2026 NBA Mock Draft: 30 first-round projections as March Madness rolls on

Dybantsa finishes his college career as the odds on favorite to be the No. 1 overall pick. He’s a jumbo wing who is 6-foot-9 with a better than 7-foot wingspan. He’s athletic with an elastic body type, capable of creating his own shot at virtually any point and the leading scorer in college basketball. He’s simultaneously made notable gains with his passing, finishing through contact at the rim and even his 3-point shooting.

There are still plenty of people who believe that Peterson may be the best long-term prospect in this draft with his potential overlap of shot-making, creation and on/off ball versatility, along with backcourt size and length. In Washington, he’d be the type of grand prize they’ve yet to find. Initially, he may split time with Trae Young and Tre Johnson, but ultimately grow into their lead guard of the future.

This may be the easiest pick of the draft. Executives are terrified of missing on Dybantsa or Peterson if they end up reaching their full potential, but there’s little doubt that Boozer will be a long-term impact player. His resume of winning is unmatched, he’s physically ready for the next level and one of the smartest players in the draft. He’s a big-time rebounder, passer, has terrific hands and can operate at different spots on the floor offensively. Boozer has a war of a matchup Friday night against St. John’s and defensive menace Zuby Ejiofor.

The Kings need to rebuild and Wilson is a terrific prospect to get that process started. He is a high-flying athlete with a high-motor, budding defensive versatility and an offensive game that proved to be ahead of schedule this year at North Carolina. There may be true star potential here and on a Kings roster that isn’t built to compete for the post-season right now, he should have the benefit of playing through his mistakes from the first day.

This would be a tricky spot for Utah given the breakout year of Keyonte George, another quality young point guard behind him in Isaiah Collier and the quartet of young lead guards headlining the list of best available prospects behind the top four. Of that group, Wagler may be the best fit because of the combination of size and shooting that would give him on/off ball versatility and allow him to pair with either George or Collier. He showed Thursday night in a Sweet 16 win he’s not afraid of a little dirty work, either, pulling down 12 rebounds.

Acuff’s college career came to an end Thursday night in a blowout loss to Arizona in the Sweet 16, but he still got his (28 points in 37 minutes). He was the best guard in college basketball this postseason with the most advanced offensive repertoire. He’s a top five prospect on the CBS Sports Big Board and if he lands with Dallas, the Mavs have a long-term running mate for Cooper Flagg. Acuff is a potent scorer and playmaker who is a threat at all three levels, an advanced passer and ready to put up numbers on the offensive end from Day 1.

With Ja Morant’s days in Memphis likely numbered, the Grizzlies are going to need a future point guard to add to their young core of Cedric Coward, Zach Edey, Jaylen Wells, Cam Spencer and others. Flemings, whose season ended Thursday night in a Sweet 16 loss to Illinois, is a dynamic athlete complete with speed, burst in his first-step and leaping ability at the rim. He’s also a threat with his pull-up game, better than expected from three and probably the best defender of the group.

As Atlanta ventures into the post Trea Young era, Brown would give them their lead guard of the future. He is a late-bloomer who is exceptionally talented with the ball in his hands. He’s a deep shooter and advanced passer who now boasts good positional size along with improved strength and athleticism. If durability isn’t a problem, it’s possible he outplays this spot in the draft.

Whether Milwaukee enters a full rebuild or not, this could be a good fit for Ament. He’s a player who is at his best when there’s a clear void for him to fill and in Milwaukee, that opportunity would be undeniable. The combo-forward has real size and mismatch scoring tools as a late-bloomer who has consistently taken his game to new levels in recent years.

Burries is a physical guard loaded with competitive intangibles who can both get downhill and shoot the ball with range. His freshmen season got off to a slow start but he’s continued to raise the bar as the year has gone on and been arguably the best player on one of the best teams in the country. The freshman rocked out vs. Arkansas in the Sweet 16 — 23 points on 63% shooting (50% from three). He could be a nice fit and complement to Josh Giddey in the Bulls’ backcourt.

While we really haven’t seen a healthy Quaintance for over a year now, he may be the best defensive prospect in this class with athleticism, length, shot-blocking and natural instincts. In Golden State, he would have the opportunity to learn under a generational defender in Draymond Green, while simultaneously benefitting from their offensive system to serve as a lob threat and vertical spacer.

Philon’s sophomore jump has made him both a shot-creator and shot-maker. What’s missing is the defensive impact he showed as a freshman, but in Miami, that end of the floor will be a requisite. With plenty of decisions looming for the Heat on the perimeter, he and Kasparas Jakucionis could be two compatible long-term pieces.

Haugh is a versatile big wing who can play multiple positions and doesn’t need to be an offensive focal point in order to impact winning. On a Charlotte team that is done rebuilding and now ready to compete, he could be a valuable piece alongside their trio of Kon Knueppel, LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller, particularly with Miles Bridges and Grant Williams going into contract years.

