Mock draft 2026

Aren’t pass firsts point guards extinct

This guy lately has been making waves in that department. And (not coincidentally) he is the player that I was hoping Monte would draft two years ago with the pick he used on Devin Carter. Yes I am a dinosaur in many ways when it comes to basketball preferences, but I like what I like.
 
I'm not afraid to say it... I like both Darius Acuff Jr. and Labaron Philon Jr. as basketball players more than I like Darryn Peterson and Kingston Flemings.

How can you possibly like Acuff with your defensive proclivities? Your scouting makes no sense haha.

I like Acuff quite a bit too, but I think the defensive concerns are super real. Maybe he's good enough offensively to overcome it and I certainly wouldn't hesitate to start thinking about him at 6 with that next tier of player... but before Peterson and Flemings is insane
 
How can you possibly like Acuff with your defensive proclivities? Your scouting makes no sense haha.

I like Acuff quite a bit too, but I think the defensive concerns are super real. Maybe he's good enough offensively to overcome it and I certainly wouldn't hesitate to start thinking about him at 6 with that next tier of player... but before Peterson and Flemings is insane

I've stopped trying to apply logic to everything, it's really just more feel at this point. I also was super high on Rob Dillingham to the point of ranking him #2 in that 2024 draft year. Not looking great right now. I had Jalen Johnson at the top of my player rankings in 2021. Brilliant! Prophetic! I had him in a virtual tie with Usman Garuba for that spot. Terrible! Nonsensical! I don't know what to tell you. I just see what I see.
 
I've been wondering the same thing about Dybantsa. His 3pt attempt rate is on the low side and he's been living at the free throw line (9th overall in NCAA for FTA this season) -- neither of which presents a problem for me. I like players who get to the free throw line consistently, its one of the most reliable ways to generate offense, and prefer to see scorers who aren't overly reliant on long range shooting. Where I get a little confused is when I see all of this moaning and groaning over DeRozan dominating the ball and scoring mostly at the free throw line and mid-range while at the same time "Dybantsa will save us!" gets raised as a mantra of hope. Sports fandom almost by definition is irrational in nature, but in this case the two attitudes are so directly incongruent that I would characterize their existing simultaneously as a paradox.

I think that's where Dybantsa being the size he is, with the physical tools he's got has it's say, but yeah there are questions with almost every player in this draft for sure. Players are far more likely to eventually learn to shoot the ball to some degree than they are break down a defense or create contact like superstars do. You either have that or not usually. If a player is a little slight as a guard then the questions should pop up. DeRozan was kind of a 2/3 that is now in a league where he's best played as a 3/4 which isn't his real position. Dybantsa will be a 3/4 without any issues. I think DeRozan kind of gets a bad wrap because he's been on bad teams for so long. It's no different than someone like Reef back in the day. DeRozan was a legit franchise guy with the Raptors, and if he were 26 and not 36 he'd be far more valuable than he is.
 
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