The 2026 NBA Draft is considered one of the strongest in years. The consensus #1 target is AJ Dybantsa (BYU SF), though Darryn Peterson (Kansas SG) and Cameron Boozer (Duke PF, Naismith + AP POY) both have real cases for the top pick. The Washington Wizards won the May 10 lottery (14% odds, tied with Indiana and Brooklyn) and hold the No. 1 pick; the draft is June 23-24 at Barclays Center.
Strongest groups: wings and point guards. Thinnest: traditional centers (only a few lottery-grade 5s: Aday Mara, Jayden Quaintance, Chris Cenac Jr.). Wild cards: Dash Daniels (NBL), Karim Lopez (NZ Breakers), and a deep European class led by Hugo Gonzalez and Kasparas Jakucionis.
BYU's AJ Dybantsa led the country in scoring as a 19-year-old freshman, swept the AP Big 12 awards, and sits as the -450 favorite to go No. 1 to Washington on June 23.
Read the full story →Duke's Cameron Boozer won the Naismith, Wooden, AP, USBWA and NABC awards as a freshman — a consensus POY sweep. The 2026 mocks still slot him second or third.
Read the full story →Kansas freshman Darryn Peterson averaged 20.2 points as a top-three lock, but a season of cramping issues is the one variable scouts can't fully price before June 23.
Read the full story →Washington went 17-65, won the May 10 lottery at 14.0% odds, and holds the No. 1 pick for the first time since 2010 — with AJ Dybantsa the consensus target.
Read the full story →North Carolina's Caleb Wilson became the first Tar Heel freshman since Tyler Hansbrough to earn All-America honors, and now projects as a top-five 2026 pick.
Read the full story →Karim Lopez could become the first Mexican-born first-round pick. Sergio de Larrea and Michael Ruzic round out the class — while Dash Daniels chose to wait.
Read the full story →AJ Dybantsa led the nation in scoring, Cameron Boozer won the Naismith, and Darryn Peterson was the No. 1 recruit. Only one goes first to Washington — and the Wizards have narrowed it to two.
Read the full story →Mara, Cenac, and Quaintance headline a 2026 center group scouts call the draft's weakest position — volume-deep, top-heavy, and without a single franchise five.
Read the full story →Darius Acuff Jr., Mikel Brown Jr., and Kingston Flemings headline a lead-guard class so deep three of them are projected to come off the board inside the top 10.
Read the full story →Tennessee's Nate Ament, Duke sophomore Isaiah Evans, and Arizona's Brayden Burries front a wing group built on length and shot-making in a draft scouts call deep on the perimeter.
Read the full story →ESPN, CBS Sports, and Tankathon agree on the first four picks and the players in the top 10. We synthesize the consensus and flag where the boards split.
Read the full story →The Wizards, Nets, and Pacers each carried a 14% shot at No. 1 — not from a record tie, but by rule. Washington won, the first bottom team to cash under the flattened system.
Read the full story →Top of the class: Darius Acuff Jr. (Arkansas). Explosive downhill lead guard; lottery fit for PG-needy clubs.
