2026 NBA Mock Draft: AJ Dybantsa goes No. 1, Michigan duo taken in lottery

The best scorer in college basketball, Dybantsa also improved steadily throughout the season. Dybantsa was also asked more on both sides of the floor once star guard Richie Saunders went down with a season-ending ACL tear. The best way to describe Dybantsa in non-human terms is that he’s like a glow stick because of how bendy he is when driving to the basket. He can create advantages and weave his way through traffic even when it doesn’t seem like there’s an opening. As of right now, he’s the favorite to go No. 1.

Peterson played most of this season not at 100% health. During the last dozen games he played, Peterson showed flashes of what made him such an elite prospect in the first place. If you watch Peterson’s tape from his time at Prolific Prep, you can see the burst and athleticism he had. Peterson played on the ball in high school and was able to get to the paint with ease. You didn’t see a ton of that at Kansas this season, probably due to his health issues (cramping). You can make a case for any of the three names at No. 1. My personal preference would be Peterson. When he’s on, his shot-making is second-to-none in this class.

Boozer was the most consistent player in the sport. His style of play on offense is very throwback. He uses pump fakes to draw contact and can overpower smaller defenders with his strength. There are question marks about what he will be defensively at the next level, and it’s a big reason why there isn’t a stronger case for him to go No. 1. Regardless, Boozer’s basketball IQ is off the charts. From Day 1, he’s going to be one of the best passing bigs in the league. When double teams got sent his way in the post, Boozer would calmly make the cross-court skip pass to the corner and find the open man. In an ideal world, Boozer goes to a team with a rim-protecting five.

It’s a shame that Wilson didn’t play in March Madness because he’s one of the most entertaining players to watch in the sport. What caught my eye early with Wilson is that he played like a scrappy walk-on despite being a blue-chip recruit. That was evident early in the season when UNC played Kansas. Wilson ranked No. 8 in college basketball in dunks (67) despite playing in just 24 games. My early player comp for him is Indiana Pacers star Pascal Siakam.

Acuff is one of the most polished offensive guard prospects in the last decade. The knock on Acuff is his defense. Still, he does almost everything else well. Acuff is a very good 3-point shooter who can also get to the rim. He was one of the best playmakers in the sport with nearly a 3-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. Any team that drafts Acuff in the early lottery will be betting on the offensive upside with a roster in place that fits his skillset.

Flemings is as good as anyone in this class at getting to his spots. He uses his speed and quickness to create advantages. Flemings shot 55.2% at the rim (on 181 attempts) at Houston and developed into the No. 1 option on a veteran-led team. One comparison that comes to mind for Flemings is shades of Spurs All-Star De’Aaron Fox.

Wagler went from unheralded recruit to All-American at Illinois. Wagler is a jumbo guard and is taller than other guards in the lottery, such as Acuff and Flemings. The way Wagler plays on the offensive end of the floor is very methodical. He doesn’t have top-end speed and won’t overwhelm you with his strength, but he does play in control and can score at all three levels.

Brown’s freshman season at Louisville was a mixed bag. He played in just 21 games and missed the stretch run of the season due to a back injury. Brown did show flashes of his elite shooting (34.4% on 7.6 3-point attempts per game) when he did play, which was highlighted by him knocking down 10 3-pointers against NC State. Brown’s stock has dropped a little since the start of the year, but he should still be a top 10 pick.

The first non-underclassmen who could hear his name called first on draft night is Lendeborg. After bypassing the draft last year — where he would’ve been a late Day 1 pick — he returned to college, where he improved in almost every aspect of his game. Lendeborg would be the perfect fit for any team. He will be a contributor from Day 1.

Burries is one of my favorite prospects in this class. After a slow start to the season, he developed into “the guy” at Arizona. Arizona didn’t attempt a high volume of 3-pointers as a team, but Burries was by far its best shooter. He knocked down 70 3-pointers, which was 20 more than the second-place finisher on the team. One knock on Burries is that he turns 21 before the start of the NBA season.

Quaintance will have a variance of outcomes on draft night. Last summer, he was considered a potential top-five pick. However, after logging 60 minutes total at Kentucky this season due to knee swelling, his draft stock is up in the air. Still, he’s absolutely a lottery talent because of his defense. Quintance’s tape as a 17-year-old freshman at Arizona State was ridiculously good. It’s all going to come down to his medicals.

Ament has a strong case to go inside the top 10. It’s hard not to watch his tape from his first game at Tennessee to his last and say he didn’t significantly improve. Something that Ament does extremely well is draw contact to get to the free-throw line. He attempted 248 free throws this season, which was the third most among all freshmen. He also knocked down his free throws at a 79% clip, which is a positive sign for the future despite shooting under 40% from the field.

Philon is a twitchy guard who took significant strides from his freshman season to this year. Philon did an excellent job at touching paint, as he converted 66.7% of his 117 shot attempts at the rim. For context, he converted only 53.9% of his 141 attempts at the rim last season. His size and playmaking will allow him to play on or off the ball in the NBA.

