Joshyjosh31
Starter
Fair point but I’ll assume he’ll give better effort then those two
Mock draft 2026
- Thread starter iowamcnabb
- Start date
Fair point but I’ll assume he’ll give better effort then those two
Tetsujin
The Game Thread Dude
For better or worse, whenever I see Brown play I get Trae Young vibes. Amazing playmaker and offensive talent but his defense may be the precise opposite.
Tetsujin
The Game Thread Dude
So the thing about AJ is that he’s got some of the best body control in a basketball player I’ve ever seen but he’s somehow got more shooting concerns than Caleb Wilson while not quite being the elite defensive prospect that Caleb is.
There’s a world where he hits and is 6’9” Shai but there’s also a world where you pick him and think in five years “we passed on (X) for this dude?!”
I still definitely have him top three but if I were picking three and had to chose between AJ and Caleb I might have trouble passing on a Caleb for him.
QWERTYLICIOUS
Starter
Seeing that Joshy loves Shai so much, do we really want to draft this kid, bring him to Sacramento, and hear Joshy go off on him on a nightly basis???
Joshyjosh31
Starter
Seeing that Joshy loves Shai so much, do we really want to draft this kid, bring him to Sacramento, and hear Joshy go off on him on a nightly basis???
Team AJ!
And if we pass on a 6’9 SGA for Wilson and he turns out to be just an elite defender and rim runner we’d kick ourselves even worse. AJ should score 20+ points even if his jumper doesn’t hit
bajaden
Hall of Famer
Here are my personal top 15 players in the draft as of now. That can, and likely will change as the season goes on. This isn't how I think they'll get drafted, but how I would draft them.
1. Caleb Wilson: PF - 6'10" - 215 Lb's - 7'4" wingspan - N. Carolina
I love this kid. He's a very fundamentally sound player and he, at least to me, has that it factor. He has star written all over him. He'll surprise you with his explosiveness at times. He's a terrific rebounder despite looking like he needs another 15 lb's of muscle. To me, he's a can't miss prospect.
2. Cameron Boozer: PF - 6'9" - 225 Lb's - Duke
I have Boozer and Wilson ranked almost equal. It's sort of pick your favorite flavor. Both are can't miss prospects either one could number one. Esentially, I flipped a coin. Boozer isn't as flashy as some of the others, but there seems to be nothing he can't do. I have to give the edge to Wilson on the defensive side, but offensively, Boozer is hard to beat.
3. A.J. Dybantsa: SF/PF - 6'9" - 200 Lb's - 7'0" wingspan - BYU
Arguably Dybantsa has the most upside in the draft. A elite athlete with great footwork around the basket. HIs outside shot needs a little work. Great rim runner and finisher. There's something electric about him when he sets foot on the court. He's one of those dynamic players that you tend to overlook his mistakes, or flaws, and he has some. But that's for another time.
4. Darryn Petterson: SG - 6'6" - 195 Lb's - Kansas
I couldn't continue to keep Petterson at the top when he's not playing. I saw him play his first game, and haven't seen him since. I'm not sure what the story is with his injury, but he needs to get back on the court. He's a dynamic player that I like a lot, but not overwhelmed with. That was my first impression and hoped to change that with other games, which haven't happened.
5. Mikel Brown: PG - 6'4" - 170 Lb's - Louisville
I'm torn with Brown. I like his game overall, but some other PG's are starting to become more relevant. I question how good a defender Brown is going to be, and not overly worried, but cercerned about his outside shot. I'm not sure he can hang on to this top five spot. On the other hand, he's capable of taking over a game. Hmmm!
6. Nate Ament: PF/C - 6'10" - 207 Lb's - 7'1" wingspan - Tenn
With Ament your betting on raw upside. He's raw in a lot of areas. The best word to describe his game is inconsistent. If you look at his stats, he looks good, except for his 3 pt percentages. I do think there's a good player in there but it will take a little time to develop him. There are a couple of players below him in the draft that are better than him right now, but both are much older than him.
7. Jayden Quaintance: PF - 6'10" - 255 Lb's - Kentucky
Jayden is another player that's hanging on to his spot without playing. He's yet to set foot on the court this season. The advantage he has, is that he played college ball last season, so we've already had a good look at him. Many thought that he would have been a 1st rd pick last season, maybe a lottery pick. So at least we have an idea of who he is as a player.
