College basketball season is over, and the Michigan Wolverines are national champions. Now the 2026 NBA Draft is on the clock.
This has long been considered a strong class due to the three star freshmen expected to go with the first three picks. The draft lottery on May 10 will determine in what order Duke’s Cameron Boozer, Kansas’ Darryn Peterson, and BYU’s AJ Dybantsa come off the board. The rise of fellow freshmen like North Carolina forward Caleb Wilson, Illinois guard Keaton Wagler, Arkansas guard Darius Acuff, and Houston guard Kingston Flemings makes this class even stronger in the first half of the lottery.
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The Final Four had so many great NBA prospects on display. This mock draft features a whopping nine players who competed in Indianapolis for the national semifinals. Wagler will have a chance to go as high as No. 5 overall, and Braylen Mullins’ incredible Elite Eight buzzer-beater to stun Duke now has him in his highest mock draft position all season.
Michigan’s dream season was also great for the NBA hopes of their top players. Yaxel Lendeborg made a brilliant decision by choosing Michigan over entering last year’s NBA draft. Aday Mara went from the end of the bench at UCLA to a top-10 pick in this mock draft. Morez Johnson just missed the lotto after leaving Illinois for Michigan.
Here’s our latest projection of the 2026 NBA Draft. The order is determined by the NBA’s current lottery position standings.
Pick
Team
Player
Position
School
Age
1
Washington Wizards
Cameron Boozer
Forward
Duke
Freshman
2
Indiana Pacers
Darryn Peterson
Guard
Kansas
Freshman
3
Brooklyn Nets
AJ Dybantsa
Wing
BYU
Freshman
4
Utah Jazz
Caleb Wilson
Forward
North Carolina
Freshman
5
Sacramento Kings
Darius Acuff
Guard
Arkansas
Freshman
6
Atlanta Hawks (via Pelicans)
Keaton Wagler
Guard
Illinois
Freshman
7
Memphis Grizzlies
Kingston Flemings
Guard
Houston
Freshman
8
Dallas Mavericks
Mikel Brown Jr.
Guard
Louisville
Freshman
9
Chicago Bulls
Aday Mara
Center
Michigan
Junior
10
Milwaukee Bucks
Brayden Burries
Guard
Arizona
Freshman
11
Golden State Warriors
Yaxel Lendeborg
Forward
Michigan
Senior
12
Portland Trail Blazers
Nate Ament
Wing
Tennessee
Freshman
13
Miami Heat
Karim Lopez
Forward
NZ Breakers
Born 2007
14
Memphis Grizzlies (via Magic)
Jayden Quaintance
Center/Forward
Kentucky
Sophomore
15
Oklahoma City Thunder (via Clippers)
Hannes Steinbach
Forward/Center
Washington
Freshman
16
Charlotte Hornets
Morez Johnson
Center/Forward
Michigan
Sophomore
17
Toronto Raptors
Labaron Philon
Guard
Alabama
Sophomore
18
Oklahoma City Thunder (via 76ers)
Braylon Mullins
Guard
UConn
Freshman
19
Charlotte Hornets (via Suns)
Bennett Stirtz
Guard
Iowa
Senior
20
San Antonio Spurs (via Hawks)
Patrick Ngongba
Center
Duke
Sophomore
21
Detroit Pistons (via Wolves)
Thomas Haugh
Forward
Florida
Junior
22
Atlanta Hawks (via Cavs)
Cameron Carr
Wing
Baylor
Junior
23
Philadelphia 76ers (via Rockets)
Motiejus Krivas
Center
Arizona
Junior
24
Los Angeles Lakers
Dailyn Swain
Forward
Texas
Junior
25
New York Knicks
Tyler Tanner
Guard
Vanderbilt
Sophomore
26
Denver Nuggets
Allen Graves
Forward
Santa Clara
Freshman
27
Boston Celtics
Tounde Yessoufou
Guard
Baylor
Freshman
28
Minnesota Timberwolves (via Pistons)
Joshua Jefferson
Forward
Iowa State
Senior
29
Cleveland Cavaliers (via Spurs)
Koa Peat
Forward
Arizona
Freshman
30
Dallas Mavericks (via Thunder)
Tarris Reed
Center
UConn
Senior
Some do some quick takes here:
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Boozer is my No. 1 prospect because he was obviously the best player in the country this year, he’s the youngest of the big three, he has the strongest feel for the game, and the best offensive versatility. I don’t understand the skepticism about his upside as he goes to the next level. All he does is impact winning to the highest degree. I really like his fit in Washington with a mobile defensive center in Alex Sarr.
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I love the fit with Mikel Brown Jr. going to Dallas. The Point Flagg experiment was cool, but let’s get him focused on playing elite level defensive again.
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Bennett Stirtz is my favorite prospect after the lottery this year. He’s an elite shot-maker with the strong feel who should thrive once he exits Iowa head coach Ben McCollum’s super slow offense.
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The toughest evaluation this year is Jayden Quaintance. He looked like a stud as a 17-year-old freshman at Arizona State a year ago, but recovering from a torn ACL wiped away almost his entire season at Kentucky this year. Quaintance has great physical tools, but his offensive impact is questionable. I thought he’d be a lock for a top-10 pick coming into the year, and now it’s extremely difficult to project where he could go.
Got a question or comment about this mock? Leave a comment and I’ll respond
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What a great college basketball season. The draft lottery is going to be absolute cinema.
