2026 NBA Mock Draft
mock draft
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mock draft -
The next two days will change the lives of 60 basketball players forever. Here are my final thoughts on each pick as it currently stands.
AJ Dybantsa - F - BYU
A little over 18 months ago Dybantsa committed to BYU live on First Take on ESPN, tonight he is slotted to go 1.1 on the same channel.
The freshman phenom took over college basketball last season and led the entire country in scoring. Despite limited team success down the stretch of the Big 12 season, he was still able to shine in his lone tournament game.
Whether you like it or not, rainbow face is going to join the likes of Anthony Davis and Trae Young as the superstars in the nation’s capital.
Despite the recent swirls of rumors and an injury riddled one season at Kansas, the consensus 1.2 pick in my eyes in still Darryn Peterson.
Peterson was able to play for a rejuvenated Jayhawks team that was able to bounce back to some tough seasons in Lawerence and bring back excitement for Bill Self’s teams.
With this pick the Jazz will get a superstar capable point guard and with the ability to upgrade his passing could become one of the best guards in the world. Utah still is a year or two away from being a championship able team but taking Peterson propels their timeline for sure.
The Grizzlies sit at the 1.3 position and will be able to select yet another National Player of the Year to add to their roster.
Boozer was able to put together a fantastic freshman season at Duke, averaging 22.5 points and 10.2 boards a game. Out of all the top prospects Boozer and the Blue Devils had some of the most success in March.
Grind City is looking for a star and with this pick Cam Boozer will help ring in a new era of Memphis basketball with the help of two-time National Player of the Year, Zach Edey, short lived Blue Devil, Cedric Coward, and possibly Ja Morant.
Tar Heels and Chicago just make sense together. I have the Bulls nabbing Caleb Wilson at the four-spot.
Wilson was the clear best player of a solid UNC squad and looked to make some noise in March, but hand injuries side lined him late in the season.
The Bulls look to take on the youth movement and taking the 19-year-old forward seems to be the right choice. Hopefully Wilson can bring just as much success as the other famous Tar Heel who called Chicago home.
Teams were blown away in the draft process with Darius Acuff Jr. and with the recent championship performance of Jalen Brunson, small guards are back in style, making Acuff the right choice for the Clippers at 1.5.
Acuff is an absolute pure scorer and is able to get to his spots anywhere on the floor even against some tough defensive matchups. Acuff averaged 29.3 points a game in the tournament including a big time 36 points to send Arkansas to the Sweet 16.
The Clippers already have Darius Garland, but it will certainly be hard to pass up a guy like Acuff at their pick.
A year ago, no one could have seen or understood the type of rise Keaton Wagler had during the 2025-26 season. But Wagler guided Illinois all the way to the Final Four and is now a top prospect and Brooklyn would be more than lucky for him to fall to six.
Wagler is a slow-mo type guy and will never rely on his athleticism, but he is an elite shooter and makes outstanding playmaking reads.
If the Nets can look past the athleticism issue, they can easily have a reliable two guard of the future.
In the 2024-25 season Aday Mara was barely finding minutes on a middling UCLA team. Now he should easily go top 10.
Standing at a massive 7’4” he will be able to provide any team with elite protection and a fantastic passer out of the post. In an age where any contender will need a Wemby stopper the Kings should land theirs with the seventh pick.
The future of the Kings, similar to their past, looks very foggy but Mara can help swing them towards yet another new era.
Kingston Flemings came to Houston program known for having older teams and for playing pure hard defense, but Flemings changed this.
Lightning fast and limitless explosiveness helps Flemings utilize relentless downhill attacking while also playing defense, similar to much of the Hawks lineup.
The Hawks are coming off a promising playoff performance yet have some older pieces, Flemings will be able to start in as a depth piece and later take over as the leading man.
A couple of days ago and most of the summer I have been favor of the Mavericks taking Brayden Burries at nine. But yesterday they shocked the world and signed Dusty May as their next head coach. All in all, I would not be shocked if this pick ends up being a former Wolverine rather than Burries. But I still see Burries being the correct choice.
A strong and physically mature guard, Burries can bully smaller guards on both ends and did all season at Arizona and should be able to continue to develop into a high-end Malcom Brogdan like player
Playing alongside Cooper Flagg and Kyrie should be a dream scenario for any prospect but Burries can fit right into the Dallas rotation besides their stars.
Mikel Brown Jr is the biggest faller of my mock draft, but I see Milwaukee as the perfect landing spot for Pat Kelseys leading man.
Brown is the definition of a smooth operator and plays with elite pace control along with a nice stroke from deep. I could see him going as early as five but being such a similar player to Garland could stray him away from LA.
Giannis is now gone and the Bucks will most likely be a contender for the 2027 first pick. This means Brown can start and be the guy from day one in the Cream City.
From JUCO to UAB to Michigan Yaxel Lendeborg has dominated at every level. The Warriors are aging rapidly, and the window is closing for one final championship, making this the perfect time to draft the proven 23-year-old.
An elite 7’3” wingspan and strong lateral movement allowed Lendeborg to be a matchup nightmare for every other college on both sides of the ball and could easily do the same in the NBA.
