Let’s Go Wisconsin takes a look at three potential Olivier-Maxence Prosper draft projections for the 2023 NBA Draft on Thursday night.
The college basketball career for Olivier-Maxence Prosper started out slow. In his freshman year, Prosper was playing less than 10 minutes per game for Clemson. After transferring to Marquette, Olivier-Maxence Prosper instantly found a role in Shaka Smart’s system. The 6-8 guard started 25 out of 32 games in his sophomore season. He averaged 6.6 points and played 20.7 minutes. Those numbers bumped up to 12.5 points per game on 51% shooting from the field the next season.
With Kam Jones and Tyler Kolek, Prosper was a major reason why Marquette won the Big East, before losing in the second round to Michigan State. Prosper is attempting to capitalize on this big season, as he entered his name into the 2023 NBA Draft. Experts seem to be split on Olivier-Maxence Prosper draft destinations. Some are projecting him in the 20s while others don’t believe he is a first-round pick.
3 Potential Olivier-Maxence Prosper Draft Destinations
Portland Trail Blazers
With Damian Lillard most likely staying with Portland, the Trail Blazers should look at drafting a defensive wing. Prosper fits that bill. At 6-8, Prosper has the size to match up with guards and forwards while providing wing depth. The nice thing about playing in Portland too, is that there is not an expectation to score the ball. Lillard will do the work, but he needs help on defense.
Portland has picks No. 3 and 23. At 23, I don’t know that there are many better prospects than Prosper. Guys like Leonard Miller, Rayan Rupert and Ben Sheppard are also projected to go around 23. The difference with Prosper, though, is that he seems more immediately NBA-ready. This won’t be a pick to immediately help Portland in regards to scoring, but everything else will improve with OMP.
Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers hold the 7, 26 and 29 picks in the 2023 NBA Draft. I would imagine that Olivier-Maxence Prosper is a big name on Indiana’s board here. With the poor season from Chris Duarte last year (37% FG), Indiana should look at making an upgrade to their bench unit. Ben Mathurin is currently listed as the three coming off of the bench for the Pacers. Drafting Prosper will push Mathurin back to his true two position.
Prosper played very well during the first day of scrimmages at the NBA Combine. He played well enough that he decided not to play on the second day of scrimmages. The Marquette alum showed a ton of energy during the scrimmages, seemingly being everywhere on the floor at once. That should excite an Indiana team, who looks like they are in NBA purgatory right now. The Pacers need a spark to make a playoff run this season this year and I think Prosper can certainly fill that spot.
Miami Heat
For all of the reasons that I listed before – high energy, strong defense, size – Miami is an Olivier-Maxence Prosper draft destination. After Miami missed out on Bradley Beal, I would imagine that they are going to try and build back in the draft. Prosper provides that immediate NBA readiness, who can help to spell Jimmy Butler in big games. In the playoffs last season, the Heat relied on their role players to hit a ton of threes. Prosper does not provide the greatest three-point shooting, but neither did Caleb Martin when he entered the NBA. Prosper’s shooting can easily be coached and he can become somewhat of a contributor for Miami.
The Heat hold the 18th pick in the draft this year. That is another pick that I suspect could be traded as Miami may want to go older for a championship. No. 18 may be a little high to take Prosper, but in regards to NBA readiness, other players that are going around 18 (Ben Sheppard, Nick Smith Jr. and Brandin Podziemski) are not as ready as OMP. Prosper won’t need to be as ball-dominant on the Heat, leading to a good start to developing into a solid wing in the NBA.
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