8. Bennett Stirtz: PG - 6'4" - 190 Lb's - Iowa
Stirtz is one of my favorite players in the draft. He's a deceptive athlete and an above average defender. He's a great floor general with exceptional vision who always makes the right play. He may be the best 3 pt shooter in the draft. He'll launch from anywhere, including 35 to 40 feet if you leave him open, and he'll make more than he misses. When I last checked he was shooting 45.7% from three on 5 attempts a game. His problem is that he is the offense on that team. No one else on that team can create a shot, and they'll miss layups on a passes from Stirtz.
9. Koa Peat: PF - 6'8" - 230 Lb's - 7'1" wingspan - Arizona
Peat got off to impressive start, but has since come back to earth. I like a lot of the thngs he does, but the one thing he doesn't do, is a red flag for me. It's not that he's a bad three point shooter, it's that he doesn't take any three's. That's not going to fly in today's modern NBA where everyone plays a 4 out offense. It's one of the problems the Kings have right now. Not enough three pt shooters on the team.
10. Kingston Flemings: PG - 6'4" - 190 Lb's - Houston
Flemings may end up being the best PG out of this draft. My son turned me on to him. He said Dad, you got to watch his kid Flemings play. I did and I was sold. He makes the game look easy. He never lets the game get out of control. He's an outstanding 3pt shooter at over 40%. He's also a solid defender. He never seems rattled and to the contrary, has the ability to calm down his team when start to panic. I love this kids game
11. Braylon Mullins: SG - 6'6" - 190 Lb's - UCONN
Mullins finally made his debut and he was everything as advertized. He's a silky smooth athlete who has great BBIQ. The dude never stops moving when off the ball. I got exhausted just watching him. He reminded me of Curry when off the ball. Offensively, he's the whole package. He can come off screens or DHO's. He's capable of creating his own shot as well. But he excells when off the ball, which is a great attribute. The surprise was defensively. He played excellent defense. I know, it's just one game, but he was impressive. Can't wait to see him again.
12. Tounde Yessoufo: SG - 6'6" - 210 Lb's - 6'10" wingspan - Baylor
Tounde looks like a linebacker. Big physcial player who can probably play some SF as well because of his wingspan. Good athlete who has struggled his last few games. Really needs to work on his 3pt shot and his handles. Pretty solid defender on the ball, and decent off the ball. He has a plus 12 on the offensive and defensive difference, which sounds great until you compare him to Caleb Wilson who has a plus 51. I think he's going to be a good NBA player, but it might take a while.
13. Thomas Haugh: PF - 6'9" - 210 Lb's - Florida
Haugh is one of my favorite players in the draft. He's a tough nosed hustle guy who can also shoot the ball and rebound. He was one of the main contributers to Florida's championship last season. Haugh is one of those glue guys that everyone needs on their team. He's also a very good defender. The team that gets him is getting a winner.
14. Chris Cenac: PF - 6'11" - 240 Lb's - 7'4" wingspan - Houston
I like Cenac. He has all the tools to be a very good basketball player, and maybe more than that. He's a very good athlete. He sort of fell out of grace when he got off to a bad start to the season. He looked lost and looked like he was feeling his way. Since then, he's gotten better every game and is starting to look like the player everyone thought he would be. He's probably a high reward/ high risk player, but he could turn out to be special. I'm still in his camp.
15. Yaxel Lendeberg: PF - 6'10" - 235 Lb's - 7'4" wingspan - Mich
Another of my favorite players. Yax is currently having a great year after jumping up from UAB a mid-level school to MIch in the big 10. He's just a polished player who will be 23 or 24 years of age at the time of the draft. But if your looking for a player that can step right in and play now, he or Hough are your men. Yax is currently averaging 16 pt's a game shooting 61% overall and 39% from three while grabbing around 8 boards, 3.3 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.4 blocks, and he makes it look easy. Once again, someone is going to get a very good player when they draft him.
1. Caleb Wilson: PF - 6'10" - 215 Lb's - 7'4" wingspan - N. Carolina
I love this kid. He's a very fundamentally sound player and he, at least to me, has that it factor. He has star written all over him. He'll surprise you with his explosiveness at times. He's a terrific rebounder despite looking like he needs another 15 lb's of muscle. To me, he's a can't miss prospect.
2. Cameron Boozer: PF - 6'9" - 225 Lb's - Duke
I have Boozer and Wilson ranked almost equal. It's sort of pick your favorite flavor. Both are can't miss prospects either one could number one. Esentially, I flipped a coin. Boozer isn't as flashy as some of the others, but there seems to be nothing he can't do. I have to give the edge to Wilson on the defensive side, but offensively, Boozer is hard to beat.
