2026 NBA Mock Draft

Fine I’ll do it myself

I’m using Tankathon to set the order.

1- Dallas Mavericks: Darryn Peterson- 19: 6’5 Wing Kansas. Comp= taller DeAaron Fox

The Mavs are desperate for guard talent. Peterson is the cleaner fit with Cooper between him and Cam, making this an easy decision for Dallas. Especially if the shooting improvements hold for Peterson.

2- Washington Wizards: Cameron Boozer- 19: 6’9 Big Duke. Comp= Paolo Banchero/Chris Webber/Kevin Love

Washington gets to have a front court of Sarr, Boozer, and George. This is incredibly solid for the foreseeable future. Currently Boozer and Peterson are in a tier of their own.

3- Indiana Pacers: AJ Dybantsa- 19: 6’9 Forward BYU. Comp= Joe Johnson

AJ is the clear third guy right now. Indiana doesn’t really consider anyone else. He fits nicely with the athleticism and shooting of the pacers.

4- Brooklyn Nets: Tounde Yessoufou- 19: 6’6 Wing Baylor (Benin). Comp= Anthony Edwards lite

This is the hardest decision so far. I think the nets need scoring and athleticism. Tounde brings both of those things with him. He can fit at the wing with the million first rounders the nets drafted this year.

5- Atlanta Hawks (Via NOLA): Mikel Brown Jr- 20: 6’3 Point Louisville. Comp= Jamaal Murray

The Hawks draft a guard to slowly move into a post Trae Young world. The question is which one. Brown is currently the top on my board but Cayden Boozer and Darius Acuff are right there with him.

6- Sacramento Kings: Jayden Quaintance- 18: 6’9 Big Kentucky. Comp= Poor Man’s Bam.

The Kings need defense and athleticism. That is the calling card for JQ. His passing and cutting ability mean he can be played along side Sabonis.

7- Memphis Grizzlies: Nate Ament- 19: 6’9 Forward Tennessee. Comp= Tayshaun Prince

The grizzlies as they enter their rebuild phase go for upside. Ament has the upside as a scorer but he’s also perfect in a complementary role too.

8- Boston Celtics: Caleb Wilson- 19: 6’9 Forward UNC. Comp= Jonathan Isaac

Look, Wilson doesn’t shoot. But he is an other worldly athlete and defender. Boston would force him to shoot. It might not work but if it does this is the steal of the draft.

9- San Antonio Spurs (Via ATL): Koa Peat- 19: 6’8 Big Arizona. Comp= PJ Washington

Back to back non shooting forwards in the draft? What am I doing? Look at a certain point talent wins out. Koa is just incredible with his talent. The spurs take him here and hope they figure out the shooting.

10- OKC Thunder (Via UTA): Yaxel Lendeborg- 23: 6’9 Big Michigan (Belgium). Comp= Nick Batum

The Thunder just wind up with the most NBA ready player in the draft because… of course they do. Yaxel fits the mold of a Thunder player, versatile defender who can shoot a bit.

11- Charlotte Hornets: Chris Cenac Jr- 19: 6’10 Big Houston. Comp= Al Horford

Cenac is a bit lower on my board but Charlotte goes big here. He’s the best big on the board.

12- Memphis Grizzlies (Via PHX): Cayden Boozer- 19: 6’3 Guard Duke. Comp= Deron Williams

Memphis decides to hit the Ja sized hole on the roster. Cayden is a PNR guard. It’s a weird fit on the team that doesn’t want to run pick and roll as much but he’s excellent at it.

14- Charlotte Hornets (Via ORL): Karim Lopez- 18: 6’8 Forward NZ Breakers (Mexico). Comp= Sam Hauser

The hornets love to shoot. Lopez will help with that. His ability to play both forward spots should get him some minutes.

15- Toronto Raptors: Darius Acuff Jr- 19: 6’2 Guard Arkansas. Comp= Kemba Walker

Acuff is a lotto level talent. The Raptors stop his slide and are genuinely happy.

