The Bigs 2026 Draft- Hannes, JQ, Ngongba and more

[JMAC3]

How do you guys currently have this group of bigs ranked?

Hannes Steinbach
Patrick Ngonba
Jayden Quaintance
Flory Bidunga
Aday Mara
Chris Cenac
Henri Veesaar
Motiejus Krivas
Malachi Moreno

[JMAC3]

https://www.tankathon.com/players/compare?players=flory-bidunga--motiejus-krivas--aday-mara--patrick-ngongba-ii--hannes-steinbach

[RookieStar]

Morena should be last and JQ shouldnt be on that list cuz he hasnt played.

[babyjax13]

I like Tomislav Ivisic more than almost everyone on that list, but just going with those guys:

1. Steinbach
2. Cenac
3. Veesaar
4. Ngonba
5. Krivas (has grown on me a little)
6. Quaintance (I think he needs to stay in school)
7. Bidunga
8. Moreno
9. Mara

[Chuck Everett]

I'll take Veesar and Chinyelu. Those guys feel like quality NBA players to me. I've seen the rest, most need to stay in school and get better.

Hannes and Cenac probably won't though.

[JMAC3]

I'll take Veesar and Chinyelu. Those guys feel like quality NBA players to me. I've seen the rest, most need to stay in school and get better.

Hannes and Cenac probably won't though.

Yeah they are both 22 yrs old, they should be better right this minute than those guys, but that is how you view them as prospects?

[JMAC3]

Morena should be last and JQ shouldnt be on that list cuz he hasnt played.

JQ might go the highest of all of them in the draft though, so probably shouldn't exclude him.

[Chuck Everett]

I'll take Veesar and Chinyelu. Those guys feel like quality NBA players to me. I've seen the rest, most need to stay in school and get better.

Hannes and Cenac probably won't though.

Yeah they are both 22 yrs old, they should be better right this minute than those guys, but that is how you view them as prospects?

Well, the age isn't a big factor to me in the guys you've listed. Ngongba and Bidunga are younger no doubt, but they appear to me to be role playing bigs from their skillsets. I don't see much upside in them to be anything more than that. Doesn't mean they can't make NBA rosters and contribute.

As for Quaintance, he keeps getting hurt. For all of his defensive prowess, it would be nice if he could stay on the floor. And honestly, if he can't do it in college, what makes me think he will become an ironman as a pro?

Realistically, I am just going with guys who I expect to have 8-10 year NBA careers. Who do you think will be the best player of this group?

[RookieStar]

Morena should be last and JQ shouldnt be on that list cuz he hasnt played.

JQ might go the highest of all of them in the draft though, so probably shouldn't exclude him.

Another S.Sharpe situation? Just hide and hope somewhat bites?

[Jstock12]

Aday Mara looks like he has Marc Gasol potential (elite defensive / playmaking big). I just hope he doesn't turn into Ante Tomic instead (drafted by Utah in 2008), who was just as talented of a big man playmaker at 7'2-7'3, but was soft and really lacked physicality/strength for the NBA.

Glad people are finally discovering my boy Krivas - good defensive big who's 80% from FT and is showing some 3PT potential. He's also perfectly ambidextrous around the paint area and can hit hooks and floaters with his left too.

Impressed with Steinbach. I understand the positional concerns, but dude is such a fundamentally sound player who's also a monster on the glass. Some type of D.Sabonis/Poeltl hybrid.

How do people feel about Veesaar's shooting numbers? He's clearly able to shoot it, but I have some doubts about him being able to sustain anything close to his current 41%+ (especially because his FT% has been going down every year and is at 60% now). I wouldnt't be surprised if he ends up being a 65-70% from FT and a 35-36% 3P shooter in the NBA. This is clearly his most attractive trait, so I feel like it's fair to question whether it's actually for real, and to what extent.

[RookieStar]

It would be more helpful if someone put the measurements on each of these guys.lol

[BigGargamel]

Pretty underwhelming big man class. Steinbach is the only guy I would even remotely consider with a lottery pick.

I could see quite a few big men going in the 20's. I've had Veesaar, Quaintance, Mara, Bidunga, Cenac and Ngongba in the 20's at various points in the process. I feel somewhat comfortable with Veesaar as a backup. I also think Ngongba could be alright.

Go over to Twitter though, and look at some of these big boards. They STILL have Quaintance and Ngongba in their top fives. I'm convinced they are either player agents or simply hate posting.

