NBA Mock Draft: First Board With Lottery Odds, Post-NCAA Tournament Projections

The NBA’s regular season came to a close Sunday night, ending a weekslong (if not longer) race to the bottom by many of the NBA’s worst teams to position themselves best for May’s draft lottery. While we won’t know the actual draft order for about a month, the locked-in lottery odds (minus a coin flip between Sacramento and Utah for fourth- and fifth-best odds) makes now a good time to project what could be a once-in-a-generation 2026 draft.

Who wins out for the top spot? Here’s a look at Sports Illustrated’s first mock draft:

1. Washington Wizards: AJ Dybantsa, BYU

Dybantsa had an all-time February and March for BYU, even though the Cougars struggled after injuries derailed a promising season. In that 14-game sample, Dybantsa averaged 28.9 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game and looked like a future big wing superstar in the NBA. He showed real progress throughout the season in how he reads defenses and improvement with his handle that allowed him to more effectively live at the rim.

Washington has had brutal lottery luck in recent years, but all the tanking may prove worthwhile if it can land near the top of this draft and land an elite talent like Dybantsa, who’d likely fit best with the existing Wizards core.

2. Indiana Pacers: Darryn Peterson, Kansas

Peterson’s lone college season was filled with narratives about his health and desire to play. Clearly without much of his high school explosiveness after cramping issues plagued him early, it was encouraging to see Peterson battle through and play big minute loads in late February and March. He was excellent in the NCAA tournament, scoring 28 points in the round of 64 against California Baptist and willing the Jayhawks back late in the game against St. John’s before Dylan Darling’s buzzer beater. He’s one of the best pure scorers to enter the draft in recent memory and a strong candidate still to go No. 1, especially if his medicals show no long-term concerns at the combine in May.

For Indiana to add a budding superstar to the backcourt with Tyrese Haliburton would be a major win after a painful tanking season one year after going to the NBA Finals.

3. Brooklyn Nets: Cameron Boozer, Duke

Some evaluators may question whether Boozer has the same ceiling as other elite prospects in the class, but all he has done his entire career is produce and win at an elite level. He swept national player of the year honors in his lone year at Duke and led the Blue Devils to the overall No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament, stuffing the stat sheet by scoring at all three levels, dominating the glass and setting up teammates. Even if his athletic traits aren’t quite up to the standard of the usual elite prospect, he’s well worth a top-three pick and is a player who Brooklyn can build around.

4. Sacramento Kings: Caleb Wilson, North Carolina

It’s a shame Wilson suffered a pair of hand injuries that ended his elite freshman season in Chapel Hill, N.C., well before the NCAA tournament. But in the 24 college games he played, Wilson made a strong impression, dominating games with his athleticism and motor. He won’t be able to live on being bigger and more athletic as often in the NBA and thus will need to refine his shooting and handle to finish his career as one of the best players in this draft, but Wilson should immediately add value with his energy and effort on both ends of the floor and would immediately raise the floor in Sacramento.

North Carolina forward Caleb Wilson’s season ended early after a pair of hand injuries. | Rich Barnes-Imagn Images

5. Utah Jazz: Darius Acuff Jr., Arkansas

Acuff had an unbelievable finish to the season, dominating the latter part of SEC play in a way few one-and-done guards have in recent memory. He’s clearly an NBA-level scorer and playmaker for others, dominating games in ball screens and scoring efficiently off the dribble all while taking care of the ball at an elite level. The challenge for small guards like Acuff (particularly ones who have struggled as much as he has defensively) is they almost have to turn into elite players as an offensive engine to return net-positive value. That’s especially a concern for Utah if paired with Keyonte George, but the offensive potential of that duo is tantalizing.

6. Memphis Grizzlies: Kingston Flemings, Houston

Flemings had an outstanding freshman year as the maestro of Houston’s offense. He’s an elite paint touch generator, living at the rim even in a Houston system that sometimes sees the paint get somewhat clogged. He’s also electric in transition, which should help him adapt to the faster-paced NBA game. His three-point shot is still inconsistent, but Flemings showed real progress as a shooter in his lone season of college and if you believe in that development continuing, he has a real avenue to be the best point guard in this class.

7. Atlanta Hawks: Keaton Wagler, Illinois

Wagler’s meteoric rise from underrated recruit to top-10 pick has been remarkable, and concluded in fitting fashion by leading Illinois to the Final Four to cap an unreal season in Champaign, Ill. He conjures images of Haliburton when at his best, cutting up defenses with high-level shooting off the dribble and the knack to almost always making the right play offensively as a distributor. He also showed real growth throughout the season in driving the ball and finishing around the rim through contact in spite of his lacking explosiveness athletically. He could fit well into Atlanta’s current nucleus which features a ton of positional size and multiple playmakers like Jalen Johnson and Dyson Daniels.

