2026 NBA DRAFT CLASS

[GSWFan1994]

I wouldn't be surprised if Christian Anderson keeps rising and ends up being selected in the lottery.

Meleek seems to be a riser too, in the 20s range.

I liked Billy Richmond as a sleeper pick in the 22-28 range, guess he wanted that NIL money? I just don't see why he would be getting negative feedback at this point.

I feel like Karim Lopez is rising too.

[BigGargamel]

Any news on Meleek Thomas?

He's officially staying in. Good move. Easy first rounder IMO.

[BigGargamel]

From what I gathered, these are the number of underclassmen to stay in the draft. Pretty much, the smallest amount I can ever think of, at least the past 30 years. Nuts.

Freshman - 17
Sophomore - 6
Junior - 3
Foreign - 8

[King Ken]

From what I gathered, these are the number of underclassmen to stay in the draft. Pretty much, the smallest amount I can ever think of, at least the past 30 years. Nuts.

Freshman - 17
Sophomore - 6
Junior - 3
Foreign - 8

You aren't going to get big underclassmen classes with undrafted guys get 1m in college. That's just not gonna happen. The Tanners of the world can get 3m+

More freshman stayed in than I expected

[BigGargamel]

From what I gathered, these are the number of underclassmen to stay in the draft. Pretty much, the smallest amount I can ever think of, at least the past 30 years. Nuts.

Freshman - 17
Sophomore - 6
Junior - 3
Foreign - 8

You aren't going to get big underclassmen classes with undrafted guys get 1m in college. That's just not gonna happen. The Tanners of the world can get 3m+

More freshman stayed in than I expected

Yeah, I get it. This just seems like the biggest extreme yet. Every remaining underclassmen college player is considered at least a late first round pick. Tankathon has Henri Veesaar the lowest at 29, and every single underclassmen is ranked that or higher. Can't gamble on those young guys with your 2nd round picks anymore.The second round could literally be all seniors and a couple fringe Euro guys.

Times are-a changing.

[Caneman786]

Tankathon has Henri Veesaar the lowest at 29, and every single underclassmen is ranked that or higher.

I couldn't believe it when I read this, even knowing about all the returners, so I had to check for myself. You were right!

There are 25 early entry college players left in the draft. On Tankathon's big board, Henri Veesaar is the final one at #29. This means there are only 3 seniors and one international guy above him: Lendeborg, Lopez, Stirtz, and Jefferson (all of the college guys having had to work their way up from mid-major schools or D2 schools). Everyone ranked #30 or higher is either a senior or is an international player (and for seniors it starts running the glut of every very accomplished senior in college basketball, with guys like Bradley, Gillespie, Nickel, Okpara, Thornton, and Maliq Brown now firmly being expected to be second round picks. Maybe even Oscar Cluff and Graham Ike have shots now!)

The rookiescale.com consensus big board is similar, with Meleek Thomas ranked #28, as Lendeborg and Stirtz are the only two seniors to edge him out, with Lopez being the international player.

There may be an element of groupthink with the big boards, as websites and analysts may be following each other and with the trends going on, have developed this exact "dividing line" which each individual front office won't follow (as they come to their own conclusions on prospects). Because of that, it will be interesting to see how precisely this holds up on draft night, which seniors may rise into the first round and such underclassmen may slide.

But just seeing how near-perfect the dichotomy is is wild. And it could easily get more extreme in the future with how weak some of these graduating high school classes are (at least what they're perceived to be).

[King Ken]

With the exceptional of Backo, I think every Intl will be a 1st round pick

[JMAC3]

With the exceptional of Backo, I think every Intl will be a 1st round pick

I doubt that, but I guess it depends on who you consider "every international"

[moss_is_1]

Why isn't there more talk for Nate Bittle? Good passer, solid instincts on both sides, little bit of shooting, but he's slow and unathletic. Measured fantastic last year at 7'0, 7'5.75" wingspan and a 9'5" standing reach. What am I missing? In a shallow center class I can see him going late 1st or early early 2nd.

Is he worse than Reynaud or Kalkbrenner by a lot?

[Cammo101]

Why isn't there more talk for Nate Bittle? Good passer, solid instincts on both sides, little bit of shooting, but he's slow and unathletic. Measured fantastic last year at 7'0, 7'5.75" wingspan and a 9'5" standing reach. What am I missing? In a shallow center class I can see him going late 1st or early early 2nd.

Is he worse than Reynaud or Kalkbrenner by a lot?

I think you will find the league is higher on Bittle than the prognosticators. He will land in the middle of the second round. He's got true center size and can shoot it, and while I don't see him as being on Reynaud or Kalkbrenner's level. He is 100% going to get drafted and will likely be in the NBA for a while.

