NBA Draft Preview V2
Brian breaks down ten of the top prospects in the 2026 NBA Draft. This includes, Darryn Peterson, AJ Dybantsa, Caleb Wilson, Cameron Boozer, Keaton Wagler, Kingston Flemings and much more!
The 2026 NBA Draft has the potential to be one of the greatest drafts in recent memory. Coming off of a draft where we had Cooper Flagg, Dylan Harper, VJ Edgecombe and Kon Knueppel, this class is projected to match if not exceed in terms of talent. Between the 2025 and 2026 drafts, we are at the apex of the decade in terms of talent in a draft class. Furthermore, the early returns on the 2027 and 2028 draft classes have been looking poor at the top. So enjoy what’s happening this season in the NBA and what we have coming for this upcoming season.
Many people are starting to come back into the draft space. Welcome fans of tanking teams or you’re just curious as to what this class has to offer! I’m glad you’re here!
Overall Structure:
I’m going to break down the top of this class in relative detail. I’m not going to go super crazy in depth on all of them, but enough to get an idea of what the player is. I will be dropping in depth scouting reports very very soon where I will go much more in depth on what I think of these guys as prospects, strengths, and weaknesses, team fit, and much much more! You don’t want to miss it! Don’t forget to subscribe so that you don’t miss it.
Now with out further ado, lets get to it!
The Potential #1 Picks
Darryn Peterson / SG
Darryn went to Prolific Prep in his senior year of high school basketball, where he established himself as the best high school player in the country. He went to Kansas, where he’s had an injury-riddled season. When he’s been out there, he’s been one of the most electric scorers in college basketball despite having nagging hamstring injuries. He’s listed at 6’6” and 205 pounds. He has NBA athleticism and is an NBA-level shooter. He’s operated as a play finisher with Kansas. He’s got great tools on defense and will likely be impactful on that front. Now, maybe you’ve seen some segments on ESPN or seen people on X talking about how he’s soft, doesn’t want to be there, and is just milking Kansas’s NIL money. All of it has been complete and utter nonsense. If he wanted to shut it down, he could have. He’s been legitimately hurt all season. Hamstring injuries can linger, and if you’ve had one, you would know that. We will look back at this situation and laugh. He’s going to be fine, and don’t make a dynasty league decision based on him having hamstring injuries.
AJ Dybantsa
AJ is a 6’9”–6’10” fluid wing at 210 pounds. He is one of the most hyped high school prospects in recent memory. He burst onto the scene after playing up a level and played Cooper Flagg very well. He went to BYU, where he’s led the NCAA in scoring this season. In his senior year, he took a big step on defense, where he really improved as an on-ball defender. This season at BYU, he took a step forward offensively, but the defense regressed. The offense has been frustrating at times. One of his elite skills is getting the refs to call the whistle. Later in the season, the refs have swallowed the whistle, and it’s definitely frustrated him.
However, his ability to cover ground is very reminiscent of the NBA’s biggest wing stars. He can get low with his hips on defense and on offense. His elevation point is so high that his mid-range game isn’t as bad of a shot as it is for others. The three-point shot has improved this season in terms of shot form and arc. He had a very flat shot in high school, and throughout the season it has become more like a parabola. He’s an underrated passer, and the assist numbers should be higher because BYU’s shooting has been infuriating this season. AJ’s deficiencies are fixable in the NBA (off-ball defense, shot selection, handle). He’s improved throughout the season after working on very specific things.
Cameron Boozer
Cameron Boozer is the son of former NBA player Carlos Boozer, and frankly it’s pretty obvious if you take a look at him. He’s 6’9” and 250 pounds and plays at Duke University. He will bully NBA players with his strength. He’s having a historic season in terms of advanced numbers. He’s a very good passer at his size and a good rebounder. The defense has not been amazing this year despite having good stock numbers. He’s not the quickest guy, but he can move around the court pretty well. He’s been uber-consistent all season, and he just puts up numbers no matter who’s in front of him. He has struggled around the rim against more athletic defenders at times but has improved on that throughout the year. The reason he’s not being talked about as the #1 pick as much is because of the athleticism, and a lot of his questions are going to be harder to fix. However, his floor is as high as anybody in this draft. It might seriously be a high-level starter. He should probably be the #1 dynasty prospect as well.
