Three Of The Best College Centers Weren't Selected In The 2023 NBA Draft

Nikola Jokic is the reigning Finals MVP and has established himself as a dominant center in today's NBA over the last few years. But the larger trend of the league has seen it move away from true big men. 

This became most apparent when a few of the brightest big man prospects eligible for the NBA Draft didn't hear their name called out in the 58 picks that were made. 

Drew Timme of Gonzaga was a consensus first-team All-American in 2023, but he wasn't picked up by any teams during the draft. Instead, he has reportedly signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Milwaukee Bucks. He could be waived before the season even begins, so it remains to be seen what will happen to him. Timme averaged 21.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, and shot 61.6% from the field in the 2022-23 season. 

Another promising big man who didn't hear his name called out was Adama Sanogo. The Chicago Bulls picked Sanogo up on a two-way contract after he wasn't drafted. Sanogo was named the NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player this year as he led UConn to the championship, but still, nearly every team passed on him. Sanogo averaged 17.2 points and 7.7 rebounds per game in his final year in college.

The last example is that of Oscar Tshiebwe who was picked up by the Indiana Pacers, and will likely play for their G League affiliate, the Fort Wayne Mad Ants on a two-way contract. His list of accolades is long too, he has been a consensus first-team All-American, National College Player Of The Year, and the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award given to the best collegiate center. Tshiebwe averaged 14.5 points and 12.3 rebounds per game in his last year in college.

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Victor Wembanyama Is A True Outlier

It feels a bit weird to say that big men are going out of styler when the No. 1 overall pick was a 7'5 center who is somewhat of a unicorn. But Wembanyama, despite being so highly coveted, is a true outlier, his shooting and his movement at his size are what set him apart. He is quite far from being considered a traditional big man. 

In general, the NBA is becoming more about finding players that are 6'7-6'9 that can guard one through five, and who can also shoot. That seems to be the most highly sought-after archetype in young players. It will be interesting to see how these trends change moving forward and if any of these undrafted big men can prove everyone wrong. 

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