2026 NBA draft thread

[DL2RimRocker]

100% agree.  In fact, this may sound blasphemous to some on the board, but let's say we win the lottery and get the #1 pick.  Are you picking Boozer, Dybantsa or Peterson and not looking back?  Or would you consider moving down a few spots, acquire future draft capital and get Acuff who I think would be a great fit with Flagg, Christie and Lively?

Honestly I'd be tempted to move down for Acuff.

I think he is our realistic pick at 7 or 6. He's dynamic and a proven winner.

I was sour on him at beginning of year but I'd say he is a cant miss as a key rotation piece on a championship caliber team.

[HoosierDaddyKid]

He probably will dominate the ball a lot, because he is that good on offense.  From a fit perspective, this team was built around a ball dominate player, and I think Flagg will benefit as much as anybody from having someone else on the court taking that much attention.  On the other hand, I don't think Acuff is going to be like Luka where he needs to have the ball in his hands.  He is an elite catch and shoot three point shooter and should be just fine off ball where it makes sense.

He's also a good playmaker that finds the open man, and make the right reads. He’s very good even if people question his size. Everyone speculates he'll be a pick in the 10-15 range. He'll go higher than that. He led the SEC in scoring and assists as a freshman. That speaks for itself. He had 30 pts and 11 assists in the conference final. I'm pulling for the kid from Detroit.

[cow]

Don't anger the draft gods by trading down.

I don't really pay attention college hoops, but I'm guessing if there is talk of trading down, we don't project any of these players above Flagg? Or another way to ask the question, Cooper were in this class, would he be the consensus #1 pick?

[ACMFFL]

Definitely consensus #1 in the next draft as well in my book, Flagg is the most talented and complete player of the last two classes.
And just a reminder that Coop is barely 1 month older than both Peterson and AJ.

[DL2RimRocker]

Don't anger the draft gods by trading down.

I don't really pay attention college hoops, but I'm guessing if there is talk of trading down, we don't project any of these players above Flagg?  Or another way to ask the question, Cooper were in this class, would he be the consensus #1 pick?

The person who makes the decision to move out of the top 3 would end up in the same boat as Nico.

However, the GM who picks Acuff will eventually be perceived as a genius imo.

[F Gump]

I find it helpful to look at the comments from some of the draft sites, to get a different (and perhaps better) perspective. Here's some info that offers a different perspective from nbadraft.net -- their top 10, who they see as a comparable player, and a weakness they see. Most of these comments were after last season, so some of these may have been improved on, but the rankings (different from Tankathon, and noteworthy differences in some places) are recent.

1 Dybantsa - T McGrady - not a great perimeter shooter, flops a lot
2 Peterson - Booker - good athlete but not highly explosive, alters shots to try to create fouls too much
3 Boozer - Horford - good athlete but not highly explosive, shot release is low/flat, turnover prone
4 Flemings - D Fox, Derrick Rose [the emphasis is on how incredibly lightning quick/fast he is] - not aggressive in scoring, poor shot mechanics
5 Wilson - Jermaine O'Neal, Bosh - needs to get stronger, 3's are inferior
6 Brown - Garland, Young - not strong enough, below the rim player
7 Ament - Isaac - shot is slow, weak in congestion
8 Wagler - Haliburton - skinnier, lack of length/lift, not as athletic
9 Burries - Brogdon - lack of quickness, not a great first step
10 Acuff - Sexton - plays below the rim, not an explosive athlete

Philon was ranked 12, and the comp was Schroeder.

[Chicagojk]

AJ has made his case to separate himself recently, although I firmly believe the first pick will be team specific with all three having a strong case as the #1 pick (considering all are healthy).   I think Dallas would be one of the few where all three would be equally considered.   I understand the concern on Peterson.  He has not looked the same as he did this summer.   Although if healthy, his shooting ability would be a cheat code in Dallas.  It would open up so many things.

[Chicagojk]

Also, to be fair, Philon needs to add strength and consistency on defense. If he were a sure fire Holiday clone he'd go before Flemings. I posted my board in tiers above. Here it is in rank-order format. Obviously all subject to change after the Tournament.