What does the team who already has just about everything do when they’re loaded with draft picks? Maybe go with a high upside swing like Cenac. There’s a wealth of potential for the nearly 7-footer with massive measurables, great mobility and the correlating defensive versatility that would be ideal for OKC. The fact that he’s a plus-athlete with some shooting potential only adds to his ceiling.

If there’s a gap in Memphis’ young assets it’s at the forward position. Lendeborg may be old by draft standards, but he’s an extremely versatile two-way piece who plays and defends multiple positions, passes the basketball and can be explosive in transition. If the shooting keeps trending up, he could be the type of guy to plug a variety of holes for a long-time in the league.

This is a bit against the grain for OKC in terms of what they typically look for with body types and physicality, but he is one of the best shooters in the draft and would add to the spacing they have around their Big 3 of SGA, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren. He also checks a lot of boxes when it comes to feel, character and competitiveness, all of which could further persuade the Thunder.

The Hornets are committed to letting this core grow together, but it wasn’t that long ago it seemed Ball’s future in Charlotte was limited. If that ever resurfaces Anderson provides a contingency. His season may not have ended in ideal fashion, but he’s highly skilled and equally cerebral with the ball in his hands.

It’s very possible that Lopez is already off the board, but if not, it would be just like the Spurs to take the best international prospect in the draft, especially when he could provide a long-term running mate for Victor Wembanyama in the frontcourt. Lopez is a big and versatile forward who has been trending up this year in the NBL.

A shooting point guard like Stirtz or Anderson would fit here, but if they’re not available, Steinbach could be a good fit. He has the combination of size and skill to play either the four or five, untapped shooting potential, good hands and instincts as a roller. Combine him with Jakob Poeltl and Collin Murray-Boyles and he gives the Raptors another look up front.

Johnson continues to gain momentum among NBA decision-makers with his size, physicality and increasing two-way versatility. Philadelphia badly needs some center depth behind Joel Embiid. Johnson could not only provide that but also an enforcer type to play alongside him if and when they elect to go with bigger lineups.

The Pistons look like they’ve played their way out of the lottery for the foreseeable future and that means they may not have too many chances to take swings on high upside long-term prospects. Carr may take some time, but he’s that caliber prospect with his overlap of explosive athleticism, extreme length, shot-making and scoring.

Having a true back-up center behind Nikola Jokic has been important this year for Denver. But Jonas Valanciunas will be a free-agent following the 2026-27 season and so Mara could ultimately slide into that spot. He’s massive even by NBA standards and his defensive impact is undeniable. He’s also clever around the rim offensively, as a screener and a good passer.

Ngongba has good size, but even better length. He protects the rim and provides vertical spacing, but also has budding face-up skill. He can step to the perimeter to pass or play or play out of dribble-hand-offs and also has some long-term shooting potential that would be developed and utilized under Quinn Snyder in Atlanta.

The Lakers could use a defensive minded center in the worst way and Krivas may be the best in college basketball this season. He has tremendous size, even by NBA standards and is a drop coverage monster. Offensively, he knows how to play a supporting role and is the type of screener and physical interior presence who could play a valuable role without needing many shots.

Bidunga is a big-time athlete, rim-runner, major lob threat, very mobile and consequently one of the most versatile frontcourt defenders in the country. With Mitchell Robinson entering free agency following the year, he could step right into that role and provide immediate minutes as a back-up center or even alongside Karl-Anthony Towns in double-big line-ups.

Veessaar is one of the most offensively gifted centers in the draft. The seven-footer can stretch the floor, put it on the deck, pass, play out of dribble-hand-off action and even finish with some sneaky force. Joe Mazzulla would know just how to utilize him offensively and if Boston can get him to defend and rebound a bit more, there’s real value here.

Evans is one of the best shooters in the draft, already drilling NBA caliber shots and gradually diversifying his offensive game. He’s going to need some time to keep filling out his frame, but once his body catches up, his offensive game is very translatable and ideal to create some floor-spacing around a dynamic creator like Anthony Edwards.

The Cavs have bigs and they have guards. What they don’t have is enough of the big and versatile two-way wings who typically provide the connective tissue on championship caliber teams. They drafted one such wing a couple of years ago in Jaylon Tyson, but they could use another. Allen has the size, defensive versatility, shooting and ball-moving acumen to fit the role.

Mullins is a pure shooter with deep range. He’s also a better defender than he gets credit for. But he’s been streaky this year at UConn, slumping down the stretch, and also needs time to build up his body. If he elects to stay in the draft, he’ll need some time, but he could be a nice long-term complement to a young core that features Flagg and Acuff in this scenario.