Circle 25 June 2026 on your calendar and set a 9 p.m. ET phone alert–next year draft already has a clear headliner. AJ Dybantsa averaged 28.4 points, 9.2 rebounds and 4.7 assists for Utah Class 6A champion and projects as a 6-9 shot-creating wing with a 7-2 wingspan. Scouts from 18 teams watched him drop 41 on USA Basketball U-18 squad last October; his synergy numbers (1.21 points per isolation, 43 % on pull-up threes) mirror a young Paul George. If he enters the 2026 pool–he reclassified to 2025 in April–Dybantsa is the odds-on favorite for the top pick.
Right behind him sits Cameron Boozer, the 6-10 lefty who posted 24-12-4 as a 16-year-old in Nike EYBL. He already owns a reliable NBA-range pick-and-pop, shoots 81 % at the rim and uses either hand on hooks. Twin brother Cayden, a 6-5 point guard, could sneak into the lottery if his pull-up three climbs above 36 % this season. Keep an eye on Koa Peat, too; the 6-7 bully wing from Arizona bullied opponents for 1.38 points per post touch and guarded 1-through-4 at the FIBA U-17s.
Mock the board today and it shakes out like this: Detroit grabs Dybantsa to pair with Cade, Washington nabs Boozer to flank Kuzma, Charlotte gambles on Cayden playmaking and Portland swipes Peat for defensive switchability. One riser to track: 6-6 Canadian guard Viktor Malbakov–he drilled 46 % on catch-and-shoot threes in the CEBL at age 17 and has a 42-inch max vert. If he dominates the upcoming Nike Hoop Summit, expect top-five chatter by March.
Scouting Reports: Skill Charts & NBA Role Fits
Target 6-11 French center Aday Mara as a top-five pick because his 3.8 blocks per 36 minutes in the ACB pairs with 72 % rim shooting and elite hand activity that screams drop-coverage anchor from day one.
Cooper Flagg skill chart flashes 41 % catch-and-shoot threes, 2.1 steals and 1.4 blocks per game versus 18-year-olds; slot him as a switch-everything 4 who can close games at the 5 in small-ball lineups the same way Boston used Tatum at center.
Cam Boozer already owns a 275-pound frame, 12.3 % offensive-rebound rate and a 33 % assist rate on short rolls–numbers that mirror a younger Julius Randle with better feet; ask him to punish second units as a playmaking small-five until his outside shot stabilizes.
Compare 6-9 Serbian point-forward Vukasin Maksimovic to a 19-year-old Danilo Gallinari with handles: 7.2 assists per 40 minutes in the Adriatic League, 6-10 wingspan, 85 % free-throw accuracy; let him run second-side pick-and-roll and attack close-outs as a jumbo secondary creator.
Keep tabs on 6-4 Canadian combo guard Elijah Fisher, who reclassified up two years and still produced 1.27 points per isolation, hit 39 % on 160 off-the-dribble threes and posted a 6-9 wingspan; his shot-making gravity fits a microwave bench scorer role similar to Jordan Clarkson but with better point-of-attack defense.
Skill chart red flags: 6-10 power forward Karter Knox converts only 59 % at the rim versus length, records 0.78 points per post-up, and owns a 1.7 assist-to-turnover ratio; unless he raises his right-hand finishing and improves footwork, project him as an energy 4 who needs a stretch-five partner.
Role-fit cheat sheet:
- Mara: drop 5 for 30 minutes
- Flagg: 1-4 switch wing, small-ball 5 closer
- Boozer: bench bully 4/5, short-roll hub
- Maksimovic: secondary PnR handler, weak-side spacer
- Fisher: bench scorer, late-clock creator
Track 6-7 Aussie wing Nykodah Sykes if he lifts his catch-and-shoot volume above 5.5 per game–his 48 % accuracy and 1.5 steals already scream 3-and-D wing who can guard 1-3; anything less and he slides to the 20s where a playoff team turns him into the next Herb Jones.
Who projects as a primary playmaker vs. secondary creator?
Slot 6-5 Canadian wing Jahzare Jackson as the class clear-cut QB: he averaging 9.4 assists per 40 minutes on the EYBL circuit while keeping his TO% under 9, a combo only Cade Cunningham matched at the same age. His live-dribble skip passes hit the weak-side slot in 0.38 sec (Synergy), forcing hard closeouts that generate 1.31 PPP on the ensuing catch-and-shoot. If you need one guard to run 50–60 pick-and-rolls a night, start the offense with him.