MAVS DRAFT BOARD
1. Peterson
2. Dybantsa
3. Boozer
4. Wilson
5. Flemings
6. Brown Jr
7. Philon
8. Acuff
9. Wagler
10. Burries

I have trouble with Philon.  Maybe because he is a soph.  He is a young soph though.   If he really is 6'4, I sort of see a smaller Shai.  Not the best player in the league Shai, but they sort of have the same herky, jerky change of pace game and get where they want to get.   Neither are crazy explosive but I just see some similarities.    Obviously I am not saying Philon has a career anywhere close to Shai but some of their movements are similar.

[Chicagojk]

https://x.com/sam_vecenie/status/2033526...22449?s=61

[mvossman]

I find it helpful to look at the comments from some of the draft sites, to get a different (and perhaps better) perspective. Here's some info that offers a different perspective from nbadraft.net -- their top 10, who they see as a comparable player, and a weakness they see. Most of these comments were after last season, so some of these may have been improved on, but the rankings (different from Tankathon, and noteworthy differences in some places) are recent.

1 Dybantsa - T McGrady - not a great perimeter shooter, flops a lot
2 Peterson - Booker - good athlete but not highly explosive, alters shots to try to create fouls too much
3 Boozer - Horford - good athlete but not highly explosive, shot release is low/flat, turnover prone
4 Flemings - D Fox, Derrick Rose [the emphasis is on how incredibly lightning quick/fast he is] - not aggressive in scoring, poor shot mechanics
5 Wilson - Jermaine O'Neal, Bosh - needs to get stronger, 3's are inferior
6 Brown - Garland, Young - not strong enough, below the rim player
7 Ament - Isaac - shot is slow, weak in congestion
8 Wagler - Haliburton - skinnier, lack of length/lift, not as athletic
9 Burries - Brogdon - lack of quickness, not a great first step
10 Acuff - Sexton - plays below the rim, not an explosive athlete

Philon was ranked 12, and the comp was Schroeder.

I assume the Sexton comp for Acuff was before the season started?  He and Wagler have made the biggest jumps since the beginning of the season.  The Haliburton comp for Wagler makes sense now, but I would be surprised anybody made that comp before the season started (I doubt anybody comped Wagler to anything before the season started).

[vfromlmf]

Philon's game is full of herky-jerk movements at all three levels including lots of step back threes. I'm pretty confident his offense will translate.

An interesting comp for Acuff is Desmond Bane. Acuff is listed at 6'3" while Bane measured 6'5" ...but Acuff has the longer wingspan at 6'6" versus 6'4" for Bane. Bane fell in the draft for a bunch of reasons -- he was a senior, negative wingspan, lack of athleticism, couldn't finish at the rim. But he was a hell of a shooter.

Both are build like NFL players but Acuff is being penalized for similar lack-of-size and lack-of-athleticism reasons, meanwhile Acuff's numbers as a freshman, in a better conference, are far better than Bane ever produced. And Acuff's archetype is a more valuable primary initiator and elite floor general. Bane is a secondary initiator.

Keep in mind Acuff has been playing hurt. He wears a boot on off days and sometimes sits out practice. That could be contributing to his lack of engagement on defense. Regardless, I don't think Acuff will break into the top-3 conversation but someone drafting 4-8 is going to get a hell of a player. If he played a lick of defense I'd rate him over Flemings as the best guard prospect in the draft, and I might end-up rating him over Flemings anyway if he continues his current level of play in the NCAA Tournament.

[F Gump]

I assume the Sexton comp for Acuff was before the season started?  He and Wagler have made the biggest jumps since the beginning of the season.  The Haliburton comp for Wagler makes sense now, but I would be surprised anybody made that comp before the season started (I doubt anybody comped Wagler to anything before the season started).

The rankings are recent. The notes are last summer-ish. The comps they picked? Not sure.

