2026 NBA draft thread

[mvossman]

Burries was not a lead guard in college. He also created very few shots for himself. So the questions are valid. 

I don't think this second sentence is accurate.  He didn't do a lot of ISO (nobody at Arizona did) but he ran a fair amount of P&R at an elite scoring rate.  He took more shots off the dribble than the catch, also at a very high rate.  He has a very broad offensive game and scored in just about every way imaginable.

[HoosierDaddyKid]

Per Kevin O'Conner, Nate Ament worked out this week for the Oklahoma City Thunder, who have the 12th and 17th picks and have been rumored to have interest in moving into the top 10.

[mvossman]

I think Bagley could end up being a better player next year than Yax but Yaxel will develop into something better over time in future years.

PG Kyrie 9 Ryan
SG Max Klay John
SF Cooper Naji 48
PF Bagley PJ Tyler
C  Lively Gafford 30 Cisse

Why in the world would you have Bagley as the starting PF?  He is a back of the bench center.  He is bad enough defensively as a center, putting him on the perimeter would be a disaster.  The starting lineup right now would have Flagg at the 4 and PJ at the 3.  Bagley would be fighting with Cisse for third string center minutes.

[Chicagojk]

ESPN top 100.  I have no idea who Jeremy Woo is and how plugged in he is.    


https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/4688...ts-players

[KillerLeft]

Why in the world would you have Bagley as the starting PF?  He is a back of the bench center.  He is bad enough defensively as a center, putting him on the perimeter would be a disaster.  The starting lineup right now would have Flagg at the 4 and PJ at the 3.  Bagley would be fighting with Cisse for third string center minutes.

I don't even think Bagley is going to be on the team next season. If he is, he'll be a complete afterthought, as in a decision made after the draft (obviously), after any off-season trades made and at the very, very end of the free agency process. I'd be surprised if their attitude towards Bagley is anything above "we'll take him back if there's room for him at the end of the summer."

[Winter]

So this is the first Mock where I've see the Mavericks actually move down (OKC)

https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/2026-...o-move-up/

They have us taking Burries at #12 and Quaintance at #17 (a real gamble there)

It's a bit weird to see a mock draft assume a team is moving down to get picks.

[dirkfansince1998]

ESPN top 100.  I have no idea who Jeremy Woo is and how plugged in he is.    


https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/4688...ts-players

To focus on something beyond the usual lottery names. #30 and #48 aren't looking nearly as good after the returner exodus. Wouldn't hurt to move up.

[Chicagojk]

https://x.com/DraftDeeper/status/2060389848880476433

[Chicagojk]

https://x.com/DraftDeeper/status/2060389848880476433

Two things:

1) As Sam Vecenie said when you say a team has interest in so and so player, the answer is of course.   These teams spend a ton of time looking at all these prospects and they spend ungodly amount of time watching tape, researching and debating all these guys.  I take very little stock of seeing a team is interested in a certain prospect.  They better be.   

2) I think Masai and Schmitz is going to take the player they think will turn out the best.  That is likely a guard, but that is far from certainty.

[Chicagojk]

To focus on something beyond the usual lottery names. #30 and #48 aren't looking nearly as good after the returner exodus. Wouldn't hurt to move up.

Yeah when the names first came out I thought this draft would be deep until late 30's.   I still think at 30 there are some good prospects, but it gets thin quickly.  I have very little interest in Vessar or Meleek Thomas, so if they don't go prior to 30, things get really dicey.   Moving up 4-5 spots would really improve your chances of finding a solid rotation player.

[HoosierDaddyKid]

https://espnanalytics.com/nba-draft-simulator


Here's a mock draft simulator tool to play around with.

[HoosierDaddyKid]

Rival teams consider Aday Mara to be in play as high as No. 6 for Brooklyn, with the Hawks, Warriors and Thunder also viewed as potential landing spots in the lottery. Landing with a team that wants to lean into his playmaking skills will give him the best chance to maximize his impact.

[hakeemfaan]

Of the ones being mocked most commonly in the 5-10 range, I tend to see Burries as closest to what I think the Masai-Schmitz pair seeks.
1 Positional size ...as a PG, Burries qualifies
2 Untapped upside ....as a PG, Burries qualifies
3 Skills to work with .... he's a plus shooter

Wingspan doesn’t match with what Masai looks for. 

If he can play PG is the big question because if not , with his wingspan you can’t slot him to guard 3s or 4s.

[hakeemfaan]

Rival teams consider Aday Mara to be in play as high as No. 6 for Brooklyn, with the Hawks, Warriors and Thunder also viewed as potential landing spots in the lottery. Landing with a team that wants to lean into his playmaking skills will give him the best chance to maximize his impact.

