Thanks to the unnecessary NBA cup, there is a huge lull in action. But the mock draft season must go on!

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

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Darryn Peterson finally returned to action for Kansas, dropping 17 points in a win over Missouri. He has only played three games this season, but has shown a strong ability to shoot and score the ball. He has less than a 2:1 assist to turnover ratio, but has real point guard skills. The competition is fierce, but Peterson will remain my number one prospect for now, thanks to his NBA friendly offensive game. The Pacers will get Tyrese Haliburton back in 2026-2027. Adding Peterson as a back court mate would make this offense extremely tough to contain.

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Perhaps no franchise needs some lottery luck as much as the Washington Wizards. They are a few years into a massive rebuild, but still do not have a franchise talent on the roster. Cameron Boozer would be a perfect compliment to Alex Sarr in the Washington front court. He is a fantastic, below the rim scorer with range out to the three point line. He can also rebound and even initiate an offense on occasion. While he is not a high flyer or top notch athlete, his work ethic, skills and bloodlines should enable him to carve out a very good NBA career.

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The Thunder are 23-1 on the season and could have up to four first round picks in the 2026 draft, including a couple of lottery selections. The rest of the NBA really screwed up here. AJ Dybantsa has shown his explosive scoring ability all season, and is coming off of back to back 20 point scoring efforts. He is not much of a defender yet, but his ability to get buckets should ensure he is a top five pick. He would be the ultimate luxury for Oklahoma City, who can bring him off the bench and let him get to work against opposing backups. Simply not fair.

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The Jazz have to give this pick to the Thunder if it falls out of the top 8, so expect some heavy tanking the rest of the way. Of course, with so many other bad teams, Utah may miss out anyway. They get lucky here, however, and get to keep their own pick. You could make a real case that Caleb Wilson belongs in the first tier of prospects with the top three above. He has been a double double machine, and is coming off of a 20 point, 14 rebound performance against Georgetown. He is also a developing defender and shooter, and looks like an ideal 2025 big man.

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It has been another lost year for New Orleans, who has lost Zion Williamson to injury once again, fired its coach, and does not have its first round pick in 2026. The Hawks are open haters, hoping the misery continues. This selection of Kingston Flemings would allow Atlanta to possibly move on from Trae Young and turn the franchise over to its young guns. Flemings is the best pure point guard in this class. He has good size, is a great shooter and improving ball handler. If you have not watched Houston yet, you owe it to yourself to check out one of the most exciting players in college basketball.

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After briefly flirting with the playoffs, the Sacramento Kings are back to being the Sacramento Kings. The front office should look to move every veteran not named Keegan Murray, so this roster could be a blank slate draft pick wise. Labaron Philon Jr. was a fringe first round prospect after a good freshman season for Alabama, but has taken his game to another level as a sophomore. He is scoring by the boatload, and continues to work on his ability to lead a team offensively. Sacramento has a huge hole at point guard, and Philon Jr. could be the answer.

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Michael Porter Jr. has been an All Star caliber player this year, so of course, the Nets could look to trade him, as his play is counterproductive to Brooklyn’s goal of losing all of its games. Nate Ament has a bit of MPJ to his game. He has struggled somewhat with consistency, but that was expected, as he came to Tennessee even more raw than a lot of other freshmen. He has the ability to be a 20 point per game scorer in the NBA, who will not hurt you defensively, but it will take time. Something the Nets have.

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The Hornets are still a bad team, but finally have a direction, thanks to a great 2025 draft class. If Brandon Miller and LaMelo Ball can simply stay healthy, they could finally win some games. Other than a three point shot, Koa Peat is a complete offensive player. He is strong, can run the floor, is a willing ball handler and passer and has defensive potential. The Hornets have quite a few offensive minded players on the roster, and Peat could help balance it out a bit.