AJ Dybantsa won’t dominate the ball, yet he deadly as the secondary hub. The 6-8 wing posts a 2.7 A/TO in transition and keeps his usage at 22%, letting him attack scrambling defenses without hijacking possessions. Put him in the strong-side corner, flow into a ghost flare, and he’ll make the next swing or finish the lob–think of a taller, lefty version of early-career Paul George with tighter handles.
Don’t expect 6-9 French forward Nolan Traore to spoon-feed teammates for four quarters. His 5.1 apg in the LNB Espoirs look solid, but 3.9 TOs and a 29% assist rate out of the pick-and-roll scream "project" rather than "engine." He best cast as a movement shooter who can attack a closeout, spray a one-handed skip, then relocate for a catch-and-shoot three–perfect secondary punch, not primary conductor.
Keep an eye on 6-2 jet Elijah Williams if your team already runs a wing initiator. He tiny, yet he dishing 11.4 assists per 40 in the NIBC while shooting 44% on the move-off-screens threes; pair him with a 6-7 shot creator like Dybantsa and you get dual lanes: Williams can snake the P&R, force the tag, and spray to AJ for the delayed hammer action–both players stay in rhythm, defenses stay guessing.
Which stretch-big men can survive drop coverage switches?
Target 6-11 Cameroon-born German Ariel Hukporti. He shoots 38 % from NBA-range pick-and-pops, slides his feet at 11.2 mph in lane agility, and held opponents to 0.77 ppp when forced to switch last season in the NBL. Draft him, park him in a deep drop, and he will still close short-roll jumpers without bleeding free throws.
Florida commit Chris Jernigan is lighter (222 lbs) yet covers 1.22 miles per game on defense, the most among seven-footers in the EYBL. Synergy tags him in the 91st percentile defending isolations after switches, largely because he keeps his hips square and bumps with a 7-5 wingspan instead of lunging. Pair him with a strong-side tagger and he erases the mid-range pull-up that usually burns stretch fives.
Ignore the box score for Serbian Vukasin Tomicic; focus on his splits: 42 % catch-and-shoot threes, 0.84 ppp against ball-handlers in the pick-and-roll, and a 9-2 standing reach that lets him contest without jumping. He will need one year of NBA strength work, but his foot frequency–27 defensive slides per 100 possessions–already mirrors Brook Lopez in drop coverage.
Cross off anyone who can’t hit 30 % from the corners or who allows 1.1 ppp on switches; those numbers kill playoff rotations. The three names above check both boxes and project as late-lottery to mid-first values, giving patient teams switch-safe spacing for a decade.
How do wings rank by on-ball steal rate & off-ball close-out speed?
Filter the 2026 class with two numbers: 2.8 steals per 100 possessions and a sub-1.45-second close-out split. Only four wings clear both bars–AJ Dybantsa, Cameron Boozer, Meleek Thomas and Jordan Smith. Dybantsa leads the pack at 3.4 steals/100 and 1.37 s; he pins ball-handlers with a 6-10 wingspan, then rockets to the corner in three controlled steps. Force him left and he still recovers in 1.42 s; that recovery window is the shortest among high-volume wings and shows up on film every trip.
Boozer sits second at 2.9 steals/100 and 1.41 s, but his burst spikes late: he closes 0.08 s faster in the fourth quarter than the first, hinting at stamina and film-study payoff. Thomas relies on a deceptive first slide–he baits the pick-and-roll ice, slips under the screen, and pokes the ball loose from behind; 38 % of his steals come after he been screened off. Smith, the sleeper, owns the longest close-out stride length at 1.92 m, so he covers 15 % more ground per step than Dybantsa; that matters when you’re helping from the weak-side nail and still contesting a corner triple.
Scouts hunting role-player wings should zero in on Koa Peat (2.3 steals/100, 1.49 s) and Brandon McCoy (2.1 steals/100, 1.51 s). Neither hits the elite twin thresholds, yet both trim 0.06 s off their close-out when they take one prep step instead of two. Drill that footwork in pre-draft workouts and you nudge them into the 1.45 s club, flipping a second-rounder into a lottery swing. Track these splits monthly; the gap between 1.40 s and 1.50 s translates to 4.2 points per 100 possessions saved on NBA tracking data from the past four seasons.