| # | Name | Team | HT | Age | Round | Scouting Nugget |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Darius Acuff Jr. | Arkansas | 6-3 | 19.4 | R1 5-12 | Explosive downhill lead guard; lottery fit for PG-needy clubs |
| 3 | Kingston Flemings | Houston | 6-4 | 19.3 | R1 6-14 | Houston PG; defense + shot-making combo |
| 4 | Mikel Brown Jr. | Louisville | 6-5 | 20.0 | R1 9-16 | Oversized PG with passing chops |
| 5 | Labaron Philon Jr. | Alabama | 6-4 | 20.4 | R1 16-28 | SEC PG, creation + shot-making |
| 6 | Christian Anderson | Texas Tech | 6-3 | 20.0 | R1 19-30 | Big 12 creation specialist |
| 7 | Bennett Stirtz | Iowa | 6-4 | 22.5 | R1-R2 | Drake transfer, pro-ready lead guard |
| 8 | Meleek Thomas | Arkansas | 6-3 | 19.7 | R2 | Arkansas freshman scorer |
| 9 | Tyler Tanner | Vanderbilt | 6-3 | 20.2 | R2 | Vandy PG, shooter |
| 10 | Ebuka Okorie | Stanford | 6-3 | 19.0 | R2 | Stanford freshman PG |
| 11 | Braden Smith | Purdue | 6-0 | 22.7 | R2 | Purdue PG; elite passer, size question |
| 12 | Sergio de Larrea | Valencia (Spain) | 6-6 | 20.3 | R2 | Spanish ACB starter |
| 13 | Jaden Bradley | Arizona | 6-3 | 22.6 | R2 | Arizona vet PG |
| 14 | Bruce Thornton | Ohio State | 6-2 | 22.6 | R2 | Ohio State veteran guard |
| 15 | Kylan Boswell | Illinois | 6-2 | 21.0 | R2 | Illinois PG, two-way |
| 16 | Milos Uzan | Houston | 6-4 | 23.3 | R2 | Houston lead guard |
| 17 | Jeremy Fears Jr. | Michigan State | 6-2 | 21.0 | R2 | MSU floor general |
| 18 | Ja'Kobi Gillespie | Tennessee | 6-1 | 22.1 | R2 | Tennessee PG; Belmont transfer |
| 19 | Tamin Lipsey | Iowa State | 6-1 | 22.8 | R2-UDFA | ISU lockdown PG |
| 20 | Donovan Dent | UCLA | 6-2 | 22.3 | R2-UDFA | New Mexico transfer at UCLA |
| 21 | Quadir Copeland | NC State | 6-6 | 22.6 | UDFA | Syracuse transfer at NC State |
| 22 | Seth Trimble | North Carolina | 6-3 | 21.7 | R2-UDFA | UNC PG |
| 23 | Ben Saraf | Ratiopharm Ulm (Germany) | 6-5 | 19.8 | R2 | Israeli lead guard |
| 24 | Cayden Boozer | Duke | 6-4 | 18.7 | R2-UDFA | Cam's twin, pure PG playmaker |
| 25 | Kasparas Jakucionis | Illinois | 6-6 | 19.7 | R1-R2 | Illinois Lithuanian combo |
| 26 | Darrion Trammell | San Diego State | 5-10 | 23.3 | UDFA | SDSU PG |
| 27 | Boogie Fland | Arkansas | 6-2 | 19.3 | R2 | Arkansas freshman scorer |
Top of the class: Darryn Peterson (Kansas). Most gifted scorer in the class; top-3 lock.
| # | Name | Team | HT | Age | Round | Scouting Nugget |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Darryn Peterson | Kansas | 6-6 | 19.1 | R1 top 3 | Most gifted scorer in the class; top-3 lock |
| 2 | Keaton Wagler | Illinois | 6-6 | 19.2 | R1 5-10 | Big SG with scoring ceiling and pick-and-roll feel |
| 3 | Brayden Burries | Arizona | 6-4 | 20.6 | R1 10-18 | Combo guard scorer |
| 4 | Braylon Mullins | UConn | 6-6 | 20.0 | R1 17-28 | UConn sharpshooter |
| 5 | Isaiah Evans | Duke | 6-6 | 20.3 | R1-R2 | Duke sniper; 40%+ 3PT |
| 6 | Cameron Carr | Baylor | 6-5 | 21.4 | R1-R2 | Baylor wing |
| 7 | Dame Sarr | Duke | 6-7 | 19.8 | R2 | Italian import, Duke wing |
| 8 | Juke Harris | Wake Forest | 6-5 | 20.7 | R2 | ACC shooter |
| 9 | Ryan Conwell | Louisville | 6-4 | 21.8 | R2 | Louisville shooter |
