by William Burns
Monday, Jun 22, 2026Welcome to the 2026 NBA Draft. Here's what I expect to happen on Tuesday evening.
Lottery Picks:
Entering the 2026 NBA Draft, the three names that have stood out all season long have been AJ Dybansta (BYU,) Darryn Peterson (Kansas,) & Cameron Boozer (Duke.) As it stands now, AJ Dybantsa is the heavy favorite to go #1 overall (-700) with the other two expected to follow suit. I believe that it will go in the order that I mentioned.
Don't sleep on guys like Caleb Wilson (UNC,) Darius Acuff Jr (Arkansas,) & Karim Lopez (New Zealand Breakers) though. I could see all three of these players becoming absolute stars in the NBA with the right coaching and situation.
Will there be surprises in the Lottery? Of course. There are surprises in almost every single draft & sometimes it's for the good. Other times, the team badly messes up. People that are disgusted with a pick sometimes regret it later though. One will never know until these new rookies officially step on the court.
Last Notes:
Here are a couple of players to keep an eye on in my eyes.
I'm pretty high on Aday Mara (Michigan.) What I believe could turn out to be an "even better" version of Marc Gasol, the former Michigan Center was an absolutely crucial piece to the championship that the Wolverines just one. Just think of former champions in the NCAA. Donovan Clingan is beginning to ball out for the Trail Blazers & Alex Condon has become a dominant big man for the Florida Gators. Mara could definitely be a lottery pick. But, nobody really knows until draft day.
Another player that stands out as someone who I believe could be a huge "sleeper pick," in the late-1st or early 2nd, is Ebuka Okorie (Stanford.) If you've never seen him play, you should go watch some of his highlights right now. I wanted him to return back to College to show the nation what he's really capable of with a stronger team. But, his dribbling is absolutely silky smooth & I believe that he could be a steal of this draft.
William's Top 20 Draft Pick Projections (If No Trades Happen):
Washington Wizards #1 // AJ Dybansta (BYU)
Utah Jazz #2 // Darryn Peterson (Kansas)
Memphis Grizzlies #3 // Cameron Boozer (Duke)
Chicago Bulls #4 // Caleb Wilson (UNC)
Los Angeles Clippers #5 // Brayden Burries (Arizona)
Brooklyn Nets #6 // Keaton Wagler (Illinois)
Sacramento Kings #7 // Darius Acuff Jr (Arkansas)
Atlanta Hawks #8 // Aday Mara (Michigan)
Dallas Mavericks #9 // Mikel Brown Jr (Louisville)
Milwaukee Bucks #10 // Nate Ament (Tennessee)
Golden State Warriors #11 // Yaxel Lendeborg (Michigan)
Oklahoma City Thunder #12 // Karim Lopez (New Zealand Breakers)
Milwaukee Bucks #13 // Kingston Flemmings (Houston)
Charlotte Hornets #14 // Morez Johnson Jr (Michigan)
Chicago Bulls #15 // Hannes Steinbach (Washington)
Memphis Grizzlies #16 // Labaron Philon (Alabama)
Oklahoma City Thunder #17 // Ebuka Okorie (Stanford)
Charlotte Hornets #18 // Jayden Quaintance (Kentucky)
Toronto Raptors #19 // Christian Anderson (Texas Tech)
San Antonio Spurs #20 // Allen Graves (Santa Clara)
Two Draft Night "Prop Bets" to Make:
Although it may be considered a bit of a longshot, I would not be surprised one bit if the Clippers go with Brayden Burries with the #5 overall pick in this draft. The first four are pretty locked in. But, with the fifth pick at a price of +650 to be selected in the Top 5. Don't pass up on this opportunity.
A bit of a heavier juiced one, I'm willing to lay the -260 on Cameron Boozer to be selected 3rd overall by the Memphis Grizzlies. Now, the Grizzlies could end up with Peterson if the Jazz pass up on him. But, I believe that it will go in the order that I mentioned above, leading this to be the safe bet of the night.
