2026 NBA mock draft: Darryn Peterson, AJ Dybantsa and Cameron Boozer lead way

The 2026 NBA Draft class is anticipated to be deeper and more talented than its predecessor, with top prospects such as Darryn Peterson, AJ Dybantsa, and Cam Boozer. Punters may consider betting on these players to be selected early, with odds favoring Peterson for the top pick based on his scoring ability and competitiveness.

Darryn Peterson | 6-5 guard | 19 years old | Kansas

Peterson is my current pick for the No. 1 spot. He’s a tremendous shot maker and scorer, developed beyond his years because of his handle and polish with the ball. He can play both on the ball or off it and projects as the kind of high-level backcourt shot maker in the Donovan Mitchell mold. He has an innate understanding of how to change pace and direction to get to the exact spots on the court that he wants. He projects to be a high-level shooter, and I also love his craft at getting to the foul line. Defensively, he’s super competitive and tough on the ball, rebounds for his position, and is typically engaged away from the ball. The next course of action for Peterson will be continuing to develop as a primary on-ball weapon who can both create shots for himself as well as his teammates. He’ll step in at Kansas and contend for an All-America berth as a freshman.

Cameron Boozer | 6-8 forward | 18 years old | Duke

Boozer projects to be the best college basketball player out of the clear top trio of players in this class. The son of former NBA forward Carlos Boozer is the most polished of the three right now, capable of impacting the game all over the court. His post game in high school was tremendous, but what’s most exciting for the next level is his improvement on the perimeter as a power forward. He handles the ball very well as a four man and can use pace and changes of direction to get past his man. He shoots it well from distance off the catch already, and I buy him as a 3-point shooter. Ultimately, the key for his upside will be how he develops as a pull-up shooter. But if that comes, he has an All-Star ceiling. He’s a monster rebounder, a sharp defender who is always in the right spot and someone with elite feel for the game. Boozer will be a successful pro. It’s just a determination on what the upside is at the end of the day.

AJ Dybantsa | 6-9 wing | 19 years old | BYU

Dybantsa probably has the highest ceiling in the class if everything goes right. He’s a big-time shot maker who can get to his midrange jumper seemingly at will. He can get there from mid-post sets, out of ball screens, or in isolation. He is a mismatch nightmare waiting to happen, as he can shoot over the top of guards or merely blow by bigs. Defensively, there are moments when you can see the upside, when he covers ground all over the court and is switchable onto the toughest opposing players. I have seen Dybantsa disappear too often, and I’d like to see him fully engage this year at BYU consistently. But when he’s at his best, his upside is better than anyone else as the kind of apex wing that every team wants.

Nate Ament | 6-10 wing/forward | 19 years old | Tennessee

You can see the outlines of an awesome player in Ament, and the consistency continues to improve every time he takes the court. Ament is a massive wing/forward hybrid who projects at the very least as a sharp 3-and-D player. He’s a shot maker from the corners and wings, capable of hitting catch-and-shoot 3s with ease. We’ve also started to see some ballhandling potential, particularly in transition, although his lack of strength can hold him back from getting to his spots consistently. He also covers ground at a high level on defense, something that will assuredly endear him to Tennessee coach Rick Barnes as he enters a likely one-and-done year. Ament could enter the top-three discussion if he hits his ceiling, but he has a bit more of a floor than some of the other prospects.

Karim Lopez | 6-8 wing | 19 years old | New Zealand Breakers

The youngest player in the Australian NBL last season, the Mexico native has long been considered a potential top-10 pick with his ability to impact the game across the court. He started slowly as a 17-year-old in a high-level professional league last year but came on late and looked the part of a lottery pick. He averaged 11.8 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.2 assists while shooting 48 percent from the field, 37 percent from 3 and 77 percent from the line over his final 13 games last season, emerging into a clear starter and difference-maker on the wing. He moves around well on the wing and flies to contest shots defensively, and despite a real physical deficiency in strength last season, he crashed the glass well to try to end possessions. I’d bet he ends up as a lottery pick as long as the improvement on the jumper continues.

