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2026 NBA Draft Prospects

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Re: 2026 NBA Draft Prospects 

Post#161 » by Psubs » Mon Nov 17, 2025 4:00 pm

Appostis wrote:Any stretch bigs that night be in the late draft?


Late 1st round? or 2nd?

1st round: Hannes Steinbach, then I guess Condon and the Ivisic's. Maybe Steinbach is in between a Franz + Mo Wagner.



With the 2nd round pick, Nate Bittle is a 5-year senior. Might be a good UDFA add if he doesn't get drafted. Averages 4 blocks per game and the last 2 seasons he's shooting around 80% FTs.



Wait, Luigi Suigo is starting to shoot 3's for Mega. If Portland can draft Yang at #16 this year then the Raptors can draft Suigo around #20 next year.

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Re: 2026 NBA Draft Prospects 

Post#162 » by bluerap23 » Mon Nov 17, 2025 6:07 pm

Clutch0z24 wrote:
ATLTimekeeper wrote:
Clutch0z24 wrote:
CMB has a long long way to go to be even mentioned in with these names.....Hes got potential but need to relax on the comps....We always overhype our players to the moon and they do not end up becoming what we hype them up to be.

Im pretty sure anyone that is smart would take a top 5 pick in the 2026 draft + the 23rd pick in last years draft over CMB. CMB is not that good to give up on that value....Who even knows where CMB would be picked in the 2026 Draft alone....Theres prolly alot of players that would be ahead of him.


Might I recommend you listen to yourself here and apply it to prospects in general. You have the wisdom.


I don't think i ever call players the next Kawhi based off a few NBA games here lol....I may say some players look or have a sim play style but to say they could be as good or on that level....I do not say that...

There is reason to be excited for the 2026 draft class because i watch the college games myself and watch alot of the prospects games and i can see that alot of these guys are on a different level....Lots of talent in the top parts of this draft....Actual guys you could put in that future superstar class.

CMB imo has really good starter upside and a glue type guy....Not a Kawhi level type....Its same when people say Barnes will be Giannis....Its over hyping guys to set them up to fail. I am pretty realistic with what level players can reach and most the times its pretty obvious just by watching them play enough times.


The point is that the next shiny prospect is almost always more appealing to some on this board than even the best prospects in the NBA.
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Re: 2026 NBA Draft Prospects 

Post#163 » by Clutch0z24 » Mon Nov 17, 2025 7:26 pm

bluerap23 wrote:
Clutch0z24 wrote:
ATLTimekeeper wrote:
Might I recommend you listen to yourself here and apply it to prospects in general. You have the wisdom.


I don't think i ever call players the next Kawhi based off a few NBA games here lol....I may say some players look or have a sim play style but to say they could be as good or on that level....I do not say that...

There is reason to be excited for the 2026 draft class because i watch the college games myself and watch alot of the prospects games and i can see that alot of these guys are on a different level....Lots of talent in the top parts of this draft....Actual guys you could put in that future superstar class.

CMB imo has really good starter upside and a glue type guy....Not a Kawhi level type....Its same when people say Barnes will be Giannis....Its over hyping guys to set them up to fail. I am pretty realistic with what level players can reach and most the times its pretty obvious just by watching them play enough times.


The point is that the next shiny prospect is almost always more appealing to some on this board than even the best prospects in the NBA.


Me personally id much rather fast track it and trade for Giannis and be a team that has a legit chance to win it all....But facts are i think us trading for best prospects in the NBA are slim to none.....We have been trying to trade for a legit game changing talent for half a decade now and when one becomes available they just pick the destination they want to go....We are not on the lists.... If Giannis got traded in the Summer he would be on the Knicks since thats where he wanted to end up...

And if you are not getting top end talent via trade your next best way to get top talent is in the draft....And history shows picking late teens rarely gets you a player of any staying power.

I like we are winning games this year but is anyone really actually thinking we are making a playoff run with this team....Id be shocked if that is the case....We can beat up on teams missing players, and bad teams easy but when it comes to actual good to great teams we stand no chance.
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Re: 2026 NBA Draft Prospects 

Post#164 » by bluerap23 » Tue Nov 18, 2025 3:59 am

Clutch0z24 wrote:
bluerap23 wrote:
Clutch0z24 wrote:
I don't think i ever call players the next Kawhi based off a few NBA games here lol....I may say some players look or have a sim play style but to say they could be as good or on that level....I do not say that...

