Winners, losers from NBA Draft entry process

The calendar shifting to June means the prospects in the 2023 NBA Draft are set. 

With May 31 serving as the deadline for entrants to either keep their name in the draft or return to school, news poured in on Wednesday. Oscar Tshiebwe of Kentucky? He's leaving school. Zach Edey of Purdue? Staying. Terrence Shannon Jr. of Illinois? Staying. Jordan Walsh of Arkansas? Gone.

Who benefitted most from the returns, and who's suffering most from the departures? Here are three winners and three losers following this year's wave of decisions:  

Winner: Purdue head coach Matt Painter

2023-24 is a crucial season for the Boilermakers. Purdue has been knocked out of the last three NCAA tournaments in mind-boggling fashion. In 2021, it lost to No. 12 seed North Texas in the round of 64. Next, in the 2022 Sweet 16, it faltered down the stretch (with Jayden Ivey) against No. 15 seed St. Peter’s. Then, in 2023, it became just the second No. 1 seed to lose to a No. 16 seed by falling to Fairleigh Dickinson, 63-58. 

With the pressure on Painter, and the program as a whole, it certainly helps to have Edey, the reigning National Player of the Year, back on campus. The Boilermakers guard play must improve if they are to be a true title contender — the spotlight will be on Fletcher Loyer and Braden Smith come November — but it does not hurt to have a man who averaged 22.9 points, 12.9 boards and 2.1 blocks over an entire season returning.

Loser: Kentucky head coach John Calipari

If Painter is the coach under the second-most pressure in America heading into next season, then there is no doubt who is at the top of that list. Since 2015, Kentucky is without a Final Four appearance. That is unacceptable for Big Blue Nation.

The 64-year-old, who remains one of the most accomplished coaches of this generation, is not at risk of being fired. But given the progress of the SEC in the last half-decade or so, Calipari is facing the prospect of falling behind the likes of Arkansas, Alabama and Tennessee. 

Now, a star-studded recruiting class should help things. Kentucky boasts four of the top 16 players in the 2023 class, per 247Sports — Justin Edwards, Aaron Bradshaw, D.J. Wagner and Robert Dillingham. 

But Tshiebwe provided so much to the program over the last two seasons. His fun-loving persona, tenacity on the glass and knack for performing in the biggest games were the driving forces behind the Wildcats receiving a No. 2 seed and No. 6 seed in the past two editions of March Madness.

Losing him stings.

Winner: College basketball fans

Outside of Tshiebwe, a multitude of stars are returning to school. Edey, Shannon, Armando Bacot and R.J. Davis (North Carolina), Jahvon Quinerly (Alabama), Kyle Filipowski and Jeremy Roach (Duke) are some of the faces who will be suiting up for another year at the collegiate level.

Their reasons for staying likely vary. It could be due to NIL opportunities, a chance to hone their crafts further before making the jump to the pros or the simple fact that they enjoy college life.

No matter the reason, though, college basketball fans should look ahead to 2023-24 with genuine excitement and familiarity.

Loser: The 2023 freshman class

This one comes with a bit of nuance. Without question, having older, experienced veterans in the fold will help the incoming crop of freshmen develop — without having an excess burden placed on their individual and collective shoulders. 

Filipowski and Roach, for instance, will help guide the likes of Caleb Foster, Jared McCain and Sean Stewart, and ditto for Bacot and Davis alongside Simeon Wilcher, Zayden High and Elliot Cadeau. 

But still, freshmen will always be hungry for playing time, and the return of so many established faces will make that more of an uphill battle. Not to mention it crowds the field for the 2024 NBA Draft. 

Winner: The ACC

Let's unpack this one. Heading into 2023-24, the consensus four best programs in the conference are Duke, North Carolina, Virginia and Miami. At this point, not including the Hurricanes alongside the other three would be disingenuous, and not reflective of the success head coach Jim Larrañaga has had in Coral Gables, Florida, — a Final Four appearance this past season, along with a pair of ACC regular-season titles. 

All four programs have received major boosts during this process, with Filipowski, Roach, Tyrese Proctor and Mark Mitchell returning to Duke, Bacot and Davis returning to North Carolina, Reece Beekman returning to Virginia and Nigel Pak, Norchad Omier and Wooga Poplar returning to Miami. 

That, along with an influx of freshmen and transfer talent to all four programs, should make it a fascinating race to the conference crown in 2023-24. Plus, always look out for a dark horse, particularly Pittsburgh, Wake Forest and Virginia Tech.

Loser: The 2023 NBA Draft

Yes, there is Victor Wembanyama, and his presence in this draft alone is enough to establish enough talking points to last pundits and fans until the 2023-24 NBA season starts. But with so many collegiate stars returning to their respective campuses, who will emerge as the other stars from this class?

Back in 2003, LeBron James was the clear-cut top pick. But Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade — a trio of collegiate studs — rounded out four of the top five slots (with the Pistons taking Darko Milicic at No. 2). 

But in 2023, the focus will only be on one man. That creates a storytelling vacuum.