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Dallas has seemed to embrace the tank, as Dereck Lively II was ruled out for the season, and several veterans have been placed on the trade block. The Mavericks are one of a few teams in the NBA without a long term option at point guard. Mikel Brown Jr. has struggled on offense from a consistency standpoint, especially with his three point shot, but remains a strong offensive talent with real point guard abilities. He would be an ideal running mate for Cooper Flagg in Dallas.

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The Trail Blazers have struggled to build off of a strong finish to the 2024-2025 season, but are probably too good to rise in the draft without some lottery luck. Portland seems to be set in the back court, especially when Damian Lillard returns, making power forward a clear priority. Hannes Steinbach continues to dominate offensively. He is coming off back-to-back 24+ scoring performances. He is shooting a blistering 66% from deep, and has five straight double doubles. While he will never be a strong defender, playing next to Donovan Clingan would hide his deficiencies and allow him to focus on offense.

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Chicago’s strong start seems like a distant memory. The Bulls remain a franchise without a real plan. Drafting Noa Essengue over Derik Queen is further proof of that. After a bit of a slow start offensively, Tounde Yessoufou is trending upwards. He has his shooting percentages on the rise, and has displayed a real ability to attack the basket on offense and pester opposing guards defensively.

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After years of will they, won’t they, it looks like the Giannis Antetokounmpo era in Milwaukee is coming to an end. It is probably the right move for both parties to move on, as things have gotten very ugly roster wise. Connecticut is bringing Braylon Mullins along slowly, as he works his way back from injury. I am not ready to move him down my mock yet. Even though his three point shot is not falling with consistency yet, he already has two double digit scoring games, including 17 points against Kansas. I expect him to remain in the mid to late lottery, as teams are always on the lookout for wing shooters with size.

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After a miserable start, the Grizzlies are back in the playoff mix, but probably do not have enough to realistically do any damage out West. Memphis was not scared to draft a senior in the lottery a couple of years ago, when they selected Zach Edey, and go to that well once again with Bennett Stirtz. Stirtz has had an interesting college journey, but has developed into a serious NCAA player of the year candidate as a senior. He is a better athlete than you would expect, and excels at creating his own offense, shooting and distributing the ball. He can also hold his own defensively, and could be that Ja Morant replacement this franchise desperately needs.

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Sometimes it takes big men a little longer to develop, even at the college level. Chris Cenac Jr. has been hit or miss early on for Houston, but is coming off perhaps his best game, a 15 point, 10 rebound performance against Florida State. Cenac Jr. reminds me of Nic Claxton with more range on his jump shot. He could develop into a solid stretch big, and help take some offensive pressure off of Victor Wembanyama in San Antonio.

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It seems like it is only a matter of time before Golden State trades Jonathan Kuminga. The Warriors had a great chance to build the next iteration of this team, but failed with its high draft picks from a few years ago. Karim Lopez would be a nice replacement as a bench scorer. He is not much of a defender, but is a good three point shooter who can score in a variety of ways.

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The Heat remain a mid-tier playoff team out East, but could use more scoring, especially from the back court. Darius Acuff Jr. is generously listed at 190 pounds, but is closer to Rob Dillingham size-wise. That limits his ability as a starting point guard, but he could be a strong scorer and ball handler off of the bench. If he can bulk up and improve defensively, he could carve out a role as a starter.

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After drafting a point guard with its first pick, Atlanta adds another talented ball handler to the mix with Neoklis Avdalas. Avdalas is a whiz with the ball in his hands, showing great point forward ability. His potential hinges on his ability to hit jump shots, which has been a struggle in the early going. If that part of his game comes along, he offers the tantalizing archetype that scouts drool over.

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Prized Kentucky transfer Jayden Quaintance is still without a timetable for return, fueling rumors that he may sit out the season and prepare for the draft. It would be an unfortunate turn of events, as Quaintance needs the season to improve offensively. He is already an NBA-level rebounder and defender. He has ideal size and skills for a new generation center. The Thunder, who have two rookies yet to play a game (Nikola Topic and Thomas Sorber) are one of a few teams that can afford to draft and stash an injured player.