There is reason to be excited for the 2026 draft class because i watch the college games myself and watch alot of the prospects games and i can see that alot of these guys are on a different level....Lots of talent in the top parts of this draft....Actual guys you could put in that future superstar class.

CMB imo has really good starter upside and a glue type guy....Not a Kawhi level type....Its same when people say Barnes will be Giannis....Its over hyping guys to set them up to fail. I am pretty realistic with what level players can reach and most the times its pretty obvious just by watching them play enough times.


The point is that the next shiny prospect is almost always more appealing to some on this board than even the best prospects in the NBA.


Me personally id much rather fast track it and trade for Giannis and be a team that has a legit chance to win it all....But facts are i think us trading for best prospects in the NBA are slim to none.....We have been trying to trade for a legit game changing talent for half a decade now and when one becomes available they just pick the destination they want to go....We are not on the lists.... If Giannis got traded in the Summer he would be on the Knicks since thats where he wanted to end up...

And if you are not getting top end talent via trade your next best way to get top talent is in the draft....And history shows picking late teens rarely gets you a player of any staying power.

I like we are winning games this year but is anyone really actually thinking we are making a playoff run with this team....Id be shocked if that is the case....We can beat up on teams missing players, and bad teams easy but when it comes to actual good to great teams we stand no chance.


Funny that the player you would love to get wasn't even a lottery pick. And the three top players in the NBA for the past many years weren't drafted in the top 10. The lottery is just a roll of the dice.
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Re: 2026 NBA Draft Prospects 

Post#165 » by Clutch0z24 » Tue Nov 18, 2025 4:08 am

bluerap23 wrote:
Clutch0z24 wrote:
bluerap23 wrote:
The point is that the next shiny prospect is almost always more appealing to some on this board than even the best prospects in the NBA.


Me personally id much rather fast track it and trade for Giannis and be a team that has a legit chance to win it all....But facts are i think us trading for best prospects in the NBA are slim to none.....We have been trying to trade for a legit game changing talent for half a decade now and when one becomes available they just pick the destination they want to go....We are not on the lists.... If Giannis got traded in the Summer he would be on the Knicks since thats where he wanted to end up...

And if you are not getting top end talent via trade your next best way to get top talent is in the draft....And history shows picking late teens rarely gets you a player of any staying power.

I like we are winning games this year but is anyone really actually thinking we are making a playoff run with this team....Id be shocked if that is the case....We can beat up on teams missing players, and bad teams easy but when it comes to actual good to great teams we stand no chance.


Funny that the player you would love to get wasn't even a lottery pick. And the three top players in the NBA for the past many years weren't drafted in the top 10. The lottery is just a roll of the dice.


Dumbest take i hear is this exact one ^ Because if you look at the entire history of the league not just a few outliers here and there...Majority of top picks have dominated the league for generations....

LeBron
Jordan
Hakeem
Bird
Magic
Duncan
Wemby (Soon)
Doncic
Shaq
Kareem
Iverson
Curry

I could name more but thats just a list off the top of my head.....But if you look at the history of the NBA there have been more success with players being picked high in the draft rather than later....You have the outliers liek Giannis/Kawhi/Jokic who come around but its extremely rare so it makes your whole argument invalid and stupid when you go off the wide margin of history we have with draft picks and how the percentages dramatically go down more and more the later parts in the draft. There is actual data out there if you went looking....
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Re: 2026 NBA Draft Prospects 

Post#166 » by bluerap23 » Tue Nov 18, 2025 4:11 am

Clutch0z24 wrote:
bluerap23 wrote:
Clutch0z24 wrote:
Me personally id much rather fast track it and trade for Giannis and be a team that has a legit chance to win it all....But facts are i think us trading for best prospects in the NBA are slim to none.....We have been trying to trade for a legit game changing talent for half a decade now and when one becomes available they just pick the destination they want to go....We are not on the lists.... If Giannis got traded in the Summer he would be on the Knicks since thats where he wanted to end up...