I don't get the love for JQ, at all. Sure, he's big and can rebound, but two years in and he has no offensive game to speak of. He really needed to play.

[The-Power]

I like Tomislav Ivisic more than almost everyone on that list, but just going with those guys:

1. Steinbach
2. Cenac

Surprised to see Cenac so high. He strikes me as the kind of big that just doesn't have a role in today's NBA. What does he do well that would help an NBA team?

[BigGargamel]

I like Tomislav Ivisic more than almost everyone on that list, but just going with those guys:

1. Steinbach
2. Cenac

Surprised to see Cenac so high. He strikes me as the kind of big that just doesn't have a role in today's NBA. What does he do well that would help an NBA team?

Cenac - I think best case, he could be Nic Claxton with a better jump shot. The pieces are there to be a starter, but he's just so far away. Big men take a while sometimes. I think he'll go in the first round, just based off his high school rankings and the fact that he gets minutes on one of the best teams in the country, but he could easily be one of those guys who just never amounts to anything.

[Chuck Everett]

I like Tomislav Ivisic more than almost everyone on that list, but just going with those guys:

1. Steinbach
2. Cenac

Surprised to see Cenac so high. He strikes me as the kind of big that just doesn't have a role in today's NBA. What does he do well that would help an NBA team?

Cenac - I think best case, he could be Nic Claxton with a better jump shot. The pieces are there to be a starter, but he's just so far away. Big men take a while sometimes. I think he'll go in the first round, just based off his high school rankings and the fact that he gets minutes on one of the best teams in the country, but he could easily be one of those guys who just never amounts to anything.

He's very soft and looks heavy-footed. Feels like he's going to spend a lot of his rookie year in the G-League simply because in a switch heavy NBA, his footwork is not good enough to defend smalls. Since he was a five-star, he wants to go pro, but he has a high bust potential if he doesn't attack his weaknesses hard. I don't know if losing weight will help him either. He needs to be a PF to make it. Since I root for Houston, I'd love to see him succeed, but I'd be lying if I said he leaves me underwhelmed consistently.

[Felixians4]

Aday Mara looks like he has Marc Gasol potential (elite defensive / playmaking big). I just hope he doesn't turn into Ante Tomic instead (drafted by Utah in 2008), who was just as talented of a big man playmaker at 7'2-7'3, but was soft and really lacked physicality/strength for the NBA.

Glad people are finally discovering my boy Krivas - good defensive big who's 80% from FT and is showing some 3PT potential. He's also perfectly ambidextrous around the paint area and can hit hooks and floaters with his left too.

Impressed with Steinbach. I understand the positional concerns, but dude is such a fundamentally sound player who's also a monster on the glass. Some type of D.Sabonis/Poeltl hybrid.

How do people feel about Veesaar's shooting numbers? He's clearly able to shoot it, but I have some doubts about him being able to sustain anything close to his current 41%+ (especially because his FT% has been going down every year and is at 60% now). I wouldnt't be surprised if he ends up being a 65-70% from FT and a 35-36% 3P shooter in the NBA. This is clearly his most attractive trait, so I feel like it's fair to question whether it's actually for real, and to what extent.

Solid takes, but Tomić is pretty different type of giant height C than Mara. Very soft, bad P&R defender, very crafty post technique(although Mara had that before NCAA and his comp was actually Pau Gasol back in time). They are both fantastic passers from short roll, good around the rim. Tomić could played some NBA role, he is just comfor type of guy, fell in love with Spain, playing for Real Madrid and Barca, significant Barca dominated when he was at Madrid and vice versa.

Steinbach is awesome and i prefer Veesar from 15-25 range, but he is not fit for everyone

[JMAC3]

Aday Mara is 53% from the FT line, doesn't bode well for his skill and touch.

[babyjax13]

I like Tomislav Ivisic more than almost everyone on that list, but just going with those guys:

1. Steinbach
2. Cenac

Surprised to see Cenac so high. He strikes me as the kind of big that just doesn't have a role in today's NBA. What does he do well that would help an NBA team?

I am not that high on these centers tbh. I think Cenac will be able to stretch the floor eventually, though, and best a good rebounder. Probably not an ideal starter (like Wendell Carter) and it may take time to get there.

[Jstock12]

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[RookieStar]

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How heavy is he? IS his build capable of taking on more muscle? His college advantages might be useless if NBA 230lbs PF can just go through his chest