Mara is one of the biggest draft risers in his class after being the defensive anchor on Michigan’s national title team. Mara is as good a rim protector as anyone in college basketball and is also very efficient on the offensive end. Of his 305 shot attempts, 213 were at the rim. He converted 76.8% of his attempts at the rim, which is very impressive. If he can develop a consistent jumper, he’s going to make a lot of money in the league.

Haugh is a Swiss Army Knife. This season at Florida, he expanded his offensive game to become the primary scoring option after coming off the bench last season during the Gators’ national title run. Haugh can scale up or scale down his role.

Peat is the one name I’m keeping an eye on as far as stay-or-go decisions go. While it’s likely he will enter the draft, Peat would benefit from another year of college basketball. He is a bullyball forward who can score inside at will. He’s also the ultimate winner, as showcased in high school and during his freshman year at Arizona. However, his lack of an efficient mid-range jumper and 3-point shot is something that could see him drop in the middle of the first round. Again, if he hypothetically returned to Arizona, it wouldn’t be shocking if he were a top-five pick in 2027.

Stritz’s rise to become a first-round pick is one of college basketball’s best success stories. Just two years ago, Stritz was playing at Division II Northwest Missouri State. Now he’s on the verge of hearing his name called in the middle of the first round after putting up an efficient season at Iowa. Stritz plays in control at his own speed, and he also doesn’t turn the ball over.

Anderson is a true point guard who doubles as a knock-down shooter. Sixty-five of Anderson’s 108 3-point shots were non-catch-and-shoot makes, which showcases his ability to create his own shot. Anderson is a smaller point guard prospect, but I think someone will take a chance on him inside the top 20 picks.

Cenac needs to go to an organization where he can continue to develop. He is one of the more raw prospects in this class, but his two-way potential down the line is worth the swing in the late teens. The Spurs would be a perfect fit for those reasons because he wouldn’t be asked to do much during his rookie season.

The only non-college player in this mock is López, who has the ideal mix of size and strength to be a forward in the NBA. His calling card will be his defensive versatility, which could appeal to almost any team in the mid/late first round. If he can improve as a shooter, the pick will be worth the investment.

Johnson is a versatile forward who exploits mismatches against smaller defenders on offense. On defense, he’s capable of guarding out on the perimeter against smalls. Detroit would be a great fit.

Okorie appears to be all-in on the draft process. I’m very curious where Okorie gets selected on draft night, but it wouldn’t be shocking if it’s higher than pick No. 23. He was one of the best pure scorers in the country at Stanford, who could do so in a variety of ways. His ability to create his own shot and get to the paint off the dribble was fun to watch. He is going to be a nightmare to guard in a 1-on-1 setting in pre-draft workouts.

Evans went from almost strictly a pure catch-and-shoot 3-point specialist at Duke during his freshman year to a legit No. 2 scoring option on the No. 1 overall seed in college basketball. Evans almost doubled the amount of 3-pointers he took from this year to last and still knocked them down at a 36.1% clip. Evans is a prime candidate to return to school, but if he stays in the draft, hearing his name called near the end of the first round is possible.

Swain is the kind of player who will have a larger impact in the NBA than he did in college. As a two-way wing, his archetype is exactly what NBA teams covet. If he can develop a consistent 3-point jumper, he will end up as a top 15 player from the class when it’s all said and done.

Lakers coach JJ Redick made a joke last week about center Deandre Ayton not being able to catch the basketball. The perfect solution to that problem would be to draft Steinbach, who has some of the best hands in college basketball. Steinbach was a double-double machine at Washington and has a chance to go much higher than 25. I love the fit with the Lakers if it does happen.

After playing just 41 minutes total in 2024-25 at Tennessee, Carr transferred to Baylor, where he blossomed into the Bears’ leading scorer. He averaged 18.9 points on 49.4/37.4/80.1 shooting splits. A contender would be wise to take a chance on him in the late 20s because of his offensive upside.

Mullins has a very intriguing decision to make. I think it would be wise to return to school. Mullins’ calling card coming out of high school was his 3-point shooting. He shot 33.5% on 6.5 attempts per night. Mullins got off to a slow start after an injury sidelined him to begin the season, but he did have some good performances in the NCAA Tournament. His athleticism and his ability to create second chances despite being a guard are something I took note of when watching him at the Final Four.

Krivas is an athletic center who doubles as a very good rim protector. He was efficient on the offensive end of the floor and converted 57.9% on 2-pointers. He did only attempt 13 total 3-pointers this season, which was an improvement from his first two seasons at Arizona, where he didn’t attempt a single shot from beyond the arc. Krivas is a late first-rounder if he stays in the draft.

Graves didn’t post eye-popping numbers at Santa Clara this season, but his impact went beyond the box score. He creates turnovers and blocks shots on defense, and also rebounds at a very high level. He averaged 2.8 stocks (steals and blocks) this season while also shooting 41.3% from the 3-point line. Notably, Graves entered the transfer portal, where he should have plenty of options. It also wouldn’t be surprising if he stays in the draft.

Thomas somewhat flew under the radar because his classmate, Darius Acuff Jr., was the best guard in college basketball. Thomas showed throughout the year that he can be a volume scorer. Thomas, like a handful of players in his mock, could come back to school. If he stays in the draft, this is probably the range (late first) where he would get selected.