And if you are not getting top end talent via trade your next best way to get top talent is in the draft....And history shows picking late teens rarely gets you a player of any staying power.

I like we are winning games this year but is anyone really actually thinking we are making a playoff run with this team....Id be shocked if that is the case....We can beat up on teams missing players, and bad teams easy but when it comes to actual good to great teams we stand no chance.


Funny that the player you would love to get wasn't even a lottery pick. And the three top players in the NBA for the past many years weren't drafted in the top 10. The lottery is just a roll of the dice.


Dumbest take i hear is this exact one ^ Because if you look at the entire history of the league not just a few outliers here and there Majority of top picks have dominated the league for generations....

LeBron
Jordan
Hakeem
Bird
Magic
Duncan
Wemby (Soon)
Doncic
Shaq
Kareem
Iverson
Curry

I could name more but thats just a list off the top of my head.....But if you look at the history of the NBA there have been more success with players being picked high in the draft rather than later....You have the outliers liek Giannis/Kawhi/Jokic who come around but its extremely rare so it makes your whole argument invalid and stupid when you go off the wide margin of history we have with draft picks and how the percentages dramatically go down more and more the later parts in the draft. There is actual data out there if you went looking....


There are countless thread dedicated to disproving tanking as a successful strategy so I'm not going to waste my time. Go follow the Sixers
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Re: 2026 NBA Draft Prospects 

Post#167 » by Clutch0z24 » Tue Nov 18, 2025 5:34 am

bluerap23 wrote:
Clutch0z24 wrote:
bluerap23 wrote:
Funny that the player you would love to get wasn't even a lottery pick. And the three top players in the NBA for the past many years weren't drafted in the top 10. The lottery is just a roll of the dice.


Dumbest take i hear is this exact one ^ Because if you look at the entire history of the league not just a few outliers here and there Majority of top picks have dominated the league for generations....

LeBron
Jordan
Hakeem
Bird
Magic
Duncan
Wemby (Soon)
Doncic
Shaq
Kareem
Iverson
Curry

I could name more but thats just a list off the top of my head.....But if you look at the history of the NBA there have been more success with players being picked high in the draft rather than later....You have the outliers liek Giannis/Kawhi/Jokic who come around but its extremely rare so it makes your whole argument invalid and stupid when you go off the wide margin of history we have with draft picks and how the percentages dramatically go down more and more the later parts in the draft. There is actual data out there if you went looking....


There are countless thread dedicated to disproving tanking as a successful strategy so I'm not going to waste my time. Go follow the Sixers


This not about tanking its about talent and where you find the best talent....You are literally trying to say the Draft you can find more talent later in the draft and i am saying that is untrue because history and data say otherwise....If you WERE to tank though you want the highest pick possible because that is where historically you find the best possible talent and where the talent that can be game changing percentage wise is found....

Tanking doesn't always work but there is no question teams find high end talent higher in the draft than later in the draft so its dumb to bring up that argument like you tried to do with Giannis. Thats all...
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Re: 2026 NBA Draft Prospects 

Post#168 » by Psubs » Tue Nov 18, 2025 5:37 am

Psubs wrote:Georgia Tech is 3-0 playing 3-0 Georgia tonight. Let's see how Jake Wilkins plays. :D

https://www.noceilingsnba.com/p/2026-nba-draft-big-board-v1

Right now he's not in this Top 60 mock, but he will be. I think should eventually land as high as late teens in such a stacked draft. Could end up an Ace Bailey level prospect without the ego. Maybe a more athletic Nikola Jovic without a 3pt shot yet. He was only a 4 star recruit, that's working hard.


Georgia is now 5-0 and beat the now 0-5 Florida A&M. Weak opponent but in 18 mins he had 14 pts (8 for 8 FTs) and an insane 4 steals + 5 blocks!
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Re: 2026 NBA Draft Prospects 

Post#169 » by PushDaRock » Tue Nov 18, 2025 5:42 am

Clutch0z24 wrote:
bluerap23 wrote:
Clutch0z24 wrote:
I don't think i ever call players the next Kawhi based off a few NBA games here lol....I may say some players look or have a sim play style but to say they could be as good or on that level....I do not say that...