| 10 | Dash Daniels | Melbourne United (NBL) | 6-5 | 18.3 | R2 | Dyson Daniels' brother; elite defender |
| 10 | Alijah Arenas | USC | 6-6 | 19.1 | R2 | Gilbert Arenas' son; USC freshman |
| 11 | Paul McNeil Jr. | NC State | 6-7 | 20.0 | R2 | ACC combo guard |
| 12 | Richie Saunders | BYU | 6-4 | 24.6 | R2-UDFA | BYU senior shooter |
| 13 | Adam Atamna | ASVEL (France) | 6-5 | 18.3 | R2-UDFA | Young French guard |
| 13 | Emanuel Sharp | Houston | 6-4 | 22.1 | R2 | Houston shooter |
| 14 | Solo Ball | UConn | 6-4 | 22.3 | R2 | UConn sharpshooter |
| 15 | KJ Lewis | Georgetown | 6-4 | 21.7 | R2-UDFA | Arizona transfer at Georgetown |
| 16 | Tyler Nickel | Vanderbilt | 6-7 | 22.6 | R2-UDFA | UVA transfer at Vandy |
| 17 | John Blackwell | Wisconsin | 6-4 | 21.3 | R2 | Wisconsin wing |
| 18 | Tucker DeVries | Indiana | 6-7 | 23.3 | R2-UDFA | Drake transfer at Indiana; shooter |
| 19 | Jaron Pierre Jr. | SMU | 6-5 | 23.7 | UDFA | SMU shooter |
| 20 | Otega Oweh | Kentucky | 6-5 | 22.8 | R2-UDFA | Kentucky combo guard |
| 21 | Fletcher Loyer | Purdue | 6-4 | 22.6 | UDFA | Purdue shooter |
| 22 | Kashie Natt | Sam Houston | 6-6 | 23.2 | UDFA | Low-major sleeper |
| 23 | Ben Henshall | Perth Wildcats (NBL) | 6-5 | 19.5 | R2-UDFA | Perth combo guard; pulled from 2025 class |
| 24 | Miles Byrd | San Diego State | 6-7 | 22.0 | R2-UDFA | SDSU 3-and-D wing |
| 25 | Hugo Gonzalez | Real Madrid (Spain) | 6-6 | 19.5 | R2 | Real Madrid teenager |
| 26 | Sion James | Duke | 6-6 | 23.2 | R2-UDFA | Tulane transfer at Duke |
| 27 | Kam Jones | Marquette | 6-5 | 23.5 | R2-UDFA | Marquette senior scorer |
| 28 | Chaz Lanier | Tennessee | 6-5 | 23.8 | R2-UDFA | Tennessee sharpshooter |
| 29 | Alijah Martin | Florida | 6-2 | 22.9 | R2-UDFA | Florida natty-winning wing |
| 30 | Nique Clifford | Colorado State | 6-6 | 24.0 | R2-UDFA | CSU veteran wing |
| 31 | Jase Richardson | Michigan State | 6-3 | 19.5 | R1-R2 | Jason Richardson's son; MSU frosh |
Top of the class: AJ Dybantsa (BYU). Elite jumbo wing scorer; 25.5/6.8/3.7 as a frosh; Paul George-grade ceiling.
| # | Name | Team | HT | Age | Round | Scouting Nugget |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | AJ Dybantsa | BYU | 6-9 | 19.1 | R1 #1 | Elite jumbo wing scorer; 25.5/6.8/3.7 as a frosh; Paul George-grade ceiling |
| 2 | Nate Ament | Tennessee | 6-10 | 19.3 | R1 7-15 | 6-10 wing with elite length; defensive projection |
| 3 | Karim Lopez | New Zealand Breakers | 6-9 | 19.0 | R1 11-20 | NBL lottery-level wing out of Mexico |
| 4 | Dailyn Swain | Texas | 6-6 | 20.7 | R2 | Xavier transfer, two-way wing |
| 5 | Amari Allen | Alabama | 6-7 | 20.2 | R2 | Bama wing |
| 6 | Alex Karaban | UConn | 6-8 | 23.4 | R2 | Two-time natty champ wing |
| 7 | Tounde Yessoufou | Baylor | 6-5 | 19.9 | R2 | Elite 2025 recruit turned Baylor starter |
| 8 | Pryce Sandfort | Nebraska | 6-7 | 21.3 | R2 | Big Ten shooter |
| 9 | Matthew Able | NC State | 6-8 | 19.7 | R2 | NC State frosh wing |
| 10 | Andrej Stojakovic | Illinois | 6-7 | 21.6 | R2 | Peja's son; Cal transfer now at Illinois |
| 11 | Nick Martinelli | Northwestern | 6-7 | 22.0 | R2-UDFA | Northwestern scorer |
| 12 | Cade Tyson | Minnesota | 6-7 | 22.7 | R2-UDFA | UNC transfer now at Minnesota |
