GREENSBORO, N.C. (TheACC.com) – Five Atlantic Coast Conference men’s basketball players were selected Thursday in the 2023 NBA Draft, which was held at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Duke freshman center Dereck Lively II was the first ACC player taken off the board as a lottery pick, going No. 12 overall to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Duke freshman guard Dariq Whitehead also was a first-round pick, going No. 22 overall to the Brooklyn Nets. The ACC extended its streak with at least one first-round selection to 35 consecutive years, dating to the 1989 draft.
Clemson’s Hunter Tyson (No. 37 overall, Oklahoma City) and Miami’s Jordan Miller (No. 48 overall, Los Angeles Clippers) and Isaiah Wong (No. 55, Indiana) were selected in the second round.
Over the last 10 drafts (2014-23), the ACC leads all conferences with 57 first-round selections. The ACC now has had 33 top 14 selections over the last 14 years and since 1996 leads all conferences with 58 lottery selections.
ACC in the 2023 NBA Draft:
Round/Selection, Player, NBA Team
1/12, Dereck Lively II (Duke), Oklahoma City (proposed trade to Dallas)
1/22, Dariq Whitehead (Duke), Brooklyn
2/37, Hunter Tyson (Clemson), Oklahoma City
2/48, Jordan Miller (Miami), Los Angeles Clippers
2/55, Isaiah Wong (Miami), Indiana
Dereck Lively II, Fr., C, Duke
First Round/No. 12 Overall, Oklahoma City (proposed trade to Dallas)
Lively was one of the ACC's best defensive players during the 2022-23 season, finishing with 82 blocked shots – five shy of the NCAA lead – to rank second in the ACC, eighth nationally and lead all Division I freshmen. He earned spots on the ACC All-Freshman Team and ACC All-Defensive Team and was a second-team All-ACC Tournament honoree. His 82 blocks were second most by a Duke freshman in a single season and tied for the 10th most by any Duke player in a season. He registered at least one block in 32 of his 34 games played and had 23 games with multiple blocks, 10 with three or more and five with five or more.
Dariq Whitehead, Fr., G, Duke
First Round/No. 22 Overall, Brooklyn Nets
Whitehead played in 28 games and made seven starts for the Blue Devils, averaging 8.3 ppg while shooting 42.1% from the field and a team-leading 42.4% from three-point range, which was the fifth best three-point percentage by a Duke freshman all-time. Whitehead played some of his best basketball in the postseason, scoring 16 points against Miami in the ACC Tournament semifinals on 4-of-8 from the field and recording four steals in the ACC Championship Game win over Virginia. Against Oral Roberts in the NCAA Tournament First Round, Whitehead scored 13 points off the bench on 5-of-7 shooting (3-of-3 from deep) and played a career-high 33 minutes in the second-round game against Tennessee.
Hunter Tyson, Gr., F, Clemson
Second Round/No. 37 Overall, Oklahoma City Thunder
A 2023 First-Team All-ACC honoree, Tyson also was selected to the USBWA and NABC All-District teams. He averaged 15.3 ppg and 9.7 while shooting 47.9% from the floor, 40.5% from three and 83.8% from the free throw line. In league play, Tyson averaged 16.4 pppg and 9.9 rpg while shooting 50.5% from the field and 84.3% at the charity stripe. He finished with 16 double-doubles last season, most by a Tiger since the 1993-94 season. Tyson also was named the 2023 ACC Skip Prosser Scholar-Athlete of the Year for his work on the court and in the classroom. He became just the 17th player in Clemson history to eclipse 1,000 points and 600 rebounds in a career.
Jordan Miller, Sr., F, Miami
Second Round/No. 48 Overall, Los Angeles Clippers
Miller averaged 15.3 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 2.7 apg and 1.2 spg during the 2022-23 season. He shot 54.5% from the field, 35.2% beyond the arc and 78.4% at the free-throw line. He earned Second-Team All-ACC honors and was an NABC Second Team All-District 2 selection. In the postseason he earned ACC All-Tournament Second Team honors and was a member of the NCAA Midwest Region All-Tournament Team while leading the Hurricanes to their first Final Four berth.
Isaiah Wong, Jr., G, Miami
Second Round/No. 55 Overall, Indiana Pacers
The 2023 ACC Player of the Year and First-Team All-ACC honoree, Wong averaged 16.2 ppg, 4.3 rpg and 3.2 apg last season. He shot 44.5% from the floor, 38.4% on 3-pointers and 84.5% at the stripe. Wong was a NABC Third-Team All-American and also was an Associated Press and USBWA All-America Honorable Mention selection. He was a USBWA All-District IV and NABC First Team All-District 2 selection. In the postseason he was named to the NCAA Midwest Region All-Tournament Team in taking Miami to the Final Four.