2026 NBA draft thread

[Chicagojk]

So, you are asking how the start of the season is going?  Well starting a draft thread before game 7 probably tells you everything.   

College basketball hasn't started yet.    Last year there was hope that Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper would join Flagg and make it a legendary top 3.  They didn't but will probably prove to be good to very good players.    This year, there is hope that the top 3 are really potential lead guy type of players.   The top 3 are Dybansta from BYU, Boozer (yes son of Carlose Boozer) from Duke and Peterson from Kansas.   At the moment Peterson is usually thought of the top prospect.   A lot can change.  Will anyone else join them?  Will someone slip?  There is als some excitement in some prospects after the top 3.    Last year will prove to be a very good draft, i believe.  Some think this one will be better.   

I don't subscribe to the Athletic anymore, but here is a brief snippet as College basketball is about to begin.  

It’s hard to overemphasize how excited scouts and general managers were about these performances, with one high-ranking executive telling me that he felt that “all three look like guys who could be All-Stars quickly in the NBA.” What these opening salvos told us is that this race isn’t going to take time to heat up. This is going to be a battle from day one, with all three well-prepared to dominate college hoops from the opening tip.

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With Peterson, scouts want to see just how efficient he can be while leading the Kansas offense. He improved drastically as a decision-maker in high school during his senior year, but will that remain as he steps up in competition?

For Dybantsa, it’s all about the attention to detail. Scouts were not wildly impressed by his defensive play in the opener against Nebraska, and his jumper has some questions entering the season due to its flatter trajectory.

For Boozer, the questions are more upside-related, as scouts worry about how flexible he is through his hips to separate from guys who are bigger and just as strong as he is. They want to see how well he survives defensively when he plays at the center position.