Caleb Wilson
Caleb was cut from the FIBA U19 team and worked on his game over the summer, massively improving on the offensive end. He’s a 6’10” and 215-pound fluid forward from North Carolina who is a freak athlete. He’s played Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer, and AJ Dybantsa head-to-head this season and was the best player on the court. He’s a psycho competitor and can really dig in on defense. His offensive game right now is very dunk-heavy. He’s got some touch, but he’s not a shooter at this point. The defense has been very good at times this season, and there have been other times when the motor wasn’t as hot and the off-ball defense was pretty bad. If he learns how to shoot, there’s a very real chance he’s an All-NBA level player. A big part of the sell is the person with Wilson. We might not see a Giannis again in the NBA, but his game as a skinnier Giannis is what he is right now. He is not Giannis, and I doubt he becomes Giannis, but that’s who he plays like. Pascal Siakam is another comparison point as well.
High Level Lottery Picks
Going to be more brief on the rest of these guys.
Kingston Flemings
Kingston Flemings is a 6’4” and 190-pound combo guard from Houston, an athletic, turbo-powered guard who’s played very well on and off the ball. Elite first step, elite shot-maker in the clutch, coachable, and good on defense. He can take over a game on offense and can hit threes pretty well. Think of a more athletic Andrew Nembhard, and that’s who he plays like. Exactly what you’d want in a playoff guard.
Keaton Wagler
Keaton Wagler is a 6’6” and 180-pound guard from Illinois who is the big riser from the high school ranks. He was a three-star recruit who was just ranked way too low. He’s an elite shooter who can operate in the pick-and-roll at a high level. He isn’t afraid to do the dirty work, and you will notice him on the court going for loose balls and being a nuisance. He needs to get stronger. He’s not very athletic and can struggle getting by people without a screen, and the defense hasn’t been amazing, but it’s not a lack of trying. Once the strength issue gets solved, I expect the defense to improve. I’ll just leave this here: Steve Prohm (Tyrese Haliburton’s college coach) was fighting tooth and nail to try and get him to Murray State. He’s not Haliburton, but there are similarities.
Mikel Brown Jr.
Mikel Brown Jr. was the star of the FIBA U19 USA team. He’s a 6’5” and 190-pound PG who’s an athletic scorer who went to Louisville. He has dealt with back issues during the second half of the season, which could have been hurting his efficiency numbers. He’s very reliant on hitting shots from three. Sometimes he can take some ill-advised ones, but I have no worry about the shot long term. He’s a good passer and can play off the ball. He’s someone who could shoot up the rankings depending on the draft process.
Darius Acuff
It’s hard to oversell how good of an offensive season Darius Acuff has had this year. He’s the next big John Calipari guard coming out of Arkansas. He’s a 6’3” and 190-pound PG. He started the season a little rough, but his improvement as a passer and facilitator has been awesome to watch. He’s a real-deal shooter and can take over games offensively. Defensively, Arkansas is better with him off the court. He’s putting up better individual numbers than any guard has put up under John Calipari ever. I’m at the point with Acuff where I think the offense might just be too good to ignore. However, if he’s not a high-level NBA creator, he’s a lot closer to being Collin Sexton than an All-Star.
Nate Ament
Nate Ament is a 6’10” and 207-pound wing out of Tennessee. He started his season slowly but really came along in conference play. He was known as a shooter coming out of high school, and it hasn’t really translated yet. He put on a lot of weight this summer, and it impacted his fluidity and might have hurt his shot a little bit. An easy way to describe him is if he were Cameron Johnson trying to be Kevin Durant. He gets a lot of his buckets driving into the paint when I don’t think that will be his game in the NBA. It’s possible, but I would expect Ament to struggle as a rookie. Teams are always looking for wings with this size, so he’ll likely be drafted pretty high.
Brayden Burries
The last guy I’m going to talk about in depth today is Brayden Burries.Brayden is a 6’4” and 205-pound guard out of Arizona. He excels in transition and getting to the rim.He’s strong and plays hard on defense. He can really hit threes, be a secondary ball handler, and show up in the clutch.He has the offensive game that many teams want in their playoff guard.He is a little older for a freshman and will be closer to 21, but there’s no denying his productivity at this point.
There are plenty of dudes we will cover on the Substack, so if you haven’t already, go subscribe! More content coming very soon!