Ranking the top 25 prospects in the 2026 NBA Draft: Who's No. 1?

Ranking the top 25 prospects in the 2026 NBA Draft: Who's No. 1?
yahoo - 5/10/2026 10:56:34 PM - GMT (+2 )

The Washington Wizards officially won the 2026 NBA draft lottery with the Utah Jazz, Memphis Grizzlies and Chicago Bulls picking right after that.

USA TODAY's instant reaction mock draft showed projections for where each player is predicted to land during the first round at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York on June 23. But outside of the biggest names like AJ Dybantsa as well as Cameron Boozer and Darryn Peterson, who are the other most important prospects to know?

These rankings generally reflect how front offices may view these players, though the order is likely to change after the 2026 NBA Combine concludes in Chicago. After these events, scouts will have a better idea of athleticism and true measurements from each prospect while also watching key performances in five-on-five scrimmages.

Unlike a mock draft, these rankings also do not reflect team fit or need but rather just a general range for each player.

2026 NBA Draft Big Board

The following rankings are based on a blend of consensus projections from trusted evaluators as well as impact metrics such as box plus-minus and publicly available analytic models.

1. AJ Dybantsa

TEAM: BYU
POSITION: Wing
BORN: Massachusetts
HEIGHT: 6-9
DRAFT AGE: 19

2. Cameron Boozer

TEAM: Duke
POSITION: Forward
BORN: Florida
HEIGHT: 6-9
DRAFT AGE: 18

3. Darryn Peterson

TEAM: Kansas
POSITION: Guard
BORN: Ohio
HEIGHT: 6-5
DRAFT AGE: 19

4. Caleb Wilson

TEAM: North Carolina
POSITION: Big
BORN: Georgia
HEIGHT: 6-10
DRAFT AGE: 19

5. Keaton Wagler

TEAM: Illinois
POSITION: Wing
BORN: Kansas
HEIGHT: 6-6
DRAFT AGE: 19

6. Kingston Flemings

TEAM: Houston
POSITION: Guard
BORN: Texas
HEIGHT: 6-4
DRAFT AGE: 19

7. Darius Acuff Jr.

TEAM: Arkansas
POSITION: Guard
BORN: Michigan
HEIGHT: 6-3
DRAFT AGE: 19

8. Brayden Burries

TEAM: Arizona
POSITION: Guard
BORN: California
HEIGHT: 6-4
DRAFT AGE: 20

9. Yaxel Lendeborg

TEAM: Michigan
POSITION: Forward
BORN: New Jersey
HEIGHT: 6-9
DRAFT AGE: 23

10. Mikel Brown Jr.

TEAM: Louisville
POSITION: Guard
BORN: Florida
HEIGHT: 6-5
DRAFT AGE: 20

11. Aday Mara

TEAM: Michigan
POSITION: Big
BORN: Spain
HEIGHT: 7-3
DRAFT AGE: 21

12. Labaron Philon

TEAM: Alabama
POSITION: Guard
BORN: Alabama
HEIGHT: 6-4
DRAFT AGE: 20

13. Nate Ament

TEAM: Tennessee
POSITION: Wing
BORN: Virginia
HEIGHT: 6-10
DRAFT AGE: 19

14. Hannes Steinbach

TEAM: Washington
POSITION: Big
BORN: Germany
HEIGHT: 6-11
DRAFT AGE: 20

15. Morez Johnson Jr.

TEAM: Michigan
POSITION: Big
BORN: Illinois
HEIGHT: 6-9
DRAFT AGE: 20

16. Bennett Stirtz

TEAM: Iowa
POSITION: Guard
BORN: Missouri
HEIGHT: 6-4
DRAFT AGE: 22

17. Karim Lopez

TEAM: International (Australia)
POSITION: Forward
BORN: Mexico
HEIGHT: 6-8
DRAFT AGE: 19

18. Cameron Carr

TEAM: Baylor
POSITION: Wing
BORN: Minnesota
HEIGHT: 6-5
DRAFT AGE: 21

19. Dailyn Swain

TEAM: Texas
POSITION: Wing
BORN: Ohio
HEIGHT: 6-8
DRAFT AGE: 20

20. Allen Graves

TEAM: Santa Clara
POSITION: Forward
BORN: Louisiana
HEIGHT: 6-9
DRAFT AGE: 20

21. Christian Anderson

TEAM: Texas Tech
POSITION: Guard
BORN: Georgia
HEIGHT: 6-3
DRAFT AGE: 20

22. Koa Peat

TEAM: Arizona
POSITION: Forward
BORN: Arizona
HEIGHT: 6-8
DRAFT AGE: 19

23. Ebuka Okorie

TEAM: Stanford
POSITION: Guard
BORN: New Hampshire
HEIGHT: 6-2
DRAFT AGE: 19

24. Chris Cenac Jr.

TEAM: Houston
POSITION: Big
BORN: Louisiana
HEIGHT: 6-11
DRAFT AGE: 19

25. Jayden Quaintance

TEAM: Kentucky
POSITION: Big
BORN: Ohio
HEIGHT: 6-9
DRAFT AGE: 18

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NBA Draft 2026 ranking of top players, prospects. Who's No. 1?

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