There is reason to be excited for the 2026 draft class because i watch the college games myself and watch alot of the prospects games and i can see that alot of these guys are on a different level....Lots of talent in the top parts of this draft....Actual guys you could put in that future superstar class.

CMB imo has really good starter upside and a glue type guy....Not a Kawhi level type....Its same when people say Barnes will be Giannis....Its over hyping guys to set them up to fail. I am pretty realistic with what level players can reach and most the times its pretty obvious just by watching them play enough times.


The point is that the next shiny prospect is almost always more appealing to some on this board than even the best prospects in the NBA.


Me personally id much rather fast track it and trade for Giannis and be a team that has a legit chance to win it all....But facts are i think us trading for best prospects in the NBA are slim to none.....We have been trying to trade for a legit game changing talent for half a decade now and when one becomes available they just pick the destination they want to go....We are not on the lists.... If Giannis got traded in the Summer he would be on the Knicks since thats where he wanted to end up...

And if you are not getting top end talent via trade your next best way to get top talent is in the draft....And history shows picking late teens rarely gets you a player of any staying power.

I like we are winning games this year but is anyone really actually thinking we are making a playoff run with this team....Id be shocked if that is the case....We can beat up on teams missing players, and bad teams easy but when it comes to actual good to great teams we stand no chance.


I mean the 3 best players in the league right now were picked 11th, 15th and 41st.
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Re: 2026 NBA Draft Prospects 

Post#170 » by Clutch0z24 » Tue Nov 18, 2025 5:50 am

PushDaRock wrote:
Clutch0z24 wrote:
bluerap23 wrote:
The point is that the next shiny prospect is almost always more appealing to some on this board than even the best prospects in the NBA.


Me personally id much rather fast track it and trade for Giannis and be a team that has a legit chance to win it all....But facts are i think us trading for best prospects in the NBA are slim to none.....We have been trying to trade for a legit game changing talent for half a decade now and when one becomes available they just pick the destination they want to go....We are not on the lists.... If Giannis got traded in the Summer he would be on the Knicks since thats where he wanted to end up...

And if you are not getting top end talent via trade your next best way to get top talent is in the draft....And history shows picking late teens rarely gets you a player of any staying power.

I like we are winning games this year but is anyone really actually thinking we are making a playoff run with this team....Id be shocked if that is the case....We can beat up on teams missing players, and bad teams easy but when it comes to actual good to great teams we stand no chance.


I mean the 3 best players in the league right now were picked 11th, 15th and 41st.


Ok...And the next best players

Doncic
Wemby
Curry
KD

Were picked in the top 6....You can pick and choose but does not change the fact the percentages and the data say higher you pick the better the talent....I mean its not something you can really argue here either its just data and history that proves that its very very Rare you pick talent that great outside of the top parts of the draft.
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Re: 2026 NBA Draft Prospects 

Post#171 » by PushDaRock » Tue Nov 18, 2025 5:55 am

Clutch0z24 wrote:
PushDaRock wrote:
Clutch0z24 wrote:
Me personally id much rather fast track it and trade for Giannis and be a team that has a legit chance to win it all....But facts are i think us trading for best prospects in the NBA are slim to none.....We have been trying to trade for a legit game changing talent for half a decade now and when one becomes available they just pick the destination they want to go....We are not on the lists.... If Giannis got traded in the Summer he would be on the Knicks since thats where he wanted to end up...

And if you are not getting top end talent via trade your next best way to get top talent is in the draft....And history shows picking late teens rarely gets you a player of any staying power.

I like we are winning games this year but is anyone really actually thinking we are making a playoff run with this team....Id be shocked if that is the case....We can beat up on teams missing players, and bad teams easy but when it comes to actual good to great teams we stand no chance.


I mean the 3 best players in the league right now were picked 11th, 15th and 41st.


Ok...And the next best players

Doncic
Wemby
Curry
KD

Were picked in the top 6....You can pick and choose but does not change the fact the percentages and the data say higher you pick the better the talent....I mean its not something you can really argue here either its just data and history that proves that its very very Rare you pick talent that great outside of the top parts of the draft.


Curry was picked 7th in what was looked at as a weak draft.

Is anyone saying they don't want the highest pick possible?

