Four Houston Cougars Appear In Latest ESPN NBA Mock Draft
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Four games into Big 12 play and conference play across college basketball, mock boards for the 2026 NBA Draft are slowly starting to come more into fruition for another highly anticipated class.
This time, it's stacked with freshman Big 12 talents, three of them projected in the top five, and various veteran players whose time may finally be right to make the next step in their careers.
One of those three freshmen? Houston's guard Kingston Flemings, who tops himself among four Cougars, or 80% of coach Kelvin Sampson's starting five, is billed within this board's top 50.
With the pre-lottery draft order mapped through ESPN's BPI, these were the conditions of ESPN NBA draft analyst Jeremy Woo, who released his first not-so-early-anymore 2026 mock draft on Monday.
Kingston Flemings, 5th overall, Utah Jazz
Through 17 games for Houston, Flemings, having averaged 15.4 points, 5.2 assists and nearly two steals a game, has quickly cemented his case as Sampson's impact freshman in working the left side, driving into the lane or on pick-and-roll, and his willingness to not give up on a loose ball.
The left side got the best of Flemings' work when racking nine points in the final 2:11 of Houston's late 69-65 come-from-behind win over Texas Tech on Jan. 6, giving him arguably among the top minutes of the year from any freshman in college basketball.
According to Woo, while defensive improvements are still on the table for him, this impact has drawn "near-universal approval" from a web of NBA evaluators in the sense that he becomes the first true point guard taken.
However, Flemings' cleanliness with the basketball has already taken a tremendous step and shown maturity in having posted a 5.8:1 assist-to-turnover ratio over his last six games.
In the scenario of the Utah Jazz, Woo also sees Flemings' presence integrated with the rise of guard Keyonte George from the sense of how he may be ready to play with the pace of a veteran roster.
These values can only become higher for Flemings especially if he becomes the first freshman since forward Anthony Davis in 2012 to help his coach clinch his first national championship.
Chris Cenac Jr., 16th overall, Memphis Grizzlies
Just two spots out of lottery range for Woo is freshman forward Chris Cenac Jr., who could very well make his way back into range as a stretch frontcourt piece who's not only cashed in seven 10-rebound performances through 17 games, but has improved a long way on the perimeter in being able to guard at the three-point line.
However, Woo's analysis points to "inconsistent production" to where it keeps evaluators in "wait-and-see mode." Though his slow start offensively may attribute to that, his near 40-percent clip from 3-point range and 9.1 points per game are indicators that scouts may keep their eyes peeled again towards more "tangible growth", especially as Big 12 play moves on.
Joseph Tugler, 48th overall, San Antonio Spurs
The best of junior forward Joseph Tugler may already be underway in the sense that he's come a long way in his offensive output from the beginning of the season. Through four Big 12 games, he's 10.3 points and 8.5 rebounds per game, which has put him on watch to potentially average a double-double in league play having recorded consecutive double-doubles for the first time in his career.
Being in nearly the same draft range as last offseason, what's kept him afloat and scouts' eyes peeled has been his long-impressive 7-foot-6 wingspan, carrying tremendous value on both ends of the ball.
Now imagine a potential two-time Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year on a roster already with the likes of forward Victor Wembanyama in a franchise that may soon be out of the rebuild stage.
Milos Uzan, 49th overall, Phoenix Suns
Considering the rough go that senior guard Milos Uzan had offensively to start the season, it's still speaks volumes for him to average double figures through 17 games.
Through Four Big 12 games, Uzan has averaged 12 points while continuing to find his stride again from beyond the arc, as he hit a season-high five triples in Houston's 77-48 win over West Virginia on Jan. 13, a bounce-back from a cold two-game stretch.
Until then, scouts will most likely look at his season-high 26-point performance across in Houston's 78-74 overtime win over Syracuse in the Players Era tournament in Las Vegas on Nov. 24.
Much like Tugler, Uzan sits roughly in the same draft range as last offseason, but his past resume in making shots where they count while still solidifying his off-ball value can certainly make the case for a boost.
Michael Carrara is a staff writer for Houston Cougars on SI. He attends the University of Houston, where he is a journalism major and a marketing minor. He is also a sports writer and reporter for the Daily Cougar, having covered baseball as an NCBWA member. You can find Michael on all major social media channels, including X on @michaelcoalec.