Final 2026 NBA Draft Big Board
The NBA Draft is just days away at this point. I've gotten to the point where my big board is finalized.
The NBA Draft is close, and I’ve finalized the grades I’ve given each player in this cycle. Below, you’re going to find my final 2026 NBA Draft Big Board, separated into tiers.
How do I stack players?
I typically tend to value players that are rare - bigger, skilled wings and forwards, outlier defenders - players that you don’t normally find in the draft. For the same reason, you’ll find that I’m lower on smaller guards, rim running big men, etc. It’s much harder for me to justify spending a first-round pick on a player that is easily replacable.
This is my own board based on players evaluated in a vacuum. I recognize that each NBA team will have their own board based upon their scheme and roster construction.
Closer to the draft, I will have a Hornets big board projection - my best guess at how the Hornets stack their top-20 players.
For now, let’s get into the board:
Tier 1: The Top-4
1. Cam Boozer - F - Duke
Boozer’s intersection of feel, skill, and size is rare, and I do think he deserves more of a look for the first overall pick, despite his name not really coming up regarding it.
Boozer was one of the most productive freshmen in CBB history and brings a modern skill set.
2. Darryn Peterson - G - Kansas
You really do have to look back at the high school tape with Darryn Peterson, he was electric with the ball in his hands both from an athleticism and playmaking standpoint.
The shooting, to me, is going to be elite, and I think Peterson has the length and want-to to eventually become a really solid NBA defender.
There was a lot of weirdness around his season at Kansas, but there wasn’t really any prospect that compares to Peterson at his best.
3. AJ Dybantsa - W/F - BYU
I had AJ Dybantsa for a short time, and he’s a great prospect, but I worry about his modern NBA fit a bit more than the top-2.
Still, I think you can pencil in Dybantsa as a 20+ PPG scorer with the length and feel to become much more than that.
4. Caleb Wilson - F - UNC
Caleb Wilson isn’t really talked much about considering how the caliber of the other three players in this class, but he’s an incredible talent as well. I think he’s a similar caliber prospect to Dylan Harper in last year’s draft, and would be the first overall pick in a weaker draft class.
Tier 2: Surefire Lottery Players
5. Mikel Brown - G - Louisville
I’ve finally settled on Mikel Brown as my favorite player of the next tier of guys. He’s reminiscent of LaMelo Ball to me, a creative playmaker that sometimes has lapses in judgement, but has the potential to become an offensive engine for whoever selects him.
If I’m the Clippers, I wouldn’t really even think twice about this pick.
6. Kingston Flemings - G - Houston
I waned a little bit on Kingston Flemings after he measured in smaller than I expected at the NBA Draft Combine, but I won’t let that stop me from having him this high. I think there’s a really high floor with Flemings, a playmaking guard that can get downhill and guard players at a high level.
At his best, he’s game-takeover good.
7. Keaton Wagler - G - Illinois
Among the surefire lottery guards, Keaton Wagler will have the most ability to scale down to a smaller role, in my opinion. He brings elite shooting and playmaking.
While there are questions about his athleticism, I do think he’s crafty enough to where he can get where he wants despite the lack of burst.
8. Jayden Quaintance - B - Kentucky
I am a believer in Jayden Quaintance. I don’t have access to his medicals, so I’m choosing to believe in the prospect here.
Quaintance was a dominant defensive big man at 17 years old in college basketball. He would have been a top-5 pick if eligible in the 2025 NBA Draft, and I’m choosing to believe that whoever takes him in 2026 will be getting a player at a massive discount.
9. Darius Acuff - G - Arkansas
Darius Acuff is so sick, man. He’s an efficient scoring guard that could be one of the “small-no-defense” guard outliers - a Jalen Brunson-type.
Still, the path to winning basketball is more narrow with Acuff than it is with Flemings/Brown/Wagler, to me.
10. Brayden Burries - G/W - Arizona
Burries is still a top-10 player in this draft class to me. He’s good at getting downhill, has a lot of athleticism, gives a ton of effort on both ends of the court, and can shoot it at a decent level.
11. Nate Ament - F - Tennessee
I will end up higher on Nate Ament than most people. I think that when you project him to a smaller role than what he had at Tennessee, you’re going to see a lot less of the mistakes and errors he made at the college level.
Ament is a jumbo-sized forward that has ball skills and can shoot it. That’s just not a player that is available in the late lottery very often. I think, bare minimum, if he’s only a catch-and-shoot forward at the NBA level, that’s still a valuable player.
But based on the highs of what we saw at Tennessee, I’m okay thinking he can outplay his draft slot. The floor-ceiling combination is simply better than what I think most people perceive with Ament.
Tier 3: Bubble Lottery Grades
12. Morez Johnson - B - Michigan
Morez Johnson projects to be a really good role player, to me. Someone like Isaiah Stewart would be a good comparison.
Johnson is a physical, dominant athlete that moves really well, has the potential to shoot it at the NBA level, and can guard 4s and 5s.
I think the ceiling is a bit limited on Johnson since he’s not really a creator, but I think the odds that Johnson is a good role player is very high.
13. Hannes Steinbach - B - Washington
Steinbach has a really unique profile for a bit. I can see the upside here: he’s elite at a few things: scoring on the inside and rebounding.
I also think that while there are defensive concerns with Steinbach, he’s a much more functional athlete than the players he’s commonly compared to (like Alperen Sengun). I think there’s a really good chance Steinbach becomes a solid two-way big man at the NBA level.
14. Labaron Philon - G - Alabama
Every time I want to quit Labaron Philon, I think about how scalable his skill set is. While he wasn’t a great defender at Alabama this year, it’s because he was one of the best advantage creators in the country.
Combine his freshman and sophomore tape and you have a really well-rounded guard prospect.
15. Cam Carr - W - Baylor
Carr is a 100th percentile athlete for the shooting guard position. He’s going to be a really good play finisher (whether it’s at the rim or shooting it from deep), and the defensive tools are great (even if he’s not a great point of attack defender right now).
16. Karim Lopez - W/F - INTL
Karim Lopez is another unique profile. The highest-regarded international prospect this year, Lopez is a good vertical athlete and can handle the ball really well for his size. I have questions about his modern NBA fit since he’s a bit rough around the edges guarding perimeter players and shooting from distance.
17. Bennett Stirtz - G - Iowa
I’ve gone back and forth on Stirtz, but he’s a player I think could end up as a really good starting point guard. He’s an elite shooter and scorer, and the only real question I have about his translation to the NBA is whether the pace at Iowa was too slow.
18. Aday Mara - B - Michigan
Aday Mara is a good big man prospect, but I’m not as sold on him as other evaluators are. He’s lengthy, has great vision for a big man, but I don’t think he’s as impactful defensively as some other jumbo-centers we’ve seen, and I question the late breakout with Mara.
19. Yaxel Lendeborg - F - Michigan
I’m lower on Lendeborg than most - I really fade these older prospects, but I can see a world where he contributes to an NBA starting lineup from game one.
Lendeborg has a well-rounded skill set, and could go anywhere from the mid-lottery to late-teens.
20. Allen Graves - F/B - Santa Clara
Allen Graves is an analytics darling. I had him as high as 16 at one point, but I’ve soured a little bit later in the process. While he’s incredibly promising - he also was a sixth man for a team in a weak conference, and I don’t know if the ceiling would justify him being a lottery pick, even with the high-end shooting and impactful defending. He’s the last of my “bubble lottery” grades.