Lottery Picks:
Entering the 2026 NBA Draft, the three names that have stood out all season long have been AJ Dybansta (BYU,) Darryn Peterson (Kansas,) & Cameron Boozer (Duke.) As it stands now, AJ Dybantsa is the heavy favorite to go #1 overall (-700) with the other two expected to follow suit. I believe that it will go in the order that I mentioned.
Don't sleep on guys like Caleb Wilson (UNC,) Darius Acuff Jr (Arkansas,) & Karim Lopez (New Zealand Breakers) though. I could see all three of these players becoming absolute stars in the NBA with the right coaching and situation.
Will there be surprises in the Lottery? Of course. There are surprises in almost every single draft & sometimes it's for the good. Other times, the team badly messes up. People that are disgusted with a pick sometimes regret it later though. One will never know until these new rookies officially step on the court.
Last Notes:
Here are a couple of players to keep an eye on in my eyes.
I'm pretty high on Aday Mara (Michigan.) What I believe could turn out to be an "even better" version of Marc Gasol, the former Michigan Center was an absolutely crucial piece to the championship that the Wolverines just one. Just think of former champions in the NCAA. Donovan Clingan is beginning to ball out for the Trail Blazers & Alex Condon has become a dominant big man for the Florida Gators. Mara could definitely be a lottery pick. But, nobody really knows until draft day.
Another player that stands out as someone who I believe could be a huge "sleeper pick," in the late-1st or early 2nd, is Ebuka Okorie (Stanford.) If you've never seen him play, you should go watch some of his highlights right now. I wanted him to return back to College to show the nation what he's really capable of with a stronger team. But, his dribbling is absolutely silky smooth & I believe that he could be a steal of this draft.
William's Top 20 Draft Pick Projections (If No Trades Happen):
Washington Wizards #1 // AJ Dybansta (BYU)
Utah Jazz #2 // Darryn Peterson (Kansas)
Memphis Grizzlies #3 // Cameron Boozer (Duke)
Chicago Bulls #4 // Caleb Wilson (UNC)
Los Angeles Clippers #5 // Brayden Burries (Arizona)
Brooklyn Nets #6 // Keaton Wagler (Illinois)
Sacramento Kings #7 // Darius Acuff Jr (Arkansas)
Atlanta Hawks #8 // Aday Mara (Michigan)
Dallas Mavericks #9 // Mikel Brown Jr (Louisville)
Milwaukee Bucks #10 // Nate Ament (Tennessee)
Golden State Warriors #11 // Yaxel Lendeborg (Michigan)
Oklahoma City Thunder #12 // Karim Lopez (New Zealand Breakers)
Milwaukee Bucks #13 // Kingston Flemmings (Houston)
Charlotte Hornets #14 // Morez Johnson Jr (Michigan)
Chicago Bulls #15 // Hannes Steinbach (Washington)
Memphis Grizzlies #16 // Labaron Philon (Alabama)
Oklahoma City Thunder #17 // Ebuka Okorie (Stanford)
Charlotte Hornets #18 // Jayden Quaintance (Kentucky)
Toronto Raptors #19 // Christian Anderson (Texas Tech)
San Antonio Spurs #20 // Allen Graves (Santa Clara)
Two Draft Night "Prop Bets" to Make:
Although it may be considered a bit of a longshot, I would not be surprised one bit if the Clippers go with Brayden Burries with the #5 overall pick in this draft. The first four are pretty locked in. But, with the fifth pick at a price of +650 to be selected in the Top 5. Don't pass up on this opportunity.
A bit of a heavier juiced one, I'm willing to lay the -260 on Cameron Boozer to be selected 3rd overall by the Memphis Grizzlies. Now, the Grizzlies could end up with Peterson if the Jazz pass up on him. But, I believe that it will go in the order that I mentioned above, leading this to be the safe bet of the night.