[BlazersBroncos]

I am a big Bittle guy. Think he compares favorably to guys like Huff and LaFrentz. He does have some injury issues and is the level of athlete where one medium or bigger injury could sap his already bad movement skills to a level that excludes him from being a NBA player though IMO.

[Chuck Everett]

Why isn't there more talk for Nate Bittle? Good passer, solid instincts on both sides, little bit of shooting, but he's slow and unathletic. Measured fantastic last year at 7'0, 7'5.75" wingspan and a 9'5" standing reach. What am I missing? In a shallow center class I can see him going late 1st or early early 2nd.

Is he worse than Reynaud or Kalkbrenner by a lot?

I think you will find the league is higher on Bittle than the prognosticators. He will land in the middle of the second round. He's got true center size and can shoot it, and while I don't see him as being on Reynaud or Kalkbrenner's level. He is 100% going to get drafted and will likely be in the NBA for a while.

Biddle's pedigree as a former McDonald's All-American still goes a bit, but injuries have sapped him of so much mobility, it's going to take a unique team to bring him in. I watched him in the 2025 tournament make Veesar look kind of bad (and I like Veesar), but I seriously wonder if Bittle's body can handle the rigors of NBA basketball. If it can't, he's just not worth that much investment.

The guy can play though. Especially around the rim.

[BlazersBroncos]

Why isn't there more talk for Nate Bittle? Good passer, solid instincts on both sides, little bit of shooting, but he's slow and unathletic. Measured fantastic last year at 7'0, 7'5.75" wingspan and a 9'5" standing reach. What am I missing? In a shallow center class I can see him going late 1st or early early 2nd.

Is he worse than Reynaud or Kalkbrenner by a lot?

I think you will find the league is higher on Bittle than the prognosticators. He will land in the middle of the second round. He's got true center size and can shoot it, and while I don't see him as being on Reynaud or Kalkbrenner's level. He is 100% going to get drafted and will likely be in the NBA for a while.

Biddle's pedigree as a former McDonald's All-American still goes a bit, but injuries have sapped him of so much mobility, it's going to take a unique team to bring him in. I watched him in the 2025 tournament make Veesar look kind of bad (and I like Veesar), but I seriously wonder if Bittle's body can handle the rigors of NBA basketball. If it can't, he's just not worth that much investment.

The guy can play though. Especially around the rim.

All valid but w/ the new realities of R2 even with the above caveats he is worth a pick in the 40's IMO.

[moss_is_1]

Thanks for the input fellas.

Who are some of your "sleeper" sort of guys, maybe guys that normally don't get drafted but now with NIL zapping that mid-late 2nd rounder, have some skills that can earn them a roster spot?

Can Darrion Williams get there? Looks like a big bodied wing with great strength, good not elite shooter, good hands, good instincts, but not a very good athlete, not particularly long or big(only about 6'6). Jared Dudley like if he can hit a decent number from 3?

[Chuck Everett]

Thanks for the input fellas.

Who are some of your "sleeper" sort of guys, maybe guys that normally don't get drafted but now with NIL zapping that mid-late 2nd rounder, have some skills that can earn them a roster spot?

Can Darrion Williams get there? Looks like a big bodied wing with great strength, good not elite shooter, good hands, good instincts, but not a very good athlete, not particularly long or big(only about 6'6). Jared Dudley like if he can hit a decent number from 3?

Not really a fan of Williams, his last season at NC State was so bad and he undid a lot of the goodwill he built at Texas Tech. I think he has a g-league grind ahead of him. I posted the following names in the General Discussion thread that I believe can find their ways onto NBA rosters. All probably starting as two-way/exhibit-10 contract players.

Sleepers:
Tae Davis (Oklahoma)
Donovan Atwell (Texas Tech)
Carson Cooper (Michigan State)
Malik Dia (Ole Miss)
Mark Mitchell (Missouri)
Pete Suder (Miami-OH)

[babyjax13]

Thanks for the input fellas.

Who are some of your "sleeper" sort of guys, maybe guys that normally don't get drafted but now with NIL zapping that mid-late 2nd rounder, have some skills that can earn them a roster spot?

Can Darrion Williams get there? Looks like a big bodied wing with great strength, good not elite shooter, good hands, good instincts, but not a very good athlete, not particularly long or big(only about 6'6). Jared Dudley like if he can hit a decent number from 3?

Not really a fan of Williams, his last season at NC State was so bad and he undid a lot of the goodwill he built at Texas Tech. I think he has a g-league grind ahead of him. I posted the following names in the General Discussion thread that I believe can find their ways onto NBA rosters. All probably starting as two-way/exhibit-10 contract players.

