Final 2026 NBA Draft Big Board
Here we are. My final big board update for the 2026 NBA draft. All the games have been played, all the stats and film have been looked over, and the combine has passed, so we have all the measurements and athletic numbers. Everything is done, so it’s only time to drop my final top 100 of the class. So, before I do that, let me explain a few things. For starters, this class is really good. The top is amazing and filled with some franchise-changing players; the bottom is filled with some fun, funky players that could intrigue a lot of people and teams; and there is also a lot of pleasant unpredictability within the class because of the sheer amount of talent in this class overall. This class is really fun and has been a joy to follow all year, so before the whole top 100 list, let me give my brief explanations for why my lottery (top 14) is ranked the way that it is.
Let’s start with the big three: Peterson, AJ, and Boozer. I have Dybantsa, the 6’10 wing/forward from BYU, finishing the cycle ranked number one for me. His ability to pressure the rim, his impressive handle, his defensive and playmaking upside, his polished and unbelievable on-ball scoring abilities, and his tremendous ability to take games over as a scorer at 6’10 with a plus wingspan all made me favor him over everyone else. I love his upside and potential, and think some of the flaws he has are a tad overblown by the public. Does the shot worry me? To a degree, yes, but I think his touch is good, and his mechanical issues aren't that bad to steer me away from believing in his ability to be at least a league-average shooter from deep. I lastly think the pressure AJ puts on the rim and his ability to score at the rim are some of the clearest star indicators a prospect could have because stars have to be able to collapse and draw multiple defenders toward them as scorers and creators, and rim pressure is the best way to do that.
Following AJ is Peterson, the 6’6 guard from Kansas, who I think is a very special scoring and shooting prospect who has some legit primary initiator potential. I still love Peterson despite what happened during his one year at Kansas, and I think his talent and potential are through the roof. The injuries, his ability to consistently score downhill, and questions about his playmaking were all reasons he finished second, not first, on my board. Then there is Cameron Boozer, the 6’9 forward from Duke, at three, who is one of the best producers, passers, rebounders, and processors in this entire class. Athleticism, ball handling, and defensive concerns all make him a clear third among the big three for me, but I still love his potential and think he has an All-NBA ceiling. For me, all three of these guys could be in any order, and I wouldn't think you're crazy for it.
Now onto one of my biggest deviations from the consensus, and that’s having Keaton Wagler, the 6’6 guard from Illinois, over Caleb Wilson, the 6’10 forward from North Carolina, who’s seen as the clear fourth-best prospect in this class, and to some, higher than fourth. Why I have Wagler over Wilson for starters is because of Keaton’s tremendous offensive potential and current abilities as a jumbo guard. Wagler has the makings of a big guard who can lead an elite offense thanks to his versatile shooting abilities, fun playmaking chops, and very advanced feel and abilities in ball screens. The overall potential he has on the offensive end just intrigues me more than Caleb Wilson’s potential on that end, and I love the floor more than Wilson’s as well, specifically on the offensive end. In addition to that, I think Wilson is a lot more raw than people are pointing out on both ends of the floor. I worry about his handle, defensive fundamentals/feel, and jumpshot right now. I also overall see Wilson more as a second star than a primary, and I think not only does Wagler have a better chance to become a primary, but he also has a better potential as a second star than Wilson does, in my opinion. I also think Wagler has a slightly better chance to contribute more and bring more value during his rookie contract than Wilson does. The concerns about Wagler’s ability to get to the rim, about his athleticism, and ability to defend at a good enough level are real and something I am very aware of, but his feel, size, ball skills, and shooting just make me slightly push those concerns aside and not push him further down my rankings. I’m always going to buy into the players who have size, feel, a terrific jumper, real ball skills, and awesome passing chops.
I know having Wilson 5th as opposed to 4th is offensive to a lot of people, but to me, I still really like Wilson and think his potential and tools are rare and something we dont see every year. I’m just thinking his floor is slightly lower than the consensus believes, and it will take him a little longer to reach his medium outcome or ceiling than people think, given how raw he is. Even though he is raw, his production and feel for the game separate him from other raw wings and forwards that I have despised (probably a strong word there) in previous drafts.
