Ranking the 10 best power forward prospects in the NBA Draft

Now that the Denver Nuggets and Miami Heat are matched up in the NBA Finals, almost all of the NBA has turned their attention towards the incoming offseason. To start that off, the 2023 NBA draft is right around the corner, chock full of quality players, while being particularly deep with players who can suit up at power forward.

The crown jewel of the draft class is obviously Victor Wembanyama, a 7’5” terror on both ends, with 6’2” Scoot Henderson the runner-up, but outside of those two players, there isn’t a consensus for which players belong third and lower in the draft rankings.

Amen Thompson, Brandon Miller, Jarace Walker, Cam Whitmore, Ausar Thompson, and many others have all been jockeying in the lower lottery, while studs like Taylor Hendricks, Keyonte George, Anthony Black, Nick Smith Jr., and Kobe Bufkin have also played well enough to push their names into the ring for the first round.

The power forward class in particular is the rare combination of deep and talented. There are players who could develop into all-stars for their future teams, veteran players who could start from the first game, and others who are more developmental but could one day be the best at their position.

Here are the top ten rankings for the best 2023 draft power forward prospects. Players like Cam Whitmore, O-Max Prosper, Trayce Jackson-Davis, and others belong in different positional groups, which represents their omission from this list. But let’s dive in!

Power Forward #10: Jalen Slawson, Furman

For most of the country, until the NCAA tournament, the Furman Paladins were complete unknowns. Their upset over the Virginia Cavaliers on a late three-pointer put them on the map as a Cinderella, but for those who were deep into the weeds of the draft, Jalen Slawson had put the Paladins on a pedestal a long time ago.

Slawson was the unquestioned leader for Furman this year, filling every hole that the team needed and then some. He was first or second in every major statistical category for the Paladins, which shows his jack-of-all-trades qualities at power forward:

The fact that Slawson will be twenty-four when the next NBA season starts, alongside his shorter stature for a power forward, may dull some of his draft interest, but make no mistake: whichever team takes him in the second round will potentially add a rotation player who is built for the modern NBA.

Power Forward #9: Jalen Wilson, Kansas

After testing the waters of the NBA draft last year, Jalen Wilson returned to the Kansas Jayhawks fresh off of an NCAA championship. Instead of the role player that he was last year, Wilson blossomed over the course of the season into a real NBA prospect by becoming a top option for a great Big 12 team.

Wilson almost doubled his scoring from last year, topping twenty points a game while maintaining solid efficiency on almost double the amount of shots as last season. That’s a hard needle to thread for prospects, but due to Wilson’s consistent mechanics and patient approach, he was able to take that step:

Wilson isn’t a great defender nor shooter, but his intangibles, touch, and rebounding at the position should help him play as a quality small-ball four in the NBA. He may get some first-round buzz, but it’s likelier that a lucky team will get to snap Wilson up in the second round.

Power Forward #8: Coleman Hawkins, Illinois

While he doesn’t have the flashiest stats of the other prospects on this ranking, Coleman Hawkins was often one of the biggest eye-catchers on Illinois tape. His game is simply too interesting and effective to overlook, even if he may need some time and seasoning to bring it completely to the NBA.

As a junior, Hawkins was a hulking combo forward for the Fighting Illini, showing a solid nose for scoring, a burly knack for rebounding, and great court vision in the half-court that resulted in averaging three assists a game. Hawkins is also big enough to be a legitimate power forward, which increases his viability at the highest level:

Hawkins will need to improve his defense at the next level alongside his shooting, but the outline of a productive short-roll offensive big man is there. It may take a few years in the G-League to get there, but a patient team with a good developmental program could do a lot worse than drafting him in the second round.

Power Forward #7: Arthur Kaluma, Creighton

While Creighton had a great year that almost culminated in their first Final Four in school history, Arthur Kaluma had an uneven year as a draft prospect. He was profiled as a potential first-round pick after a solid freshman year, but with so much other talent around him, he wasn’t able to grow his game and had virtually the same stats as he had last year.

Kaluma shot the same amount of shots, averaged the same number of points, and shot virtually the same percentages as last year, with two key differences: he was a better three-point shooter and got to the free-throw line more and hit more once he was there. Those small improvements hint at his potential ceiling as a stretch-four with great athleticism and the potential to space the floor for a modern offense, even if he didn’t show it for the Bluejays this year:

Kaluma is still considering whether he will return to college basketball for another team or if he will stay in the draft, but if he chooses to stay, a team could make a shrewd pick by grabbing him in the early second round and taking advantage of a potential rotation stretch forward flying under the radar in this draft.

Power Forward #6: Nae’Qwan Tomlin, Kansas State

About once a decade, a draft prospect emerges almost completely out of nowhere. In the past, this has included Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, and Ben Wallace, but it’s hard in the modern era with so many good scouts and draft Twitter personalities for any player to be a true unknown. Thus, Nae’Qwan Tomlin was somewhat known before he played for the Wildcats, but few, if any, expected him to look that good that fast.

