2026 NBA draft thread

[hakeemfaan]

How is Steinbach's defense if guards switch on him? I see nbadraft.net has him very high. Motor seems very high as well.

[dirkfansince1998]

How is Steinbach's defense if guards switch on him?  I see nbadraft.net has him very high.  Motor seems very high as well.

Better than most bigs. Not good enough to be a real switch all defender. My best comp for him would be "Dwight Powell, just way better".

[david75090]

I feel the same about walking away with a 6th man (Philon).  Burries is more than a 3&D player.  He is a 3 level scorer.

Burries wasn't even the best guard on his team. That's one reason I'm not high on him, and consider him to be just-a-guy.

[hakeemfaan]

Defense on the perimeter doesn't look too bad here. Not sure why I overlooked him. Rebounding is a translatable skill and offensive ability looks good too:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Fl6yY1zSvY

[mvossman]

Burries wasn't even the best guard on his team. That's one reason I'm not high on him, and consider him to be just-a-guy.

Not sure what you are basing that on?  By all accounts, Burries was the best player on that team.  They had a senior PG so Burries seamlessly moved into the SG spot.  He was better across the board than the senior other than assists, most likely due to role than anything else.  My guess is if that senior went down Burries numbers would look similar to Wagler's.

[mvossman]

Every mock draft post lottery I have seen has Brown going 8th and Burries going to Mavs. I have been warning up to Burries the last few weeks and I would be thrilled if this was the outcome. Of the 5 guards he is the safest pick, the best defender and I think there is a lot of playmaking upside there.

[cow]

Do you have some stocks from the future you can share with us also??

If only the stock market were as easy to predict.

[Mavs2021]

Burries wasn't even the best guard on his team. That's one reason I'm not high on him, and consider him to be just-a-guy.

Well we can always take their best guard at #48, cause that´s where Bradley is projected. Actually would not be surprised, if they did.

[Mavs2021]

Defense on the perimeter doesn't look too bad here.  Not sure why I overlooked him.  Rebounding is a translatable skill and offensive ability looks good too:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Fl6yY1zSvY

I´m super high on him. I would not even be mad, if they reached for him at #9. I think he´ll be Sengun level talent.

[david75090]

Well we can always take their best guard at #48, cause that´s where Bradley is projected. Actually would not be surprised, if they did.

We're giving our opinions. In my opinion Burries is overrated. When I watched Arizona play, he didn't stand out to me. They had a very good record, but I never thought he was the reason for their success. They had several good players. Thought he was good, not 9th pick in the draft good.

[Chicagojk]

Great days for Utah and Memphis.    Both, I think, move into the tier two of the west eventually.  Utah is closer than Memphis and may be the better team than Dallas for the next few years.  Memphis is a little further away, but this was a lifeline for them.   They already have some nice young talent.  Boozer, in all likelihood, gives them the hub.  With a lot of draft assets, they suddenly don't look stuck in no mans land.

Great day for the Clippers too.  Their future is a little more murky.   They should probably pick the BPA.  That may be a point guard and that gets dicey.   A guy who can play the two as well probably is the way they will go.   Although that brings up the Mathurin question.   He off to a hot start and then sort of went a little backwards in LAC.    First, I don't think he will be thrilled as a long term bench piece.   Second, Would LAC even get close to giving him a contract he wants?   He could be a sneaky guy they look to move...especially if they pick a guard at 5.

[Chicagojk]

Burries wasn't even the best guard on his team. That's one reason I'm not high on him, and consider him to be just-a-guy.

Arizona had a very deep team.    They were able to incorporate two high level freshman and really fit in well as a team.   It is tough to say who the best player was.  I like several of them.  Bradley did win Big 12 player of the year and I believe was first team/second team all american.   So I think you are correct, but I think most of their players sacrificed a little.   Bradley would definitely be a consideration with our second round pick for me.

