2026 NBA draft thread

[dirkfansince1998]

Zuby remains one of my top guys with the Mavs 2nd FRP. He feels like a Masai guy as well. I don’t know if Grubel is right with the Top-20 consideration, but if so, I’d be perfectly fine with the Mavs trading up for him, if that’s their guy… The latest take from Nathan below:

@DraftDeeper
I can't believe Zuby Ejiofor isn't getting more mainstream attention in the 2026 NBA Draft. This is a player that, outside of shooting, doesn't have other major red flags. Normally, I'd be concerned about a forward that hasn't proven he's a shooting threat beyond what he did in a senior season. BUT... Ejiofor at 6'9" with a 7'2" wingspan at 245 lbs. has the strength and length to operate as a small-ball five in different capacities. Put that together with his ball handling as a four man who can take mismatches off the dribble, punish them in the post, and plays the offensive glass well to create second-chance scoring opportunities, and you have a pathway to generate offense outsdie of just camping on the wing or in the corners. You can play him in handoff actions, pick-and-roll, and even as a passing threat from the top of the floor. Zuby's 23% assist rate is a mark I'd be happy with from a combo guard or wing! He can cover almost any position on the floor defensively and has standout defensive playmaking metrics for a player his size and build. Having a player like Zuby is a luxury off the bench in today's NBA. He should be in firm consideration for a Top 25 pick, possibly Top 20.

We don't agree on his positional fit but I am really high on him as well. Same for the other two St. John's prospects in this class. But we obviously aren't the only people that have realized this. Doubt that Ejiofor drops to #30. Even less likely that Mitchell is still available at #48. Even Hopkins seems to be rising.