Players that Impressed at the 2023 McDonald’s All-American Game

Last night, I watched the 2023 McDonald’s All-American Game, a tradition in high school basketball where the best players from across the nation face off head-to-head, East vs. West. While the NBA All-Star Game has become an event known for bad defense and unserious play, this all-star game was very entertaining to watch, as these high school seniors were eager to prove themselves as best in their class before going to college. The future stars of college basketball and the NBA competed in this game, and watching it is an opportunity to get to know them before everyone else does. Here are some of the young stars that shined the most to me, whether it be because of how they filled up the box score, how they passed the eye test, or both.

*all rankings mentioned are sourced from ESPN’s database

Isaiah Collier

Without a doubt, USC commit Isaiah Collier looked like the best player on the court in this year’s McDonald’s All-American game. The 6’3” guard playing for the West scored a game-high in points, with 25, and did so on fantastic efficiency (9-14, 2-4 from 3). Collier seemed more physically mature than everyone else on the floor, as he has a very strong frame that overpowered defenders, and he finished quite a few tough and-1 layups as a result (he drew 7 fouls total, most in the game). To put it simply: Collier is built like a bulldog, but he also has advanced finesse and touch for his age when it comes to finishing around the rim. In my opinion, he could fit in on an NBA court right now due to this level of physicalness. He played solid defense as well, finishing with 2 steals and a block. I was also very impressed with his instincts and feel for the game. He only finished with 2 assists, but the way he was seeing the court you could tell he has potential to be an elite level playmaker. He reminds me a lot of Anthony Edwards. Like many top players his age, he can work on his jumpshot a bit more, especially at the free throw line where he went 5-12 including two crucial misses at the end of the game that essentially lost his team the game. He also led the game in turnovers with 5, however I will say not all of them were his fault. Regardless, these are things that can be easily improvable, and his overall look on the court really stood out and what was inspired me to make this list. Collier is currently ranked as the 3rd best prospect in the 2023 class, and like I mentioned earlier, he will be attending USC in the fall where I believe he will shine.

DJ Wagner

Above Collier at the #2 spot in the 2023 class is 6’2” guard DJ Wagner, who stole the show at the McDonald’s All-American game, winning the game’s MVP. Wagner was the first third generation player to star in the game, as his grandfather Milt Wagner played alongside Michael Jordan in 1981, and his father Dajuan Wagner played in the game in 2001. Wagner displayed a similarly elite scoring ability around the rim as Collier, albeit he’s much less big. However, what he lacks in strength, he makes up for with athleticism and speed. The way he contorts his body reminds me a lot of guys like Ja Morant and Jalen Green, and I believe he can tune this ability even further to become even better. Wagner led his team in scoring with 19 points, also with good efficiency (7-14, 3-7 from 3). Like Collier, he defended well, as his quickness and athleticism earned him 2 steals and 2 blocks. I do think he took care of the ball worse than Collier, finishing with 4 turnovers and generally making poor decisions at times. However, what really stood out was his competitive edge. His professional ballplayer lineage really showed, as he came alive in the second half after a somewhat disappointing first half, leading the East on a double-digit comeback and scoring what was ultimately the game-winning bucket. Once he learns to control his pace and pick his spots a little better, Wagner will have the highest ceiling as a scorer in this class. I project him to be a volume scorer off the bench to the likes of Jordan Poole at minimum, with a potential to be a perennial All-Star at best once he makes the NBA. Wagner will be playing for Coach Calipari at Kentucky, a perfect fit for him where he can be utilized like Derrick Rose and John Wall, both of whom were picked #1 in the draft after playing for Calipari.

Aaron Bradshaw

Despite winning the game’s MVP, DJ Wagner actually wasn’t the player I was most impressed with on the East’s team. That honor goes to Wagner’s current high school teammate and future Kentucky teammate Aaron Bradshaw, who was a dominant presence on the court. The 7-footer was undoubtedly the best big man on the floor, stuffing the stat sheets. Bradshaw finished with 18 points and 8 rebounds, including 6 key offensive rebounds that kept possessions alive and spark the East’s comeback. His contributions went far beyond the stat sheet, as he seemed to be everywhere on the court. He was a disruptor defensively, and was a backbone offensively, with the gravity he attracted allowing more open opportunities for his teammates. This is most evident by the fact that he led the entire game with an 18 +/-, which is especially impressive considering the East trailed by a bunch for a large portion of the game. Bradshaw doesn’t stretch the floor by any means, and he had struggles with fouling as well, but he’s also very raw as well and has plenty of room to grow. He has all the tools you’d want for a modern-day big man, and his upside will grow even greater once he fills into his body more and becomes more productive. Right now, the player comp I like for him is a more athletic DeAndre Ayton, assuming he develops the way I think he can. Bradshaw is currently ranked the 4th best player in the class of 2023.

