UCLA’s NBA Draft Prospects: Analyzing the Class of 2023

UCLA‘s 2023 NBA Draft Primer, News and Notes

Draft History

The 2023 NBA Draft will take place on Thursday, June 22, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn (New York), and multiple UCLA student-athletes could be selected in the two-round draft format. Seniors Tyger Campbell, Jaime Jaquez Jr., and David Singleton, junior Jaylen Clark, and freshman Amari Bailey are all eligible to be selected on Thursday night in the NBA Draft.

The NBA Draft will begin at 5 p.m. PT (8 p.m. ET) and will be nationally televised on ABC and ESPN. The first round (30 selections) of Thursday night’s draft will be shown on ABC and ESPN, while the second round (28 selections) will be televised solely on ESPN.

Draft History

Since 1947, the UCLA men’s basketball program has produced 122 all-time draft selections, including 42 first-round picks. UCLA‘s program has had at least one player selected in 21 of the last 26 NBA Drafts (spanning 1997 through 2022). The Bruins have logged 36 draft picks over the past 26 seasons. UCLA ranks No. 2 among all colleges and universities with 122 total NBA Draft selections. Kentucky leads the country with 138 total selections. Standing behind Kentucky and UCLA are North Carolina (116 selections) and Duke (106 selections).

Most Recently

UCLA guard Peyton Watson was selected in the first round of the 2022 NBA Draft, as he was acquired by the Denver Nuggets in a draft-day trade. Watson was the No. 30 overall pick, the final selection in the draft’s first round. Prior to Watson in June of 2022, Jaylen Hands was selected in the second round of the 2019 NBA Draft (acquired by the Brooklyn Nets as the No. 56 overall selection). The 2018 NBA Draft marked the last time at least two UCLA players were selected in the same draft – Aaron Holiday at No. 23 to the Indiana Pacers, and Thomas Welsh at No. 58 to the Denver Nuggets.

First-Round Numbers

In June 2014, UCLA was the only program in the nation to have produced at least three first-round draft picks (Zach LaVine, Jordan Adams, and Kyle Anderson). No college program had produced three or more first-round selections since 2012, when Kentucky had four first-round picks. Only once before in school history (1979) had UCLA produced at least three first-round draft selections. More recently, the Bruins had a pair of first-round selections in 2017 with Lonzo Ball (No. 2, Los Angeles Lakers) and TJ Leaf (No. 18, Indiana Pacers). In all, four former UCLA players were selected in the 2017 NBA Draft with Ball, Leaf, Jonah Bolden (No. 36), and Ike Anigbogu (No. 47).

Multiple First-Rounders

UCLA has produced multiple first-round selections in 10 NBA Drafts (1969, 1971, 1974, 1979, 1992, 1995, 2008, 2009, 2014, and 2017).

Among the Pac-12 Conference

UCLA leads all Pac-12 programs with 122 overall NBA Draft selections. Following UCLA, in order, are Arizona (78), USC (64), Washington (62), Oregon (55), Oregon State (44), Utah (44), California (43), Stanford (42), Arizona State (38), Colorado (36), and Washington State (31). The Bruins’ program has produced 42 total first-round picks, the highest total among Pac-12 Conference schools. Arizona ranks second with 27 total first-round draft selections.

About Bailey

Amari Bailey, who excelled as a freshman in 2022-23, averaged 11.2 points and 3.8 rebounds per game (competed in 30 games, made 28 starts). Bailey shot 49.5 percent from the field and 38.9 percent from 3-point distance. He was one of five players to secure Pac-12 All-Freshman Team honors, along with teammate Adem Bona. Bailey scored in double figures in 18 games and totaled at least 20 points in two games. He was honored as the Pac-12 Freshman of the Week four times, most recently on Feb. 27 after the Bruins’ two-game road sweep at Utah and Colorado.

About Campbell

Tyger Campbell, a senior guard in 2022-23, played in 133 games through four seasons in Westwood. He concluded his college career ranking No. 2 on UCLA‘s career assists list (655 assists) and at the No. 23 slot on UCLA‘s career scoring list (1,478 points, 11.1 points per game). Campbell also ranks No. 10 on UCLA‘s career games played list (133). As a senior, he was honored as a first-team All-Pac-12 selection for the third consecutive season. Campbell averaged 13.4 points, 2.6 rebounds, and a team-best 5.0 assists per game during his senior season. He was recognized as a second-team NABC All-District selection for the second straight year. Campbell also earned USBWA All-District IX honors and was listed as an honorable mention AP All-America selection.

About Clark

Jaylen Clark, a junior guard in 2022-23, earned the Naismith Men’s Defensive Player of the Year award and was recognized as the NABC Defensive Player of the Year. Clark, who averaged 13.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game, was named the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year, marking UCLA‘s first such selection since Russell Westbrook in 2008. He finished the season securing second-team All-Pac-12 honors and was named to the Pac-12 All-Defensive Team for the second straight year. Clark shot 48.1 percent from the field and 32.9 percent from 3-point distance. He finished the season as the Pac-12 leader in steals (78) and steals per game (2.6). Clark ranked No. 4 in the nation in steals per game (2.6) and No. 9 in total steals (78).

About Jaquez Jr.

Jaime Jaquez Jr., a senior guard/forward in 2022-23, was honored as the Pac-12 Player of the Year. He averaged a team-best 17.8 points and 8.2 rebounds per game, starting all 37 games for UCLA. Jaquez Jr. was honored as a consensus second-team All-America pick and was named the Lute Olson National Player of the Year by CollegeInsider.com. Jaquez Jr. and teammate Tyger Campbell were both selected as first-team All-Pac-12 picks. Jaquez Jr. was also recognized as a first-team NABC All-District selection and the USBWA’s District IX Player of the Year. He played in 134 games through four seasons, making 126 starts, and finished his UCLA career ranking No. 8 on the school’s all-time scoring list (1,802 points). In addition, he finished in the No. 11 slot on the Bruins’ all-time rebounding list (842 rebounds).

About Singleton

David Singleton, a fifth-year senior for UCLA in 2022-23, set the school record for career games played (164). As a fifth-year senior, Singleton averaged 9.0 points and 2.8 rebounds per game, connecting on 42.4 percent of his 3-point attempts (which ranked No. 3 in the Pac-12). Singleton concluded his UCLA career ranking No. 5 on the school’s career 3-point percentage list (43.4%). He also ranks No. 9 in Pac-12 history for career 3-point percentage (43.4%). Singleton registered a career assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.4-to-1, logging 154 assists and 63 turnovers. He played in all 37 games for UCLA during the 2022-23 season and scored in double figures in 14 contests.

Two-Draft Era

UCLA is one of six schools to have produced at least 42 NBA Draft selections since 1989, when the draft shifted to a two-round format. The draft’s current format includes two rounds of 30 selections each. The 2022 NBA Draft features 58 total picks (including 28 second-round selections), as two teams were stripped of their second-round draft selections due to tampering violations.