1. Brandon Miller, Alabama
If you’ve been following college basketball — or even just my draft-related articles — it should come as no surprise to see Brandon Miller occupy the top spot here. As an expected top-three pick in the upcoming 2023 NBA Draft, Miller’s arrived on the scene to present his case as to why his name belongs right up there with Victor Wembanyama and Scoot Henderson.
Considering Wembanyama, Henderson, and Overtime Elite’s Thompson twins all played professionally outside of the NCAA this year, this makes Miller quite clearly the most coveted prospect in this year’s March Madness. When you add in the fact that Miller has led Alabama to a 29-5 record, SEC Championship, and the top seed in this year’s NCAA tournament, he’s got everything going for him to put on one of March Madness’ greatest stories.
He’s absolutely got the talent to back it up too, averaging 19.6 points and 8.3 rebounds per game this season, Miller is undeniably one of the nation’s most dynamic offensive threats. His blistering hot 40.1% shooting from beyond the arc and 85.6% from the charity stripe bodes well not only for his tournament hopes, but also his career outlook in the NBA.
Miller’s potential as a star couldn’t be made any more clear than when he dropped 41 points on South Carolina in a performance that had social media buzzing for a whole week.
On paper, Millers looks to be an amped-up version of Jabari Smith Jr., who went third overall last year and was the consensus favorite to be No. 1 overall leading up to draft day. When you take this into consideration, it becomes increasingly obvious there is no ceiling for Miller’s potential right now. How he performs in the following weeks may decide if NBA scouts are willing to buy into this potential, however, so you can bet I’ll be first in line to see how he performs when the lights shine brightest.