Table of Contents

    By Alex Lauzon from the “Course of Life” podcast

    NBA Draft Preview: Guards

    The ping pong balls have scattered around the machine and we executed the lottery. The San Antonio Spurs were the big winners of the Victor Wembanyama Madness. Now that we know that Victor is headed to SA for certain, it’s time to grade the rest of the 2023 draft class and see what your team needs. Chances are your team is not heading to the NBA finals or having their season end in disappointment like my Celtics, so you’ve already been through the appropriate grieving process to now be hyped up for the draft.

    This week let’s look at the guards – the floor generals, wing scorers, and highlight factories of the future NBA that are likely to go in round one in just a few weeks. As for that French guy you may have heard of who’s going number one, he’s so damn impressive that he can be any positional category, so our draft thoughts start there.

    The Blue Chip Guards

    1. San Antonio Spurs: Victor Wembanyama (Every Position – France)

    There’s a little bit of height discrimination going on here, as the next Messiah of hoops and the most hyped prospect in decades is listed as a center. He’s anything but that and has to be mentioned for his guard-like play in addition to his overpowering size and height down low. It’s an injustice to not mention his Kevin Durant-like handles and his silky smooth delivery from beyond the arc. You could literally make a rule to keep Wembanyma out of the paint and he’d still be drafted number one on his shooting and playmaking alone. Popovich has to still be drooling from last week’s lottery.

    2. Charlotte Hornets: Scoot Henderson  (PG – G – League Ignite)

    To quickly fill you in, you don’t know Scott from college hoops because he never played collegiately. Scoot took the G League route and got right to work in the minor league feeder to the NBA after high school ended. Two years later, he’s remembered for being an innovator in the alternative professional path and his stock has risen accordingly with his young game. He notably dueled respectively with Wembanyama in an exhibition game and is a shift floor general that can create offense in a heartbeat. Now imagine him at an organization like Charlotte headed up by Michael Jordan.

    4. Houston Rockets: Amen Thompson (PG – Overtime Elite)

    We’ve had the Lopez brothers, the Thompsons…and now we have the New Thompsons. We also have the new paths to being drafted in the NBA on full display, and both Amen and his brother Ausar are from the Overtime Elite player factory, a competitive league for 16-20-year-old hoops prospects. Amen is much more of a pure point vs Ausar as a wingman small forward. Imagine Amen running the uptempo Rockets offense in Houston?

    The Sleepers at Guard

    9. Utah Jazz: Cason Wallace (PG – Kentucky)

    If this postseason is teaching us anything, it’s that a defense-driven guard that can dictate pace helps out a lot of NBA franchises in the biggest games. Wallace comes from an NBA-ready program and is one of the best defenders in this year’s draft class.

    11. Orlando Magic: Anthony Black (SG – Arkansas)

    Black shot onto the scene as Arkansas put together some great tourney runs in recent years, and his game shows lots of versatility. He could improve his shot with time but he’s a steal machine and knows how to move an offense appropriately. 

    AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall

    13. Toronto Raptors: Keyontae George (SG – Baylor)

    George was the straw that stirred the drink for Baylor, and he is NBA-level talent when it comes to shot creation. He has to work on inefficiencies on the floor but alongside a veteran point guard, he’ll learn the ropes of the NBA in due time.

    The Familiar College Faces

    Gradey Dick – The slightly hateable Kansas Jayhawks scoring guard will likely get picked in the teens, and maybe even as high as the Dallas Mavericks at pick no. 10.

    Marcus Sasser – The four-year star for the University of Houston had preseason player of the year buzz but delivered an underwhelming performance last season. Still, he;’s tracking as a late first-round pick and should be an immediate impact player in the right fit.

    Jaime Jaquez Jr – The long-haired Bruin from UCLA gives off Adam Morrison vibes and an award-winning PAC 12 season – it feels like he;’s been at Westwood forever but his time to be drafted is here and he’ll likely go in the twenties.

    Next week, we get BIG and dive into the best forwards on the 2023 NBA Draft board.

    Draft Coverage begins at 8:00PM on June 22nd on ESPN + ABC

    NBA FAQs

    How do you win NBA pick'em pool?

    In order to win an NBA Pick'Em pool, players must have the most points at the end of the season. For each correct pick during the regular season, members will receive one point (customizable based on the pool commissioner). Some pools will choose picks based on the spread or straight up.

    What is NBA pick'em pool?

    In an NBA Pick'Em pool, players make weekly picks (either against the point spread or straight-up). The number of picks each week is customizable by the pool commissioner. Optional best-bet and confidence pick settings can be put into place as well. Commissioners can use a hosting site like RunYourPool to keep up with scoring and calculations.

    How to play an NBA basketball pool?

    The way one plays a basketball pool varies on the game type. For example, in Pick'em Pools, you simply pick every game each week.

    How to run a weekly basketball pool?

    In order to run a basketball pool, you must first crown yourself as Pool Commissioner. Begin by picking a game type like Survivor or Pick'Em. You'll want to establish rules before inviting friends, family, and colleagues to join. As commissioner, you make the rules and also need to enforce them equally and fairly.

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    In NBA Survivor, the last player standing wins. The name of the game is to make it to the next week. A member will select one game from all the games in that given week. If members choose the correct winner, they move on to the next week. If they pick incorrectly, they are eliminated from the contest.

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    In an NBA Survivor pool, players choose one NBA team each week that they believe will win. They may only pick a team one time per season. Picks are made "straight up," not using a point spread system. If their pick is correct, they survive until the next week. An incorrect pick eliminates the player from the pool for the remainder of the season.

    What is a basketball pool?

    "Basketball Pool" is a broad term for a group of people competitively guessing the outcome of one or more basketball game. There are many types of formats, each assigning winners differently. They can be played informally between friends or through a more formalized system.

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    A basketball pool generally requires the creation of a shareable spreadsheet (like Google Sheets) so that members may pick teams. Then depending on the game type, creators must use several kinds of formulas (e.g. CountIF), data validation, and conditional formatting. Or, you can just use basketball pool hosting services like RunYourPool where we do all the work for you!

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    What is an NBA Playoff Bracket Pool?

    In an NBA Playoff Bracket pool, players pick the winner of each NBA Playoff series. Commissioners can choose to have members receive bonus points for guessing the series length. Points increase as the tournament progresses (points per round are configurable by the commissioner). The winning entry is the player with the most points at the end of the playoffs.

    Are there other Playoff Pools?

    Yes! RunYourPool offers plenty of contest types for various playoff events! March Madness squares and bracket pools aer very popular among basketball fanatics, while the Super Bowl Prop Pool is the most popular annual event game.

    How to set up a basketball pool?

    To set up a basketball pool, you'll need to first choose a pool type like Survivor or Pick'em. Then, you'll need to set the ground rules. As pool commissioner, you'll enforce these rules and make sure the game runs smoothly throughout the season. Many commissioners use pool hosting sites like RunYourPool to make it easier and more engaging.

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    About Author

    Alex Lauzon

    Lauzon is a podcast host, live broadcaster, analyst and betting extraordinaire for the Course of Life brand. After earning a degree in broadcast journalism at Quinnipiac University, he worked in ESPN and ESPN radio newsrooms. He has interviewed athletes and celebrities from all walks of life who often love to play golf. When he's not playing golf or talking about the game on Course of Life, Lauzon enjoys time with his wife and dog, checking off the next island vacation destination or counting down the days to the next Dell Match Play in his hometown of Austin, Texas.

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