3. A.J. Dybantsa: SF/PF - 6'9" - 200 Lb's - 7'0" wingspan - BYU
Arguably Dybantsa has the most upside in the draft. A elite athlete with great footwork around the basket. HIs outside shot needs a little work. Great rim runner and finisher. There's something electric about him when he sets foot on the court. He's one of those dynamic players that you tend to overlook his mistakes, or flaws, and he has some. But that's for another time.
4. Darryn Petterson: SG - 6'6" - 195 Lb's - Kansas
I couldn't continue to keep Petterson at the top when he's not playing. I saw him play his first game, and haven't seen him since. I'm not sure what the story is with his injury, but he needs to get back on the court. He's a dynamic player that I like a lot, but not overwhelmed with. That was my first impression and hoped to change that with other games, which haven't happened.
5. Mikel Brown: PG - 6'4" - 170 Lb's - Louisville
I'm torn with Brown. I like his game overall, but some other PG's are starting to become more relevant. I question how good a defender Brown is going to be, and not overly worried, but cercerned about his outside shot. I'm not sure he can hang on to this top five spot. On the other hand, he's capable of taking over a game. Hmmm!
6. Nate Ament: PF/C - 6'10" - 207 Lb's - 7'1" wingspan - Tenn
With Ament your betting on raw upside. He's raw in a lot of areas. The best word to describe his game is inconsistent. If you look at his stats, he looks good, except for his 3 pt percentages. I do think there's a good player in there but it will take a little time to develop him. There are a couple of players below him in the draft that are better than him right now, but both are much older than him.
7. Jayden Quaintance: PF - 6'10" - 255 Lb's - Kentucky
Jayden is another player that's hanging on to his spot without playing. He's yet to set foot on the court this season. The advantage he has, is that he played college ball last season, so we've already had a good look at him. Many thought that he would have been a 1st rd pick last season, maybe a lottery pick. So at least we have an idea of who he is as a player.
8. Bennett Stirtz: PG - 6'4" - 190 Lb's - Iowa
Stirtz is one of my favorite players in the draft. He's a deceptive athlete and an above average defender. He's a great floor general with exceptional vision who always makes the right play. He may be the best 3 pt shooter in the draft. He'll launch from anywhere, including 35 to 40 feet if you leave him open, and he'll make more than he misses. When I last checked he was shooting 45.7% from three on 5 attempts a game. His problem is that he is the offense on that team. No one else on that team can create a shot, and they'll miss layups on a passes from Stirtz.
9. Koa Peat: PF - 6'8" - 230 Lb's - 7'1" wingspan - Arizona
Peat got off to impressive start, but has since come back to earth. I like a lot of the thngs he does, but the one thing he doesn't do, is a red flag for me. It's not that he's a bad three point shooter, it's that he doesn't take any three's. That's not going to fly in today's modern NBA where everyone plays a 4 out offense. It's one of the problems the Kings have right now. Not enough three pt shooters on the team.
10. Kingston Flemings: PG - 6'4" - 190 Lb's - Houston
Flemings may end up being the best PG out of this draft. My son turned me on to him. He said Dad, you got to watch his kid Flemings play. I did and I was sold. He makes the game look easy. He never lets the game get out of control. He's an outstanding 3pt shooter at over 40%. He's also a solid defender. He never seems rattled and to the contrary, has the ability to calm down his team when start to panic. I love this kids game
11. Braylon Mullins: SG - 6'6" - 190 Lb's - UCONN
Mullins finally made his debut and he was everything as advertized. He's a silky smooth athlete who has great BBIQ. The dude never stops moving when off the ball. I got exhausted just watching him. He reminded me of Curry when off the ball. Offensively, he's the whole package. He can come off screens or DHO's. He's capable of creating his own shot as well. But he excells when off the ball, which is a great attribute. The surprise was defensively. He played excellent defense. I know, it's just one game, but he was impressive. Can't wait to see him again.
12. Tounde Yessoufo: SG - 6'6" - 210 Lb's - 6'10" wingspan - Baylor
Tounde looks like a linebacker. Big physcial player who can probably play some SF as well because of his wingspan. Good athlete who has struggled his last few games. Really needs to work on his 3pt shot and his handles. Pretty solid defender on the ball, and decent off the ball. He has a plus 12 on the offensive and defensive difference, which sounds great until you compare him to Caleb Wilson who has a plus 51. I think he's going to be a good NBA player, but it might take a while.