I am just saying it's not that "rare" anymore if the best 3 players in the world weren't Top 10 picks.
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Re: 2026 NBA Draft Prospects 

Post#172 » by PushDaRock » Tue Nov 18, 2025 6:05 am

All NBA Teams 24/25

SGA - 11th pick
Haliburton - 12th pick
JDub - 12th pick
Mitchell - 13th pick
Giannis - 15th pick
Brunson - 33rd pick
Jokic - 40th pick

I mean that's 7 of the 15 guys not even picked in the top 10 that made All-NBA teams last year. 4 of them made the 1st Team. Clearly, there's high end talent to be found even when not picking high in the draft.
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Re: 2026 NBA Draft Prospects 

Post#173 » by Clutch0z24 » Tue Nov 18, 2025 7:16 am

PushDaRock wrote:All NBA Teams 24/25

SGA - 11th pick
Haliburton - 12th pick
JDub - 12th pick
Mitchell - 13th pick
Giannis - 15th pick
Brunson - 33rd pick
Jokic - 40th pick

I mean that's 7 of the 15 guys not even picked in the top 10 that made All-NBA teams last year. 4 of them made the 1st Team. Clearly, there's high end talent to be found even when not picking high in the draft.


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You can't just pick and choose players that fit a narrative that you are trying to push without looking at the History of the NBA....Just because there are a few players that are picked later....3 on that list that are legit Superstars....The rest are just really good....Doesn't mean you should ignore the history of the NBA...Because i can make a list of players in the history of the NBA that were high end picks that have lead their teams and it will be longer than that list you made.

There is legit Data that legit proves that higher you pick the better the outcome of the player you get....Its not something you can argue with me about when there is legit data to prove against what you are trying to push here....Its like someone trying to argue against proven science lol you won't win...

No one said you can't find good players later in the draft i am simply saying its very rare and a long shot to do as percentages and history say so.

Kareem
Bird
Magic
McHale
Thomas
Worthy
Wilkins
Sampson
Hakeem
Jordan
Barkley
Ewing
Robinson
Pippen
Payton
Shaq
Webber
Kidd
Garnett
Iverson
Ray Allen
Duncan
Billups
Carter
Gasol
LeBron
Melo
Wade
Bosh
Howard
CP3
KD
Rose
Westbrook
Griffin
Harden
Curry
Kyrie
AD
Embiid
Brown
Tatum
Fox
Markkenen
Doncic
Jarren Jackson Jr
Trae Young
Anthony Edwards
Cade
Mobley
Barnes
Banchero
Chet
Wemby
Zachare
Castle
Flagg
Edgecombe
Harper
Kon

I mean you can make a list here of top picks that have been great players and if i make a list of players that are great players later in the draft it will be much shorter than this list i have made. So that just shows that higher you pick better the outcome from a statistical POV.
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Re: 2026 NBA Draft Prospects 

Post#174 » by ImaBeatDatAzz » Tue Nov 18, 2025 7:38 am

PushDaRock wrote:
Clutch0z24 wrote:
bluerap23 wrote:
The point is that the next shiny prospect is almost always more appealing to some on this board than even the best prospects in the NBA.


Me personally id much rather fast track it and trade for Giannis and be a team that has a legit chance to win it all....But facts are i think us trading for best prospects in the NBA are slim to none.....We have been trying to trade for a legit game changing talent for half a decade now and when one becomes available they just pick the destination they want to go....We are not on the lists.... If Giannis got traded in the Summer he would be on the Knicks since thats where he wanted to end up...

And if you are not getting top end talent via trade your next best way to get top talent is in the draft....And history shows picking late teens rarely gets you a player of any staying power.

I like we are winning games this year but is anyone really actually thinking we are making a playoff run with this team....Id be shocked if that is the case....We can beat up on teams missing players, and bad teams easy but when it comes to actual good to great teams we stand no chance.


I mean the 3 best players in the league right now were picked 11th, 15th and 41st.

Damn sounds crazy to not put Luka in that category. But ya goes to show lottery isn’t always everything
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Re: 2026 NBA Draft Prospects 

Post#175 » by Mark_83 » Tue Nov 18, 2025 7:45 am

Appostis wrote:Any stretch bigs that night be in the late draft?

