2023 NBA Draft Sleepers: Snooze At Your Own Risk

There are plenty of players to know heading into the 2023 NBA Draft. In fact, you can read about those players in three separate posts here, here, and here. But there are some more names to know who you might be sleeping on to start the season.

This next list of players are some guys you may not have heard of, but should as the next college season rolls around. Some of these guys are one-and-dones while others are upperclassmen who are finally going to get some shine at another school or with an expanded role. Here are those guys.

Potential 2023 NBA Draft Sleepers

Terrance Arcenaux

The Houston freshman stands at 6-foot-5 and 185 pounds. He joins some upperclassmen on the roster who will get much of the attention. Arcenaux runs the floor incredibly well and with fluidity, is super quick, and can hit jumpers off the catch. Becoming more comfortable off the bounce will be key for him as well as shooting against defense. He is an opportune scorer and will defend hard.

Tyrese Hunter

After a year at Iowa State, the 6-foot guard is going to play at Big 12 rival Texas. He may take awhile to adjust to playing with a ball-dominant guard in Marcus Carr, but he is clearly a talented player and should make the Longhorns better. Hunter is a strong defender at his height and is a fantastic passer. He will have to prove he can shoot from deep and he’s the same guy who hit seven triples in an NCAA Tournament game.

Sidy Cissoko

The 6-foot-7 Frenchman will have a chance to show more American scouts his talents this season as he will play for G-League Ignite. He projects as a point forward who is fairly smooth and a solid athlete. In the G-League, he will have to show he can consistently finish in traffic since he drives to the rim so often. Cissoko’s jumper will also be a point of emphasis as the consistency for him is not quite there, potentially landing him among the 2023 NBA Draft sleepers.

Will Richard

The 6-foot-5, former Belmont guard will now play in the SEC for the Florida Gators. He will get the chance to impose his defensive will on other Power-6 guards, which is something he prides himself on as a guard. Richard hit about a third of his three-pointers last season while shooting almost 47% from the field. He rebounds the ball well at his position and should become a good combo guard as someone who can hit shots in catch-and-shoot situations.

Mouhamed Gueye

The 6-foot-11, 210-pound big man is incredibly smooth and had a nice year at Washington State, being named the “Pac-12 Freshman of the Week” several times. He was an excellent shooter inside the arc, used his length well to block shots, and is just smooth. Gueye will have to prove he can shoot better from three-point land, but he has the makings of a nice shot.

Taran Armstrong

This 6-foot-5, 185-pound guard out of Cal Baptist is one of the most creative passers in the country. He averaged over six assists in his freshman season and was a huge reason that the Lancers were a top-25 team in the country when it came to assists. Armstrong will have to become more of what his last name implies though. He was not a particularly good shooter and will need the strength to be a better and more willing finisher at the rim.

Coleman Hawkins

The 6-foot-10, 225-pound big man should have an opportunity to start every game for Illinois this year with Kofi Cockburn off to the NBA. He’s improved over each of his first two seasons, and his junior season promises to show more of that. Hawkins will have to continue improving his jump shot and, with his added strength, he should be fine guarding bigs down low while being fairly mobile himself.