2026 NBA DRAFT CLASS

[Caneman786]

Lol, how is Rob Wright ranked #260? By who?

He's easily a 1st rounder if he declares.

Killing it this year as a sophomore.

The ESPN Analytics draft ranking, which aggregates many publicly available draft boards.

Robert Wright III doesn't feature on most draft boards. For example:

Tankathon has 76 players and Wright isn't featured.

ESPN's Jeremy Woo most recent mock draft with 60 players and ranking with 100 players doesn't have Robert Wright III.

CBS Sports Ranking has 60 players and Wright isn't there.

nbadraftroom.com has 158 players. Wright doesn't make it.

No Ceilings NBA doesn't have Wright in its recent mock, not in the 60 players mentioned.

nbadraft.net (which is quite unorthodox) is the highest on Wright, and he ranks #92.

It's clear Wright has to make more of a splash before being considered higher, since he doesn't have a lot of attention right now.

[ROballer]

He's the 2nd best player on a ranked team that's 16-2 for the year.

Sophomore, 20 yrs old. Also known nationally as the 5th piece of that famous highschool lineup featuring Flagg, Derik Queen, Liam McNeeley and Asa Newell(all NBA guys).

Averaging 18/4/5 for the year(numbers going up, he's been on a tear lately). 20.7 PER, .581% TS and shooting 44% from 3.

Even better in conference play(Big 12), averaging 22/4/5 on 25 PER and 59% TS.


Sure, he's small. He has that against him. But I guarantee you he's far more likely of getting drafted(maybe not in the 1st round but certainly in the second) than being outside of #150 as a prospect. That's just absurd.

Everyone's watching BYU because of Dybantsa. They notice Wright too, rest assured. Hard not to. Talking about the guys who do matter, the NBA executives.

[RipCity71252]

Where are you guys at with this senior class?

Yaxel is probably a top 25 guy for me, but a lesser skilled PJ Washington with better hands and passing, but worse shooting is not a guy I'm juiced to draft in the late lottery which is where I see him showing up on most mocks right now.

Stirtz has been disappointing to me every time I've seen him this year. Lights out shooter but doesn't touch the paint much and just fine as a playmaker. Quick decisions, but I don't think he's much of a manipulator to create high value shots in spite of his limited athleticism. I also think he shows little toughness / compete level on the defensive end which I really worry about for a slight guard.

Saunders is really old but I like his mix of athleticism and versatile shooting...unique combo. I little overmatched strength wise defensively and likely a slight negative on that end but I think he plays hard and is pretty smart. That's probably worth a top 40 pick...he probably can play right away and a solid shot to be rotation level guy.

Don't really get it with Jefferson...he's a stay away for me.

The other guards are just ok to me (Bruce Thornton, Ja'Kobi Gillespie, Braden Smith). Might give the slight edge to Ja'Kobi of the three to make it (best athlete and defender imo), but they all face up hill battles due to their size.

Bruce is probably the guy I like to watch the most (I'd put him as the best natural scorer of the bunch), but wish he was more aggressive and not so safe as a playmaker. Too many times I want to see him put that OSU team on his back but that doesn't seem to be in his nature.

I do have some under the radar-ish guys that I'm pretty big fans of though.

Tyler Nickel is probably my favorite senior in the class. Has always looked heavy footed to me in the past, but he has really worked on his body this year and didn't look out of place athletically vs a very big and athletic Florida team recently. I'm note a huge fan of low usage seniors typically, but his combo of real wing size / low to% / and elite shooting is unique to this group. I also really like his little used off the bounce game when he is ran off the line. The all time leader in scoring in Virginia HS history (McClung 2nd, Iverson third)....has some real skill and footwork with the ball. Defensively he's smart but his footspeed and relative lack of athleticism probably keeps him from being super useful but I wouldn't bank on him being a huge negative either. Easily a draftable guy for me.

Dillon Mitchell. Has really improved his game every year and the athleticism at that size is special. Narrow skillset offensively, but I think he can play in the corner /dunker and be a valuable finisher and decision maker. Defensively he moves so well for his size that he'll be able to guard all over floor defensively. And there's still a tiny and part of me that's wishing upon the shooting coming along and him really hitting on the potential that made him a top 5 guy in his HS class. But overall I'm just impressed with his trajectory and self awareness for guy with his prep background to take a largely bench role as a senior and continue to understand his strengths and weaknesses to maximize his impact towards winning.

