2026 NBA draft thread

[mvossman]

That's the thing with this draft class. Even though everyone is saying how deep and generational this class is the unanimous consensus only seems to be around the top 3 guys.  Even Caleb is going 4 mainly based on his size. Are we overrating this class?

All the guards have some glaring fault or other.  None of them stand out in terms of Schmitz' glowing assessment of SGA where his main focus was how smooth his game was and his height + wingspan.  None of these guards have that complete package.  The closest could be Brown if his jumpshot pans out like folks think it will.  Everyone else has some strength but major fault as well.

If too long to watch, check out the final comments from the 8:00 min mark
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUCQ398C7nc

I mean Peterson fits that description while also being an elite shooter.  I'm not saying he is going to turn into Shai, but I'm not sure there not being another Shai at 9 is a valid complaint with this draft.  

And Shai didn't turn into one of the best players in the NBA because of his height and wingspan.  If you look at his draft profile, he had a questionable shot, limited athleticism, too skinny, and was too aggressive with his passing.  His most common comp was Shaun Livingston.  I'm guessing there have been a lot of college players with Shai profile that did not turn into an elite offensive player.  And who knows, maybe Schmitz really likes some of these guards for different reasons than Shai.  Most of the complaints about Shai then sound a lot like the complaints about Wagler now.