| 13 | Darrion Williams | NC State | 6-6 | 23.0 | R2-UDFA | Texas Tech transfer; tough wing |
| 14 | Noah Penda | Le Mans (France) | 6-8 | 20.0 | R2 | French forward; international polish |
| 15 | Keyshawn Hall | Auburn | 6-7 | 22.5 | R2-UDFA | UCF transfer at Auburn |
| 16 | Bryce Hopkins | St. John's | 6-7 | 22.4 | R2-UDFA | Providence transfer |
| 17 | Coen Carr | Michigan State | 6-7 | 20.8 | R2-UDFA | MSU athlete |
| 18 | Drake Powell | North Carolina | 6-6 | 19.6 | R2 | UNC two-way wing |
| 19 | Will Riley | Illinois | 6-8 | 19.5 | R1-R2 | Illinois Canadian wing |
| 20 | Carter Bryant | Arizona | 6-8 | 19.5 | R2 | Arizona freshman wing |
| 21 | Adou Thiero | Arkansas | 6-8 | 21.5 | R2 | Arkansas athletic wing |
Top of the class: Cameron Boozer (Duke). Naismith + AP POY as a freshman; 39.1% 3PT.
| # | Name | Team | HT | Age | Round | Scouting Nugget |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cameron Boozer | Duke | 6-9 | 18.7 | R1 top 3 | Naismith + AP POY as a freshman; 39.1% 3PT |
| 2 | Caleb Wilson | North Carolina | 6-10 | 19.7 | R1 4-8 | Versatile 6-10 playmaking forward; lottery riser |
| 3 | Yaxel Lendeborg | Michigan | 6-9 | 23.5 | R1 12-22 | UAB transfer; DI All-American production |
| 4 | Thomas Haugh | Florida | 6-9 | 22.8 | R1 13-24 | Versatile SEC forward |
| 5 | Hannes Steinbach | Washington | 6-11 | 19.9 | R1 15-28 | German big; 21.1/12.9 over Washington's final 8 games |
| 6 | Koa Peat | Arizona | 6-8 | 19.2 | R1-R2 | Bully-ball combo forward |
| 7 | Morez Johnson Jr. | Michigan | 6-9 | 20.2 | R2 | Physical big |
| 8 | Allen Graves | Santa Clara | 6-9 | 19.7 | R2 | WCC breakout forward |
| 9 | Joshua Jefferson | Iowa State | 6-8 | 22.4 | R2 | ISU combo forward |
| 10 | Zuby Ejiofor | St. John's | 6-9 | 22.0 | R2 | St. John's big; Pitino development win |
| 11 | Milan Momcilovic | Iowa State | 6-8 | 21.5 | R2 | ISU stretch 4 |
| 12 | Joseph Tugler | Houston | 6-8 | 21.3 | R2 | Houston energy big |
| 13 | Baba Miller | Cincinnati | 6-11 | 22.2 | R2 | Spanish stretch 4 |
| 14 | JT Toppin | Texas Tech | 6-9 | 20.8 | R2 | Texas Tech explosive big |
| 15 | Michael Ruzic | Joventut (Spain) | 6-10 | 19.5 | R2 | Croatian forward at Joventut |
| 16 | Nolan Winter | Wisconsin | 6-11 | 21.4 | R2 | Badgers stretch big |
| 17 | Maliq Brown | Duke | 6-9 | 22.4 | R2-UDFA | Duke energy big |
| 18 | Trevon Brazile | Arkansas | 6-10 | 23.2 | R2-UDFA | Arkansas forward, bounce-back from injury |
| 19 | Tyler Bilodeau | UCLA | 6-9 | 22.0 | R2-UDFA | UCLA stretch 4 |
| 20 | Mouhamed Faye | Paris Basket (France) | 6-9 | 21.2 | R2 | Senegalese big in French LNB |
| 21 | Trey Kaufman-Renn | Purdue | 6-9 | 23.6 | R2-UDFA | Purdue skilled big |
| 22 | Dillon Mitchell | St. John's | 6-8 | 22.5 | R2-UDFA | Athletic forward |
| 23 | Mark Mitchell | Missouri | 6-8 | 22.6 | R2-UDFA | Duke-to-Mizzou transfer |
| 24 | Malik Reneau | Miami | 6-9 | 22.4 | R2-UDFA | Indiana transfer at Miami |
| 25 | Asa Newell | Georgia | 6-11 | 19.4 | R2 | UGA skilled big |
| 26 | Collin Murray-Boyles | South Carolina | 6-8 | 20.3 | R1-R2 | South Carolina skilled 4 |
| 27 | Johni Broome | Auburn | 6-10 | 23.5 | R2 | Auburn vet; National POY candidate |
Top of the class: Aday Mara (Michigan). 7-3 Spanish big; UCLA transfer.
