2026 NBA draft thread

[Chicagojk]

I think analysts are seeing Mara as an immediate impact player in the middle. Because of that, I don't think he fits at the bottom of the first round either. These types of guys never seem to hold up very long, but I get why you might draft him in the top 10.

I think they are high on Swain and low on Evans. I can't say much for Peat. I don't see any reason to have him as a high draft pick, but Arizona didn't really feature any one player much so I'm not sure how he manages in the NBA. It's not like he has any elite skill.

We'll know more in 10 days.

Mara is going to be a fascinating evaluation.    Two years with minimal impact at UCLA and then one year at Michigan where he was a key cog in a national champion. Still though he only played 23 minutes a game.   His free throw percentage improved but still finished at 56% for the year.  

His highlights are really fun and his best basketball may be ahead of him, but he may be best served as a tandem guy paired with another center.    It will be really interesting to see where teams rank him.  I am not buying too many of the rankings yet for most of these guys.  Especially guys outside the top 7-8.