2026 NBA draft thread

[F Gump]

One factor in the player evaluations that isn't impacting anything now, but will do so later, and considerably so for some of these guys, is how tall and long these players really are. These highest-rated PG guards are all 6-3 or taller (reportedly), but once we get to the combine in May, we are likely to see some of them suddenly "shrink" to 6-0 or 6-1. The difference matters. But we won't know which of these players are a few inches shorter until we get to that point. We will also learn accurate measurements on length, and extra wingspan can really be helpful, especially in helping out the shorter player - but again, we won't REALLY know that info with reliability until then.

[Smitty]

I was listening to the Locked On podcast and Isaac mentioned some Centers he liked around the Mavs late FRP. It got me to look into those guys and add them to my list of names that I already had there. Here's kind of a 'Top-8' for the second first rounder the Mavs have. Some will rise and fall, of course.

Christian Anderson | PG | Texas Tech
Morez Johnson Jr. | F/C | Michigan
Dailyn Swain | G/F | Texas
Isaiah Evans | G/F | Duke
Flory Bidunga | F/C | Kansas
Henri Veesaar | C | North Carolina
Meleek Thomas | PG | Arkansas
JT Toppin | PF | Texas Tech

All of these guys are ranked 25-40 on Tankathon. The No Ceilings guys are higher on Johnson Jr. and Swain as of now. They did a mock draft a couple days ago and have a write up for a few of these guys.

[Chicagojk]

I was listening to the Locked On podcast and Isaac mentioned some Centers he liked around the Mavs late FRP. It got me to look into those guys and add them to my list of names that I already had there. Here's kind of a 'Top-8' for the second first rounder the Mavs have. Some will rise and fall, of course.

Christian Anderson | PG | Texas Tech
Morez Johnson Jr. | F/C | Michigan
Dailyn Swain | G/F | Texas
Isaiah Evans | G/F | Duke
Flory Bidunga | F/C | Kansas
Henri Veesaar | C | North Carolina
Meleek Thomas | PG | Arkansas
JT Toppin | PF | Texas Tech

All of these guys are ranked 25-40 on Tankathon. The No Ceilings guys are higher on Johnson Jr. and Swain as of now. They did a mock draft a couple days ago and have a write up for a few of these guys.

All good names.  I have more deeper thoughts on some of them on the list.    Some I like more than others.

I really think the two Baylor kids should be on the list for the late first pick.   Tounde is probably going to be best suited going back, getting NIL, an coming out in a much weaker draft.   If he does stay in the draft, he probably goes somewhere in the 20's.

Cameron Carr is probably the better name though.  He is a RS Soph.  He started out at Tennessee and left last year in the middle of the year.  Not a great look.   He has put up very nice stats at Baylor but the Baylor team is really struggling.  Not saying he deserves the blame but it just feels like a guy who will slip a little, despite good highlights.

[Winter]

Out of the list above, Henri Veesar is a fun watch.

A good rebounding center with a very good 3-point shot.

Morez Johnson and Christian Anderson are also good, but both likely to be gone by #29 or 30. I haven't yet watched Bidunga or Toppin, but the others I've watched on video. None of them really struck me in any way.

[KillerLeft]

Question for the college basketball heads:

I know Boozer's natural position is probably the 4, but could he potentially be a center, do we think?

[Winter]

Question for the college basketball heads:

I know Boozer's natural position is probably the 4, but could he potentially be a center, do we think?

I can't recall ever seeing him play there.

Duke always seems to have so many good centers, that there never seems to be much need. 

Still, you can kind of imagine it some scenarios.

[Dirknows]

Question for the college basketball heads:

I know Boozer's natural position is probably the 4, but could he potentially be a center, do we think?

He’s 6-9, slow footed, and is averaging half a block a game in college. He gets abused on the perimeter (see Lipscomb game film) but doesn’t have much of a vertical or enough length to provide rim protection as a 5. He’ll be great offensively wherever he plays, but his defense is a huge question mark.

[Winter]

The big question in this draft is who is going to take shot on picking Jayden Quaintance.

He has only played 4 games for Kentucky this season because of a leg issue. Yet he is such a defensive monster, that most analysts expect him go in the top 20 regardless of the leg or the number of games played.

His rebounding and defensive metrics are elite, but most his games are from last year at Arizona State. He's built like Dwight Howard but lighter on his feet and without the broad shoulders. If he doesn't play at all this season, no one is sure where he will land. Of the two podcasts I heard about neither seemed very concerned about his leg issue (ACL originally). Both podcasts suggested he might be in the top 5 of the draft if he had played the four games at Kentucky like he did at AZ St. But he had one really good game at Kentucky and three bad ones, and then sat him because of a hamstring I think.