| # | Name | Team | HT | Age | Round | Scouting Nugget |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aday Mara | Michigan | 7-3 | 21.0 | R1 14-25 | 7-3 Spanish big; UCLA transfer |
| 2 | Chris Cenac Jr. | Houston | 6-11 | 19.2 | R1 18-30 | Houston frontcourt anchor |
| 3 | Jayden Quaintance | Kentucky | 6-10 | 18.7 | R1 20-30 | Teenage 5 with shot-blocking upside |
| 4 | Motiejus Krivas | Arizona | 7-2 | 21.4 | R1-R2 | Lithuanian 7-footer |
| 5 | Alex Condon | Florida | 6-11 | 21.7 | R2 | Floridian big; CFB-to-hoops background |
| 6 | Patrick Ngongba II | Duke | 6-11 | 20.1 | R2 | Duke interior |
| 7 | Luigi Suigo | Mega Basket | 7-0 | 19.2 | R2 | Italian C, Mega pipeline |
| 8 | Tarris Reed Jr. | UConn | 6-10 | 22.7 | R2 | UConn post, interior rebounder |
| 9 | Henri Veesaar | North Carolina | 7-0 | 22.0 | R2 | Estonian C at UNC |
| 10 | Flory Bidunga | Kansas | 6-10 | 20.9 | R2 | Kansas rim-roller |
| 11 | Rueben Chinyelu | Florida | 6-11 | 22.5 | R2 | Florida rim protector |
| 12 | Malachi Moreno | Kentucky | 7-0 | 19.5 | R2 | Kentucky freshman big |
| 13 | Ugonna Onyenso | Virginia | 7-0 | 22.0 | R2 | Virginia defensive big |
| 14 | Tomislav Ivisic | Illinois | 7-0 | 22.7 | R2 | Illinois 7-footer; Zvonimir's twin |
| 15 | Zvonimir Ivisic | Illinois | 7-2 | 22.7 | R2-UDFA | Croatian twin; 7-2 stretch 5 |
| 16 | Oscar Cluff | Purdue | 6-11 | 24.4 | UDFA | Australian big; South Dakota State transfer |
| 17 | Felix Okpara | Tennessee | 6-11 | 22.0 | R2-UDFA | Tennessee rim protector |
| 18 | Rafael Castro | George Washington | 6-11 | 23.0 | UDFA | Dominican C at GW |
| 19 | Nate Bittle | Oregon | 7-0 | 22.8 | R2-UDFA | Oregon 7-footer |
| 20 | Danny Wolf | Michigan | 7-0 | 22.0 | R2 | Yale transfer, point-center archetype |
| 21 | Ryan Kalkbrenner | Creighton | 7-1 | 23.9 | R2 | Creighton multi-year All-BIG EAST DPOY |
| 22 | Thomas Sorber | Georgetown | 6-10 | 19.7 | R1-R2 | Georgetown freshman center |
| 23 | Yang Hansen | Qingdao (CBA, China) | 7-1 | 20.4 | R2 | Chinese center |