8. Dallas Mavericks: Mikel Brown Jr., Louisville

Brown showed flashes of why he entered the season a potential top-five pick, but dealt with lingering back injuries and didn’t shoot the ball great in his lone season at Louisville. He has as much on-ball talent as anyone in this draft though, with the size, feel for the game and shooting ability to be a future starting point guard in the NBA. He lived on a fairly difficult shot diet in college, a concern for teams especially against NBA-level size and rim protection at the basket. But pairing him with Cooper Flagg as a key part of Dallas’s future nucleus would be intriguing.

9. Chicago Bulls: Nate Ament, Tennessee

Tennessee put a ton on Ament’s shoulders in his lone college season, and the results were mixed. Particularly in SEC play, Ament had some very strong moments as a scorer, showcasing more offensive versatility than some expected and using his added strength to get to spots and score effectively at all three levels. He entered college with a reputation as an elite shooter, something that didn’t quite materialize at Tennessee. He’s likely less ready to impact winning at a high level early in his NBA career than other top prospects in his class, but guys with his size and shooting ability don’t come around often and are worth rolling the dice on in the back half of the top 10.

Tennessee forward Nate Ament has size and shooting ability that make him an intriguing top-10 draft pick. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

10. Milwaukee Bucks: Yaxel Lendeborg, Michigan

Lendeborg is the first non-freshman college player off the board, swinging all the way to the opposite end of the spectrum as a sixth-year college player who will be 24 when he makes his NBA debut. He was one of the best players in college basketball this season, a do-it-all 6' 9" forward who can handle the ball, showed improvement as a shooter and can guard up and down the lineup. He can be a plug-and-play rotation piece wherever he lands.

11. Golden State Warriors: Brayden Burries, Arizona

It seems like a safe bet that Burries will be able to score effectively in the NBA after a strong freshman season in Tucson where averaged over 16 points per game and emerged as an elite three-level weapon on a Final Four team. He’s old for a freshman (he’ll turn 21 in September) and doesn’t have elite measurables, but Burries has been a prolific scorer at every level and seems like a fairly safe bet to be a productive piece at the next level.

12. Oklahoma City Thunder: Karim López, New Zealand Breakers

The Mexican-born López had a strong season as an 18-year-old playing major minutes in the Australian NBL, averaging nearly 12 points and six rebounds per game and showing improvement as a three-point threat. He’s likely not a future star, but players with his size, length and feel for the game are worthwhile targets in the late lottery and a solid asset for Oklahoma City to use as a controllable role player moving forward.

13. Miami Heat: Thomas Haugh, Florida

Haugh adds so much to winning basketball, stacking up buckets and boards without needing plays to be called for him. He’s a ready-made role player with positional size and intensity on the defensive end that will make plenty of front offices fall in love with him throughout the predraft process. He has many of the same traits that Miami fell in love with when drafting Jaime Jaquez Jr. in 2023.

14. Charlotte Hornets: Aday Mara, Michigan

Perhaps the biggest riser of the NCAA tournament, Mara solidified himself as a top-20 pick with a dominant March that saw him showcase his two-way impact at an elite level. He’s a game-changing defender with a massive frame and absurdly long arms. Pair that with his rare feel for the game for a player of his size, and even climbing into the late lottery for a team like Charlotte isn’t overly hard to imagine.

Michigan’s Aday Mara was a huge asset in the first half against UConn in the men’s basketball national title game. — Michigan’s Aday Mara might be the biggest riser during the NCAA tournament. | Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated

15. Chicago Bulls: Labaron Philon Jr., Alabama

This is a loaded class of point guards, but you could argue Philon had the best college season of any. The sophomore was an elite floor general for Alabama, dominating games with his off-dribble shooting and elite ball-screen capabilities. His narrow frame and gunslinger approach may make some teams view him more as a change-of-pace option than offensive engine, but he has enough offensive talent to be a starting PG in the NBA for a long time.

16. Memphis Grizzlies: Jayden Quaintance, Kentucky

Quaintance is one of the highest-upside players in this draft, still incredibly young (he won’t turn 19 until July) with incredible length, giant hands and elite rim-protecting instincts. The question is how far he is from actually making a tangible impact in the NBA. He showed flashes as a freshman at Arizona State, but barely played this season at Kentucky coming off an ACL injury. He’d be an ideal swing for a team like Memphis with multiple first-round picks that can take a gamble on a player who had clear top-10 and maybe top-five upside at one point.

17. Charlotte Hornets: Dailyn Swain, Texas

Swain has been on NBA radars for a few years but finally put it all together this season at Texas, emerging as one of the best downhill drivers in college basketball and showing growth as a playmaker. Players with his size, athleticism and scoring instincts are difficult to find, even if there are questions about how his game will translate if he doesn’t continue to improve as a three-point shooter.

18. Oklahoma City Thunder: Hannes Steinbach, Washington

Washington wasn’t the easiest evaluation context for Steinbach, but the production was hard to ignore for the German big man. He was a double-double machine in his lone season of college basketball, dominating the boards and scoring effectively around the rim with his soft touch. He also flashed the ability to pick and pop for threes, a valuable tool to add to his game long-term. There are some questions about his defensive translation especially if he ends up playing center in the NBA, but productive, hard-playing bigs like Steinbach have real value in a rotation.

