:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72394890/1236986223.0.jpg "2023 NBA Draft losers: Magic, Pacers, Lakers among teams that should have done better")
Not everyone in the 2023 NBA Draft could be the San Antonio Spurs, with a generational talent in Victor Wembanyama sitting right there just for the asking.
Someone has to make choices they will regret in the future, and here are three teams we think will fall short when they look back at this evening's decisions several years from now.
Here are our losers from draft night.
Loser: Orlando Magic
They bricked two lottery picks in a spot where they probably could have put a nice package together to move up for what was truly needed. Anthony Black from Arkansas will play very hard, but he shot just 30.1% from three-point range and guards can't do that in the NBA. And then in Michigan's Jett Howard, they got a big man that can't rebound (2.8 RPG for the Wolverines).
These are two players with too many flaws for a franchise that needed to give Paolo Banchero some players on whom he can count going forward.
Loser: Indiana Pacers
Jarace Walker is a nice choice, and he's got plenty of upside and gave good effort on both ends for the Houston Cougars. He has some upside for the future if he can put it together.
But Belmont's Ben Sheppard can't do anything but shoot (41% from 3 last season), and a 3-and-D guy that can't defend is a problem. And while Gonzaga's Julian Strawther had an unforgettable March Madness moment, he frequently came up small in big games in Spokane. These are two reaches for a team that needs more balanced players that can compete right away.
Loser: Los Angeles Lakers
With local product Jaime Jaquez Jr. sitting right there, Rob Pelinka went with Jalen Hood-Schifino from Indiana instead. And while he might be a serviceable point guard someday, a guy with 3.7 assists but 2.8 turnovers a game doesn't have the handles to help a team trying to win right now. He also shoots just 33% from downtown, and that's with one of the best college players in the country in Trayce Jackson-Davis as a teammate.