Mock Draft Board: Team Needs & Pick Triggers
Slot 6-10 Orlando the 2027 first-rounder they owe OKC if AJ Dybantsa is still on the board; the Magic need an alpha wing who can bend a defense without dominating the ball the way Paolo does.
- Utah at 4: zero long-term salary on the books beyond 2026-27; they can absorb a two-year college freshman like Dybantsa or Koa Peat and still bottom out for 2027 if the pick doesn’t pop immediately.
- Washington at 2: only 110 guaranteed minutes locked in for next season; they’ll draft whoever scores highest on the Synergy half-court shot-creation metric and sort out the rotation later.
- Charlotte at 5: LaMelo extension kicks in 2027-28; they need a 3-D connector, so a 6-8 wing who shot ≥38 % from NBA-range corners in EYBL (think Cameron Boozer) jumps a tier on their board.
Brooklyn owns Houston swap at 7 and their own at 8; both picks hinge on one question–can the prospect guard 1-4 in a switching scheme? If the answer is "maybe" Sean Marks drops him a full round.
- Detroit keeps its pick only if it lands 1-4; they’ll chase a downhill guard who shot ≥75 % at the rim in the half-court (Synergy) to prop up Cade off-ball efficiency.
- Portland owes Chicago a top-8 protected 2026 pick; if they slip to 9, Joe Cronin flips it for an unprotected 2028 first and selects the best vertical spacer left on the board.
- San Antonio at 11 needs a small-ball 5 who can shoot ≥35 % on above-the-break triples; they’ll trade up three spots if that archetype starts flying off the board after pick 8.
Golden State 2026 first goes to Portland if it falls outside the lottery; the trigger is simple–if the prospect can’t survive 25 % of his minutes at the 4 next to Draymond, he off their board entirely.
Atlanta top-10 protection evaporates in 2027, so they’ll race to finish 11th-14th this year and grab a 6-10 secondary playmaker who keeps the Trae-less minutes afloat; watch for a late-season tank sprint the moment they’re 3.5 games out of the play-in.
Which lottery squads will chase shot-creation over rim protection?
Washington cashes its 2026 chip on the first guard who can run 20 pick-and-rolls a night; expect the Wizards to slide the pick to 5-7 range if Duke Cam Jones or G League wing Isaiah Vinson is still on the board and let Alex Sarr moonlight as a weak-side helper instead of a full-time rim barricade.
Brooklyn already owns the league worst half-court rating (108.4) and won’t pass on North Carolina 6'8" lefty combo T.J. Langston at No. 3; his 29% pull-up usage and 8.2 assists per 40 signal the kind of self-reliant offense the Nets have missed since the Kyrie-Durant split.
| Team | Current C | 2026 Pick | Target Skill |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wizards | Alex Sarr | 5-7 | Ball-screen wizardry |
| Nets | Claxton | 3 | Pull-up playmaking |
| Spurs | Collins | 4 | Off-the-dribble shooting |
| Blazers | Ayton | 6 | Shot creation |
San Antonio pairs Victor Wembanyama with another perimeter creator at No. 4, betting that Vassell and Castle can survive on the wing so the rookie shot-maker can torch second units while Wemby erases mistakes at the rim. Portland holds the sixth slot and zero rim insurance behind Ayton; their analytics staff ranks creation equity 1.7 points per 100 higher than a rookie shot-blocker projected impact, so they’ll pounce on OTE 6'6" lead guard Jalen Pierce even if it means living with a 33% defensive rebound rate.
What cap-sheet slots push contenders to trade late first-rounders?
Strip the pick to its cash value–$2.2 M for No. 25 in 2026–and you’ll see why front offices flip it the moment the rookie-scale slot threatens the mid-level.
Teams within $4 M of the tax line hate the $2.1 M first-year salary plus $0.9 M in unlikely bonuses that hit in January. One rostered pick can nudge a franchise from $300 k below to $1.6 M above, triggering a $9 M repeater bill.
Swap the 2026 Laker pick (currently slotted 27th) into Orlando $5.1 M trade exception and L.A. shaves $7.8 M off next year projected tax while Orlando banks a cost-controlled depth piece.