13. Thomas Haugh: PF - 6'9" - 210 Lb's - Florida
Haugh is one of my favorite players in the draft. He's a tough nosed hustle guy who can also shoot the ball and rebound. He was one of the main contributers to Florida's championship last season. Haugh is one of those glue guys that everyone needs on their team. He's also a very good defender. The team that gets him is getting a winner.
14. Chris Cenac: PF - 6'11" - 240 Lb's - 7'4" wingspan - Houston
I like Cenac. He has all the tools to be a very good basketball player, and maybe more than that. He's a very good athlete. He sort of fell out of grace when he got off to a bad start to the season. He looked lost and looked like he was feeling his way. Since then, he's gotten better every game and is starting to look like the player everyone thought he would be. He's probably a high reward/ high risk player, but he could turn out to be special. I'm still in his camp.
15. Yaxel Lendeberg: PF - 6'10" - 235 Lb's - 7'4" wingspan - Mich
Another of my favorite players. Yax is currently having a great year after jumping up from UAB a mid-level school to MIch in the big 10. He's just a polished player who will be 23 or 24 years of age at the time of the draft. But if your looking for a player that can step right in and play now, he or Hough are your men. Yax is currently averaging 16 pt's a game shooting 61% overall and 39% from three while grabbing around 8 boards, 3.3 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.4 blocks, and he makes it look easy. Once again, someone is going to get a very good player when they draft him.
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I know the forum is a little down on him compared to the other guys, but Boozer's been my favorite of the top prospects so far. I love everything about his game. He plays incredibly hard, he makes the right read over and over, he's dominant in every aspect as an 18 year old, he's massively efficient on a huge USG rate. There's a little bit of a "Tim Duncan" to his game offensively where it's not nearly as flashy as a AJ or even eye-popping like a Caleb Wilson, but he's going to get his and his teams win a bunch of games. I like seeing good 3pt volume at 37.5% too.
In the NBA, I think he's a massive mismatch for modern 4's. Everyone's going to have problems finding the right match-up for him as he's too quick for most C's to stick on him and he'll just pound the small-ball 4's into oblivion in the post.
All 4 of the top guys are super exciting though. Watched a game of each and they'd all be incredible gets for us.
iowamcnabb
Hall of Famer
Stirtz was great tonight after a bad game against Michigan State. Even in that game he had 14 points despite missing 3 free throws, air balling a three and being the entire focus of the defense. Great option if we are 7-10
Tetsujin
The Game Thread Dude
Ideal situation would be somehow nabbing a second lotto pick and getting one of the top 4 guys and pairing them with a Stirtz/Fleming/Mullens/Philon
I'm happy to see Jayden Quaintance get a shout out from you. He was one of my favorite prospects last year and I'm excited to see what he does this season as an 18 year old Sophomore at Kentucky.
I've got Caleb Wilson #1 too -- I absolutely love his intensity, athleticism, and competitiveness. Boozer is putting up historic numbers (his .430 WS/40 right now as a Freshman is far and away the best I've ever seen) so I'm a little torn on who I would actually take at #1, but I've learned it's best not to overthink this. Boozer might end up being the bigger star but Wilson is going to supercharge a team's defense whenever he goes and as good as he already is (and he's really good) he still looks like he's got quite a lot of physical development left in him.
Joshyjosh31
Starter
I like Wilson but zero chance I take him over AJ or Peterson I could see taking him over boozer but neither of those two have the lead a team potential that AJ and Peterson have
iowamcnabb
Hall of Famer
That dude might end up top 5 when all said and done
First of all, I'll echo what Baja already said here -- Boozer and Wilson have impressed me the most so I have them 1 and 2. They're impacting the game in a major way on both ends of the court. I have some reservations with Peterson and Dybantsa so far, though it's still early in the season.
Peterson: I don't think Peterson is going to play PG in the NBA -- I think he's a scoring guard not a lead playmaker -- and that lowers his ceiling somewhat. I also haven't been blown away by his explosiveness in the small sample I've seen so far. Best-case scenario here he's in a class with Anthony Edwards but watching the way he moves on the court, I don't see him rising over NBA defenders and finishing. I'd put him closer to Markelle Fultz as an athlete (who you should remember was at one point a first overall pick that a lot of us were very high on). Obviously Peterson is a better shooter. He had his first game back today and scored 17 points on 6 for 14 shooting (3 for 9 behind the arc) with 3 rebounds and 1 assist. He's a talented player for sure and I'll continue to revise this as he plays more but I'm not ready to declare him can't-miss yet.