Sleepers:
Tae Davis (Oklahoma)
Donovan Atwell (Texas Tech)
Carson Cooper (Michigan State)
Malik Dia (Ole Miss)
Mark Mitchell (Missouri)
Pete Suder (Miami-OH)

I like Atwell and Dia as well. Suder got annihilated in the combine scrimmages (shot 1/19 across two games).

Seth Trimble and Malik Reneau are guys I like a lot. I also think Keita should get drafted at the end of the 2nd with his athleticism and mobility. Could look good for Golden State.

[Chuck Everett]

I like Atwell and Dia as well. Suder got annihilated in the combine scrimmages (shot 1/19 across two games).

Seth Trimble and Malik Reneau are guys I like a lot. I also think Keita should get drafted at the end of the 2nd with his athleticism and mobility. Could look good for Golden State.

Suder played poorly the scrimmages, but that guy is 6'4 with like a 6'8 wingspan. He's older, but his game tape and play-style just looks like an NBA player to me. I hate to do the intangibles thing, but the only reason that Miami team was so great was due to him. They had a lot of good players, but that guy was the glue that held it all together. I think the Tennessee game where everyone else was totally locked up and he still dropped 27, is a reason to like him because the Vols were full of lengthy athletic players and he more than held his own.

Trimble (JP Tokoto's younger brother) is a hell of an athlete, but I wonder about his long term viability. However, there is a path to success for him. It is in emulating Gary Payton II. He's that kind of athlete, with a long wingspan and big hands, but his ball skills lack to me. Reneau, is kind of meh. Like, it's nothing against him, but the fact that he had a breakout season in Miami, after just being average at Indiana, I don't know what to really make of him, just being honest. The ACC has been a crappy conference for years since all of their legendary coaches retired. It has way fallen behind the SEC, Big Ten and the Big 12 in terms of collective talent during the NIL era.

Warriors are a ridiculous franchise right now. They seem to only want guards as the league gets bigger and bigger.

[Chuck Everett]

Thanks for the input fellas.

Who are some of your "sleeper" sort of guys, maybe guys that normally don't get drafted but now with NIL zapping that mid-late 2nd rounder, have some skills that can earn them a roster spot?

Can Darrion Williams get there? Looks like a big bodied wing with great strength, good not elite shooter, good hands, good instincts, but not a very good athlete, not particularly long or big(only about 6'6). Jared Dudley like if he can hit a decent number from 3?

Forgot to mention Graham Ike (Gonzaga). He showed out at the G-League combine, but didn't get invited to the NBA combine for some odd reason.

His measurements were:

6'9.5 barefoot
7'5.5 wingspan
11-inch hands.

Guy is a legit 6'11 in shoes, with bear claws, tremendous touch around the basket and can actually comfortably shoot with range after spending three seasons with Gonzaga. I don't know who is working him out, but he's a physical player, who could end up carving out a career in the league. He's also from a family of NFL athletes, so the pedigree is there. I personally feel he should be firmly in the 2nd round, but there hasn't been much buzz on him since that combine.

There is a complete lack of physical 4/5 in the NBA right now. And with Wemby's emergence, you're going to need some bruisers to rough him up on both ends of the ball. Ike feels like another one of these underrated 8-10 year pros to me.

[eminence]

Final tier list, guys who played in college only (don't follow others), Momcilovic my only tier 4 guy who returned to school.

Tier 1 (contending team #1)
Cameron Boozer

Tier 2 (star on a more middling team or contending team #2, in order)
Darius Acuff Jr
Darryn Peterson
AJ Dybantsa
Keaton Wagler (up from tier 3)

Tier 3 (+starter, top ~75 guy in the league, in order)
Caleb Wilson
Mikel Brown Jr
Labaron Philon Jr
Christian Anderson
Kingston Flemings
Ugonna Onyenso (up from tier 4)

Tier 4 (rotation player, not in order)
Nate Ament
Aday Mara
Brayden Burries
Yaxel Lendeborg
Morez Johnson Jr
Hannes Steinbach
Allen Graves
Bennett Stirtz
Cameron Carr
Chris Cenac Jr
Dailyn Swain
Isaiah Evans
Meleek Thomas (new)
Ebuka Okorie
Zuby Ejiofor (new)
Joshua Jefferson (new)
Tarris Reed Jr
Ryan Conwell (new)
Emanuel Sharp
Bruce Thornton
Tyler Bilodeau (new)

[eminence]

Onyenso the guy I seem to be significantly higher on than the consensus, so my 'sleeper' I guess.