It is very early, and this is cupcake season, but this class is looking special. And the NBA knows it, as three teams have a single win on the season. Lets hope these fantastic freshmen can keep it up, because the tank is on already.

Draft order and generated lottery courtesy of http://www.tankathon.com.

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Oklahoma City is on pace for more than 70 wins, and they could realistically land a top ten pick courtesy of the Paul George trade more than half a decade ago. Sam Presti is simply the best at this. This would be an unfair proposition for the rest of the league. While I have Darryn Peterson ranked at the top of my board right now, the Thunder are simply loaded with guards, and could go big here with Cameron Boozer. Boozers jump shot is a work in progress, but he is a solid all around contributor who already looks like the best player on one of the best teams in the country. He is a solid defender, and a tough, aggressive scorer. Just chalk up another two or three championships for Oklahoma City.

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Things were going to be tough without Tyrese Haliburton and Myles Turner, but even the most pessimistic of Pacers fans did not expect this type of fall-off. Indiana has most likely accepted that this will be a waste of a season, and hope to get some lottery luck. Adding Darryn Peterson would be the most silver or linings. He would thrive playing off Haliburton in a secondary ball-handler role. He may be the best offense creator in this class. A three level scorer, who can shoot and drive, he could help Indiana get right back to the Finals in 2026-2027.

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It has been another tough season for the Hornets, but it has not been all bad. Kon Knueppel and the rest of the draft class has paid major dividends. If Brandon Miller and LaMelo Ball can simply stay healthy, this could be a playoff team in a year or two. Especially if the franchise finally lands an elite talent in the draft. You may be surprised to see someone other than AJ Dybantsa here. It is not that I am low on Dybantsa. I am just very high on Nate Ament, who has been fantastic to start off his Tennessee career. He is an elite shooter with great length, and that matters when it comes to NBA prospects. The Kevin Durant comparison gets thrown out a lot, but his jump shot is reminiscent of a Texas-era Durant. He could also play some small-ball power forward, which would be a good for this current Hornets roster.

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Joe Dumars immediately made his impact with the Pelicans by inexplicably trading an unprotected 2026 draft pick to move up ten spots to select Derik Queen 13th overall in the 2025 NBA Draft. Atlanta is already licking its lips in anticipation of landing an elite talent for nothing. AJ Dybantsa may have “fallen” to fourth overall, but he still has #1 overall potential. Experience and game action will clean up those shooting percentages. Dybantsa is an elite offensive talent, especially as a shot creator and slasher. The fact that Dybantsa is still here shows how deep this class could potentially be.

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The Wizards are still in the infancy stages of a long rebuild, and desperately need an All Star talent on the roster. Even picking at five, they draft a player who would instantly be the most talented on the roster. Mikel Brown Jr. is coming off his best game of the season, scoring 29 points and leading Louisville to a win over bitter rival Kentucky. Like Darryn Peterson, Brown Jr. is a score first combo guard, who is a dynamo with the ball in his hands. He is tailor made for the NBA game, where teams need players who can create their own offense.

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A 1-10 team falling to sixth in the draft would usually be cause for panic, but this class is deep enough that the Nets still land an immediate starter. The North Carolina tar heels have not developed many NBA players the past couple of decades, but Caleb Wilson looks like their best prospect in quite a few years. He is tall, lanky and energetic, with the skills to become a solid rebounder, defender and rim runner offensively. He also has the potential to hit the NBA three. The Nets drafted every available point guard in the 2025 NBA Draft, so finding a big man who can be on the receiving end of those passes would be a nice addition.

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Few franchises have been as inept as the Sacramento Kings over the past two decades. This team looked to have turned the corner a couple of seasons ago, but terrible personnel decisions and bad roster construction has sabotaged what little they had going for themselves. The Kings, once again, look headed for a reset. The board opens up a bit after the aforementioned six players were selected. Sacramento is one of a small handful of teams in the NBA without a point guard of the present or future on the roster. Darius Acuff Jr. is off to a good start for John Calipari and the Razorbacks. He has shot the bell well and has shown solid scoring instincts, and has a 3:1 assist to turnover ratio as a distributor.

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Perhaps no franchise in recent memory has dealt with as much turmoil as the Dallas Mavericks. I will not beat that dead horse here, but we all know why. Moving on, Dallas needs some young legs to run with Cooper Flagg. While this may be a reach here, Labaron Philon has looked like a top ten pick through in the early goings. He had a career defining game against #5 ranked St. John’s, scoring at will and knocking down some tough jump shots. I believe he could play point guard at the NBA level, and Dallas desperately needs some back court juice.

