2026 NBA draft thread

[F Gump]

Looking through his history, I noticed something to consider - I don't think Masai has ever spent a high pick on a PG. Will this be a first for him? Or does he have a bias that he needs to invest in wings/F's, that they have more value, and he can find guards later if/when he needs one? Of his top guards in TOR, FVV was a UDFA, Lowry came via trade, DeRozan was there before he came to TOR, Powell was pick 46. In DEN he picked Fournier at 20.

Of course, maybe Schmitz will have significant input, and the draft history for him is more varied. (He was asst GM in POR, hired for his background in scouting, so he at least had considerable influence on the choices.) Here was the variety of draft pick usage while he was in POR.
2022 - Sharpe SG at #7,
2023 - Scoot H PG at #3, Murray SF at #23, Rupert SG at #43, Camara PF at #52 (drafted by PHX, flipped to POR),
2024 - Clingan C at#7, also traded pick 14 (along with 1 FRP, 2 SRP) for Avdija SF
2025 - traded down from 11 to 16 (picking up 1 FRP, 2 SRP) and then picked Hansen C at #16

[myconsumerclub]

Following the 2026 NBA Draft Lottery, the Oklahoma City Thunder officially secured the No. 12 overall pick, along with the No. 17 pick and the No. 37 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.

If we could snag Anderson and Sergio plus a big by trading down to secure a big at 12 then use 17 and 30 to snag a couple of PG's like Christian Anderson at 17 and Sergio de Larrea at 30.

Then at 12 we could take whichever guy is there from between Hanzel and or Yaxel. If Both are still available then Hanzel is a lot younger.

Then at 48 we can grab whatever BPA is left. Who knows maybe we find someone good drops that far.

Facts: We know Christian is able to get his 3's and get assists more effectively than the other PG's. If Steinbach is there he is a stud rebounder that can play fast and hit shots as well as score inside at the rim and snag boards at a nice clip. Now if someone drops to 30 who we like more then the newfangled MBT can make a call but for a worst case scenario Sergio is a nice plan B to start with.

However if Veesar, Karaban or maybe even Tarris Reed are still there at 30 I might prefer to secure one of them since Cooper could be just as effective at the 3 and another 5 for insurance and one that can play PF is a nice option of course that can be something Bagley offers us as well, and he is a Duke guy.

PF's with the ability to play 5 are good but if that Luigi Italian kid has skills worth developing maybe he is still there at 30 and we grab him there are a lot of guys moving up and when that happens somebody has to move down. You want to have a couple extra guys and if we draft 4 guys then we need 4 roster spots.

[Dirknows]

At what point in the draft does Quintance become worth the risk? The upside is huge, but obviously has health question marks.

[Dirknows]

Double post.

[khaled1987]

https://x.com/marcjspears/status/2053975...41715?s=46

I don't think this is actually a good thing tbh

[Winter]

Washington was a full time SF in college. My comp would be Isaiah Stewart. Undersized. Strong and physical defender. Can switch onto the perimeter. And with some luck his midrange percentages eventually translate to a more reliable 3-ball.
As it is he lacks the perimeter skills (handles, ability to attack close outs, shooting) on offense. Turning him into a wing would be a longterm project.

I like him, but I don't know where his minutes would come from at center. Cisse will likely be the third center and he runs the floor as good as most PFs. I didn't see any video of Ejiofor on the wing, but he'd have to spend time there on this Mavs team. That's why I don't see him as a fit really.

[HoosierDaddyKid]

And much like Desmond Bane (who I believe even more length-challenged) I hope that causes him to fall to the Mavs, because he might be the best guard in this class when the dust clears.

Bane has "T. rex" arms. That's all.

[Winter]

Looking through his history, I noticed something to consider - I don't think Masai has ever spent a high pick on a PG. Will this be a first for him? Or does he have a bias that he needs to invest in wings/F's, that they have more value, and he can find guards later if/when he needs one? Of his top guards in TOR, FVV was a UDFA, Lowry came via trade, DeRozan was there before he came to TOR, Powell was pick 46. In DEN he picked Fournier at 20. 