Most of his video material is from Arizona State where he played last year I think, but he's added more muscle since then.

He's not much of an offensive threat (10 ppg), but he's built like some kind of super-hero now and is a beast on the boards and great rim protection. But he went from playing great to not playing very well for a few games to not playing at all now. So unless he shows up in the tournament, he may eventually fall to the late first or even second round.

Might still be 18 or 19 years old.

"HIGH SCHOOL:
Consensus five-star prospect … McDonald’s All-American … Averaged 17.3 points, 11.6 rebounds, 2.4 blocks, 1.4 steals and 1.4 assists per game as part of the Overtime Elite high school league as a junior … After reclassifying from the class of 2025 to the class of 2024, Quaintance averaged 9.9 points, 6.2 boards, 1.6 blocks and 1.4 assists on the Nike grassroots circuit in the summer of 2023 … Represented Team USA at the 2023 FIBA Americas U16 Championship, winning a gold medal."

Kentucky isn't very good this year, so we may not see him much in the tournament, but he's worth keeping an eye on. The Mavs probably wouldn't take a shot given their center history, but he could shake a few things up if he gets some more games in. Earlier this year, several mock drafts had him in the top 10.

[KillerLeft]

He’s 6-9, slow footed, and is averaging half a block a game in college. He gets abused on the perimeter (see Lipscomb game film) but doesn’t have much of a vertical or enough length to provide rim protection as a 5. He’ll be great offensively wherever he plays, but his defense is a huge question mark.

Well, that's kind of why I'm asking. I have very little interest in him as a forward, for more than one reason. Just curious if part of the appeal might be the "stretch 5" we've been talking about. If he's not that, I really don't get the appeal...for any team, really, but especially not for the Mavs.

[RoyTarpleysGhost]

Question for the college basketball heads:

I know Boozer's natural position is probably the 4, but could he potentially be a center, do we think?

He’s like Kevin Love. He’s probably going to give you 25/10 on good efficiency. But if you’re interested in defensive archetypes of the modern NBA where the four is mobile and the five can protect the paint, Boozer can’t do either. Kinda like Kevin Love. Love I think technically played C later in his career but he wasn’t exactly protecting the paint.

I think the attraction is the number of busts there are every year. If you were guaranteed to get a Kevin Love level player with your pick, how many teams would say no?

[khaled1987]

I was listening to the Locked On podcast and Isaac mentioned some Centers he liked around the Mavs late FRP. It got me to look into those guys and add them to my list of names that I already had there. Here's kind of a 'Top-8' for the second first rounder the Mavs have. Some will rise and fall, of course.

Christian Anderson | PG | Texas Tech
Morez Johnson Jr. | F/C | Michigan
Dailyn Swain | G/F | Texas
Isaiah Evans | G/F | Duke
Flory Bidunga | F/C | Kansas
Henri Veesaar | C | North Carolina
Meleek Thomas | PG | Arkansas
JT Toppin | PF | Texas Tech

All of these guys are ranked 25-40 on Tankathon. The No Ceilings guys are higher on Johnson Jr. and Swain as of now. They did a mock draft a couple days ago and have a write up for a few of these guys.

This is a guy that I feel he can be an all defensive team player

[DL2RimRocker]

This is a guy that I feel he can be an all defensive team player

Flory is great at the college level but not sure how he will do at the next level.
He is undersized for center and all of his offense is in the paint.

You are right about the all defense potential, but his size and limited offense makes me wonder if he'll ever get enough minutes to showcase his incredible defensive abilities.

He is one of those guys who should return to school for one more year to improve his offense imo.

[Winter]

I was listening to the Locked On podcast and Isaac mentioned some Centers he liked around the Mavs late FRP. It got me to look into those guys and add them to my list of names that I already had there. Here's kind of a 'Top-8' for the second first rounder the Mavs have. Some will rise and fall, of course.

Christian Anderson | PG | Texas Tech
Morez Johnson Jr. | F/C | Michigan
Dailyn Swain | G/F | Texas
Isaiah Evans | G/F | Duke
Flory Bidunga | F/C | Kansas
Henri Veesaar | C | North Carolina
Meleek Thomas | PG | Arkansas
JT Toppin | PF | Texas Tech

All of these guys are ranked 25-40 on Tankathon. The No Ceilings guys are higher on Johnson Jr. and Swain as of now. They did a mock draft a couple days ago and have a write up for a few of these guys.