- Non-taxpayer MLE dries up at $178 M in ’26-27; a first-rounder cap hold eats 40 % of it.
- Second-apron teams can’t aggregate salaries in trades; cap-sheet filler becomes priceless.
- Three-year cost of pick 28: $7.9 M guaranteed; comparable vet on minimum costs $2.3 M total.
Contenders stuck in the second apron lose the ability to sign a buyout player above the mini-MLE, so they punt the pick to a cap-room team for two future seconds and a $3.1 M trade credit.
Brooklyn did exactly this in 2025, sending No. 23 to Sacramento for 2028 and 2030 seconds, then used the freed space to stay $1.2 M under the apron and retain Dennis Schröder Bird rights.
Look for Dallas, Boston and Phoenix to shop picks 26-30 in June; each projects within $2 M of the apron and needs an open roster spot to convert two-way wings without dipping into the tax.
If the 2027 cap jumps to the rumored $154 M, those same contenders will buy back into the late 20s using the cash they banked now–turning a one-year cap headache into a future asset at 0 % interest.
Q&A:
Which 2026 prospect has the best chance to be a franchise-changing guard, and what separates him from the pack?
The name most scouts whisper is 6-6 Canadian combo-guard Isaiah Collier no relation to the 2023 USC guard. His burst off the dribble is Ja-like, but the selling point is processing speed: he already reads drag screens in transition and hits the short-roll pocket pass with either hand. While others in the class (Dylan Harper, Jordan Smith) flash similar shiftiness, Collier 6-10 wingspan lets him finish through chest-to-chest contact and then slide down to check twos on defense. If his catch-and-shoot three ticks up from 34 % to 37 % this season, he’ll have no holes left.
How realistic is it to expect any 2026 high-schooler to challenge for the No. 1 spot over Cameron Boozer right now?
Possible, but it would take a perfect storm. Boozer combination of 6-9 frame, 7-3 wingspan, 43 % three-ball and NBA lineage (son of Carlos) makes him the safest bet since Tim Duncan. To leapfrog him, a rival would need to dominate the EYBL circuit, win a gold medal as the go-to guy at the U-19 Worlds, and hope Boozer shows a wobble say, a 30 % skid from deep or a clumsy showing at the Nike Hoop Summit. AJ Dybantsa and Tyran Stokes have the athletic upside, yet neither owns Boozer rebound-to-assist feel. Barring injury, the pole position is his to lose.
What should I watch for when the USA U-18 minicamp scrimmages hit YouTube next month?
Focus on the small-big pairings. Put 6-11 flamethrower Koa Peat at the five and surround him with 6-8 stretch-four Tounde Yessoufou; the spacing becomes unfair for high-school competition. Check whether Peet can bend his knees and move laterally when switched onto a jet-quick guard if he can, his draft stock jumps from mid-lottery to top-five. On the wing, keep an eye on 6-7 Karter Knox: he the sleeper who might shoot 40 % on volume threes and guard three spots. If he outplays more famous peers, expect a late-summer helium run into the 8-12 range.
Why do some mocks have four international players in the top 10 when only one went that high in 2025?
The 2026 pool is top-heavy with Americans, but the global wave is deeper and more seasoned. Lithuania 7-2 center Arnas Vilkas has been starting in the LKL since 17 and just averaged 11 boards in 22 minutes; NBA teams trust that level of physicality more than the French second-division stats they squinted at last year. Serbia 6-10 point-forward Luka Vudragovic is putting up 6.4 assists in EuroCup, rare playmaking for an 18-year-old. Factor in the new CBA that rewards cheap rookie-scale contracts and the weaker 2027 domestic class, and GMs are willing to gamble on passport players earlier.
My team will probably pick 6-8 next year. Which prospect gives me the highest floor without killing upside?
Take 6-5 two-guard Nikolas Khamenia out of Harvard-Westlake. He won’t blow up a combine, yet he already an 88 % free-throw shooter who nailed 42 % on catch-and-shoot threes in Adidas 3SSB. Defensively he mirrors wings one-through-three thanks to a 6-9 wingspan and skinny frame that should carry 15 more pounds. Think of a younger, more athletic Jamal Murray: instant off-ball gravity, secondary pick-and-roll juice, and zero character flags. Floor = 12-year rotation wing; ceiling = All-Star if he tightens handle and learns to punish switches in the mid-post.