Of course, maybe Schmitz will have significant input, and the draft history for him is more varied. (He was asst GM in POR, hired for his background in scouting, so he at least had considerable influence on the choices.) Here was the variety of draft pick usage while he was in POR.
2022 - Sharpe SG at #7,
2023 - Scoot H PG at #3, Murray SF at #23, Rupert SG at #43, Camara PF at #52 (drafted by PHX, flipped to POR),
2024 - Clingan C at#7, also traded pick 14 (along with 1 FRP, 2 SRP) for Avdija SF
2025 - traded down from 11 to 16 (picking up 1 FRP, 2 SRP) and then picked Hansen C at #16

Honestly, I think this draft is really difficult for PGs. There's a lot to choose from, but all of them have warts of some kind. Not big enough, no defense, low assist number, more of a combo guard, wingspan, etc. Brown seems the right type if he's healthy, but if they even sniff a problem then they need to look elsewhere.

For me personally, I'd rather get a PG in a trade - one that has a proven track record.

[DanSchwartzgan]

For comparisation: height/wingspan

Jrue Holiday 6'3.25" 6'7"
Derrick Rose 6'1.5" 6'8"
Russell Westbrook 6'2.25" 6.7.75
Eric Bledsoe 6'0.25 6'7.5"
Kyrie Irving 6'1.75" 6'4"
Stephen Curry 6'2" 6'3.5"
Kemba Walker 5'11.5" 6'3.5"
Damian Lillard 6'1.75" 6.'7.75"
Marcus Smart 6'2" 6'9.25"
TJ McConnell 6'0.5" 6.2"
Derrick White 6'3.25" 6'7.5"
De'Aaron Fox 6'2" 6'6.5"
Trae Young 6'0.5" 6'3"
Jalen Brunson 6'1" 6'4"
Lu Dort 6'2.75" 6'8.5" (this one really suprised me)

Yesterday morning all the mock has Burries making it to 9 and Flemings going higher.  I wonder if that changes now with Burries having an NBA ready body and Flemings being more undersized than expected.  The thing of note about these shorter guards is that almost all have greater than +1 wingspans.  It will be interesting to see Flemings speed, agility and verticals.  They better really pop.

Flemings was already getting docked in places because of his shooting form and lack of 3 point volume.  If he's too small to be a switchable defender in the NBA, I could certainly see Dallas going a different direction.  You really have to hope Atlanta takes a non-guard and gives us a choice rather than sticking us with the fifth of the five.  At the same time, you don't want Atlanta taking any non-guard Masai was hoping to take if he had already decided none of these guys have enough upside or don't fit the long term vision.

[HoosierDaddyKid]

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/4871...a-peterson


ESPN mocks for all 60 picks.

[Smitty]

My own attempt at a full first round mock.

It's not an easy task btw... Give it a try.


1 Wizards | Dybantsa
2 Jazz | Peterson
3 Grizzlies | Boozer
4 Bulls | Wilson
5 Clippers | Flemings
6 Nets | Ament
7 Kings | Acuff
8 Hawks | Mara
9 Mavericks | Brown
10 Bucks | Wagler
11 Warriors | Lendeborg
12 Thunder | Burries
13 Heat | M. Johnson
14 Hornets | Steinbach
15 Bulls | Quaintance
16 Grizzles | Philon
17 Thunder | Peat
18 Hornets | Lopez
19 Raptors | Stirtz
20 Spurs | Cenac
21 Pistons | Carr
22 76ers | Swain
23 Hawks | C. Anderson
24 Knicks | A. Allen
25 Lakers | H. Veesaar
26 Nuggets | Okorie
27 Celtics | A. Graves
28 Timberwolves | I. Evans
29 Cavaliers | M. Thomas
30 Mavericks | Yessoufou

[HoosierDaddyKid]

https://x.com/DraftExpress?ref_src=


NBA draft analyst Jonathan Givory's 2026 draft combine measurables.
He also believes Peterson will be the 1st pick over Dybantsa.

[Chicagojk]

Just going off Reddit, the Hawks fans are heavily more focused on a guard than a center at 8.  Man, that one spot per the coin flip is going to hurt us, I believe.   