To the guards now, because everyone is all over the place on these guys, and you can have all kinds of different combinations of these guys, rankings-wise. For me, it’s Mikel, Darius, Kingston, then Burries. Mikel Brown, the 6’5 guard from Louisville, I favor him slightly over Darius Acuff, the 6’3 guard from Arkansas, because of his physical tools, athleticism, off-ball malleability, and not-as-bad defense compared to Acuff’s. While I think Acuff is more efficient as an offensive scorer and creator and is slightly better as a playmaker, scorer, and shooter right now, I still think in the long term, Mikel will be better at those things than Acuff while being bigger and more athletic. Both have elite playmaking, shooting, and offensive creation potential, though, and are very comparable and close in my opinion.
After Acuff is Kingston, the 6’4 guard from Houston, the guard from Houston who has one of the best combinations of speed, athleticism, and playmaking that we’ve seen in a while. He had a super shocking shooting season during this past one, as not only was he a great mid-range shot-maker, but he was also a very good three-point shooter. His tin frame is a concern on top of the ones he has as a scorer around the basket and shooter long term, given how he shot in high school, but he was the clear best player for one of the ten best teams in college basketball all season and lifted his team's offense to heights that not many guards could if they were in his shoes. Last is Brayden Burries, the 6’5 guard from Arizona, who projects as more of an off-guard than a pure point. His lack of playmaking chops and primary intator abilities are what sink him to the bottom of my top ten, but his defense, size, strength, three-level scoring skills with the ball, and ability to play off the ball are all reasons why he’s in my top ten to begin with.
Then, after the guards, is Yaxel Lendenborg, the 6’9 forward from Michigan, who’s an amazing wing/forward prospect who I’ve loved throughout this process for his immense tools and Swiss Army Knife skill set. He can make open threes, run second-side actions, create as a driver, defend 1-4 at a high level on the ball, and make smart connective-passing reads. Then, to round out my lottery, is Aday Mara, the 7’4 center from Michigan at 11, who’s a center I really like because of his elite rim protection abilities, very intelligent playmaking skills, incredible size, and impressive skills as a play finisher around the basket. At 12 is Cameron Carr, the 6’6 wing from Baylor, who’s my guy in this draft class because I love his combination of shooting touch, high-level athleticism, and length, and underrated ability to score off the bounce and contribute as a connective passer. I know there are concerns with his overall passing, strength, and ability to defend at a plus level, but I think he will improve as a defender a lot when he gets to the league. I already mentioned that his passing is slightly underrated, and I think it’s very possible for him to survive and be a great role player, even if he doesn't get significantly stronger, thanks to his length and athleticism.
At 13 is Labaro Philon, the 6’4 point guard from Alabama, who’s a slender and wiry guard with a ton of inside-the-arc scoring skills, some newly acquired shooting abilities from three, good playmaking feel, an elite handle, and high-level defensive flashes that he showed during his freshman season. A good number of people are lower on him than me, and while I understand, I just think Philon has real two-way upside and very good role player potential to be a big-time rotation player for a winning team. The size worries me a lot, but all the other pluses continue to make me buy into him. Then at 14 is another Michigan man Morez Johnson the 6’10 center, who’s an awesome defensive big man capable of running all kinds of pick and roll coverages, being a reliable defender on switches, being a great defensive anchor at center, has position flexibility to play the four next to another center, is a great scorer around the basket, and is a great athlete with a big and strong frame. Enough dilly-dallying and explanation, here is my final top 100 of the 2026 NBA draft.
