My 2026 Mock Draft

AJ Dybansta slots right into a core with Sarr & Kyshawn. While I have been a little bit questionable about his game as of recent, I still think this is who my Wizards pick at 1. Even though the shooting and defense needs some improvement, he can easily be developed into the poster child of the rebuild once he discovers his true role and playstyle.

Darryn Peterson forms an incredibly promising backcourt with Keyonte George, which adds onto a strong frontcourt in JJJ and Lauri. DP has all the capabilities to become a superstar barring medical concerns, and I hope he lives up to the hype.

The best player in this draft (as of right now), Cam Boozer's analytics shine to a front office focused on drafting analytical darlings. Boozer is capable of being the one who kickstarts somewhat of a 'grit-and-grind' identity revival, with a proven willingness to be a reliable and productive player on both ends of the floor.

Caleb Wilson is everything the new Bulls' front office is looking for. Size; measured just a little over 6'9 (w/o shoes), weighing at 211 lbs. Length; measured with a 7'0 wingspan and a 9'0 wingspan. Athleticism; proven to be an explosive player with a 39.5" max vertical, which shows off in his post play on offense and defense. Physicality; a physically imposing player, being a main catalyst on how he is such an effective rebounder. Plus, Wilson seems like he really wants to end up in Chicago.

Keaton Wagler had an amazing offensive season while still growing into his body as s late bloomer. If he can continue to develop his game, as well as his body, he can turn into a star. As for the Clippers, they get a guard (or wing), who can become such a prominent player in this league when he builds up muscle in order to handle the physicality of the NBA, as I think the overall offensive game and defensive upside is already there.

My favorite prospect outside of the top 4, Mikel Brown possesses the ideal fundamentals to be a lead guard, whether it is as a true point guard or a combo guard to compliment Demin, Traore, and the Nets in general. He has a nice commanding ability of the offense, being a pure scorer. Even though the decision making is a bit questionable, this can be improved with the help of Jordi Fernandez and the Nets coaching staff.

Sacramento is playing with fire by selecting Acuff. His offensive game is impeccable, having a generational offensive season for Louisville, but my goodness gracious, his defense so incompetently horrible it appalls me. Acuff is such a dangerous offensive weapon that he's so hard to pass up on. Sacramento is going to rely on Acuff as the offensive hub for the future, but the Kings are also going to have to handle the putrid defense that drags along with Acuff's game.

I don't like Aday Mara going this high, but I don't mind it since it makes sense. Atlanta doesn't seem to have enough faith in Onyeka Okongwu to be the big man for the future, and Mara's outstanding measurables (7'3 w/o shoes, 9'9 standing), put together with his production that was showcased in a national championship winning season is what pulls the Hawks into snagging Mara before other teams can.

I feel like Dallas goes for Flemings even though the measurements are a little disappointing. Flemings' game is just too good to pass up on, as he offers the Mavericks an immediate impact player with the many facets of his game. Flemings is one of the fastest players in the entire draft, and that shows off in his ability to anticipation with stealing, and his burst when slashing. Kingston's dynamic shooting and playmaking makes him a guard prospect that Dallas can look forward to having on their roster to take over from Kyrie.

Hear me out. While I can see a guard or one of Ament or Lopez getting picked, going for a wing might be the best option, and between Carr and Burries, I prefer Cameron Carr. Carr showcased his skillset on a Baylor team that struggled when he was off the court and proved that he could hold his own on both sides. On defense, he positions himself effectively when guarding, on and off the ball, and he has the athleticism and wingspan to unlock his defensive upside. On offense, he can fulfill a potential 3-&-D archetype and go even past that into an even more dynamic scorer. Carr is known to be a shooting threat, whether it be as a catch-and-shoot guy or on the move, as well as a slashing game eager to be developed in order to reach the next level. What needs work is his strength and decision making. He can't be a consistent finisher at the rim if he's getting pummeled straight to the ground most of the time when he goes for a contested layup. This ties back to his overall decision making, as although there are glimpses of a smart player in Carr with his playmaking, that playmaking needs to get amped up in the NBA, as his ceiling highly depends on how his IQ and shot selection adjusts.

Brayden Burries can form a nice bridge between someone who can be an immediate contributor and one to look forward as a nice piece for the future. His production at Arizona showcased his two-way versatility, mainly as a secondary ball handler, and a physical, switchable defender. This culminates into a nice combo guard to pairing next to Steph. In Golden State, Burries can develop his overall game into taking a bigger role once Steph's time is up, potentially having all the stars align for him to transition from a jack-of-all trades master of none; dependent on physicality and motor, into a guy who's complimentary skills and Robin-like playstyle turns him into a superstar.

I feel like this is the most obvious pick in the whole draft if Yaxel is still on the board at 12. He can contribute right away to a contender like OKC, as he's a proven all-around forward who fits nicely into the Thunder as an impact player on both offense and defense.

Charlotte goes for someone who they want early in Morez Johnson. His powering playstyle and defensive versatility will fit seamlessly into a Charlotte team wanting to make an aggressive playoff push. Johnson showcased the ability to effectively guard 3-5, while being aware of his offensive limitations and capitalizing on them, as he excels as a transition and paint scorer. The problem is that the offensive limitations get Charlotte another Miles Bridges, as there is doubt on Johnson's shot and self-creation.

