Syracuse Basketball: Latest NBA Draft mock projections for Judah Mintz

The 2023 NBA Draft Combine, being held this week in Chicago, has provided Syracuse basketball freshman point guard Judah Mintz with an opportunity to showcase his talents before scouts and front-office executives of NBA teams.

At this juncture, according to a variety of mock projections for the 2023 NBA Draft, which will occur in about a month, the 6-foot-3 Mintz is being predicted as a second-round pick, in either the middle portion or the latter part of this round.

Now, depending on how Judah Mintz ultimately fares throughout the entirety of the combine, and perhaps in near-term individual workouts for NBA teams, might he move into first-round projections?

That remains to be seen, although my sense is that he’s likely going to be a second-round selection, if he’s picked at all in the 2023 NBA Draft, which is scheduled for June 22 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn N.Y.

Syracuse basketball point guard Judah Mintz is forecast as a second-round pick.

After the 2023 NBA Draft lottery was held in recent days, numerous media outlets and analysts updated their mock projections. Judah Mintz didn’t land in all of these predictions, although to be fair, I don’t have access to some mock drafts that are subscriber exclusives.

Over at Yahoo Sports, NBA Draft analyst Krysten Peek recently put Mintz at No. 55, getting chosen by the Indiana Pacers.

ESPN NBA Draft analyst Jonathan Givony also had Judah Mintz at No. 55 and heading to the Pacers, as Syracuse.com’s Brent Axe noted in a tweet.

Jonathan Wasserman, the lead scout/NBA Draft insider for Bleacher Report, projected Mintz to get picked at No. 45 by the Memphis Grizzlies.

The NBA Draft Room predicted Judah Mintz will end up at No. 52 overall, with the Phoenix Suns selecting him.

Austin Konenski of Sportsnaut has Mintz going to the Los Angeles Lakers at No. 47 overall. That would prove fun, as former Syracuse basketball player Cole Swider is also a member of the Lakers franchise.

Mintz is testing the 2023 NBA Draft waters while maintaining his collegiate eligibility. The combine is expected to wrap up on May 21.

College basketball players who elected to test the 2023 NBA Draft waters will have until the NCAA deadline of May 31 to withdraw from the draft and maintain their collegiate eligibility, should they want to return to the college game.

Understandably, there is a whole lot of speculation going on these days among Orange fans, media members and others as to whether Judah Mintz might return to the Hill for his sophomore year.

I have no inside information as to Mintz’s decision-making process, however, my personal opinion is that I think it’s more likely than not he will stay in the 2023 NBA Draft and not come back to the ‘Cuse for the upcoming 2023-24 campaign.

The Fort Washington, Md., native was a four-star prospect in the 2022 class who was a standout as a senior for the powerhouse Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Va.

In 2022-23, as a newbie for Syracuse basketball, Mintz was named to the Atlantic Coast Conference’s All-Freshman team.

This past season, Judah Mintz averaged 33.3 minutes, 16.3 points, 4.6 assists, 2.3 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 2.4 turnovers per game, while connecting on 44.3 percent from the field, 75.1 percent from the charity stripe and 30.3 percent from beyond the arc.