2026 NBA Draft grades: Live pick-by-pick analysis, updates for Round 1 with AJ Dybantsa picked No. 1
The 2026 NBA Draft is one that scouts and executives have targeted for several years now. Loaded at the very top with a Big 3 whose potential stardom has been well-documented since high school - AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, and Cameron Boozer could all change the course of an NBA franchise. In the hours leading up to the draft though, there was still uncertainty about exactly where they would all end up.
Thanks to the emergence of other freshmen like Caleb Wilson and Keaton Wagler, who could round out the top five, there's even more potential star power than we might have anticipated. Wagler is also just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to one-and-done point guards who could be prioritized in the lottery as Darius Acuff, Mikel Brown, and Kingston Flemings are all highly coveted coming into this draft.
While Brayden Burries and Nate Ament add even more from a loaded freshmen class, there are some college veterans to be had as well, particularly off the defending national champions. Just a day after Dusty May left Michigan to take the Dallas Mavericks job, Aday Mara, Yaxel Lendeborg, and Morez Johnson all have a chance to be a lottery pick. If it comes to fruition for all three then this would be the first time since 2007 that three-non-freshmen from the same team were picked in the lottery.
CBS Sports will be with you throughout the 2025 NBA Draft with pick-by-pick grades and analysis from our NBA Draft experts. Live, continuous coverage of the draft will also be available live on CBS Sports HQ at the top of this page or on any device of your choosing.
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2026 NBA Draft Grades Round 11. Washington Wizards: AJ Dybantsa | BYU | SF
Dybantsa is a prototypical big wing with positional size, length, athleticism, and an elastic build who can score from all three levels and create his own offense almost on demand. He pressures the rim, understands how to get fouled, and is as polished of a scorer as we've seen in several draft cycles. He will be a Day 1 scorer in the NBA and yet still has plenty of room to keep taking his game to new levels with the progression of his 3-point shooting, handle, and defense. Dybantsa legitimately has the potential to lead the NBA in scoring one day, but also has to prove that he can consistently impact, and ultimately, drive winning. Grade: A
2. Utah Jazz: Darryn Peterson | Kansas | PG
Peterson is the best fit here and has the higher long-term upside. At Kansas this season we saw a level of shot-making that we did not know existed. Peterson can get to the rim, score at all levels, and is a dynamic shotmaker. He has a chance to be the very best player to come out of this draft. With the frontcourt rebuilt this year, you can slot Peterson very cleanly next to Keyonte George to create Utah's backcourt of the future. With this move, the Jazz have essentially rebuilt its roster. The hope is that the durability issues from last season are now behind him and he can merge the shot-making we saw at Kansas with the creation we saw in high school. Grade: A
3. Memphis Grizzlies: Cameron Boozer | Duke | PF
Boozer has the highest floor in the draft and an underrated ceiling. Not only can no other player in the field match Boozer's history of winning or production, but Boozer also has an unmatched overlap of size, skill, physicality, and feel for the game. He's also very much in line with the type of player that Memphis has prioritized in the draft process in recent years. Memphis can plug Boozer in next to Zach Edey and Cedric Coward and Memphis' rebuilding project already has their frontcourt of the future figured out. Grade: A+
4. Chicago Bulls: Caleb Wilson | N. Carolina | PF
Wilson was the fairly obvious choice here. He has legit star-type outcome and potential. He's the most explosive athlete in the draft with a big-time motor and unusual elasticity (or bend) for a player his size. At North Carolina, Wilson was farther along offensively than expected and yet has immense room for progress, not just with his perimeter skill-set, but even his defensive polish. Those tools should check a lot of boxes for new Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Bryson Graham. Grade: A
5. Los Angeles Clippers: Keaton Wagler | Illinois | PG
Of the four one-and-done freshman point guards, Wagler is the easiest to pair with Clippers' guard Darius Garland. The positional size and shooting give him on/off ball versatility that would be critical in this context, but it's his feel for the game and natural instincts that may be his true superpower. Wagler is a natural shooter with versatility to make shots off the catch, dribble, or on the move. He has terrific basketball instincts, high basketball IQ, and a very deliberate pace that prevents opposing defenders from speeding him up. Grade: B+