Bronny James

As much as you’d like to focus on all the great young talent that participated in the McDonald’s All-American Game, it’s easy to admit the main draw for the audience to turn the game was Bronny James. The son of arguably the greatest player of all time LeBron James, Bronny is a somewhat contentious figure when it comes to high school prospect scouting and recruiting. Some say he’s the real deal and has serious skill and talent that warrants his #28 ranking in 2023, while others say he’s overrated and only in the spotlight because of his father. As someone who hasn’t really watched much of Bronny, I was intrigued to see what opinion I would take on of him. He did not disappoint. In 20 minutes of play, Bronny had 15 points exclusively on three pointers, where he shot 5-8. His shooting mechanics were the cleanest in the entire game, as every shot he took just looked so good and you could have confidence it was going to drop. On top of that, his defense, which I heard was a very hyped up part of his game, was very solid. For an all-star game, he put in outstanding effort on defense and was extremely aggressive, even though his aggressiveness earned him 4 fouls. You can really see the influence LeBron has on him when it comes to his basketball IQ, considering that he came off the bench to start the game yet the coach had him out there when it came down to crunch time to close the game. He always seemed to make the right play, including at the end of the game when he brought the ball up and passed it to a teammate to take the potentially game-tying shot instead of forcing something up by himself. You can tell he’s really not the type of player to lean on to score a bunch of points or be a primary ball handler, but I think that’s completely okay, and that he can excel in a 3-and-D role from the moment he gets drafted into the NBA. Bronny is down to his final 3 schools: USC, Oregon, and Ohio St., and I personally believe he would fit in perfectly at USC in the backcourt next to Isaiah Collier.

Aden Holloway

Aden Holloway was a player I never heard of until I tuned into the game last night. He quickly turned into my favorite player to watch. Holloway is a 5-star guard ranked 17th in the class, and he’s very small at 6’0”, 155 pounds. His size was not an issue though, as he was the star of the first quarter for me. Holloway was the best ball handler I saw last night, and he was very crafty in the ways he got his shots off, whether it was his floater or his acrobatic finishes using his whole body and both hands. On top of that, he made 2 deep three pointers with a shooting form that looks like it could be fairly reliable. In fact, after doing more research on him I learned that he’s one of the best shooters in the class. At the end of the first quarter he was just getting bucket after bucket after bucket, and it seemed like he couldn’t miss. He only played 14 minutes, which was less than most players, yet he still finished with 15 points on only 7 shots, and most if not all of these points came in the 1st quarter. Obviously, his size will cause him to be a weaker defender, but he still had a game high 3 steals, which shows he may not be a complete liability. While I didn’t see too much of him as a playmaker, I don’t doubt that he can develop into someone who can fit the mold of a player with a high assist-to-turnover ratio. In this sense, factoring in his shooting ability, I would project him to be a Tyus Jones-like player, and perhaps even hit a ceiling as a Darius Garland-like player. Overall, Aden Holloway is my personal fan favorite from the game, and I’ll be sure to keep my eye on him when he plays at Auburn next year.

Omaha Biliew

How about a little bit of a sleeper pick? Omaha Biliew. The 6’9” power forward is headed to Iowa State, and while he doesn’t have the most popular name in the class, I see real NBA upside in him. He didn’t light up the box score, scoring only 7 points and not even grabbing a single rebound, but he played every second extremely hard and simply moved like how an NBA player would. He has a physically imposing presence, but was also very fundamental and fluid with his movements. On top of that, he looks like he’ll have the ability to stretch the floor with a very confident 3-point shot. He also has the ability to put the ball on the floor and get downhill efficiently when needed, also being a good pick-and-roll big man candidate. Defensively, he was very active, and I love his switchability. With some development I can see him as someone who could defend 1-5 and be a true high-motor, versatile big man for an NBA team. My NBA comparison for him is Pascal Siakam; however, even if he is unable to reach that level, at the very least I see him as a valuable role player that can be inserted on any team. I love Biliew’s impactfulness and versatility, and believe his future is bright. He’s ranked tenth in the class of 2023.

Closing Thoughts

In conclusion, I very much enjoyed spending some time watching basketball’s stars of tomorrow and learning more about them. I was going into it trying to watch for the well-known guys Bronny James, Isaiah Collier, DJ Wagner, and so on, and while those guys ended up impressing me, it was also really cool to be surprised by the guys I haven’t heard of before, like Aden Holloway and Omaha Biliew. It just goes to show how much talent is out there, and how competitive it is to fight for a scholarship in college or roster spot in the NBA. Not all of these guys will live up to the potential associated with making a McDonald’s All-American game, which is equally interesting to follow, but it does feel pretty sweet looking back on the ones that do end up making it big and knowing you had your eye on them the whole time.