Despite only playing a few years of organized basketball, Tomlin was the starting power forward for an Elite Eight team. His great length, size, and fluidity at the position helped raise the ceiling for Kansas State, as he flashed enough of an intriguing shot to buttress his great rebounding and defensive tendencies:

Due to his unusual basketball background, it’s hard to know exactly what Tomlin will become as he continues on his journey, but even though he is a junior, he should be considered much more of a developmental prospect than other upperclassmen. That makes him a worthy high-risk, high-reward player in the second round for a team that can give him the infrastructure he needs to develop further.

Power Forward #5: Noah Clowney, Alabama

We’re now onto the draft prospects at power forward who realistically could be taken in the first round of the NBA draft. While Noah Clowney was overshadowed by the other prospects on his team, their spotlight also helped to highlight his game by default, which led to his emergence as a potential first-rounder.

Clowney didn’t have the best counting stats, as it wasn’t his role to score for the Crimson Tide. Instead, his job was to finish plays, shoot from deep, and devastate opposing drives to the rim. He was tied for ninth with all freshmen in blocked shots per game and while he didn’t stripe shots from deep, he showed enough touch to be a consistent threat:

Drafting Clowney in the late first or early second round is less about who he will be for the team today and what he might be for the team tomorrow. Clowney’s still young, raw, and talented, which makes him a great bet to one day develop into the modern prototypical power forward who can defend the rim and stretch the floor.

Power Forward #4: Kris Murray, Iowa

Smart minds on NBA draft Twitter have floated an interesting thought exercise about Kris Murray when compared to his brother: if Keegan Murray was good enough to be a top-five pick last year, why isn’t Kris? What is so different about the two?

On paper, it’s hard to find a discrepancy: Murray averaged more than twenty points, shot at a solid clip from the field and from deep for his volume, and brought enough burst as a rebounder to not be one-dimensional. In fact, he also averaged over a block and steal per game, which hints he may have more defensive potential than his brother in the NBA:

Murray doesn’t have the same sniper potential that Keegan had coming out of Iowa, which does dull his ceiling, but he should nonetheless be a solid power forward in the NBA that can and should start for a team sooner than later. Teams like Golden State, Houston, and Brooklyn would be getting a solid late steal if they grabbed him with their mid-first-round picks.

Power Forward #3: GG Jackson, South Carolina

Everything about GG Jackson’s lone season for the Gamecocks has more layers of context than most draft prospects, which makes him quite divisive. He was one of the youngest players in division one last year, had one of the longest leashes for freshman players, and had a wildly polarizing season in the SEC.

While he has some legitimate concerns with his shot selection and his willingness and ability to pass the ball, there’s so much else to like about a teenager who should be going to prom averaging fifteen points, six rebounds, and almost a block and a steal per game in the SEC. Those stats speak more to Jackson’s upside than they do his flaws:

Any team that wants to take Jackson will be banking on the fact that he is both incredibly young and raw but also productive and talented at this age. There’s a case for him to go in the late lottery to a team like the Thunder or for a team like the Utah Jazz to take him with their second or third pick, but whether he goes early or late in the first, Jackson will be one of the most interesting power forward prospects to watch in the coming years.

Power Forward #2: Taylor Hendricks, UCF

While Hendricks didn’t come out of anywhere in the way that players like Grant Nelson or Nae’Qwan Tomlin did this season, his ascent is almost more impressive: while he was considered a top fifty recruit last year, no one expected him to play as well as he did and cement himself as a lottery pick in his freshman year.

Hendricks stepped into the limelight for the Knights from his first game and never looked back, taking control of the team and doing his best to keep it afloat. He shot 39.4% from deep, averaged almost two blocks a game, and showed the rangy defense that teams crave while flashing his upside as a legitimate stretch four:

Calling Hendricks a probable starter is more of a disservice to his game at this point, as he’s flashed both the ability to be a dangerous rim protector and offensive threat. With the right developmental framework and plan, Hendricks could become a true game-changing power forward and contend for all-star appearances in the future.

There are many more teams that might covet Hendricks than ones who won’t, which makes it unlikely that he’ll fall past Dallas at ten. Whether he goes there or higher to a team like Utah, Indiana, or Washington, whichever team takes him will gain one of the highest-upside forwards in the 2023 draft class.

Power Forward #1: Jarace Walker, Houston

Coming into the college season, Walker was both a highly-regarded recruit and a somewhat overlooked draft prospect. He blazed a trail by becoming the highest-ranked high school recruit to come to Houston in the modern era, but with the backdrop of a talented team ready to contend for a tile, many were unsure of how much Walker would get to shine.

Those doubts were quickly proven unwarranted, as Walker was able to flex his muscles and become a top draft prospect without needing the ball in his hands. He wasn’t the leading scorer for the Cougars or anywhere close, but he made so much of the team’s plans work with his stellar play on both ends:

The appeal for Walker starts and ends with his defense, as he’s built like an NBA veteran, has excellent instincts, and is one of the most active and physical defenders for a prospect his age. As great as his defense is, his offense is a bit underrated as he can shoot well enough to threaten teams from deep and serves as a great connective piece for any offense.

Especially with how the lottery shook out, it wouldn’t be shocking to see Walker go in the top five of the draft. Teams like Houston, Detroit, and Indiana could all use him, given he is a great piece to add to any rebuilding team at any stage. With the right fit, he may be able to reach a whole new height and become an all-defensive team winner at the prime of his career.