1. AJ Dybantsa- BYU
2. Darryn Peterson- Kansas
3. Cameron Boozer- Duke
4. Keaton Wagler- Illinois
5. Caleb Wilson- North Carolina
6. Mikel Brown Jr- Louisville
7. Darius Acuff Jr- Arkansas
8. Kingston Flemings- Houston
9. Brayden Burries- Arizona
10. Yaxel Lendenborg- Michigan
11. Aday Mara- Michigan
12. Cameron Carr- Baylor
13. Labaron Philon- Alabama
14. Morez Johnson Jr- Michigan
15. Jayden Quaintance- Kentucky
16. Hannes Steinbach- Washington
17. Bennett Stirtz- Iowa
18. Dailyn Swain- Texas
19. Nate Ament- Tennessee
20. Christian Anderson- Texas Tech
21. Ebuka Okorie- Stanford
22. Karim Lopez- New Zealand Breakers
23. Sergio De Larrea- Valencia
24. Joshua Jefferson- Iowa State
25. Meleek Thomas- Arkansas
26. Isaiah Evans- Duke
27. Allen Graves- Santa Clara
28. Koa Peat- Arizona
29. Chris Cenac Jr- Houston
30. Tarris Reed Jr.- UConn
31. Richie Saunders- BYU
32. Ryan Conwell- Louisville
33. Zuby Ejiofor- St. Johns
34. Henri Veesaar- North Carolina
35. Alex Karaban- UConn
36. Malique Lewis- SE Melbourne Phoenix
37. Baba Miller- Cincinnati
38. Dillon Mitchell- St. Johns
39. Noam Yaacov- Telenet BC Oostende
40. Nick Boyd- Wisconsin
41. Braden Smith- Purdue
42. Nate Bittle- Oregon
43. Jaden Bradley- Arizona
44. Jack Kayil- Alba Berlin
45. Ernest Udeh Jr.- Miami
46. BJ Edwards- SMU
47. Maliq Brown- Duke
48. Bruce Thornton- Ohio State
49. Kylan Boswell- Illinois
50. Seth Trimble- North Carolina
51. Emanuel Sharp- Houston
52. Jalen Henley- Grand Canyon
53. Ugonna Onyenso- Virginia
54. Otega Oweh- Kentucky
55. Nick Martinelli- Northwestern
56. Rafael Castro- George Washington
57. Izaiyah Nelson- South Florida
58. Milos Uzan- Houston
59. Quadir Copeland- NC State
60. Ja'Kobi Gillespie- Tennessee
61. Taimen Lipsey- Iowa State
62. Tobias Jensen- Ratiopharm Ulm
63. Aaron Nkrumah- Tennessee State
64. Trevon Brazile- Arkansas
65. LaJae Jones- Florida State
66. Tyler Bilodeau- UCLA
67. Cade Tyson- Minnesota
68. Felix Okpara- Tennessee
69. Duke Miles- Vanderbilt
70. Bryce Hopkins- St. Johns
71. Mark Mitchell- Missouri
72. Zach Cleveland- Liberty
73. Jaron Pierre- SMU
74. Corey Camper- Nevada
75. Tobe Awaka- Arizona
76. Michael Ajayi- Butler
77. Lamar Wilkerson- Indiana
78. Josh Dix- Creighton
79. Donovan Atwell- Texas Tech
80. Tyler Nickel- Vanderbilt
81. Robert McCray- Florida State
82. MJ Collins- Utah State
83. Anthony Roy- Oklahoma State
84. Darrion Williams- NC State
85. Isaac McKneeley- Louisville
86. Jaylin Sellers- Providence
87. Reynan dos Santos- Mexico City Capitanes
88. Peter Suder- Miami, Ohio
89. Chase Ross- Marquette
90. Melvin Council Jr- Kansas
91. Tobi Lawal- Virginia Tech
92. Boopie Miller- SMU
93. Tre White- Kansas
94. David Green- Tulsa
95. DJ Armstrong Jr- UMBC
96. Tucker DeVries- Indiana
97. Bryson Tucker- Washington
98. Keba Keita- BYU
99. Elijah Mahi- Santa Clara
100. Trey Kaufmann-Renn- Purdue
