2026 NBA draft thread

[SleepingHero]

I'm looking at guys in the 10-16 range because we can't be sure the Mavs will pick in the top 10. And there are some intriguing players who right now are outside the typical top 10 at this point.

Unfortunately, the problem with falling in love with any of these guys after the top 3-4 is that the better they play, the more likely it is that the Mavs might not end up picking high enough to get them. So I don't want to get too interested in any of them.

However ....

My favorite outside the top 10 is a PG named Philon from Alabama. His lack of a reliable shot last season (he's a soph) as well as the fact he's not a freshman is probably what has kept him lower ranked. Right now he's at 16. (I just noticed they are playing the #1 team right now, not sure if it's on TV.) I think his shot has been better this year (he's a soph) so he may land much higher by the time we get to May. But sometimes guards fall a bit. So far he's my cutoff - hoping the Mavs get "Philon or better" when all is said and done.

I remember Philon from last years draft cycle. He elected to return to college to work on his game and this year has basically doubled his production across the board. Surprisingly he is right around the same draft pick range that he was last year, if anything a bit lower. Is that a testament to this draft class, or to Philon's cap as a prospect?

Of the guys not in the top 10, I only really have two thus far: Neoklis Avdalas- a 6'9 wirey point forward that resembles Luka to a terrifying accuracy at times and Hannes Steinbach- 6'10 PF from Wurzburg, Germany a place that we are intimately familiar with producing good prospects. 

I suppose old habits die hard.