Mock draft 2026

Joshyjosh31 said:
Aren’t pass firsts point guards extinct
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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.
 
hrdboild said:
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.
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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
 
The_Jamal said:
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
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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.
 
hrdboild said:
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.
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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.
 
SacTownKid said:
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 positions. 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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To a certain degree, yes I get it. Dybantsa is 19 and DeRozan is 36. One represents hope for the future and the other represents the demise of the present. But it isn't just that people don't like DeMar because he's associated with losing. Even before he started playing for the Kings the pushback was there among some Kings fans that he plays the "wrong" style of offense for the current NBA. So my question is, if a fan just hates watching this dude play basketball (and DeMar will be a Hall of Famer so his status as a player of note is already secured) then why is the same style of ball cool when little bro does it?
 
The_Jamal said:
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
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I have watched Acuff closely only one game, but his defense and effort have me seriously concerned. If a guy doesn't play hard in college, why should I believe he's going to play hard as a pro? In my recollection there's been one guy who set off my Doesn't-Actually-Give-A-Crap Alarm who subsequently started playing hard as a pro. Anthony Edwards. But I think he's the only one so far.
 
hrdboild said:
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.
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Well, Collier was a lot closer to a combo guard coming out of college than almost anyone in that draft. You want a pass first PG? Let them run pick and roll 50 times a game and voila, there it be haha. It's really not hard in todays NBA considering it's pretty much all pick and roll or draw and kick. Devin Carter and Nique Clifford have been suffering assist wise largely because this team can't hit the broad side of a barn right now. They are shooting 40 and 32 percent from 2 and 3 in the last 6 games. Both have made solid decisions with the ball but haven't been rewarded much by their teammates. Meanwhile the Jazz have been top 10 in from both ranges.
 
hrdboild said:
This is two games in a row now without a single assist for Darryn Peterson. Just sayin, those Kobe comparisons cut both ways.
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Kobe averaged almost 5 assists per game for his career and he wasn't even the nominal point guard. He was a great passer and despite taking a ton of shots was willing to give up the ball when it made sense. Kobe's passing is like the number one first datum I would use to push back against any "Darryn = Kobe" narrative.
 
SacTownKid said:
Well, Collier was a lot closer to a combo guard coming out of college than almost anyone in that draft. You want a pass first PG? Let them run pick and roll 50 times a game and voila, there it be haha. It's really not hard in todays NBA considering it's pretty much all pick and roll or draw and kick. Devin Carter and Nique Clifford have been suffering assist wise largely because this team can't hit the broad side of a barn right now. They are shooting 40 and 32 percent from 2 and 3 in the last 6 games. Both have made solid decisions with the ball but haven't been rewarded much by their teammates. Meanwhile the Jazz have been top 10 in from both ranges.
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I guess by pass-first then I just mean "does actually pass, and not only as a last resort".

And also, not all assists are created equal. Driving and kicking out to a 3pt shooter doesn't take a high level of skill. The harder part of that scoring situation is in the hands of the shooter. Players who consistently generate high numbers of assists tend to do more than just drive and kick to teammates who can shoot. They are often skilled in successfully delivering other more challenging passes where they have essentially created an easy shot for their teammate out of nothing. Bounce passes through traffic. Post entry passes to a well-defended big. And so on.
 
hrdboild said:
To a certain degree, yes I get it. Dybantsa is 19 and DeRozan is 36. One represents hope for the future and the other represents the demise of the present. But it isn't just that people don't like DeMar because he's associated with losing. Even before he started playing for the Kings the pushback was there among some Kings fans that he plays the "wrong" style of offense for the current NBA. So my question is, if a fan just hates watching this dude play basketball (and DeMar will be a Hall of Famer so his status as a player of note is already secured) then why is the same style of ball cool when little bro does it?
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But that's now, DeRozan was on a couple of 50 win teams and even a 59 win team with the Raptors. That was his heyday. IIRC the knock on him were his playoff performances which got him the nickname "DeMar DeFrozen", haha. If DeRozan were Dybantsa's size he wouldn't be DeMar DeRozan but as you said, it's all about the potential and hope even if unrealized. If Dybantsa doesn't get range, he doesn't get it. But if he does? That's what people care about because all bad teams have is that hope and potential to rely on. It's like Carter or Clifford right now. You kind of have look through the muck to see the positives. With Carter his productivity is largely translating. The shooting is horrible, but... if the shooting stabilizes? Then what? That should be the point of view with any young player in relation to their expectations and development. Obviously the expectations for a player like Dybantsa will be eons above those two but that's why he's considered a top 3 lock.
 