About the ranking of Acuff at 10, I think he will get shoved higher (probably rightly so) because he'll get bumps from 2 things: good playoff performances, and he's a Calipari PG. Strong playoff performances create recency bias and raise expectations. Calipari PGs tend to be really good in the NBA, and NBA teams are aware of that fact.

[F Gump]

Acuff is listed at 6'3" while Bane measured 6'5" ...but Acuff has the longer wingspan at 6'6" versus 6'4" for Bane. .

I don't trust ANY listed measurements (not only re Acuff, but the others as well). The listed numbers are whatever someone wants it to say. We'll get something reliable in mid-May.

[cow]

I find it helpful to look at the comments from some of the draft sites, to get a different (and perhaps better) perspective. Here's some info that offers a different perspective from nbadraft.net -- their top 10, who they see as a comparable player, and a weakness they see. Most of these comments were after last season, so some of these may have been improved on, but the rankings (different from Tankathon, and noteworthy differences in some places) are recent.

1 Dybantsa - T McGrady - not a great perimeter shooter, flops a lot
2 Peterson - Booker - good athlete but not highly explosive, alters shots to try to create fouls too much
3 Boozer - Horford - good athlete but not highly explosive, shot release is low/flat, turnover prone
4 Flemings - D Fox, Derrick Rose [the emphasis is on how incredibly lightning quick/fast he is] - not aggressive in scoring, poor shot mechanics
5 Wilson - Jermaine O'Neal, Bosh - needs to get stronger, 3's are inferior
6 Brown - Garland, Young - not strong enough, below the rim player
7 Ament - Isaac - shot is slow, weak in congestion
8 Wagler - Haliburton - skinnier, lack of length/lift, not as athletic
9 Burries - Brogdon - lack of quickness, not a great first step
10 Acuff - Sexton - plays below the rim, not an explosive athlete

Philon was ranked 12, and the comp was Schroeder.

Thanks for the cheat sheet.  Interesting that Boozer's comp isn't his daddy.

[Mavs2021]

I was out on Philon, cause I did not like his athleticism and that was backed up by the combine. Now his numbers have improved tenfold since last year, but I´m still highly sceptical. At that stage of the draft, I´d rather reach on Steinbach.

[Mavs2021]

I also don´t see these lightning quick Rose/Fox comparisons for Flemings. He seems fairly "normal". You see a Westbrook, the Thompson twins or in this draft Caleb Wilson move and you go WOW. I have never gone wow in any of Flemings´ highlights. He seems fairly crafty and good at changing pace, but there is no line drive or fast break acceleration that made me recognize next level speed.

[Scott41theMavs]

Am I off base in that when I look at Acuff's game, I think of Chris Paul?

I realize that when we think of CP3 we think of his old torn up late career and say, "Yuck," but remember and consider Paul his first 7-10 years in the league. Wouldn't that be a pretty significant draft acquisition?

[mvossman]

Thanks for the cheat sheet.  Interesting that Boozer's comp isn't his daddy.

Boozer is better than his daddy.  The most common comp I have seen for him is Banchero, but I think he is better than that.

Also, more recent comps for Acuff are guys like Iverson and Lillard.  I think the Sexton comp was before he tore up the SEC.

[Winter]

Boozer is better than his daddy.  The most common comp I have seen for him is Banchero, but I think he is better than that.

Also, more recent comps for Acuff are guys like Iverson and Lillard.  I think the Sexton comp was before he tore up the SEC.

I really like the Stephon Marbury comp for Acuff. He's the right size and has the right offensive game. He doesn't seem anything like Iverson to me, and only a little like Lillard.

[mvossman]

Am I off base in that when I look at Acuff's game, I think of Chris Paul?

I realize that when we think of CP3 we think of his old torn up late career and say, "Yuck," but remember and consider Paul his first 7-10 years in the league. Wouldn't that be a pretty significant draft acquisition?

Chris Paul was top 5 player in his prime.  One big difference is that Chris Paul was a much better defender than Acuff is.  But a poor defending Chris Paul would still be crazy valuable.