Ranking the 10 best center prospects in the 2023 NBA Draft
By Rowan Kent
Center #10: Oscar Tshiebwe, Kentucky
Back in the day, if a center won the John Wooden and Naismith player of the year awards, they’d be the hottest prospect in their entire draft class. Had Tshiebwe played in a different era in the past, he may have ranked first on this list, not last.
Instead, Tshiebwe is slotted here due to being a fairly finished product in his basketball career. Sure, it’s great that he can hoover in rebounds and score inside of the paint. He averaged a dominant double-double for the past two seasons at Kentucky, doing so with solid efficiency. It’s hard to find NBA players who have the same tenacity and nose for the ball that Tshiebwe does:
https://twitter.com/MarchMadnessMBB/status/1664025874033967104
Still, there isn’t much else that he brings to the table. He isn’t a good passer, a great athlete, or a capable defender, which lowers his ultimate ceiling. Some teams at the end of the draft may look towards Tshiebwe to shore up the back of their bench, but he’ll likely have to scrap his way through the NBA summer league and the G-League to make it to the NBA.