He is so hard to read because the floor could be a bottomless pit. But he also has a chance to be an unicorn. A true boom or bust guy. 

Great passing , very mobile for his size, hit 27 of his last 33 FTs though overall was not good.

[mvossman]

Wingspan doesn’t match with what Masai looks for. 

If he can play PG is the big question because if not , with his wingspan you can’t slot him to guard 3s or 4s.

I'm not entirely sure this is true.  I have seen smaller guys (with smaller wingspans) guard up their position using BBIQ and strength (including the two guys Masai had as PG for most of his career in Lowry and VanVleet).  Not only does Burries have both these qualities, he also has an elite standing vertical, which may help compensate for lack of wingspan.

[hakeemfaan]

I'm not entirely sure this is true.  I have seen smaller guys (with smaller wingspans) guard up their position using BBIQ and strength (including the two guys Masai had as PG for most of his career in Lowry and VanVleet).  Not only does Burries have both these qualities, he also has an elite standing vertical, which may help compensate for lack of wingspan.

Lowry had already proven himself and FVV was undrafted I believe. It’s different when you have to draft so high and guess if a guy is going to fit or not. 

Also, again, if Masai is convinced that Burries can play the point, his size and wingspan are fine.  The question is if Masai is not. 

I like his shooting and ability to finish. You usually don’t get both. Plus I don’t want to take a chance. Burries floor is high. If he can play point he would be a great pick

[mvossman]

Lowry had already proven himself and FVV was undrafted I believe. It’s different when you have to draft so high and guess if a guy is going to fit or not. 

Also, again, if Masai is convinced that Burries can play the point, his size and wingspan are fine.  The question is if Masai is not. 

I like his shooting and ability to finish. You usually don’t get both. Plus I don’t want to take a chance. Burries floor is high. If he can play point he would be a great pick

I guess it depends on what you mean by PG.  Maybe one of the best comps (offensively) for him is Jamal Murray.  Not a true PG in the traditional sense, but still somebody who spends plenty of time on ball and creates for others.  Would you consider a better defensive Jamal Murray a great pick?

[Winter]

I guess it depends on what you mean by PG.  Maybe one of the best comps (offensively) for him is Jamal Murray.  Not a true PG in the traditional sense, but still somebody who spends plenty of time on ball and creates for others.  Would you consider a better defensive Jamal Murray a great pick?

I really think the type of player needs to be determined by how player x can function with Cooper Flagg and the offense in general. We tend to talk about these draft picks as it relates to the pick's individual play, but I really thinks it's a lot more than that.

How will Flagg be used? Will Flagg be running the offense periodically? Will that require a true PG or will a combo guard be a better solution? We don't currently know who the head coach is, so I'm not sure anyone of this board can really answer for a draft pick's style of play with this team. I think we just like to pretend we can.

Most of us are betting on a guard simply because there are so many good ones slotted between 5-10. I am anyway. But the difference in the style of play between Acuff, Brown, Wagler, and Burries is really pretty dramatic to me. I'm guessing Masai and Schmitz are developing a vision of what they want from a draft pick and what Flagg needs. The first pick will tell us a lot I think.

[hakeemfaan]

I guess it depends on what you mean by PG.  Maybe one of the best comps (offensively) for him is Jamal Murray.  Not a true PG in the traditional sense, but still somebody who spends plenty of time on ball and creates for others.  Would you consider a better defensive Jamal Murray a great pick?

I already mentioned in this thread. My bar for a lead guard is low. 

If we can get a true floor general that is great. However all I want is someone strong with the ball and able to defend other guards. Burries ticks off a lot of boxes but I still don’t know enough about him to know if he can be strong with the ball once he has to handle a lot more pressure. 

Old timers might know of this comp. If he can be a BJ armstrong, I am fine. Not even looking for a Murray  Hit the 3, be strong with the ball and be able to defend other PGs with your length.

[Chicagojk]

I am not too worried about finding a "point guard".    The growth we saw from Cooper this year was amazing.   As he gets older, he will have the ball a ton.    I think the key is finding smart players who are a threat when they have the ball and can also play when they don't have the ball.  Get 3-4 of those guys on the court at the same time and you are going to be pretty good if you have a potential top 10 player.   

Now, Cooper did play really well when he was playing with a point guard.    I hope Nembhard sticks around, but as he gets better he will be able to excel without a true lead guard.   Finding several more guys who are a threat with the ball in their hands is the key.   They need to be quick decision makers though and think the game right.  Cooper does, so if you find guys who see the game similar it will work just fine.

For me, Kingston and Wagler are my two hopes for 9. Different players but I think they would fit really well.  Both probably come off the bench to start the year.   After that, I have some guys who I could talk myself into, but it is much more muddy.  In fact, I may go an unconventional route if both are gone.   Not sure yet.