Counting down the 5-stars in On3's final top-150 rankings

Following the culmination of the postseason all-star circuit and the end of the high school basketball season this spring, On3 is releasing its final On3 150 rankings for the 2023 recruiting cycle.

There were a number of significant moves in the final update, though the top two players in the class remained the same from earlier this spring.

On3’s rankings use a baseline of first projecting for the NBA Draft, with a career in the league being a secondary projection tool. In this cycle, 14 prospects earned five-star rankings in the closing update, highlighted by a few earning that status for the first time. On3 heavily prioritized how players finished their seasons, looking at their career’s developmental arcs and how their games project forward.

Ahead of the full rankings release, here are the five-stars in the On3 150 rankings:

1. SF Cody Williams
School: Gilbert (Ariz.) Perry
Status: Signed with Colorado
Scouting Summary: “Cody Williams has great length with broad shoulders, a very projectable frame. He has great instincts, especially on the defensive end of the floor. He is aggressive and instinctive in the passing lanes. Williams needs strength, with the added strength more explosion could come. Offensively, he has some tools across the board. A solid straight line driver in the half court. Would like to see him tighten the handle and straighten up the jump shot. With the added strength more efficiency could come. Younger brother of 2022 lottery pick Jalen Williams.”

2. PG Isaiah Collier
School: Marietta (Ga.) Wheeler
Status: Signed with USC
Scouting Summary: “Isaiah Collier has a strong and compact frame. He stands about 6-2 but the way he manipulates the ball is what separates him from his peers. Collier has excellent court vision. He is able to set up defenders in the pick and roll and deliver on target, on time passes in tight spaces. The jump shot is a question, especially from 3, but he is taking it more confidently and even knocked down 44% of them through 8 EYBL games. An above average athlete, with straight line burst, Collier plays with great pace. Has a fearless component to his demeanor.”

3. SF Ron Holland
School: Duncanville (Texas)
Status: Uncommitted
Scouting Summary: “It is the motor for Ron Holland; that is what you notice first. He has good positional size, but it is how hard he plays – on both ends – that gets people talking. Holland has performed at the highest levels, with Team USA, on Nike’s EYBL circuit, and at Duncanville High. Coming into his junior season, the question mark was the skill set; he has shown some improvement. While the jump shot is still below average, he can use the dribble to get downhill, and he’s developed confidence in his pull-up jumper. Holland is great in transition; he plays above the rim and has the upside to be an excellent defender – both on and off the ball. Production and winning, that is what he has done for a while.”

4. SF Justin Edwards
School: Philadelphia (Penn.) Imhotep Institute
Status: Signed with Kentucky
Scouting Summary: “What you first notice about Justin Edwards’ game is the defense. He has long arms and really competes on that end. On the ball, in the passing lanes, he can switch up and down a line up and is not afraid to rotate over and take a charge. Offensively, there is a little more of a mixed bag. He moves well off the ball, a purposeful cutter. The jump shot is smooth, but inconsistent and you want to see more 1-2 dribble pull ups. You want to see him develop more craft off the bounce, maybe develop some counters or combo moves there. He is a good athlete, but you would like to see him employ that on the court. Edwards has a solid handle in the open floor, and is able to push the break off a change of possession. There is still some more upside with Edwards, and his confidence is growing by the game.”

5. C Aaron Bradshaw
School: Camden (N.J.)
Status: Signed with Kentucky
Scouting Summary: “Aaron Bradshaw has a long and lean frame. A legit 7-foot-0, there is a lot of skill involved in Bradshaw’s success. He is a smooth shooter off the catch with range extending out to the three-point line. He cuts hard off the ball and can knock down elbow jumpers off the catch. Bradshaw can attack in straight lines off one and two dribbles. Bradshaw is stiff in the hips, and his lower body leads to questions about his ability to open up and move laterally. He will need to add significant strength to his core and lower body. There is a lot of vertical pop; Bradshaw is a vertical spacing threat from the dunker spots and as a rim runner. Despite the thin frame, he is willing to stick his nose into the mix at the rim. He rebounds with two hands and is a natural shot blocker. Bradshaw is trending as a top three or four center in his class.”

6. CG DJ Wagner Jr.
School: Camden (N.J.)
Status: Signed with Kentucky
Scouting Summary: “D.J. Wagner has been a big name since middle school. With that reputation also comes lofty expectations. What pops off the page immediately with Wagner is his competitiveness. His motor is always running hot, on both ends of the floor. Defensively, he wants the opposing team’s best player, and he picks them up full court. Offensively, Wagner plays a fearless game. He lacks top-end burst and his average length and size can make things tough for him at the rim, but he keeps coming. Wagner has seen every junk defense a team can throw at him, and he adjusts accordingly. The jump shot can get streaky, but he is a volume scorer. He has better court vision that he is given credit for. Is young for his grade and his competitive fire runs hot.”