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The Grizzlies looked like one of the best up and coming teams in the NBA a couple of seasons ago, but are now a cautionary tale on how quickly things can change. Ja Morant, in particular, who looks to be completely wearing out his welcome in Memphis. This team may be forced to rebuild around Jaren Jackson Jr. and promising rookie Cedric Coward. Tounde Yessoufou would be a great wing compliment to those players. He is strong, tough and aggressive as a scorer and defender, and looks the part of a grit and grind Grizzly..

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The Utah Jazz simply can not tank properly, no matter how hard they try. If this pick lands outside of the top 8, it goes to the shrewd Oklahoma City Thunder, thanks to a Derrick Favors salary dump half a decade ago. Karim Lopez may lack one true skill, but is a very solid all around scorer and passable defender. After nine games for his international club, he is shooting over 44% from the three point arc while contributing across the board. He would be another luxury pick for a Thunder team that can do no wrong.

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While not suffering to the same degree, the Celtics are in a similar position as the Pacers. Like Indiana, they are trying to survive the season without their best player, while hoping for some lottery luck in the mean time. Koa Peat would be a nice front court offensive piece to add to the roster. He came out hot, scoring 30 points in an opening night win over the defending champion Florida Gators. He is not much of a three point shooter, but is a strong scorer who can play some point forward offensively as well.

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After a slow start, the Magic are playing better, and are simply too talented to allow the Grizzlies to have two lottery picks in the upcoming draft. Still, the Memphis roster needs young talent at any position, and will have two first round picks to spend. I usually do not add freshmen to my mock drafts if they are averaging under 20 minutes per game, or, in the case of Braylon Mullins, yet to play a game. Mullins will be out for another month or so, but I expect him to have a big impact for one of the best teams in the country upon return. He may be the best pure shooter in this class, and teams are always on the lookout for long distance marksmen. Mullins would be a great counterpart to Tounde Yessoufou, the other Grizzlies lottery pick in this scenario.

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The Warriors are going to go for it as long as Stephen Curry is productive, but the end may be near. Chris Cenac Jr. is proof that you have to be patient with big men. Through three games, he has struggled to shoot the ball with consistency, but has good size, rebounding instincts and defensive potential. He may max out as a Nic Claxton with a better jump shot, but that archetype would still be a quality starting center in the NBA.

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After a very hot early start, Chicago finds itself back in the very familiar 10-14 draft range. On first glance, it looks like the international representation for this class may be lacking, but that is because several of those guys are playing at American universities. The best of the bunch may be Hannes Steinbach, who has the name of a chemistry teacher, but a very NBA friendly game. Steinbach has shown some serious stretch four ability offensively, with NBA three point range. he has also gobbled up rebounds by the handful, and even blocks shots. He has the look of a modern day NBA big man, and would be a great replacement for Nikola Vucevic in Chicago.

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While the Raptors are not exactly contenders, they have made enough moves to push for a playoff spot in a wide open Eastern Conference. This is the point of the draft where you select the best player available in hopes of landing a rotation contributor. Bennett Stirtz has had quite the college journey, but looks the part of a potential NBA starting point guard. He has good size, is a better athlete than you might think, can really shoot the ball, and can successfully lead an offense.

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With its second pick, courtesy of the improving Portland Trail Blazers, Chicago doubles up on Europeans playing in the States. Neoklis Avdalas has been a stat stuffing dynamo early on for Virginia Tech. A true point forward with a jump shot, Avdalas has a 5;1 assist to turnover ratio as a 6’9 wing player. He can also shoot it from deep. He may not be a good defender, but those numbers on offense are hard to ignore.

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While all the talk has been about Nikola Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Aledxander and Luka Doncic, Giannis Antetokounmpo is quietly putting together a historic season for the Bucks out East. Unfortunately, the rest of the roster has once again let him down, which is a shame, because Antetokounmpo has remained loyal to this franchise, despite the best efforts of ESPN to get him out of there. Perhaps Milwaukee should stop wasting its first round picks on players who will never contribute. Dash Daniels is another project, but, like his brother Dyson, has good ball handling ability and the potential to be a lock down defender. He is far away as a scorer and shooter, which is why he is still available here, but there is a lot to work with.

