Fantasy Basketball Focused NBA Draft Grades for All First Round Picks

The NBA Draft's first round took place on Tuesday Night, June 24. AJ Dybantsa went 1st overall to the Wizards, followed by Darryn Peterson to the Jazz at 2nd overall and Cam Boozer to the Grizzlies at 3rd overall. The draft went mostly predictable in its early stages, then it began to mix itself up. Across all 30 picks, we find select players in fantastic destinations while others may struggle early on. These are our fantasy basketball-based draft grades.

1st, AJ Dybantsa, Wizards

Grade: A+

Dybantsa is the highest ceiling player, ranked 1st or 2nd in the nation for the Class of 2025 since he was in 6th grade.

2nd, Darryn Peterson, Jazz

Grade: A+

Peterson caused commotion in 2025-26, missing time due to injury. However, he never missed any time in High School. Any critique is overplayed for the best jump shot in this class.

3rd, Cam Boozer, Grizzlies

Grade: A+

Boozer will fill the gap left by the trade away of Jaren Jackson Jr. He does it all, truly, and is only scratching the surface of his dynamic game, which is compared to Julius Randle.

4th, Caleb Wilson, Bulls

Grade: A+

Wilson can be argued to have the highest ceiling in this draft. Standing tall at 6'9" and still growing, Wilson has the shadows of Kevin Garnett, joining a team that lacks big-man presence.

5th, Keaton Wagler, Clippers

Grade: B+

The Clippers took a player who, one year ago, was ranked outside the top 200 players entering college basketball. On one hand, he proved excellence through his mental drive to become this good. On the other hand, Wagler could lack the ceiling required to be a future star. Time will tell how good he becomes, as he also will not be a high-usage player right away.

6th, Mikel Brown Jr., Nets

Grade: A-

The Nets may have found higher fantasy basketball upside for a singular player if they took Darius Acuff Jr. Nontheless, Brown Jr. is the 3rd-best scorer in this draft and should be playing ahead of Egor Demin and Nolan Traore in the pecking order.

7th, Darius Acuff Jr., Kings

Grade: A

Acuff Jr. is more of an A- in the draft selection itself. In fantasy basketball, Acuff Jr. will play a prime, high-minutes role right away as the draft's most creative scorer.

8th, Kingston Flemings, Hawks

Grade: C+

Flemings has not impressed mightily in the scoring department. He will also lack a 35+ minutes-per-game ceiling due to a crowded guard depth chart. Flemings will offer great defense, which shall favor this Hawks team that aims to contend in the Eastern Conference.

9th, Morez Johnson Jr., Mavericks

Grade: B-

The pick was a huge surprise, then clarified by the fact that the Mavericks just signed Dusty May as their new head coach, who coached Johnson Jr. at Michigan. Johnson Jr. will be a great role player, but will lack usage behind Kyrie Irving and Cooper Flagg.

10th, Brayden Burries, Bucks

Grade: A

This pick is fantastic, especially if Tyler Herro is redistributed to a new team. Burries is a sharp-shooting winger, standing 6'4", to add quality rebounds. Burries' role can be big right away.

11th, Yaxel Lendeborg, Warriors

Grade: B

Lendeborg is primed to be a great fit in the Golden State. He is proficient in every category and has more experience than many of his incoming rookie counterparts. Lendeborg probably lacks the ceiling of this draft's top players, taking more years to reach this status, which still falls short of the draft's lack of players years younger.

12th, Aday Mara, Thunder

Grade: B+

Mara might lack minutes at first, but he can rise by mid-season. Mara is 7'3", 255 lbs, and that raw ability rates his ceiling higher than the Thunder's current center, Jaylin Williams.

13th, Nate Ament, Heat -> Bucks

Grade: A

Ament is still raw, but the talent clearly is there to become an elite forward in the NBA. Ament compares to Kevin Durant in his raw form. The Bucks lack anyone to become the 'guy.' Ament can become it, maybe not in 2026-27, but shortly thereafter.

14th, Hannes Steinbach, Hornets

Grade: C+

The Hornets wanted Steinbach, as was rumored. That says a lot. He does still have to compete for minutes with Moussa Diabate and Ryan Kalkbrenner.

15th, Dailyn Swain, Bulls

Grade: D

The pick leaves people scratching their heads. Swain was not valued this high, but rather, in the 20s. The role can become very good for Swain, but there is uncertainty at the moment, with hope rather than certainty.

