What becomes of Toumani Camara and Scoot Henderson?
Re-assessing the 2023 NBA Draft class now that the season is officially over.
The Portland Trail Blazers, for better or worse, are all too familiar with the 2023 NBA Draft class. Rip City had six rookies play at one point or another this season. They were also the second franchise in the history of the NBA to start five rookies and the first to do it on more than one occasion.
The two Blazers rookies in this re-draft are Scoot Henderson and Toumani Camara, who were originally selected No. 3 and No. 52 overall. Arguably more surprising than Camara’s impressive rookie season was their stretch five, Duop Reath. However, since the 27-year-old Reath went undrafted in 2018, he isn’t included in the 2023 re-draft.
It’s shaping up to be a strong draft class, potentially consisting of multiple All-Stars and a few second-round gems like Camara.
No. 1: San Antonio Spurs select Victor Wembanyama
Original pick: Victor Wembanyama
It’s safe to say that the San Antonio Spurs didn’t miss with this pick. Despite being 20, Victor Wembanyama has already emerged as a superstar in the NBA and could be an All-Star, Defensive Player of the Year, or even MVP by as early as next season. According to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Damian Lillard seems to agree with this notion, saying, “By next season, people [are going to] be talking about [Wembanyama] as being the best player in the league.”
Nothing is off the table or too unrealistic for the 7-foot-4 Frenchman’s career arc. Following in David Robinson and Tim Duncan’s footsteps, San Antonio has another big man as the face of their franchise. It will be scary for the rest of the league when San Antonio gets “The Alien” some help.