While Memphis is analytically driven in their draft process, I feel like they're a team who is heavily enamored to take a swing on Okorie, even if going after a small guard with Ja on the roster might not be the best idea. The futures of both Ty Jerome and Ja Morant are uncertain, and Emeka Okorie can provide Memphis an immediate impact player due to his athleticism, and an eyeing wingspan (6'1 w/o shoes, 6'7 wingspan). This translates into his game as an effortless scorer when taking on defenders coming downhill, as well as having only a 7% turnover rate. Defensively, while he is solid analytically, it still needs developing, as while he's above-average with his steals, the overall defensive impact needs to be fine-tuned. However, this pick doesn't work without Okorie developing his playmaking, and quite frankly, just passing more, in order to mesh with guys like Edey & Boozer, and unlocking a promising frontcourt to its fullest potential.

What happened to Detroit in the playoffs showed a team reliant on their MVP-candidate point guard, with their team struggling to step up if Cade underperformed. The Pistons were inconsistent in their 3-point shooting, and Isaiah Evans can come in as one who strives as a shooting threat and a massive help with spacing, which can compensate for Detroit's overall offensive struggle with their stars in Ausar and Duren not being the best at spacing. As a wing, Evans will offer Detroit a connecting piece to solidify their contender aspirations by adding a streaky movement shooter who also has strong defensive upside as a proven impact player on defense with his solid number of stocks (1.4).

You guys know how high I am on Sergio De Larrea. He's a high-IQ floor general, with polished playmaking and a surprisingly nifty scorer on all levels as a 6'7 point guard. Sounds (sort of) familiar? The thing holding down his play is his overall speed and a lack of a first step. His versatility and playstyle is needed in an Atlanta team desperate to get a guard who is a creator and comfortable as the lead ball handler, and Larry checks out as the guy. He's also built for the moment as his best games this season were in the EuroLeague playoffs, and if the Hawks continue to develop, they'll be a playoff team for years to come. There's also a nice Spanish connection to be formed with Aday Mara if both end up there.

Regardless of whether Mitchell Robinson stays in New York or not, Tarris Reed goes to the Knicks to help their big man depth. What he brings to the Knicks is a more traditional skillset for a 4, utilizing a combination of his stout frame and quick feet to be a savvy paint scorer, playmaker, and a tough defender and rebounder.

It doesn't matter what direction the Lakers want to go in with Lebron, Luka, & Reaves. They need a big. Cenac is a tweener between the 4 & 5, as he's capable to develop a versatile playstyle in order to become the big man that the Lakers have been looking for throughout the last half-decade, and with Luka as his playmaker, I think Cenac flourishes off the rip, similarly to what happened with Derick Lively. As of now, Cenac offers the ideal frame (6'10, 240 lbs, 7'5 wingspan) to become a fierce lob threat, and to go along with this, is the ability to utilize this frame as a solid defender in the league. The thing is that his overall game is unpolished and needs heavy development to be consistently productive as a long-term player.

Stirtz provides Denver much needed guard depth and someone more than capable as the go-to guy off of the bench as a solid backup for Jamal Murray. Stirtz possesses a nice all-around offensive game, as a high IQ, pace controlling playmaker who has a developed touch on multiple facets of his scoring game.

Celtics get a physically defined center to add to a big depth. Suigo's overall game is raw, but comes in as a semi-consistent perimeter shooter and with him being 7'3, he can roll to the rim with ease. His mobility is far better than thought, and his defensive upside is really promising, pointing to a far more developed two-way game for Suigo in the future.

Christian Anderson offers a game that helps out Minnesota's offense as a whole with his shooting and creation. Anderson showcased his shooting ability as one of the best shooters in all of college basketball, with him also being a safe, smooth passer in order to create spacing. Similar to Kingston Flemings, he undermeasured at the combine, but that shouldn't fool you. Although being a smaller guard creates a defensive challenge, naturally putting on muscle can make a huge difference for his defensive impact.

The Cavaliers draft Koa solely due to that they can benefit from his insane physicals to be a bruiser, explosive interior scorer, as well as a solid playmaker off of the bench and pray to God that they can somehow fix his jumper.

If this actually happens it will go down as a big steal, as I personally have Meleek Thomas as a top 20 guy on my big board. With that said, Thomas rounds out Dallas' first round with a nice backcourt to look forward to in the future to compliment Cooper Flagg alongside Kingston Flemings. Thomas showed that he was capable of taking on a heavy defensive load with Darius Acuff by his side, but I'm sure that load will be heavily reduced. Thomas is a dynamic combo guard, who excels as an all-around scorer, with an amazing touch. This can be heavily enriched by filling out his frame to go along with his speed and high motor. This combination also applies on defense, as he led Arkansas in steals and as mentioned earlier, has lots of promise as a solid NBA defender. The problem is that he's too aware of his abilities, and not aware of what's actually happening in game. To add on, his ball-handling isn't great, which accounts for things like missed dunks, turnovers, and a basically non-existent paint game. He'll be a nice piece who needs developing but can also contribute right away for Dallas' playoff aspirations.