls) |
| 12 | Thunder |
| 13 | Raptors |
| 14 | Pelicans |
| 15 | Hawks |
| 16 | Jazz (via Timberwolves) |
| 17 | Lakers |
| 18 | Heat |
| 19 | Warriors |
| 20 | Rockets (via Clippers) |
| 21 | Nets (via Suns) |
| 22 | Nets |
| 23 | Trail Blazers (via Knicks) |
| 24 | Kings |
| 25 | Grizzlies |
| 26 | Pacers (via Cavaliers) |
| 27 | Hornets (via Nuggets) |
| 28 | Jazz (via 76ers) |
| 29 | Pacers (via Celtics) |
| 30 | Clippers (via Bucks) |
Round 2
| Pick | Team |
| 31 | Pistons |
| 32 | Pacers (via Rockets) |
| 33 | Spurs |
| 34 | Hornets (via 76ers) |
| 35 | Celtics (via Trail Blazers) |
| 36 | Magic |
| 37 | Nuggets (via Thunder) |
| 38 | Kings (via Pacers) |
| 39 | Hornets (via Jazz) |
| 40 | Nuggets (via Mavericks) |
| 41 | Hornets (via Thunder) |
| 42 | Wizards (via Bulls) |
| 43 | Trail Blazers (via Hawks) |
| 44 | Spurs (via Raptors) |
| 45 | Grizzlies (via Timberwolves) |
| 46 | Hawks (via Pelicans) |
| 47 | Lakers |
| 48 | Clippers |
| 49 | Cavaliers (via Warriors) |
| 50 | Thunder (via Heat) |
| 51 | Nets |
| 52 | Suns |
| 53 | Timberwolves (via Knicks) |
| 54 | Kings |
| 55 | Pacers (via Cavaliers) |
| 56 | Grizzlies |
| 57 | Wizards (via Celtics) |
| 58 | Bucks |
2023 NBA Mock Draft
Here are who The Sporting News’ draft expert Kyle Irving projects to be the top 10 picks in the 2023 NBA Draft:
- Spurs: Victor Wembanyama, Metropolitans 92
- Hornets: Scoot Henderson, G League Ignite
- Trail Blazers: Brandon Miller, Alabama
- Rockets: Amen Thompson, Overtime Elite
- Pistons: Jarace Walker, Houston
- Magic: Ausar Thompson, Overtime Elite
- Pacers: Cam Whitmore, Villanova
- Wizards: Anthony Black, Arkansas
- Jazz: Cason Wallace, Kentucky
- Mavericks: Gradey Dick, Kansas
Check out the rest of Irving’s mock draft here.