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After Florida’s championship run in 2025, Alex Condon got most of the NBA draft communities love, but Thomas Haugh is the best prospect on the roster. He has gone from a bench piece as a freshman to a legitimate first round prospect as a junior, thanks to his continued ability to shoot and initiate the offense on occasion. Couple that with his ability to chip in as a rebounder and defender, and there are not a lot of holes in his game. He would give the Miami Heat yet another versatile wing player.

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The sample size is small, but Aday Mara’s decision to join Michigan has looked brilliant thus far. He has put up two absolute monster performances, showing massive improvement as a scorer, playmaker and rebounde.r The first round talent was always there, but sometimes big men are extremely slow to develop. If Mara can maintain this type of production for one of the best teams in college basketball, he could shoot into the lottery. In this particular scenario, good luck to any scorers who try to drive the lane against the Spurs 7’3 and bigger duo of Victor Wembanyama and Mara.

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The Hornets most likely thought they had another lottery pick here, but so far the Phoenix Suns have defied expectations. Offense will be a work in progress for Cayden Boozer, but he has already shown a strong ability to lead a team offensively and find the open man. Couple that with a solid ability to get the bucket offensively and provide solid defense, and he could be a future starting point guard. He would be a nice backup to LaMelo Ball as a steady presence off the bench.

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Jayden Quaintance, who was not eligible for the 2025 draft, is still without a timetable to return for Kentucky. Head coach Mark Pope has denied that Quaintance will sit out the year, rehab his injury and prepare for the 2026 draft, but that is still an option. Quaintance is already an NBA quality defender. He has great size and blocked over 2.6 shots as a freshman at Arizona State. He may never be a real threat offensively, but his size and defensive presence are hard to come by. The Knicks are loaded with offensively minded players., and Quaintance could take over the Mitchell Robinson defensive minded role for the team.

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The Thunder have four first round picks in this particular mock draft scenario. Obviously, they are not going to roster four rookies next year, but it just shows the embarrassment or riches the front office has assembled pick wise. Isaiah Evans may not offer much other than shooting and scoring, but that particular skill set should get him plenty of first round looks. Playoff teams are always looking for instant offense off of the bench, and Evans can really shoot it.

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What I said above about Isaiah Evans also applies to Ian Jackson. Jackson is an ideal microwave bench scorer, who could come in and knock down three point jump shots by the handful. Any playoff team, the Timberwolves included, would appreciate that production on a rookie contract.

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The Lakers have seemingly been on the lookout for a rim running big man for years. They failed to land Mark Williams in a trade, but land a similar type of player here. Flory Bidunga is off to a tremendous start as a sophomore. He is shooting 71% from the field, and has shown great ability as a lob threat offensively. He also chips in as a shot blocker and rebounder, and could develop into a decent starting center in time.

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John Calipari rosters usually have more players who need the ball in their hands than actual balls available on the court. Meleek Thomas has had to fight Darius Acuff Jr. and DJ Wagner for touches, but has been relatively effective in the early going. He may struggle from an efficiency standpoint, but is a talented scorer who can play point guard in a pinch.

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Dame Sarr is yet another international prospect honing his craft here in the United States. He has had to fight for scraps offensively on a deep Duke team, but has shot the ball well on limited attempts, and has chipped in as a pesky on the ball defender. He has the length and talent to become a nice two way wing at the next level.

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Through the very early goings, JT Toppin sits in the drivers stat for NCAA player of the year. He is off to a blistering start, filling up the stat sheet in every way imaginable. His NBA potential may be capped a bit, but it is hart to ignore his potential as an energy scorer and defender, who could provide 20 or so solid minutes off of the bench.

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The Nuggets may lose Peyton Watson in free agency, and Joseph Tugler could be a carbon copy replacement. While not much of a threat offensively, Tugler may be the best on the ball defender in college. He has great size, a strong motoer and can block shots and rack up steals.

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What a turnaround for the Pistons. It seemed like only yesterday this team lost 28 games in a row, and now they are on pace to win more than 60 games. Sergio De Larrea is off to a nice start for his internationlal team, shooting over 57% from deep and showing the ability to play point guard in spurts. He is not much of a defender, but that scoring ability would be use to any playoff team.

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The Washington Wizards round out the first round, and should continue to draft young players with upside. Trey McKenney, Kiyan Anthony, Shon Abaev and other freshman could be under consideration here, but I will go with Brayden Burries. He has struggled to score with consistency, but I like his size and shooting potential. The Wildcats are going to give him enough minutes, and he should round into from.

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