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Meleek Thomas is your typical John Calipari guard. He is a solid scorer and shooter that has had to fight for the ball with all of Arkansas other ball dominant guards. His archetype is losing value in today’s NBA, where teams want more ball handling and defense out of its lead guards, but should still find a spot in the first round, thanks to his offensive abilities and decent defensive potential.

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This is the first of many first round picks that are coming the Grizzlies way, via the Desmond Bane to Orlando trade. Dash Daniels is an even more raw version of his brother Dyson. Like the older Daniels, Dash is a solid defender and ball handler with nice size, but may be quite a few years away from being an offensive weapon. His jump shot is not beyond repair, so if he can be properly coached, could be a nice two way wing in time.

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With its second pick of the first round, Charlotte should continue to add front court help. Yaxel Lendeborg’s decision to transfer to Michigan has gone about as well as he could have hoped. Lendeborg has chipped in all over the place, from scoring and rebounding, to shooting and defending. He is experienced, and his all around game would really help out the young Hornets.

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Minnesota has one of the better top 7 or 8 guys in the league roster wise, but bench depth is severely lacking. Thomas Haugh is a nice offensive minded combo forward. He has gone from a player who averaged 3.9 points per game as a freshman to a legitimate first round pick. He can play either forward position, rebound, handle the ball and score out to the three point line.

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No team out West has been as hot as the Celtics, who are showing they are too well coached and talented to fall apart without Jayson Tatum. This is still a roster that will undergo changes in 2025-2026, and could use some big man bench depth. Flory Bidunga’s offense may simply consist of put backs, which will limit his draft stock, but he is an NBA caliber rebounder and shot blocker. With all of the scorers on Boston’s roster, all they will ask him to do is the dirty work.

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Brayden Burries is one of many talented combo guards available in this class. He will have to shore more point guard skills if he hopes to differentiate himself, but he has really started to come on as a scorer and shooter, following a slow start. The Cavaliers have missed Ty Jerome as its main backup guard, and Burries could fill a similar role.

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Knicks starters are still playing too many regular season minutes, but perhaps new head coach Mike Brown will be more amenable to playing rookies than his stubborn predecessor. Joseph Tugler might just be the best defender in college basketball. If he can continue to score enough to keep defenses honest (he has not missed a three point shot on limited attempts this year), he could carve out a real role at the NBA level..

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This is Oklahoma City’s third pick of the first round and will likely be sold off to the highest bidder. I may be overvaluing these big men, but Henri Veesaar is the third straight center to come off the board here. He has had a great first season at North Carolina, showing stretch ability on offense and the ability to block some shots defensively. He would be an ideal backup big for any team.

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The Lakers are perhaps the worst three point shooting team in the NBA. This roster could use a bucket getter off of the bench when Luka Doncic and Austin Reeves have to sit. Cameron Carr has gone from a little used backup at Tennessee to a 20 point per game scorer at Baylor. His ability to get buckets from anywhere on the court has been second to none. He is shooting 44% from deep, and if he can continue this scoring surge, should find himself in the first round.

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Both Tim Hardaway Jr. and Bruce Brown are on one year deals, so Denver could be on the lookout for cheap guard depth during the draft. Sergio de Larrea is a solid guard with size and point guard skills. He is also a good shooter, making him an ideal back up guard.

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It has been a struggle to begin the season for Dame Sarr, who has gotten lost in the shuffle on a deep Duke team. Still, even though he has not been a threat offensively, he works hard on defense, rebounds and has hit a decent amount of his three point shots. A project to be sure, but Detroit could use some young, cheap scoring depth off the bench.

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The Washington Wizards round out the first round, and could continue to draft young players with upside. David Mirkovic is yet another European prospect who came to the states. He is not much of a defender, but is a load down low offensively, but also has the ability to step out and knock down jump shots.

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