Coming off of a championship in Ann Arbor could Yaxel pull off the back-to-back and immediately propel Golden State and Steph Curry to one last ring and a story book ending? Only time will tell.
Nate Ament took a little bit to ease his way onto the college basketball scene but once he did it was obvious.
The Thunder won a championship just last year but loads of picks will keep them in the championship talks for years to come. Ament is a lengthy wing shooter who can handle the ball when asked and he has the ability to rise up over most defenders.
The Thunder won’t likely need him immediately, but the depth will always provide a huge advantage when it matters most and Ament could help provide the future in OKC.
With Giannis going to Miami, Milwaukee also gets the #13 pick. There isn’t a clear-cut choice for the late lottery, but many were impressed with Hannes Steinbach all season at Washington, and he could help ring in a new era in Milwaukee.
Despite playing for a mediocre and sometimes downright bad Huskies team, Steinbach was their super trooper. He is physical and broad shouldered which allows him to be a double-double machine.
All in all, it is tough to see him as a future NBA superstar, but a solid player is all you can ask for a player out of the late lottery and Steinbach should be no slouch.
Uncertainty clouds most of Jayden Quaintance’s college career. He played only 24 games his freshman season at Arizona State and four at Kentucky due to knee injuries.
Despite BBN’s hatred and displeasure of Quaintance he still looks NBA ready. He is a very physical and energetic player but also undersized. A high motor will allow a team like Charlotte, coming off of a season ending in the play-in, to take a flyer on him to end the lottery.
Can he shake the injury bug and finally see the court or will they continue? That is unknown but nonetheless he is still an NBA talent in the making.
Post Lottery
#15 Chicago Bulls-Cameron Carr/G/Baylor
#16 Memphis Grizzlies-Labaron Philon/G/Alabama
#17 Oklahoma City Thunder-Morez Johnson/F/Michigan
#18 Charlotte Hornets-Karim Lopez/F/Mexico
#19 Toronto Raptors-Dailyn Swain/G/Texas
#20 San Antonio Spurs-Chris Cenac Jr/F/Houston
#21 Detroit Pistons-Bennett Stirtz/G/Iowa
#22 Philadelphia 76ers-Christian Anderson/G/Texas Tech
#23 Atlanta Hawks-Koa Peat/F/Arizona
#24 New York Knicks-Allen Graves/F/Santa Clara
#25 Los Angeles Lakers-Meleek Thomas/G/Arkansas
#26 Denver Nuggets-Ebuka Okorie/G/Stanford
#27 Boston Celtics-Isaiah Evans/G/Duke
#28 Brooklyn Nets-Tarris Reed Jr/C/UConn
#29 Cleveland Cavaliers-Joshua Jefferson/F/Iowa State
#30 Dallas Mavericks-Henri Veesaar/C/North Carolina
Second Round
#31 New York Knicks-Zuby Ejiofor/F/St. John’s
#32 Memphis Grizzlies-Alex Karaban/F/UConn
#33 Minnesota Timberwolves-Sergio de Larrea/G/Spain
#34 Sacramento Kings-Jaden Bradley/G/Arizona
#35 San Antonio Spurs-Baba Miller/C/Cincinnati
#36 Los Angeles Clippers-Ryan Conwell/G/Louisville
#37 Oklahoma City Thunder-Richie Saunders/G/BYU
#38 Chicago Bulls-Braden Smith/G/Purdue
#39 Houston Rockets-Trevon Brazile/F/Arkansas
#40 Boston Celtics-Ugonna Onyenso/C/Virginia
#41 Miami Heat-Bruce Thornton/G/Ohio State
#42 San Antonio Spurs-Emanuel Sharp/G/Houston
#43 Brooklyn Nets-Amarion Dickerson/G/USC
#44 San Antonio Spurs-Izaiyah Nelson/F/South Florida
#45 Sacramento Kings-Jack Kayil/G/Germany
#46 Orlando Magic-Felix Okpara/F/Tennessee
#47 Phoenix Suns-Peter Suder/G/ Miami Ohio
#48 Dallas Mavericks-Nick Martinelli/F/Northwestern
#49 Denver Nuggets-Tobi Lawal/F/Virginia Tech
#50 Toronto Raptors-Tamin Lipsey/G/Iowa State
#51 Washington Wizards-Tobias Jensen/F/Germany
#52 Los Angeles Clippers-Aaron Nkrumah/G/Tennessee State
#53 Houston Rockets-Quadir Copeland/G/NC State
#54 Golden State Warriors-Bryce Hopkins/F/St. John’s
#55 New York Knicks-CJ Gunn/G/DePaul
#56 Chicago Bulls-Christoph Tilly/C/Ohio State
#57 Atlanta Hawks-Kaleb Banks/F/DePaul
#58 New Orleans Pelicans-William Kyle III/F/Syracuse
#59 Minnesota Timberwolves-Kashie Natt/G/Sam Houston State
#60 Washington Wizards-Trey Kaufman-Renn/F/Purdue
