Updated Warriors Big Board with 3 Risers from 2026 NBA Draft Combine

The Golden State Warriors seem increasingly likely to keep the 11th pick of the 2026 draft instead of trading it.

"Mike [Dunleavy] is very confident we're going to get somebody at 11 who can play," Steve Kerr said on Tim Kawakami's podcast. "And I'm very confident that I'm going to give that guy every opportunity to play. Part of that is there's no Moses [Moody] and there's no Jimmy [Butler] for the first half of the season. I mean, and we don't have enough talent right now to say, you know, well, I'm not playing that guy because he doesn't know this or that yet."

This quote, combined with a few others, has me thinking they are targeting immediate impact over more of a project.

I published my first big board before the combine. Since then, there have been three risers.

Just like last time, I'll be giving a small boost to players who fill the team's two biggest needs: wings with positional size and guards with dynamic ball-handling ability.

Warriors Big Board

Cornerstone Potential

1. SF AJ Dybantsa, BYU
2. G Darryn Peterson, Kansas
3. F Caleb Wilson, UNC
4. PF/C Cam Boozer, Duke

Dybantsa has a little bit of separation from the other three, who are very close together. Boozer had arguably a better combine than Peterson and Wilson, but I stand by how I initially ranked these players for the Warriors.

High-End Starter

5. G Keaton Wagler, Illinois
6. PG Darius Acuff Jr., Arkansas
7. PG Kingston Flemings, Houston
8. PG Mikel Brown Jr., Louisville
9. PG Labaron Philon Jr., Alabama
10. PF Yaxel Lendeborg, Michigan
11. SG Brayden Burries, Arizona
12. C Aday Mara, Michigan (up one spot)
13. SG/SF Cameron Carr, Baylor (up two spots)
14. SF Karim Lopez, New Zealand Breakers (down two spots)

Aday Mara and Cameron Carr were the two risers into the high-end starter tier from the combine.

Mara's rise came from the combination of his measurements (7'3" without shoes!) and his performance in agility drills. Of course he'll have issues defending in space, but the agility drills suggest he won't a total liability, which is a big development for a player who excels as a finisher, passer and shot-blocker.

Carr's rise came from the combination of his wingspan (7'0.75"), his vertical leap (42.5") and his 30-point performance in a combine scrimmage. For being that athletic, Carr doesn't have a great defensive reputation. So if the Warriors take him, they'll need to be sure they can coach him into becoming a plus defender.

Beginning of Low-End Starter Tier

15. PG Ebuka Okorie, Stanford (up one spot)
16. SF Nate Ament, Tennessee (down two spots)

This tier has several more players, but the one I wanted to spotlight is Okorie.

The Stanford guard is just 6'1.25", which is the reason most don't think he'll go in the lottery. But it wouldn't surprise me if he has a lottery-caliber career.

He averaged 23.2 points playing for a team that didn't have much talent around him. So the fact that his percentages weren't outstanding (46.5 FG%, 35.4 3PT%) shouldn't be held against him. If anything, they shoud be praised considering how much of his scoring came unassisted.

Okorie gets a slight bump in the rankings by measuring in with a 6'7.75" wingspan, which is longer than those of Flemings (6'3.5"), Philon (6'6.25"), Wagler (6'6.25") and Acuff (6'6.5"). But I'm still keeping Okorie a tier below Philon for now because Philon has a more advanced offensive game that feels like it could be utilized in more ways.

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