Capt. Factorial said:
Kobe averaged almost 5 assists per game for his career and he wasn't even the nominal point guard. He was a great passer and despite taking a ton of shots was willing to give up the ball when it made sense. Kobe's passing is like the number one first datum I would use to push back against any "Darryn = Kobe" narrative.
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Fair point. The "aura" of Kobe Bryant as the ultimate me-first player is not true to the reality. I added that bit in mostly as a joke and it was unfair to Kobe. I am legit concerned about Peterson's low assist numbers though. He's a good enough defender that I can't call him one-dimensional, but if the outside shooting isn't red hot from day one, a lot of very well established talent scouts are going to be sweating the hype on him.
 
hrdboild said:
I guess by pass-first then I just mean "does actually pass, and not only as a last resort".

And also, not all assists are created equal. Driving and kicking out to a 3pt shooter doesn't take a high level of skill. The harder part of that scoring situation is in the hands of the shooter. Players who consistently generate high numbers of assists tend to do more than just drive and kick to teammates who can shoot. They are often skilled in successfully delivering other more challenging passes where they have essentially created an easy shot for their teammate out of nothing. Bounce passes through traffic. Post entry passes to a well-defended big. And so on.
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Not really, but that's why things like having a good first step are important and not always something you can teach someone. If you don't have it you better be big and able to push defenders. Bibby was a great example of that. He used that body and his ball handling to split doubles better than almost anyone we've ever seen. Relate that back to J-Will who was by far a better "true" PG like you speak of. Even John Stockton was like 90% simple pick and roll, rinse and repeat. How many guards out there are literally propped up by having a great screening big? There are so many questions with players.
 
SacTownKid said:
But that's now, DeRozan was on a couple of 50 win teams and even a 59 win team with the Raptors. That was his heyday. IIRC the knock on him were his playoff performances which got him the nickname "DeMar DeFrozen", haha. If DeRozan were Dybantsa's size he wouldn't be DeMar DeRozan but as you said, it's all about the potential and hope even if unrealized. If Dybantsa doesn't get range, he doesn't get it. But if he does? That's what people care about because all bad teams have is that hope and potential to rely on. It's like Carter or Clifford right now. You kind of have look through the muck to see the positives. With Carter his productivity is largely translating. The shooting is horrible, but... if the shooting stabilizes? Then what? That should be the point of view with any young player in relation to their expectations and development. Obviously the expectations for a player like Dybantsa will be eons above those two but that's why he's considered a top 3 lock.
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But at the end of the day, DeMar DeRozan is still 25th on the all-time scoring list (as of today) and he's well within striking range of cracking the top 20 of all time within the next year. He ought to get there this season even. So other than playoff success (which is capricious and often outside of a player's control) the career he has had represents a best-case scenario for who Dybantsa might be if everything breaks right for him. If that's a player that fans hate watching -- not just dislike but actually detest to the point of bringing it up in every single game thread -- maybe be careful what you wish for?
 
Capt. Factorial said:
Kobe averaged almost 5 assists per game for his career and he wasn't even the nominal point guard. He was a great passer and despite taking a ton of shots was willing to give up the ball when it made sense. Kobe's passing is like the number one first datum I would use to push back against any "Darryn = Kobe" narrative.
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Yeah, if Peterson were clearly the next Kobe then there would be no conversation about this draft. It would be Peterson or bust.
 
hrdboild said:
Fair point. The "aura" of Kobe Bryant as the ultimate me-first player is not true to the reality. I added that bit in mostly as a joke and it was unfair to Kobe.
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Here we are being fair to Kobe. What is wrong with us?
hrdboild said:
I am legit concerned about Peterson's low assist numbers though. He's a good enough defender that I can't call him one-dimensional, but if the outside shooting isn't red hot from day one, a lot of very well established talent scouts are going to be sweating the hype on him.
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I share your concerns about Peterson. Killer scorer, but for a team like the Kings that doesn't have an established on-ball offensive star, he's not the guy I want to ask to be that. AJ can be that, for sure. A Flemings or a Wagler, yes, assuming they pan out.

Right now, I would go so far as to say that if Peterson is on the board when we pick, and we get the notion that we can trade down 1/2/3 slots to pick up another decent asset and the team that we swap with will definitely take Peterson...I'm listening, very carefully.
 
hrdboild said:
But at the end of the day, DeMar DeRozan is still 25th on the all-time scoring list (as of today) and he's well within striking range of cracking the top 20 of all time within the next year. He ought to get there this season even. So other than playoff success (which is capricious and often outside of a player's control) the career he has had represents a best-case scenario for who Dybantsa might be if everything breaks right for him. If that's a player that fans hate watching -- not just dislike but actually detest to the point of bringing it up in every single game thread -- maybe be careful what you wish for?
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And I think in this draft DeRozan goes 3rd if he had the same attitude in college. Again, I don't recall universal hatred for DeMar and even when it crept up it was after disappointment in Toronto never being able to get over the hump with him. I certainly don't remember Bulls fans hating him. Kings fans hate him because they always knew how this story would end, and that's with the Sacramento Bullz, which it basically has and nobody would ever want that, haha. It's not DeMars fault but he's a fairly one dimensional player at this point. He's great at it no doubt and while he puts up those 5 great assists he's the definition of you get it when I give it to you types. He's not running any offense here. Not his fault it's just who he is. That said, him getting the ball and inching his way into the midrange play after play certainly isn't helping any of these young guys.
 