[Winter]

We're giving our opinions. In my opinion Burries is overrated. When I watched Arizona play, he didn't stand out to me. They had a very good record, but I never thought he was the reason for their success. They had several good players. Thought he was good, not 9th pick in the draft good.

Honestly, he doesn't stand out because he's not really featured. He has the same problem Mullins has... he's on a great team with a lot of great players. I think most analysts have factored that in.

[HoosierDaddyKid]

Great days for Utah and Memphis.    Both, I think, move into the tier two of the west eventually.  Utah is closer than Memphis and may be the better team than Dallas for the next few years.  Memphis is a little further away, but this was a lifeline for them.   They already have some nice young talent.  Boozer, in all likelihood, gives them the hub.  With a lot of draft assets, they suddenly don't look stuck in no mans land.

Great day for the Clippers too.  Their future is a little more murky.   They should probably pick the BPA.  That may be a point guard and that gets dicey.   A guy who can play the two as well probably is the way they will go.   Although that brings up the Mathurin question.   He off to a hot start and then sort of went a little backwards in LAC.    First, I don't think he will be thrilled as a long term bench piece.   Second, Would LAC even get close to giving him a contract he wants?   He could be a sneaky guy they look to move...especially if they pick a guard at 5.

The thing about the Clippers if they drafted a guard, what do they do with Garland? Unless they choose an SG, most mocks have them taking Wagner. The Pacers got screwed. They tanked (I get why) but lost their pick because it wasn't in the top 4. The Pacers aren't done paying for Zubac either. The Clippers also get the Pacers 2028 2nd and 2029 1st round picks. Zubac is a good player, but I don't know if he's that beneficial in terms of what they gave up.

[Winter]

The thing about the Clippers if they drafted a guard, what do they do with Garland? Unless they chose a SG, most mocks have them taking Wagner. The Pacers got screwed. They tanked ( I get why) but lost their pick because it wasn't in the top 4.

Wagner makes the most sense with the Clippers.

[RoyTarpleysGhost]

Nightmare scenario for the Mavs if the top 8 players drafted are:

Dybantsa
Peterson
Boozer
Wilson
Wagler
Flemings
Acuff
Brown Jr

I think they should be exploring trade up scenarios. Not sure we have the assets or there's a right fit to trade up.

[Winter]

Nightmare scenario for the Mavs if the top 8 players drafted are:

Dybantsa
Peterson
Boozer
Wilson
Wagler
Flemings
Acuff
Brown Jr

I think they should be exploring trade up scenarios.  Not sure we have the assets or there's a right fit to trade up.

Then you're picking Burries at #9.

[Winter]

Schmitz's reaction to the draft

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRUKaAYKt0M

Boy is he excited or what.

[Chicagojk]

Nightmare scenario for the Mavs if the top 8 players drafted are:

Dybantsa
Peterson
Boozer
Wilson
Wagler
Flemings
Acuff
Brown Jr

I think they should be exploring trade up scenarios.  Not sure we have the assets or there's a right fit to trade up.

I just think there is a lot of evaluation that needs to happen.  The best player next year, may not be the best player in 3 years.  Maybe he is, but Mavs need to have these conversations.

Unfortunately, their road to get to contention just got harder.  OKC and SA are already a a huge reason why.    Although, there are 3-4 other teams in the west who are really good.  Two more future all nba players may have be added to the west (utah and Memphis) via the draft.  Dallas really needs to take scouting seriously and find some hidden gems.   They have the star (we hope) but the good teams have stars and a lot more.   Tough battle.

[Moviemavguy]

Then you're picking Burries at #9.

I'm not taking him over Philon Jr who seems to be underrated at this point.  It would also be a disaster if Philon fell to OKC.  

The kid has almost no holes in his game, and yet everyone wants to focus on one single negative which is strength.  His change of pace, especially in the lane, is just something you can't teach.  

This is a guard's league and not having a league guard for the future would be a mistake IMO.