;pp=ygUNaGVucmkgdmVlc2Fhcg%3D%3D
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Re: 2026 NBA Draft Prospects 

Post#176 » by bluerap23 » Tue Nov 18, 2025 1:52 pm

Clutch0z24 wrote:
bluerap23 wrote:
Clutch0z24 wrote:
Dumbest take i hear is this exact one ^ Because if you look at the entire history of the league not just a few outliers here and there Majority of top picks have dominated the league for generations....

LeBron
Jordan
Hakeem
Bird
Magic
Duncan
Wemby (Soon)
Doncic
Shaq
Kareem
Iverson
Curry

I could name more but thats just a list off the top of my head.....But if you look at the history of the NBA there have been more success with players being picked high in the draft rather than later....You have the outliers liek Giannis/Kawhi/Jokic who come around but its extremely rare so it makes your whole argument invalid and stupid when you go off the wide margin of history we have with draft picks and how the percentages dramatically go down more and more the later parts in the draft. There is actual data out there if you went looking....


There are countless thread dedicated to disproving tanking as a successful strategy so I'm not going to waste my time. Go follow the Sixers


This not about tanking its about talent and where you find the best talent....You are literally trying to say the Draft you can find more talent later in the draft and i am saying that is untrue because history and data say otherwise....If you WERE to tank though you want the highest pick possible because that is where historically you find the best possible talent and where the talent that can be game changing percentage wise is found....

Tanking doesn't always work but there is no question teams find high end talent higher in the draft than later in the draft so its dumb to bring up that argument like you tried to do with Giannis. Thats all...


It is extremely ironic that you've used the word dumb to rebut my two replies when you are making the consistently dumbest argument made on this forum.
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Re: 2026 NBA Draft Prospects 

Post#177 » by Clutch0z24 » Tue Nov 18, 2025 2:30 pm

bluerap23 wrote:
Clutch0z24 wrote:
bluerap23 wrote:
There are countless thread dedicated to disproving tanking as a successful strategy so I'm not going to waste my time. Go follow the Sixers


This not about tanking its about talent and where you find the best talent....You are literally trying to say the Draft you can find more talent later in the draft and i am saying that is untrue because history and data say otherwise....If you WERE to tank though you want the highest pick possible because that is where historically you find the best possible talent and where the talent that can be game changing percentage wise is found....

Tanking doesn't always work but there is no question teams find high end talent higher in the draft than later in the draft so its dumb to bring up that argument like you tried to do with Giannis. Thats all...


It is extremely ironic that you've used the word dumb to rebut my two replies when you are making the consistently dumbest argument made on this forum.


Yet i just posted a chart that proves my point to be right in context to what im saying that the higher you pick the better the outcome percentage wise and you are trying to say im wrong....I gave a list of about 50 or so players that were picked high in the draft that were and look to be great....While you gave me a list of like 8 players...

I mean yeah you can find good players outside of the top parts of the draft but the chances are very small....Ofc there will be outliers here and there but im going off percentages here not just spewing out nonsense.
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Re: 2026 NBA Draft Prospects 

Post#178 » by bluerap23 » Tue Nov 18, 2025 2:34 pm

Clutch0z24 wrote:
bluerap23 wrote:
Clutch0z24 wrote:
This not about tanking its about talent and where you find the best talent....You are literally trying to say the Draft you can find more talent later in the draft and i am saying that is untrue because history and data say otherwise....If you WERE to tank though you want the highest pick possible because that is where historically you find the best possible talent and where the talent that can be game changing percentage wise is found....

Tanking doesn't always work but there is no question teams find high end talent higher in the draft than later in the draft so its dumb to bring up that argument like you tried to do with Giannis. Thats all...


It is extremely ironic that you've used the word dumb to rebut my two replies when you are making the consistently dumbest argument made on this forum.


Yet i just posted a chart that proves my point to be right in context to what im saying that the higher you pick the better the outcome percentage wise and you are trying to say im wrong....I gave a list of about 50 or so players that were picked high in the draft that were and look to be great....While you gave me a list of like 8 players...

I mean yeah you can find good players outside of the top parts of the draft but the chances are very small....Ofc there will be outliers here and there but im going off percentages here not just spewing out nonsense.