Capt. Factorial said:
Here we are being fair to Kobe. What is wrong with us?

I share your concerns about Peterson. Killer scorer, but for a team like the Kings that doesn't have an established on-ball offensive star, he's not the guy I want to ask to be that. AJ can be that, for sure. A Flemings or a Wagler, yes, assuming they pan out.

Right now, I would go so far as to say that if Peterson is on the board when we pick, and we get the notion that we can trade down 1/2/3 slots to pick up another decent asset and the team that we swap with will definitely take Peterson...I'm listening, very carefully.
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I think the Kawhi comps for Peterson are pretty spot on in terms of how he operates on both ends. Take it and run IMO.
 
SacTownKid said:
Not really, but that's why things like having a good first step are important and not always something you can teach someone. If you don't have it you better be big and able to push defenders. Bibby was a great example of that. He used that body and his ball handling to split doubles better than almost anyone we've ever seen. Relate that back to J-Will who was by far a better "true" PG like you speak of. Even John Stockton was like 90% simple pick and roll, rinse and repeat. How many guards out there are literally propped up by having a great screening big? There are so many questions with players.
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Circling back to this -- I just don't think it's fair to call a player a playmaker if the principle play they are in effect "making" is sucking in a defender with a drive attempt and then passing the ball out to the shooter that defender has vacated. That's the Tic Tac Toe of basketball strategy. If you have a 50% three point shooter out there and the defense is dumb enough to leave them open multiple times a game trying to help on your drives whether or not you consistently convert them then yes, obviously, it is the right read to make and you keep making it until they wise up. But most teams don't have 50% outside shooters on the floor at all times. And most good teams are going to help off the bad shooters or better yet force you to beat them in the paint before they send a double.

To me an offense is really only working when you have more looks than the defense has counters and your players are able to deploy those looks in a manner that is unpredictable. Drive and kick is the most predictable play in the book. All respect to players who can consistently generate high percentage shots on a 5-out play where the defense is set and knows who is coming at them with the ball. Fox is one of the best in the world at it and he took this team pretty far as the lead playmaker. So in that respect I stand corrected! But ultimately, there should be more to basketball than just overwhelming physical tools. It can also be a thinking game. And I rather prefer when it is. Or better yet, why not both?
 
Capt. Factorial said:
Here we are being fair to Kobe. What is wrong with us?

I share your concerns about Peterson. Killer scorer, but for a team like the Kings that doesn't have an established on-ball offensive star, he's not the guy I want to ask to be that. AJ can be that, for sure. A Flemings or a Wagler, yes, assuming they pan out.

Right now, I would go so far as to say that if Peterson is on the board when we pick, and we get the notion that we can trade down 1/2/3 slots to pick up another decent asset and the team that we swap with will definitely take Peterson...I'm listening, very carefully.
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I don't know if you've read any of my draft-related posts, or have paid enough attention to my posts to actually remember them, but I've thrown out the idea/possibility of trading down depending on the situation, even if we end up with a top 5 pick. If there is a draft to trade down in, this is that draft. The return we can get for a top 5 pick is one that can, literally, be the difference between us continuing this seemingly never-ending cycle of mediocre basketball, or us taking that next step towards becoming perennial championship contenders.
 
iowamcnabb said:
I’m a bit surprised given Acuff is considered a terrible defender.
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I made the same argument with Doncic. Yes, I prefer two-way players. But I also don't want to make hard and fast rules like never drafting a poor defender, for instance, because I don't want that to be the reason for missing out on a truly special talent. And it's not just the scoring which has my attention with Acuff (and had my attention with Luka) -- it's the scoring and the passing. Those two in combination can drive an entire offense. Acuff is not my favorite player in this draft by a longshot -- but I like what I'm seeing from him and think he might be a special offensive player. Good enough to overlook my defense-first philosophy? Uncertain. But I wouldn't rule it out. Especially not after what he did today.
 
I am becoming more and more convinced as the days pass that Caleb Wilson should be the one if we strike gold in the lottery and end up with the number 1 pick. But, I will also admit that this is primarily due to my desire to see this franchise become more defensive-oriented.

Unfortunately, I am not convinced that our front office shares my thoughts. And, because of that, we will most likely steer in a different direction if we end up with the number 1 pick. Wouldn't be the end of the world (I will admit that much), but man, would this Kings fan be stoked if he is able to see some serious defense on the floor next season!
 
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