7. SF Matas Buzelis
School: Wichita (Kan.) Sunrise Christian
Status: Signed with the NBA G League
Scouting Summary: “Matas Buzelis has a lot of tools you look for in a modern forward. He has great positional size and good length. At 6-foot-10 you see he is very effective in transition with great balance and good burst. Buzelis has a good handle in the open floor. He is currently a perimeter-oriented player. He needs to tighten his handle in the half-court, to help get him to his spots better and more effectively. The jump shot is also a slow-release. He is better shooting off the catch than the bounce. He is a good off-ball cutter, finishing above the rim on backdoor cuts. He is at his best working with minimal dribbles from the mid-range/mid-post area. He needs strength and the motor runs hot and cold. The upside is high here.”

8. SG Stephon Castle
School: Covington (Ga.) Newton
Status: Signed with Connecticut
Scouting Summary “Stephon Castle plays with a great pace. Has good positional size for a wing. Comfortable on the ball, in the half-court. Hunts his spots on the floor, and attacks them. Is strong on the ball, can take a bump, and get to his spots. The shot can get a little flat, but he is able to still affect the game. Very good in passing lanes. Average to above average athlete, but has a toughness about him. Can touch the paint. Attacks rim with purpose.”

9. SG Ja’Kobe Walter
School: McKinney (Texas) Link Year Prep
Status: Signed with Baylor
On3 NIL Valuation: $223K
Scouting Summary: “Ja’Kobe Walter has a great frame, long arms with wide shoulders. What you first see in his game is his shooting ability. He has great balance and a quick, repeatable release. While not the quickest player, the 6-5 shooting guard is comfortable getting to his spots on the floor. He has a solid handle when pushing the break and is a solid team defender. With the way shooting is valued in today’s game, Walter is one of the best in-game makers in the 2023 class.”

10. PF Omaha Biliew
School: Waukee (Iowa) Senior
Status: Signed with Iowa State
Scouting Summary: “Omaha Biliew is a physical presence as his frame looks like that of a college upperclassman. He has great length and is a good, functional athlete. Biliew is still learning how to use his physical traits to impact a game. When he is at his best, Biliew is a switch-able defender between wings and forwards and he is rebounding at a high rate. Offensively, Biliew has touch and he can knock down a three, but he is still not all the way comfortable handling and creating on the perimeter. There is some of that in his game, and he shows flashes but that is something he will need to work on. Right now Biliew is a defensive-minded four-man. It will be interesting to see how his perimeter skills tighten over the summer to see where his game goes. He needs to have a consistent summer and continue growing in his game, the upside is there, along with the tools.”

11. PG Bronny James
School: Chatsworth (Calif.) Sierra Canyon
Status: Committed to USC
Scouting Summary: “Bronny James is a sturdy guard, with a strong frame, long arms, and broad shoulders. The 6-2/6-3 guard is a noted defender at the point of attack. He moves his feet well laterally and plays with a chip on his shoulder. Offensively he does not really show blow-by burst in the half-court, but he attacks closeouts well, and he is strong in the paint. James is good in transition, has a little bit of wiggle there, and can get on the rim. He is explosive in straight lines. James needs to tighten his handle in space. One of his biggest areas of improvement is from three, where he has cleaned up his mechanics – especially the release – and gathered his balance. James made 13 threes in six Peach Jam games at a 35 percent clip. He will need to finish better at the rim, especially in traffic. When playing as the primary initiator, he takes care of the ball with a better than 2.5:1 assists to turnover ratio at Peach Jam.”

12. PF Sean Stewart
School: Orlando (Fla.) Montverde Academy
Status: Signed with Duke
Scouting Summary: “Sean Stewart is a strong and explosive player. He plays with a tenacity around the boards and in the paint. At 6-8, Stewart is a good rebounder, in and out of area, on both ends of the floor. He can move his feet on defense and plays with a motor that seems to never stop running. Stewart’s offensive game is currently limited to 10 feet and in, with lobs and rim runs. While he is a tough interior defender, he is not a rim protector. Stewart brings great energy to the floor and his coaches rave about his leadership.”

13. SG Jared McCain
School: Corona (Calif.) Centennial
Status: Signed with Duke
Scouting Summary: “Jared McCain is a confident and skilled scorer. His best scoring attribute is getting into the mid-range and knocking down an assortment of pull-ups and floaters. He is a good enough shooter from three and he can finish at the basket. McCain is a volume scorer and a shoot-first ball handler. He is a competitive defender and uses strong and compact frame to be a disruption. McCain has won a lot, at every level.”

14. PG AJ Johnson
School: Northridge (Calif.) Southern California Academy
Status: Signed with NBL Illawarra Hawks
On3 NIL Valuation: $281K
Scouting Summary: “AJ Johnson is a jet-fast point guard with elite end-to-end speed. He has great length and good size as a lead guard. Johnson will need to add weight; he is very skinny at this point. But his burst and explosion get him to his spots. Johnson is decisive getting downhill, using his dribble to attack the paint. Johnson has upside on defense with his length and quick twitch. The pull-up jump shot is a weapon in the mid-range. He is an above-average shooter that could continue to tighten. His natural tools are impressive, and as he continues to add weight, his ceiling is as high as any player in the 2023 class.”