Who rises to No. 1 in our 2026 NBA mock draft? Peterson, Dybantsa, Boozer and Ament are all in the mix
Briefly

The focus in the NBA is shifting towards the 2026 draft class now that the talented 2025 cohort has moved on. Analysts express significant excitement for prospects like Darryn Peterson and A.J. Dybantsa, who are seen as franchise-caliber players. The depth of the upcoming draft has been bolstered by a notable number of 2025 prospects opting to withdraw, enhancing projected early rounds. Historically, the draft process reveals unexpected talent, creating exciting uncertainty as lesser-known players can emerge throughout the college season.
With Cooper Flagg, Dylan Harper, VJ Edgecombe and the rest of the 2025 class off to the NBA, we can shift our attention to the 2026 draft.
The number of 2025 college and international prospects who did not enter the draft... has created unusual depth in our early first- and second-round projections for the 2026 draft.
We typically have a pretty accurate understanding of the top of the class; our June 2024 prediction of the 2025 draft accurately identified four of the top five players.
Every year, we see plenty of lesser-known players rise during the college season... That’s the fun part of draft projections.
Read at ESPN.com
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