16- Golden State Warriors: Dash Daniels- 19: 6’7 Guard Melbourne (Australia). Comp= Shawn Livingston

Dash is a good fit in Golden State. They will like his defensive aggression.

17- Chicago Bulls (Via POR): Tahaad Pettiford- 20: 6’1 Point Auburn. Comp= Kemba Walker.

The Bulls get a quick change of pace guard to keep the offense going when Giddey sits. His athleticism stands out from the crowd.

18- Miami Heat: Isaih Harwell- 19: 6’6 Wing Houston. Comp= Victor Olodipo

Miami grabs another guard who can create off the bounce. They thought hard about Philon but chose Harwell as time expired on their pick.

19- Atlanta Hawks (Via CLE): Labaron Philon- 19: 6’4 Guard Alabama. Comp= Bruce Brown

The Hawks are thrilled with this pick. They get excellent defense from the guard slot who also helps with secondary creation.

20- Minnesota Timberwolves: Hannes Steinbach- 20: 6’11 Forward Washington (Germany). Comp= Tristan De Silva

Steinbach is from the same town as Dirk Nowitzki. He’s not Dirk but he’s still good. Minnesota can use his shooting.

21- New York Knicks: Magoon Gwath- 19: 7’0 Big San Diego St. comp= Bol Bol

Magoon is a unique talent. The idea of him is tantalizing. I think he goes first round. In this mock the Knicks are who take the swing.

22- Denver Nuggets: Jalen Haralson- 19: 6’7 Forward Notre Dame. Comp= Evan Turner

Denver has the ability to make high IQ players work even ones with unconventional games. I personally really like this pick.

23- OKC Thunder (Via HOU): Xaivian Lee- 22: 6’3 Guard Florida (Canada). Comp= Seth Curry

Of course Lee winds up in OKC… this is unfair. They basically just got their cheep Isaiah Joe replacement.

24- Milwaukee Bucks: Dame Sarr- 20: 6’8 Wing Duke (Italy). Comp= Hamidou Diallo

Sarr is a very unique player. He can defend really well and if the jumper proves legit at Duke he will go higher than this.

25- Detroit Pistons: Meleek Thomas- 19: 6’3 Guard Arkansas. Comp= Jason Terry

The pistons have to be happy about getting a shooter of this caliber this late in the draft.

26- Los Angeles Lakers: JT Toppin- 21: 6’9 Big Texas Tech. Comp= Isaiah Jackson but shorter

Luka is going to love this pick and roll connection here. Toppin provides a bit of switchable defense maybe even enough to play with Ayton if he stays in LA.

27- Chicago Bulls: Thomas Haugh- 22: 6’8 Forward Florida. Comp= Chandler Parsons

The Bulls like athletic forwards with questionable jump shots. So I got them one.

28- Cleveland Cavaliers (Via SAS): Karter Knox- 19: 6’6 Wing Arkansas. Comp= Kelly Oubre jr.

Cleveland strikes gold with Knox. He has shown the ability to do a little bit of everything for the Razorbacks.

29- OKC Thunder (Via PHI): Miikka Muurinen- 18: 6’10 Big KK Partizan. Comp= Brandon Wright

OKC needs to stash this pick. Muurinen is the most likely guy to agree to that left on my board. He’s an athlete and energy guy.

30- Washington Wizards (Via OKC): Milos Uzan- 23: 6’4 Guard Houston. Comp= Andrew Nebhard

Adding a great guard to the roster in Washington helps balance it out. A young back court with him and Bub with the earlier front court mentioned and wherever you wanna put Bilal. That’s a great core.

Honorable Mentions:

Brayden Burries- 20: 6’4 Guard Arizona. Comp= Eric Gordon

Andrej Stoakavic- 21: 6’8 Wing Illinois (Serbia/Greece). Comp= Marco Bellinelli

Boogie Fland- 20: 6’3 Guard Florida. comp= Jason Terry

DJ Wagner- 21: 6’4 Guard Arkansas. Comp= less athletic JR Smith

Miles Byrd- 22: 6’6 Wing San Diego St. Comp= Jae Crowder