The Sportsletter - NBA Draft Rewind ⏮️

BY JEFF YODER

JUNE 23, 2023 |  SUBSCRIBE  |  WEB VIEW

Happy Friday 👋

Thursday sent shockwaves through the NBA. Wembanyama is a Spur. Chris Paul is a Warrior. The Blazers may have ‘scooted’ Damian Lillard out the door. And to top it off, the greatest College World Series game ever played sent #1 Wake Forest home early. All that and more in today’s weekend welcome.

Time to rewind the NBA Draft…

Letter Rip!

  NBA   

NBA Draft Rewind: Every 1st-Round Pick

Photo: Timothy A. Clary / Getty Images

Spurs Select Victor Wembanyama No. 1 Overall, Warriors Trade for Chris Paul & More Draft Night Notes

It’s the pick stitch! The 2023 NBA Draft is in the books. As expected, the Spurs selected 7-foot-5 Victor Wembanyama with the No. 1 pick. Things got fun after that with Brandon Miller (Hornets) and Scoot Henderson (Blazers) in succession before the Thompson twins rounded out the top-5. A draft day blockbuster trade also spiced things up beforehand (see below). A total of 58 picks and five hours of coverage? We’ll do our best to give you the rewind in about 90 seconds.

NBA Draft (1st-Round)

1. Spurs: C Victor Wembanyama (France)

2. Hornets: F Brandon Miller (Alabama)

3. Blazers: G Scoot Henderson (G-League)

4. Rockets: G Amen Thompson (Overtime Elite)

5. Pistons: G Ausar Thompson (Overtime Elite)

6. Magic: G Anthony Black (Arkansas)

7. Wizards: F Bilal Coulibaly (France)

8. Pacers: F Jarace Walker (Houston)

9. Jazz: F Taylor Hendricks (Central Florida)

10. Thunder: G Cason Wallace (Kentucky)

________________________________________

11. Magic: G Jett Howard (Michigan)

12. Mavericks: C Dereck Lively II (Duke)

13. Raptors: G/F Gradey Dick (Kansas)

14. Pelicans: G Jordan Hawkins (UConn)

15. Hawks: G Kobe Bufkin (Michigan)

16. Jazz: G Keyonte George (Baylor)

17. Lakers: G Jalen Hood-Schifino (Indiana)

18. Heat: F Jaime Jaquez Jr. (UCLA)

19. Warriors: G/F Brandin Podziemski (Santa Clara)

20. Rockets: F Cam Whitmore (Villanova)

________________________________________

21. Nets: F Noah Clowney (Alabama)

22. Nets: G Dariq Whitehead (Duke)

23. Blazers: F Kris Murray (Iowa)

24. Mavericks: F Olivier-Maxence Prosper (Marquette)

25. Pistons: G Marcus Sasser (Houston)

26. Pacers: G Ben Sheppard (Belmont)

27. Hornets: G Nick Smith Jr. (Arkansas)

28. Jazz: G Brice Sensabaugh (Ohio State)

29. Nuggets: G/F Julian Strawther (Gonzaga)

30. Clippers: G/F Kobe Brown (Missouri)

Full NBA Draft Board (1st & 2nd Round)

Other Draft-Day Storylines

Photo: Sarah Stier / Getty Images

Trade Alert 🚨

The Warriors Acquired Chris Paul From the Wizards in Exchange for Jordan Poole & Draft Picks

3rd Time in History…

With Wembanyama (France) and Scoot Henderson (G-League) going in the top-3 along with Brandon Miller (Alabama), its just the third time in NBA history that two of the top-3 picks did not play in the NCAA.

Thompson Twins Go Back-to-Back

The 4th and 5th picks were used on the Thompson twins — Amen and Ausar. Named after Egyptian gods, the Thompson twins became the first pair of brothers to go in the top-5 of the same draft in NBA history.

Biggest Steals

Villanova’s Cam Whitmore slid out of his top-5 projection all the way to No. 20 (Rockets). A large portion of the NBA community was stunned to see Whitmore fall out of the top-10. The Lakers also got Indiana guard Jalen Hood-Schifino at No. 17, a high-ceiling scoring guard who can immediately help their backcourt.

Best Fits

The Heat added UCLA’s Jaime Jaquez Jr. who fits into their identity perfectly. He even said Jimmy Butler was his favorite player prior to the draft. Jordan Hawkins (No. 14, Pelicans) is also the shooter’s delight from UConn who could help round out New Orleans.

5 Teams Who Won Draft Night

Five teams got our nod for the best outcomes of draft day, including the Spurs for the obvious selection at No. 1. The other four include the Rockets, Pacers, Nets and Blazers. All four teams had multiple picks throughout the night and seemingly hit big on most of them. Honorable Mentions: Jazz, Pistons, Celtics and Hornets.

Read More

Clutch: Victor Wembanyama: Meet the Spurs’ Ultra-Hyped No. 1 Pick

ESPN: Amen, Ausar Thompson (Twins) 1st Brothers Taken in Top 5 of Same Draft

CBS Sports: 2023 NBA Draft Grades: Evaluations of Every Selection

USA Today: NBA Draft Winners & Losers: Spurs, Celtics, Thompson Twins Win Big

The Ringer: Chris Paul on the Warriors is so Strange It Just Might Work

  CWS   

LSU Walks Off Wake Forest in Stunner 🤯

Photo: Jay Biggerstaff / Getty Images

#5 LSU’s Tommy White Hits 11th-Inning Walk-Off HR, Tigers Upset #1 Wake Forest (2-0) to Reach College World Series Final

Not so silently, humming in the background noise of the NBA Draft on Thursday night, the greatest College World Series game ever played delivered one incredible moment. Even if you don’t love college baseball, this was special.