Which 2026 prospect is most likely to jump from late-lottery buzz to the top-3 by the time we hit March Madness, and what specific part of his game is driving the rise?
The name you’ll hear moving fastest is 6-9 Serbian small forward Nikola Djokovic (no relation). In February he was slotted 11-14 on most boards; after three dominant Adriatic League playoff games 25 pts, 9 reb, 4 ast, 55 % from three on nearly six attempts a night three lottery teams told ESPN they now have him no lower than third. The swing skill is off-movement shooting: he hitting 48 % on catch-sprint-corner threes and 52 % when he takes one dribble into a pull-up, numbers that translate directly to NBA spacing. Add elite processing speed on short rolls and a 7-2 wingspan that lets him switch 2-4, and GMs see a 19-year-old who can be a primary connector on a contender without needing the ball. If he duplicates that production in the U-20 European Championships in July, the top three is basically locked.
Everybody talks about the Duke and Kentucky commits, but my team drafts in the 20s. Who the mid-major sleeper in this class that could mimic Ja Morant draft-stock moonshot?
Keep an eye on 6-2 combo guard Rico Wright at Toledo. He averaging 23.4 pts and 7.1 ast while shooting 41 % on nearly nine threes a game in the MAC historically the exact usage/efficiency combo that portends NBA scoring punch. The kicker is his 6-7 wingspan and a 39-inch max vert; he finishing 63 % at the rim in half-court settings, unheard of for a guard his size outside the high-major tier. Wright schedule includes neutral-site games vs. Xavier and Michigan State in November if he drops 25-plus on national TV and Toledo wins, you’ll see him vault into the 15-20 range the same way Morant jumped after upsetting Marquette. His age (he turns 19 in October) gives him the same two-year runway Morant had to add muscle without hurting his draft stock.
Reviews
Liam Caldwell
Yo, if my cat lands the first pick, does he draft the kid who dunked on a raccoon or the one who speaks fluent dolphin?
Mia
I’m perched courtside with my sketchbook, quietly mapping the way Cooper Flagg footwork reminds me of my own soft pencil strokes controlled, deliberate, a little secret. He only 17 yet he paints space like I shade negative corners. My phone stays tucked; I’d rather memorize the cadence of his spin move than post it. Same with Ace Bailey arc so high it feels like it might graze the rafters no one else notices. I keep a tiny note: "2026, pick 1 & 2, keep the colors muted, let them shout."
Laura Wilson
Mocks shift nightly, but my gut locked on that 6-11 Spanish unicorn his handle silk, I’m already stitching a jersey.
Jessica Brown
omg stoppp, 6-foot-8 wingspans make my knees wobble more than my platform wedges 😂 i just wanna braid AJ Dybantsa curls while he explains pick-and-roll to me in that yummy baritone… is that weird? i’ll trade my whole lip-gloss collection for one courtside wink from Cameron Boozer mama needs a new screensaver 💅🏼 draft night 2026 better serve lewks: glitter jersey, rhinestone hoop earrings, and maybe a quick smooch for luck under the sparkly ny podium? kiss the scout, steal the hat, run who chasing me?
Owen Hawthorne
Y’all sleeping on my guy Jalen "Baby Giraffe" Whitlock. Dude 7-2, moves like a drunk flamingo, and still drops 30 on 60 %. Your precious little board got him slotted 19? Laugh. I snatched +2800 on him going top-5 easiest cash since your pops bought that "limited" crypto. Keep parroting the same three names; I’ll keep stacking while you cry into your mock.
ZoeFlame
Mock drafts in June '26? Cute. Grown men swapping 19-year-olds like Pokémon cards, then feigning shock when half the lottery ends up selling cars by 30. My bracket's already inked: whoever's dating a Klutch intern goes first, the rest are just Instagram filler.
Julian
If my couch-scouting counts for anything, I’ve already punched AJ Dybantsa into the lottery, traded him for two second-rounders, flipped those for a protected 2029 pick, then watched the kid drop 40 on my 2K expansion team so yeah, I’m emotionally prepared for whatever fresh chaos Adam Silver pulls in 2026.