Last guy and one I'm least confident in is Ugonna Onyenso. Another highly touted young player that has had a weird college career, but the block rate is elite and there is enough shooting development happening this year that it perks my ears up. And despite again not playing a lot for Virginia, I really like how UV coaches/utilizes there bigs and think it's helped him a lot. Just knowing where to be and how to both clear space and make himself available as a big to help his guards. Wish he was more physical and explosive as a finisher but I like that he's not a walking turnover and he has some elite traits that I'm happy to take a flier on him in a class of seniors lacking true center prospects.

[babyjax13]

How high should Braden Smith go? Part of me wants to say a team should draft him in the 20s but I have him nowhere close to that in my **** mock lol

[Chuck Everett]

How high should Braden Smith go? Part of me wants to say a team should draft him in the 20s but I have him nowhere close to that in my **** mock lol

Is an NBA team going to put the ball in his hands and let him run the offense? If not, then he's a 2nd round pick at best. Like Ryan Nembhard or Tyler Kolek. Feel the same way about Robert Wright.

[babyjax13]

How high should Braden Smith go? Part of me wants to say a team should draft him in the 20s but I have him nowhere close to that in my **** mock lol

Is an NBA team going to put the ball in his hands and let him run the offense? If not, then he's a 2nd round pick at best. Like Ryan Nembhard or Tyler Kolek. Feel the same way about Robert Wright.

I feel like he is a lot more functional as a defender than Wright.

[Chuck Everett]

How high should Braden Smith go? Part of me wants to say a team should draft him in the 20s but I have him nowhere close to that in my **** mock lol

Is an NBA team going to put the ball in his hands and let him run the offense? If not, then he's a 2nd round pick at best. Like Ryan Nembhard or Tyler Kolek. Feel the same way about Robert Wright.

I feel like he is a lot more functional as a defender than Wright.

So you think he can be somewhat effective in switch oriented situations defensively? Because the reason guys like Collin Gillespie can are due to being 6'4-6'5. Devin Carter was known for his defense and is 6'3, with long arms, son of an NBA coach and he can't even get on the floor. I think in a different NBA where Braden is given the keys, he could be a solid player. NBA doesn't really play like that anymore.

With that being said, all it takes is one team to say this is a guy who can make our offense go and gets guys good shots on a consistent basis.

[babyjax13]

Is an NBA team going to put the ball in his hands and let him run the offense? If not, then he's a 2nd round pick at best. Like Ryan Nembhard or Tyler Kolek. Feel the same way about Robert Wright.

I feel like he is a lot more functional as a defender than Wright.

So you think he can be somewhat effective in switch oriented situations defensively? Because the reason guys like Collin Gillespie can are due to being 6'4-6'5. Devin Carter was known for his defense and is 6'3, with long arms, son of an NBA coach and he can't even get on the floor. I think in a different NBA where Braden is given the keys, he could be a solid player. NBA doesn't really play like that anymore.

With that being said, all it takes is one team to say this is a guy who can make our offense go and gets guys good shots on a consistent basis.

Against bench players I think he can be okay and his offensive creation might be enough that he stays on the floor. I could be wrong, though, these small guards just aren't translating.

[RipCity71252]

Malachi Moreno looks like a lottery big to me.

True center size, smart, above average athleticism with plus strength and no notable weaknesses.

Wendell Carter Jr. / Thomas Sorber level guy imo

[eminence]

Don't really follow high school ball, so 1/2 way into the college season is about when I start feeling comfortable forming opinions on prospects - overall so far I like the top 3/4 less than the consensus seems to, but do like the depth of this class and the top certainly isn't bad.

[King Ken]

Where are you guys at with this senior class?

Yaxel is probably a top 25 guy for me, but a lesser skilled PJ Washington with better hands and passing, but worse shooting is not a guy I'm juiced to draft in the late lottery which is where I see him showing up on most mocks right now.

Stirtz has been disappointing to me every time I've seen him this year. Lights out shooter but doesn't touch the paint much and just fine as a playmaker. Quick decisions, but I don't think he's much of a manipulator to create high value shots in spite of his limited athleticism. I also think he shows little toughness / compete level on the defensive end which I really worry about for a slight guard.