I have never argued that having a lower pick is better than having a higher pick. I shouldn't have to point that out as it is obvious. I am saying that the draft is a crap shoot. There are so many factors that rely on luck. The raptors had twice the odds of Dallas to land Cooper Flagg. How many years have we seen a tank for wiggins thread? Wiggins has actually been a good NBA player but he is only the 12th best player from that draft. How about Zion (the next LeBron) Williamson.

The point is that building through the draft relies on luck. There are many successful franchises that have become successful without a top 3 pick. The raptors had a decade of great success culminating in a championship without a top 3 pick. Yes there are generational talents that can lead to a dynasty that go number 1. Getting one of those is extremely unlikely. There are also generational talents that do not go number 1 and getting one of those is extremely unlikely.

There are more ways than one to win. Tanking as a strategy is not more successful than other strategies. It is a lot less fun though.
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Clutch0z24
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Re: 2026 NBA Draft Prospects 

Post#179 » by Clutch0z24 » Tue Nov 18, 2025 2:49 pm

bluerap23 wrote:
Clutch0z24 wrote:
bluerap23 wrote:
It is extremely ironic that you've used the word dumb to rebut my two replies when you are making the consistently dumbest argument made on this forum.


Yet i just posted a chart that proves my point to be right in context to what im saying that the higher you pick the better the outcome percentage wise and you are trying to say im wrong....I gave a list of about 50 or so players that were picked high in the draft that were and look to be great....While you gave me a list of like 8 players...

I mean yeah you can find good players outside of the top parts of the draft but the chances are very small....Ofc there will be outliers here and there but im going off percentages here not just spewing out nonsense.


I have never argued that having a lower pick is better than having a higher pick. I shouldn't have to point that out as it is obvious. I am saying that the draft is a crap shoot. There are so many factors that rely on luck. The raptors had twice the odds of Dallas to land Cooper Flagg. How many years have we seen a tank for wiggins thread? Wiggins has actually been a good NBA player but he is only the 12th best player from that draft. How about Zion (the next LeBron) Williamson.

The point is that building through the draft relies on luck. There are many successful franchises that have become successful without a top 3 pick. The raptors had a decade of great success culminating in a championship without a top 3 pick. Yes there are generational talents that can lead to a dynasty that go number 1. Getting one of those is extremely unlikely. There are also generational talents that do not go number 1 and getting one of those is extremely unlikely.

There are more ways than one to win. Tanking as a strategy is not more successful than other strategies. It is a lot less fun though.


And i never said that tanking is the end all be all either to success ever....I said if you are GOING to tank you have to do it right and get the highest pick possible because the best players and chances are near the top of the draft rather than trying to find one later in the draft....Not half ass it....I also said if you are trying to compete trade your best assets for win now players and don't half ass that as well...

There is luck in both ways you are talking about here....There have been many dynasty franchises that played the draft to find their franchise player before they went on their runs as well....GSW were tanking team before they got Curry, Followed by Klay, Bulls were a tanking team before they got Jordan, followed by Pippen, Celtics Before Bird/McHale, Tatum/Brown, Spurs with Duncan, Now with Wemby/Castle/Harper, Lakers with Magic. Piston with Thomas.

Both ways involve luck because you could try to play the middle and make a trade but end up never having that one "Trade" to catapult you into legit contention and that trade never ever ends up happening and you just stay playing the middle for years without much to show for....We have been on that side of the coin for half a decade now...And we still would need a upgrade trade to be a legit threat in the playoffs atm.

Teams like the DeRozan/Lavine Bulls, Joe Johnson/Josh Smith Hawks, Randolph/Gasol Grizzlies, Arenas/Jamison/Butler Wizards, Allen/Lewis Sonics, These type of teams come to mind...Talented rosters but not good enough to really win....Leads you in no mans land for years.

Both ways are viable options and both can work but don't act like both ways do not involve luck.
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Re: 2026 NBA Draft Prospects 

Post#180 » by Mark_83 » Wed Nov 19, 2025 3:11 am

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/46968510/2026-nba-mock-draft-projecting-all-30-first-round-picks-teams

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Players we passed on:

Tounde Yessoufou
Yaxel Lendeborg
Kingston Flemings
Bennett Stirtz
Hannes Steinbach

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