6. Brooklyn Nets: Mikel Brown Jr. | Louisville | PG
Brown gives Brooklyn a naturally skilled, high-upside, late-blooming lead guard, whose athleticism is catching up. He's incredibly skilled, naturally ambidextrous, has complete control of the ball, is a pinpoint passer, and a much better shooter than his numbers showed at Louisville. Brown Makes deep shots in bunches when he gets hot. Excellent left hand too. Very good floor-vision, passing, and ability to make reads coming off of ball-screens. Ranked in the 89th percentile as a pick-and-roll ball-handler. Grown into having positional size at 6-3.5 without shoes, long arms, and newfound athleticism. The concerns are Brown's lack of strength and physicality. He can hunt high-level plays instead of making the easy one, and he has a history of injuries, which could impact his durability.B rown impressed teams when he met with them face-to-face. Grade: B+
7. Sacramento Kings: Darius Acuff Jr. | Arkansas | PG
This is exactly what Sacramento wanted and it didn't have to trade up to get him. Acuff gives the Kings the type of offensive alpha creator they don't yet have and he provides a more immediate impact than other players on the board, especially on the offensive end of the floor. Acuff is a shot-creator and multi-level scoring threat. He has the strength, balance, and poise to dictate his own pace and supplements that with extreme confidence to deliver in big games and moments. There are some concerns with his defensive commitment and approach. Size, length, and athleticism are adequate for NBA standards, but not ideal. Grade: A-
8. Atlanta Hawks: Kingston Flemings | Houston | PG
Flemings gives Atlanta a high-level athlete and two-way lead guard with a high floor. Flemings would fit with a defensively oriented young perimeter core in Atlanta, and give them plenty of upside if his shooting proves to be sustainable. What is undeniable is that Flemings is an elite athlete who can get a piece of the paint on demand and rise up explosively at the rim.
Flemings is a dynamic athlete with end-to-end speed, burst in his first step, physical strength, and leaping ability. He puts constant pressure on the paint, attacks both sides off the dribble, and rises up for big finishes. He's also capable of getting to his pull-up at virtually any time and arguably the most dedicated defender of this freshman quartet. Flemings has solid positional size, but lacks great length. His 3-point shot is still very streaky with questionable mechanics. Grade: B+
'Nerd' Kingston Flemings knows he could be an analyst or a scout; instead, he'll be a first-round draft pick
James Herbert
9. Dallas Mavericks: Morez Johnson Jr. | Michigan | PF
New Mavs head coach Dusty May brings in a Michigan player to Dallas. Morez Johnson was one of the biggest winners of the combine, measuring bigger than expected with massive length, well-rounded athleticism, and simultaneously reaffirming the shooting gains we saw this year. Johnson is long and powerful with an NBA-ready body and rugged physicality to match. He is a two-way rebounder and a versatile defender who can not only guard ball-screens in multiple ways but also be switchable inside-and-out.Johnson is not a creator and doesn't project as being more than a complementary piece offensively. Shooting is also still largely unproven with a total of 12 3-pointers in two college basketball seasons. He can provide some secondary rim protection, but doesn't project as a primary shot-blocker at the NBA level. Grade: C+
10. Milwaukee Bucks 11. Golden State Warriors 12. Oklahoma City Thunder 13. Milwaukee Bucks (via reported trade with Miami) 14. Charlotte Hornets 15. Chicago Bulls 16. Memphis Grizzlies 17. Oklahoma City Thunder 18. Charlotte Hornets 19. Toronto Raptors 20. San Antonio Spurs 21. Detroit Pistons 22. Philadelphia 76ers 23. Atlanta Hawks 24. New York Knicks 25. Los Angeles Lakers 26. Denver Nuggets 27. Boston Celtics 28. Brooklyn Nets (via reported trade with Minnesota) 29. Cleveland Cavaliers 30. Dallas Mavericks
Round 231. New York Knicks 32. Memphis Grizzlies 33. Brooklyn Nets 34. Sacramento Kings 35. San Antonio Spurs 36. Los Angeles Clippers 37. Oklahoma City Thunder 38. Chicago Bulls 39. Houston Rockets 40. Boston Celtics 41. Miami Heat 42. San Antonio Spurs 43. Brooklyn Nets 44. San Antonio Spurs 45. Sacramento Kings 46. Orlando Magic 47. Phoenix Suns 48. Dallas Mavericks 49. Denver Nuggets 50. Toronto Raptors 51. Washington Wizards 52. Los Angeles Clippers 53. Houston Rockets 54. Golden State Warriors 55. New York Knicks 56. Chicago Bulls 57. Atlanta Hawks 58. New Orleans Pelicans 59. Minnesota Timberwolves 60. Washington Wizards
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