Setting the Stage

Wake Forest (52-10) was the top seed in this year’s College World Series. They were the favorites, by far. Wake was the only ACC team to not lose back-to-back games all season. That changed on Thursday just one game shy of the CWS Finals. LSU had to beat the Demon Deacons twice in two days to reach the final. They got the first one on Wednesday (5-2) to set up Thursday's "can't-look-away" storybook showdown.

College Baseball's Best Game Ever?

An iconic pitching duel from both sides led to a scoreless 0-0 game after nine innings. Deep into extras, in the bottom of the 11th, LSU’s Tommy White blasted a two-run walk-off to swing a miracle upset (2-0) and earn a Tigers eruption as he rounded the bases. Absolute madness in Omaha! A heartbroken Wake Forest and an unforgettable finish sets the stage for #5 LSU and #2 Florida in an all-SEC CWS Finals. 

Watch: #5 LSU Upsets #1 Wake Forest in Unforgettable Walk-Off Thriller (2-0, 11 Innings)

College World Series Finals Schedule

Gm 1: #5 LSU vs. #2 Florida (Sat. 7:00 pm)

Gm 2: #5 LSU vs. #2 Florida (Sun. 3:00 pm)

Gm 3: #5 LSU vs. #2 Florida (Mon. 7:00 pm)

Read More

MLB: Was This the Best Pitching Duel in MCWS History?

CBS Sports: LSU Defeats Wake Forest on Walk-Off in Epic Extra-Inning Game

NCAA: LSU Walks Off Against Wake Forest Advancing to MCWS Finals

  HIGHLIGHTS   🎥

⚾️ MLB

Mariners Bats Overwhelm Yankees (10-2)

Twins’ Byron Buxton Makes Statcast History With B2B 465-Footers

Twins’ Joe Ryan Throws Complete-Game Shutout Against Red Sox (6-0)

Padres’ Blake Snell Ks 11 in Blowout Against Streaking Giants (10-0)

⛳️ PGA Tour (Travelers Championship)

Rory McIlroy Gets 1st-Career Ace on PGA Tour

Round 1 Highlights: Denny McCarthy Cards Record-Setting 10-Under 60

⛳️ LPGA Championship

Lee-Anne Pace Leads LPGA Champ (-5), Rose Zhang (-1)

🏀 WNBA

Mystics Maul Sky (80-59) for 3rd Straight Win

Sun Scorch Lynx (89-68) for 3rd Straight Win

Kelsey Mitchell’s 25 Leads Fever Past Storm (80-68)

  STORYLINES  

🏒 Hockey Hall of Fame Class of 2023

Henrik Lundqvist is the headliner of the Hockey Hall of Fame’s goaltender-heavy class of 2023, which also includes Stanley Cup champions Tom Barrasso and Mike Vernon. (NBC Sports)

⚾️ Should A’s Bring the Name to Vegas?

The Athletics moniker has followed the team from Philadelphia to Kansas City to Oakland. Should it continue on as the franchise transitions to Las Vegas? (CBS Sports)

⚽️ Women’s World Cup Player Ratings

With the 2023 Women's World Cup now just weeks away, EA Sports is preparing to roll out its update for the tournament on FIFA 23 — a good system for grading the USWNT roster. (ESPN)

  NEWS   📰 

• Jets Lose Veteran Safety Chuck Clark to Torn ACL (USA Today)
• Dolphins WR Tyreek Hill to Face Charges for Slapping Man in Miami (CBS Sports)
• Ex-Scouts Sue MLB, Commissioner for Alleged Age Discrimination (Yahoo! Sports)
• PGA Tour Players Still Know Almost Nothing About PGA/LIV Alliance (SI)
• UConn Head Coach Dan Hurley Gets Massive 6-Year, $33 Million Extension (ESPN)

• USMNT Star Tim Weah Reportedly Nearing Transfer to Juventus (FOX Sports

• Rays Bench Wander Franco For Behavior & Attitude Issues (SI)

• Deion Sanders Undergoes Emergency Surgery for Blood Clot in Legs (NBC Sports)

• Dana White Says Elon Musk & Mark Zuckerberg Are ‘Dead Serious’ About Cage Match (CBS Sports)

  WEEKEND SCHEDULE   🗓️ 

The Must-Watch List

With the NBA Draft behind us and offseason cycles at full speed, sports enters summer vacation mode. Plenty of baseball takes the spotlight this weekend. Plus, you can catch the United States in the Gold Cup opener and the LPGA Championship. Enjoy!

MLB

Astros-Dodgers Series

Mets-Phillies Series

Cubs-Cardinals Series

Braves-Reds Series

Rangers-Yankees Series

Full MLB Weekend Schedule

College World Series Finals

Gm 1: #5 LSU vs. #2 Florida (Sat. 7:00 pm)

Gm 2: #5 LSU vs. #2 Florida (Sun. 3:00 pm)

Gm 3: #5 LSU vs. #2 Florida (Mon. 7:00 pm)

Concacaf Gold Cup

United States vs. Jamaica (Sat. 9:30 pm)

Golf

LPGA Championship (All Weekend)

PGA Travelers Championship (All Weekend)

*All Times ET

Download The Sportsletter's Must-Watch Calendar

  POLL   📊

Poll Results

Yesterday, we asked: How do you think Victor Wembanyama’s NBA career projection plays out?

Two-thirds of the team believe Wemby will be a success in some way. There are still some doubters, though. Just as many think he'll be a bust as those who think he'll be a Hall of Famer. Enjoy the weekend!

  THE TEAM  

Writer & Editor: Jeff Yoder

Product Manager: Matthew Cahill

Lead Designer: Joe Stella

Assistant Writer: Marissa Kasch

Social Media: Aaron Yorke

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