Saunders is really old but I like his mix of athleticism and versatile shooting...unique combo. I little overmatched strength wise defensively and likely a slight negative on that end but I think he plays hard and is pretty smart. That's probably worth a top 40 pick...he probably can play right away and a solid shot to be rotation level guy.

Don't really get it with Jefferson...he's a stay away for me.

The other guards are just ok to me (Bruce Thornton, Ja'Kobi Gillespie, Braden Smith). Might give the slight edge to Ja'Kobi of the three to make it (best athlete and defender imo), but they all face up hill battles due to their size.

Bruce is probably the guy I like to watch the most (I'd put him as the best natural scorer of the bunch), but wish he was more aggressive and not so safe as a playmaker. Too many times I want to see him put that OSU team on his back but that doesn't seem to be in his nature.

I do have some under the radar-ish guys that I'm pretty big fans of though.

Tyler Nickel is probably my favorite senior in the class. Has always looked heavy footed to me in the past, but he has really worked on his body this year and didn't look out of place athletically vs a very big and athletic Florida team recently. I'm note a huge fan of low usage seniors typically, but his combo of real wing size / low to% / and elite shooting is unique to this group. I also really like his little used off the bounce game when he is ran off the line. The all time leader in scoring in Virginia HS history (McClung 2nd, Iverson third)....has some real skill and footwork with the ball. Defensively he's smart but his footspeed and relative lack of athleticism probably keeps him from being super useful but I wouldn't bank on him being a huge negative either. Easily a draftable guy for me.

Dillon Mitchell. Has really improved his game every year and the athleticism at that size is special. Narrow skillset offensively, but I think he can play in the corner /dunker and be a valuable finisher and decision maker. Defensively he moves so well for his size that he'll be able to guard all over floor defensively. And there's still a tiny and part of me that's wishing upon the shooting coming along and him really hitting on the potential that made him a top 5 guy in his HS class. But overall I'm just impressed with his trajectory and self awareness for guy with his prep background to take a largely bench role as a senior and continue to understand his strengths and weaknesses to maximize his impact towards winning.

Last guy and one I'm least confident in is Ugonna Onyenso. Another highly touted young player that has had a weird college career, but the block rate is elite and there is enough shooting development happening this year that it perks my ears up. And despite again not playing a lot for Virginia, I really like how UV coaches/utilizes there bigs and think it's helped him a lot. Just knowing where to be and how to both clear space and make himself available as a big to help his guards. Wish he was more physical and explosive as a finisher but I like that he's not a walking turnover and he has some elite traits that I'm happy to take a flier on him in a class of seniors lacking true center prospects.

I liken Yaxel to David West last year and while I haven't watched much of Michigan this year, his metrics look good. I'll watch them heavily at some point as they have multiple NBA prospects.

I watched Braden and I am a major fan. I just think he will need time to adjust to the game.

[Chuck Everett]

Dailyn Swain continues his march towards all-SEC. Some is going to take him with a late first/early second and then sic him on your favorite perimeter scorer.

Teams to keep an eye on: OKC (via Houston pick), Denver and Sacramento (top of round 2).

[Jstock12]

Nice to see Krivas starting to shoot (and drain) threes, in addition to anchoring a top3 defense. Seen him entering a lot of people's big boards lately.

[tontoz]

Epic day so far. Mikel returns, Flemings goes nuclear and now Wagler is trying to top him.

[Chi town]

Wagler has such a pure 3 ball on ball and movement shooting. Hes strong and uses his body really well. He has quite the bag in offense and some great footwork to go with his change of pace. High IQ and doing a lot on ball to get manipulate defenses to get good shots for his team.

My only question is his D. He’s not a movement great athlete. Will be get abused on D? Targeted? Seems like he just can’t guard the quick smaller guards. Although he’d own those small guards and shoot over them and post them up.

He’s a competitor and winner with two state titles in HS. I think he will figure it out.

[peZt]

This freshman class is so crazy

[King Ken]

It's a waste of time thinking Wagler will enter the draft. They return their entire squad next year and would be runaway favorites and he would get 6-9 million from Illinois.

[One_and_Done]

I haven't dug into the film, but as a casual draft observer it feels like there is a big drop after the 2nd pick. Those top 2 guys have the look of stars.

[SeattleJazzFan]

three lottery prospects go for 40+ this afternoon. what a day

[ezhkw8u69e]

Is Peterson going to be called DNP?