Isaiah Evans from Duke is the best shooting guard in that group... and there aren't many in this draft.

[mvossman]

Just for fun, I looked back at the last 6 or 7 years’ drafts, paying particular attention to the top 8 picks.

It’s pretty mixed. A few genuine busts. A few genuine stars. A lot of rotation players. Several that it’s just too soon to tell.

I think it’s easy to feel like we’re going to get another star, especially since they just hit a home run with Flagg. But perhaps we should temper our expectations.

It helps that this is (supposed to be) better than most of those drafts.  If they get a top three pick there is reason to have sky high expectations.  If they pick where they are most likely to pick then expectations should probably be quality rotational player with outside shot at something more.  It feels like the most likely outcome is they get what's left of the first tier PGs (Flemmings, Brown, Wagler, Acuff).

[Dirknows]

He’s like Kevin Love. He’s probably going to give you 25/10 on good efficiency.  But if you’re interested in defensive archetypes of the modern NBA where the four is mobile and the five can protect the paint, Boozer can’t do either. Kinda like Kevin Love. Love I think technically played C later in his career but he wasn’t exactly protecting the paint.

I think the attraction is the number of busts there are every year. If you were guaranteed to get a Kevin Love level player with your pick, how many teams would say no?

If we get pick 3 and Boozer is still there, I definitely consider trading back to 5 or 6 and snagging Flemings or Wagler plus some significant assets.

[windjc]

He’s like Kevin Love. He’s probably going to give you 25/10 on good efficiency.  But if you’re interested in defensive archetypes of the modern NBA where the four is mobile and the five can protect the paint, Boozer can’t do either. Kinda like Kevin Love. Love I think technically played C later in his career but he wasn’t exactly protecting the paint.

I think the attraction is the number of busts there are every year. If you were guaranteed to get a Kevin Love level player with your pick, how many teams would say no?

This is a great comparison. And why I think he’s overrated.

[Scott41theMavs]

Well, that's kind of why I'm asking. I have very little interest in him as a forward, for more than one reason. Just curious if part of the appeal might be the "stretch 5" we've been talking about. If he's not that, I really don't get the appeal...for any team, really, but especially not for the Mavs.

Yeah, I'm 100% out. A four-five who can't defend the rim, AKA Obi Toppin.

[F Gump]

One thing we tend to overlook about these draftees (or at least I do) is that when we evaluate what they are doing this year, we (I) do it with the idea that this season is telling us what they will be like in the NBA. And the reality is that they are learning as they go, so to speak.

But they have just leveled up. It may take some time to be ready. At the end of the season, they will hopefully be better than when they started. And if they were in the NCAA next season, maybe even better.

But when I watch, if they aren't at a high level in THIS game, I am ready to push them way down the list. That's based on my assumption that all the others are consistently awesome game after game (which, once I think more, is not a good assumption after all).

Heck, so many of these guys get to the NBA and it takes them 2-3-4 years to be any good -- and THEN they sprout.

What a crapshoot. And yay Cooper Flagg!!! Where's the nimrod saying he would be about 6th in this draft class, what a dolt!!

[DL2RimRocker]

If we get pick 3 and Boozer is still there, I definitely consider trading back to 5 or 6 and snagging Flemings or Wagler plus some significant assets.

Definitely agree with this.
I personally like Wagler over Flemings but either of them would be a better fit than Booz imo.

I haven't seen a lot of Booz but from what I'm hearing it sounds like he could be another KAT.

[Smitty]

Well, that's kind of why I'm asking. I have very little interest in him as a forward, for more than one reason. Just curious if part of the appeal might be the "stretch 5" we've been talking about. If he's not that, I really don't get the appeal...for any team, really, but especially not for the Mavs.

Why would NO team have interest in a 6'9 250lb forward in the NBA? He has to be a "stretch 5" to have any appeal? That seems like an extreme take...

He's a machine. He's good. Like really really really good.

22.8 points, 10.0 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.7 steals and 0.5 blocks per game on 58/39/77 shooting. Leads the NCAA in PTS, RBS, PER, OWS, DWS, WS, OBPM, DBPM, BPM, DRtg.

Again, he is a machine. Wins at every level. Does all the little things extremely well. He's an elite rebounder, solid passer and connector, capable scorer, and well rounded defender. His BBIQ is off the charts. He's a basketball player! Arguably, having a better freshman season than Flagg just had, who lead the NCAA in all the same categories.

Does that mean he's guaranteed to be a star in the NBA? No, but none of these prospects are. If the Mavs have some lotto luck again and are able to draft Boozer, I'd be ecstatic!