19. San Antonio Spurs: Bennett Stirtz, Iowa

Stirtz helped lead Iowa on a surprise run to the Elite Eight, finishing an incredible college career that started at Division II Northwest Missouri State in style. He’s not quite as dynamic of an athlete as some of the other point guards at the top of this class, but is a big-time shooter with an advanced floater game. He seems likely to carve out a valuable long-term role in a rotation like San Antonio’s around an established star in Victor Wembanyama.

20. Toronto Raptors: Christian Anderson, Texas Tech

Anderson had the breakout season scouts were hoping to see, taking on full-time point guard duties as a sophomore and dominating the Big 12 as a scorer and playmaker. While lacking elite athletic gifts, very few players can match his off-dribble shooting ability, and he consistently makes the right reads in ball screens.

21. Detroit Pistons: Chris Cenac Jr., Houston

Few players in this draft have better physical tools than Cenac, 6' 11" in shoes with a monster 7' 4" wingspan and a big-time motor on the glass. His offensive game is still a work in progress, and he may spend a lot of time early in his NBA career in the G League continuing to develop. However, he made real strides in his one season at Houston and could continue his upward trajectory long term.

22. Atlanta Hawks: Braylon Mullins, UConn

UConn is making the pitch to Mullins to come back for a sophomore season, but the freshman sharpshooter seems solidly positioned as a first-rounder assuming he stays in the draft. Mullins made a strong impression in the NCAA tournament, both with his clutch three against Duke to send the Huskies to the Final Four but also with his effort and energy on the glass. That said, staying in college, starring and propelling himself into a potential top-10 pick could make sense.

Braylon Mullins is hitting monster March Madness shots for UConn despite receiving an offer from Indiana. — UConn’s Braylon Mullins seems solidly positioned as a first-round pick after a monster March Madness run. | Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated

23. Philadelphia 76ers: Cameron Carr, Baylor

Carr finally put it all together in his third year of college, exploding into one of the best scorers in the Big 12 at Baylor. His package of athletic tools, shooting and defensive upside is very impressive, and he seems likely to move the needle in workouts and measurements throughout the predraft process.

24. New York Knicks: Motiejus Krivas, Arizona

Krivas’s stay-or-go college decision will be one of the most fascinating ones to monitor in the coming weeks. If he’s back, he has a strong case as the preseason defensive player of the year, a dominant force at the rim and a huge reason for Arizona’s success in 2025–26. He has real appeal in the late-first round with his size and toughness though, which will be tough to turn down.

25. Los Angeles Lakers: Isaiah Evans, Duke

Evans emerged as the clear second option offensively for Duke, averaging 15 points per game as a sophomore after being a bench option on last season’s loaded Blue Devils team. He’s far from a perfect prospect, lacking physicality and seeming to float in and out of games at times when shots aren’t falling. That said, guys with his size and shooting ability on the wing are worthwhile investments late in the first round.

26. Denver Nuggets: Ebuka Okorie, Stanford

Okorie exploded onto the scene at Stanford, dominating the ACC as a freshman in a high-usage role. His shiftiness and creativity with the ball in his hands really stands out, as does his elite speed. In his draft announcement, he said he had “two feet in the draft” but would return to Stanford over portal options should he withdraw.

27. Boston Celtics: Patrick Ngongba II, Duke

Ngongba made real strides as a sophomore, making a strong two-way impact for Duke as the team’s starting center. His size and length made him an effective deterrent at the rim defensively, and that paired with his touch around the basket and feel for the game makes him a credible first-round prospect.

28. Minnesota Timberwolves: Meleek Thomas, Arkansas

Overshadowed by Acuff, Thomas had a monster freshman year averaging over 15 points per game and shooting nearly 42% from three for the Razorbacks. He’s another player who could benefit from trying to play his way up boards with a starring role as a sophomore and roll the dice in a weaker 2027 draft, but guards with Thomas’s size, shotmaking and competitiveness tend not to fall far on draft night.

29. Cleveland Cavaliers: Tyler Tanner, Vanderbilt

Another critical college-or-pro decision is Tanner’s, who popped on front office analytical models during a monster sophomore season. He’s undersized, measuring in at just under 6' tall in shoes with a slender build. That’d make him a serious outlier in the current NBA, but Tanner is so fun to watch and so effective in spite of his size that it wouldn’t be shocking if someone gave him a promise in the late first round.

30. Dallas Mavericks: Allen Graves, Santa Clara

Graves has his name in the transfer portal, but seems to have a real chance of staying in this year’s draft. Graves is something like a poor man’s Cameron Boozer, a 6' 9" forward with physicality who stuffs the stat sheet in every way. NBA teams should also be intrigued by his trajectory, having been an underrated recruit who redshirted as a freshman before this season’s explosion.

More NBA From Sports Illustrated

Listen to SI’s NBA podcast, Open Floor, below or on Apple and Spotify. Watch the show on SI’s YouTube channel.