Arizona’s Peat Still Has Upside Despite Draft Stock Dip
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Arizona Wildcats forward Koa Peat was initially thought to be a lottery pick in this summer’s NBA Draft. That hype has died down slightly, but Peat is still projected to be a first-round pick.
The former five-star recruit was quite impactful in his freshman season with the Wildcats, averaging 14.1 points and 5.6 rebounds per game while shooting 52 percent from the floor and 35 percent from three-point range. Peat was key to the Wildcats’ success last season, as the team won 36 games and reached the Final Four, where it fell just short of its second national title in program history.
Peat’s Strengths and Weaknesses
Not much of a floor spacer, Peat earned his worth with his ridiculous strength on the interior, often overpowering defenders for easy buckets inside. His athleticism and strength with his 6-foot-8, 235-pound frame made him a matchup nightmare for opposing defenses all season long.
However, Peat’s weaknesses — such as a lack of a consistent three-point shot or mid-range game — have forced his draft stock to dip slightly. Initially projected as a lottery pick at the start of the season, Peat is now projected to be a late to mid-first round pick in the 2026 NBA Draft if he declares.
Yahoo! Sports’ Kevin O’Connor projects that Peat will be selected 17th overall by the Oklahoma City Thunder in his latest mock draft.
O’Connor’s Evaluation
“Why not take a swing here on a player who was expected to be a lottery pick?,” O’Connor said. “Peat's bloodline is so loaded with offensive linemen that it's almost funny he ended up playing basketball. His father played nine NFL seasons. His uncle was a Pro Bowl tackle. Two brothers played college ball on the line. And you can absolutely see it in how he plays: powerful, physical, relentless and it genuinely takes something special to stop him from getting to where he wants to go."
"But he also shoots like a football player. He took only 20 shots from 3 and made just 62.3% of his free throws, which is the whole reason why he’s not a lottery lock anymore. But the Thunder have a way of making everyone learn how to shoot. And if he figures it out someday, there's star upside.”
Peat will look to boost his draft stock ahead of this summer’s draft. While his initial hype may have died down over the course of the season, Peat can still find himself having an impact at the next level if he rounds out his game a bit more.
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Justin Backer brings a wealth of experience to his role as a college football and basketball general sports reporter On SI. Backer is a proud graduate of Florida Atlantic University with a Bachelor of Arts in Multimedia Studies, and has worked for such media companies as The Sporting News and the Palm Beach Post.