Clippers fans were split on Wagler and Flemings but as of yesterday now Acuff is getting a lot of traction.

I am surprised Nets are being mostly point guards.  They should pick the best player, but four of their picks last year were guards.   No stars in the group but not an ideal situation to add another point guard there imo.   I wonder if they are a sneaky Giannis team?   They are out some of their own picks though.   Do they try to motor charge their rebuild because they are pretty much irrelevant with no clear direction at the moment.

[Chicagojk]

Givony on DP vs AJ: “I’ve seen those guys play on the same court in-person at least 8-10 times over the years, dating back to their U16 Team USA training camp, and not once did I come away thinking Dybantsa was the better prospect, including when they played each other this year”

“AJ Dybantsa is a great prospect, and im confident he’s going to be an All Star. But Darryn Peterson is on another level talent wise”

[Chicagojk]

Good numbers for an older prospect. Tore his acl late in year though

https://x.com/jonchep/status/2054191835598221386?s=61

Jaden Bradley

https://x.com/jonchep/status/2054188616058822726?s=61

Bidunga comes in smaller on height


https://x.com/jonchep/status/2054011260866380057?s=61

Tough height for Bruce Thornton

https://x.com/jonchep/status/2054005538950619619?s=61

Nice measurements for Tounde

https://x.com/jonchep/status/2053972723852779849?s=61


Jefferson good height. Would like to see him lighter though

https://x.com/jonchep/status/2053967910612201866?s=61

[khaled1987]

Just going off Reddit, the Hawks fans are heavily more focused on a guard than a center at 8.  Man, that one spot per the coin flip is going to hurt us, I believe.   

Clippers fans were split on Wagler and Flemings but as of yesterday now Acuff is getting a lot of traction.

I am surprised Nets are being mostly point guards.  They should pick the best player, but four of their picks last year were guards.   No stars in the group but not an ideal situation to add another point guard there imo.   I wonder if they are a sneaky Giannis team?   They are out some of their own picks though.   Do they try to motor charge their rebuild because they are pretty much irrelevant with no clear direction at the moment.

At 6th pick, isn't that a guard anyway? Especially if you consider Wagler a PG. It is Acuff, Flemings and Wagler essentially, with Brown having outside chance.
I mean at 5, you hope one fall in love with a PG like Acuff and you get one of the top 4, but at 6th it feels almost a lock you are picking a PG or a combo guard like Wagler.

[Winter]

If I was Brooklyn, I might actually consider Lendeborg if a guard felt too redundant.

[mvossman]

Honestly, I think this draft is really difficult for PGs. There's a lot to choose from, but all of them have warts of some kind. Not big enough, no defense, low assist number, more of a combo guard, wingspan, etc. Brown seems the right type if he's healthy, but if they even sniff a problem then they need to look elsewhere.

For me personally, I'd rather get a PG in a trade - one that has a proven track record.

Its interesting that you can find warts in just about every player:

Dybantsa: questionable shooting and defense.  Will he be able to play off ball effectively?
Peterson: Health, knucklehead?, ball hog
Boozer: Tweener without an NBA defensive fit
Wilson: Can't shoot
Acuff: defense is disaster
Flemings: shooting concerns, size concerns
Wagler: skinny and limited athleticism, defense concerns, will he struggle against NBA comp, is he true PG
Brown: Back, shot selection concerns, turnover concerns
Burries:
Lendeborg: He will be 24
Ament: Shooting, defense, project
Mara: Can he defend in space
Philon: Sophomore, too small, defense

Two days ago my concerns with Burries would have been undersized shooting guard, but 6' 5" and 215 lbs is not really undersized.  That's what most of OKC roster looks like.  He also has playmaking upside that we did not see a lot of in college due to role.  At this point I think I have him ahead of Brown, and after seeing Flemings measurables I am on the fence between those two.

[Winter]

I love Burries. I hope they take him. Brown is my second choice.

[Dirknows]

I don’t see Masai forcing a point guard pick unless he really likes one available when we pick. Judging by the type of players he brought to Toronto, he seemed to prioritize wing players. I’m not gonna be shocked if Ament is the pick.