16th, Bennett Stirtz, Grizzlies -> Thunder

Grade: B-

Stirtz is an awesome, high-IQ player, but he will lack a starting job. While Stirtz can overtake Ajay Mitchell as the backup point guard, expect 15-23 minutes per game to start. He will be very productive in those minutes, but ultimately will lack enough playing time to be fantasy basketball-relevant.

17th, Ebuka Okorie, Thunder -> Pistons

Grade: C-

Okorie is a pure point guard, compared to the likes of Dennis Schröder, a point guard. He will play behind Cade Cunningham and compete with Daniss Jenkins for 20+ minutes per game.

18th, Christian Anderson Jr., Hornets

Grade: F

We will lack to find any value in Anderson Jr., who will sit firmly behind LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller, who will command the ball when playing. Behind them, Anderson Jr. will also have to compete with Sion James and Coby White.

19th, Allen Graves, Raptors

Grade: D

Graves is another player who will lack much valuable playing time. The Raptors are set in stone with Brandon Ingram and Scottie Barnes as their dual, high-minutes forwards. Graves will play a minimal role early on and lack any high-level player comparisons.

20th, Jayden Quaintance, Spurs

Grade: A+

The Spurs add a great center to back up Victor Wembanyama. Quaintance was primed to be a top center in 2025-26 college basketball until he got injured. He may be able to jump Luke Kornet and, in fact, start games at some point.

21st, Karim Lopez, Pistons -> Grizzlies

Grade: B

The Grizzlies have a lot of volatility at forward with an array of unproven assets that include Jaylen Wellsinclude and GG Jackson. Lopez has a wide range of what his role may become in his rookie season, but he may be worth a deep stash in dynasty leagues.

22nd, Labaron Philon Jr., 76ers

Grade: A-

Philon Jr. fell quite a bit. He is viewed as a second-tier guard with his specialty being his handle, passing, and scoring: all key fantasy basketball elements. Philon Jr. will back up Tyrese Maxey and could easily see 20+ minutes per game, if not even more.

23rd, Zuby Ejiofor, Hawks

Grade: C+

There is mild concern regarding Ejiofor's size. Nonetheless, he is a dominant presence and will play as well as he works, which will be very hard to do. Ejiofor will back up Jalen Johnson and Onyeka Okongwu.

24th, Cameron Carr, Knicks -> Lakers

Grade: D

The Lakers apparently loved Carr, but we do not love Carr ourselves. In fantasy basketball, he will have a mountain to climb to steal minutes from Austin Reaves, veteran guard Luke Kennard, and Marcus Smart.

25th, Sergio De Larrea, Lakers -> Mavericks

Grade: A

The role is for the taking regarding De Larrea. The Mavericks list Cooper Flagg as their starting power forward, but here, reality played 2025-26 more like a guard. De Larrea's only true competition is Khris Middleton, who plays small forward and can share playing time with the Spanish rookie.

26th, Tarris Reed Jr., Nuggets -> Spurs

Grade: A

The Spurs were hungry for more presence in the frontcourt. They went out and drafted Jayden Quaintance, and then six picks later, they got Reed Jr. He will add a dominant rebounding presence, standing 6'11", 265lbs.

27th, Chris Cenac Jr., Celtics

Grade: B-

Cenac Jr. could have probably returned to college basketball. However, he came to the draft, and at 27th overall, the Celtics took the rebounder. Despite being raw, he can outwork his competition. Cenac Jr. will compete with Neemias Queta and Nikola Vucevic, but could gain playing time where the Celtics lack a true power forward.

28th, Joshua Jefferson, Timberwolves -> Nets

Grade: B

Jefferson will slot in to play behind the new addition, Julius Randle. Nonetheless, the Nets start Day'Ron Sharpe at center, and thus, they can mix-and-match their rotation of players. Jefferson may lack a ton of fantasy basketball upside, but he can gain 20+ minutes per game rather quickly as the Nets' depth chart is shallow.

29th, Alex Karaban, Cavaliers -> Kings

Grade: F

Karaban has size, but lacks athleticism. He is a great shooter, and that is where his value lies. He will lack playing time with a ton of competition ahead of him, including DeMar DeRozan, Nique Clifford, Keegan Murray, Precious Achiuwa, and DeAndre Hunter.

30th, Koa Peat, Mavericks -> Suns

Grade: B

Peat dropped due to shooting worries flagged at the NBA Draft Combine. Peat is still viewed as a player with supreme upside and is a steal for the Suns at 30th overall. Peat is 6'8", 235 lbs, and still growing at 19 years old. The Suns have no true power forward of starting quality. Dillon Brooks is listed as the starter, but he is more of a small forward who plays on the perimeter.

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