Mikel Brown Jr. | 6-4 guard | 19 years old | Louisville

I am generally not the biggest fan of small guards who aren’t particularly strong, but I’ll make an exception for Brown. For my money, he’s the best floor general in this class. His handle is superb, and he is unbothered by pressure. He’s fast enough to get into the lane and polished enough to maintain advantages with his footwork to draw defenders toward him before spraying the ball in every direction. He’s a live-dribble passer who can hit reads from a variety of angles with either hand and put them on a dime with velocity or touch. He’s also improved immensely as a scorer, drilling shots off the catch or off pull-ups. He sinks his free throws and clearly has touch. I’m fascinated to see how the Louisville backcourt works out — he’s not the only Cardinal here — but Brown is the most skilled of the bunch.

Braylon Mullins | 6-5 wing | 20 years old | Connecticut

This is probably where I differ most from the consensus. Mullins was one of my favorite high school prospects in the 2025 recruiting class. He’s a complete wing who profiles incredibly well toward the NBA. He’s an obscenely high-level shooter, having hit 42 percent of his 3s on the AAU circuit on high volume last year, per Synergy. If you leave him in transition, you’re dead. If you struggle to chase around screens, you’re in deep trouble. Mullins was also one of the best defensive guards I saw in the class, with an incredibly aggressive and disruptive mindset on that end of the court. As a driver, he picks his spots well and is an excellent finisher on the interior with real timing as a cutter. He makes quick decisions. Mullins is this year’s Kon Knueppel: a player who many have off their preseason draft boards because of his perceived weaknesses but one who will ultimately prove worthy of being a one-and-done.

Caleb Wilson | 6-8 wing | 19 years old | North Carolina

Wilson is a bit inconsistent on offense because his skill level isn’t as developed as some of his peers. He often seems to get by on his physical tools and athleticism, something that’s been easy for him because he’s enormous at nearly 6-foot-9 with long arms. He moves remarkably well across the court. But there’s probably not a wing in this class with more defensive upside than Wilson, a switchable athlete with all sorts of disruption talent. He consistently racks up deflections and can rise to get a weak-side block if you’re not paying close enough attention. I haven’t loved what I’ve seen developmentally from Hubert Davis in his time at North Carolina, so I’m skeptical that Wilson is going to explode in the way that some expect. But his ceiling is quite high if the offensive skill set continues to improve.

Tounde Yessoufou | 6-5 wing | 20 years old | Baylor

Yessoufou is already built like an NBA player, a scoring wing who looks like Anthony Edwards out there physically. What I like most about Yessoufou, though, is that he already plays with an unceasing motor across the court. He flies around on both ends and is constantly moving. There is something to the fact that he was able to just overpower everyone he played at the high school level, but his blend of power, explosiveness and motor played up during Hoop Summit practices this year against elite competition from around the world. The next steps for him at Baylor — which has a long track record of developing guards — will be to improve his overall handle and poise, as well as work on his pull-up game.

Dash Daniels | 6-6 guard | 18 years old | Melbourne United

Daniels is Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels’ brother, and he brings a similar intensity on the defensive end of the court as his brother. He was the defensive MVP of Basketball Without Borders in 2025, a monster on that end who attacks ballhandlers by crawling into their space and disrupting their rhythm. Offensively, he’s more of a work-in-progress, continuing to develop his jumper as well as his polish in ball screens. Dyson was a bit ahead of Dash on that end because of his ability to run an offense and make plays for his teammates out of screens. But Daniels is a jumper away from being a killer role player in the NBA, much like his brother.

Peterson again are you kidding 😱 #MarchMadness @AuburnMBB

The 2025 NBA Draft is in the books and next year's draft already looks more talented, as Sam Vecenie explains in his 2026 mock draft.

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