Where Kentucky players rank among ESPN's Top 100 2023 NBA Draft prospects

With the 2022 Champions Classic in the books, the first big stretch of college basketball has passed us by. Over 100 NBA scouts and executives were in Indianapolis on Tuesday to watch the Blue Blood talent between Kentucky, Michigan State, Kansas, and Duke all in action. But plenty of other top-tier programs across the country with talented prospects were also on full display over the last week.

With that in mind, the folks over at ESPN unveiled its Top 100 prospects database for the 2023 NBA Draft on Thursday morning. Several Kentucky Wildcats cracked the list, highlighted by freshman guard Cason Wallace, who dropped 14 points, eight steals, five rebounds, and five assists against Michigan State on Tuesday. He was joined on the Top 100 by teammates Oscar Tshiebwe, Chris Livingston, Daimion Collins, Ugonna Onyenso, and Jacob Toppin.

Here’s where they all landed.

11. Cason Wallace (PG)
41. Oscar Tshiebwe (C)
42. Chris Livingston (SF)
53. Daimion Collins (PF)
61. Ugonna Onyenso (C)
74. Jacob Toppin (PF)

After Wallace’s performance against the Spartans, it’s almost surprising that he’s not higher than No. 11. In his write-up detailing a handful of the Top 100 prospects, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony had high praise for the rookie guard, saying “Wallace clearly has a high floor as a prospect with his lockdown defensive prowess, toughness, feel for the game, ability to make open shots and how he impacts winning. Scouts will try to get a better feel for his offensive ceiling as the season moves on.”

Looking down the list, Tshiebwe landing at No. 41 is consistent with where he’s been viewed on draft boards since last season. Givony had good things to say about the national reigning player of the year, calling him “still the best player in college basketball”, but did point to his limitations as a playmaker and decision-maker as reasons he’s why not higher on the list.

As for Livingston, he had long been seen as a projected first-round draft pick, but slips to No. 42 in this list after an up-and-down start to his freshman year. Collins is in a similar boat, coming in at No. 53. He hasn’t yet shown a leap in development, but has loads of potential that keep scouts interested. Toppin, who has clearly developed his game but has struggled to shoot early this season, came in at No. 74.

Onyenso is the surprising name to see on the board at No. 61, considering there were questions during the preseason surrounding whether he’ll redshirt or not. The 7-footer clearly wasn’t ready for the physicality of Michigan State, but he’s shown enough production against weaker competition early on to raise plenty of eyebrows.

Sports Illustrated has Wallace as lottery pick

Also on Thursday morning, Sports Illustrated’s Jeremy Woo released his updated 2023 NBA Mock Draft, where he had Cason Wallace going in the Top 10 with two more Wildcats getting picked in the second round.

Woo has Wallace going No. 8 overall, pairing him up with Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets.

Wallace is one of my favorite players in this class and also one of the most college-ready freshmen in the country: he can play either guard spot and provide shot-creation, floor-spacing, playmaking and defense at a high level. He’s a nonstop competitor who’s going to help you win games. The more familiar teams get with him and the more they come to understand his reliability and winning impact, the more his stock should rise within the lottery. Wallace has continued to draw Jrue Holiday and Marcus Smart comparisons that feel fairly reasonable, and it’s easy to see him taking a similar path toward helping an NBA team early in his career. His floor is extremely high as a future contributor.

Jeremy Woo, Sports Illustrated

Moving to the second round, Oscar Tshiebwe is the first ‘Cat to come off the board to the Denver Nuggets (from MIA) with the No. 42 overall pick. Woo then has Chris Livingston picked a few selections later at No. 46 to the Sacramento Kings to round out the Kentucky players in his mock.