Dybantsa: Here we have the requisite super athlete wing who looks exceptional in High School highlight mixtapes but the question for me is always "how will that translate to 5-on-5 play against better competition?" I'm glad he took the NCAA route instead of the G-League because he's getting a chance to play a more disciplined NBA style of game at BYU than he would have on a team like the Ignite. So far he's looked solid but a lot of his scoring is predicated on his ability to create and knock down tough midrange pull-up jumpers. We have DeMar DeRozan doing that for the Kings right now and fans are ready to blow a blood vessel demanding he stop taking exactly these types of shots. Now when you watch Dybantsa with his frame and his fluidity handling the ball you can blink and imagine you're watching a young Tracy McGrady and maybe we are. I respect his scoring ability and expect him to continue to improve as an outside shooter but I want to see more from him defensively before I'll rank him above Wilson and Boozer.
Since your question was specifically about offensive potential, so far Caleb Wilson is averaging 19.3 ppg and AJ Dybantsa is averaging 19.4 ppg. Cameron Boozer is averaging 23 ppg and Darryn Peterson is averaging 20 ppg (in a 3 game sample). It isn't like Wilson is not scoring the ball, he's on pace with all of these guys more or less (with Boozer clearly a level above everyone else right now) and he's not just finishing with dunks and put backs either -- he's got a really good mid range jumper that should be a legitimate weapon in the NBA considering his ability to dribble smoothly into it and that high release point.
I don't know that he's going to be a #1 option for an NBA team -- at least not right away -- he would need to grow into that role like the other lanky forwards he physically resembles. Best-case scenario for him are guys like Giannis and Kevin Garnett who worked really hard on their bodies and got themselves there but a lot of others with similar builds did not. I'm not personally that concerned about it though. All the best teams have guys who play a #1 role for their defense too and Wilson is a guy who looks like he'll really excel on that end. And it is important to win games both offensively and defensively.
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bajaden
Hall of Famer
I totally agree with you on Wilson's mid-range game. In the last game he made a turn around, fall away, one handed 15 footer after being bumbed off balance that few NBA players could make. I've seen him play five times already so I think I have a pretty good idea of who he is, but I'll see him again because I love watching him play. One last thing on him that's impressive. He's a very smart player! He's constantly relocating off the ball on offense, finding the right angles for the PG.
The difference between Wilson and Chris Cenac is that Cenac hopes he can become a star in the NBA, and Wilson knows that he's going to be a star.
Joshyjosh31
Starter
I really wonder why he hasn’t been taking a lot of catch and shoot jump shots his shot looks good when he’s doing turnarounds from 10-15 feet. That last shot in that clip was so smooth he his jumper is gonna click
Again, maybe some of my view was I ended up catching one of his poor games and it's a real minor nitpick. Above all else, Wilson's motor looks special; this dude fights harder than I've ever seen from a young guy. Just a relentless work ethic on the floor that's real addictive to watch; you just want to see where he's flying around to next on defense or watching him crash the glass. He looked a lot better against Georgetown, but it was a lot more post-work than him creating offense from the perimeter. That 10-15 footer looked great, but is he going to be someone who can create from the perimeter? Be able to space it consistently?
It's funny you mention KG, because he really does embody that level of intensity, particularly on defense. Same sort of build/archetype too. And for me, Boozer is his counter-part as the new age "Tim Duncan". Not a super athlete, not super flashy, but he's going to finish the game with a ton of points, make a million winning plays and his team is going to win the game.
Top 4 in this draft really is transformative. If there ever was a time for us to dispell the Kings curse, it's this season
Boozer vs. Wilson is going to be a fascinating debate all season long and it may ultimately just come down to personal preference. Wilson is the more electric player to watch but Boozer is so solid in every aspect of the game that he's going to give you the type of consistent production every team wants in a franchise player. Teams do seem to pay a lot of attention to how these prospects respond to big games so the deciding factor there might end up being who distinguishes themselves the most in the tournament.
Dybantsa and BYU with a huge comeback win. And AJ with 28 of their 67 points.
His handle is still a bit loose and he still has to prove he can consistently hit from outside, but man, he just gets buckets.
And he's not making advanced reads or anything, but I don't think he gets enough credit for being a very willing passer.
That 2H is the "Woah, this dude is a franchise level NBA player" type of film you want to see. The scoring was impressive, but I loved his energy on the defensive end even more. Team down big, he didn't quit, he was the one who sparked their come-back with tremendous effort and crashing the offensive glass. And then eventually just took over hitting tough shots.
