2026 NBA Mock Draft: Mikel Brown Jr. slips into top 6 in Gary Parrish’s most recent first round predictions

Dybantsa remains a sizable favorite in the betting markets to be selected first — and most industry sources believe he’ll be a Wizard. He’s a jumbo-wing and natural scorer who led the EYBL in points per game after his freshman season of high school and the entire nation in points per game during his freshman season at BYU. Based on that trajectory, and Dybantsa’s awesome physical tools, it will not be surprising if he also someday leads the NBA in scoring. His presence should make the Wizards interesting for the first time in a while. Alongside Trae Young and Anthony Davis, Dybantsa could help Washington reach the postseason next year for the first time since 2021.

Peterson’s talent is undeniable but there are real questions among some front offices about whether he’ll maximize his gifts because of the way his one season at Kansas unfolded. He was special in spots and at times looked like the most talented player in college basketball. But Peterson was also in and out of the lineup a lot — sometimes by his own choice — and that fact has raised concerns in some corners. Regardless, the ceiling is very high here. And that’s why even though Peterson isn’t likely to be selected where most had him projected a year ago — i.e., first overall — he won’t have to wait long to hear commissioner Adam Silver call his name and officially make him teammates with former All-Stars Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr. in Utah.

The Grizzlies have traded Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. in the past year; Ja Morant is expected to go next. So the hope in Memphis is that the third pick in this draft delivers a new face of the franchise — and, assuming he’s available, it’ll likely be Cameron Boozer. Given how the so-called Morant Era went off the rails with multiple suspensions before the franchise decided to pivot, selecting Boozer is the most sensible move. All he’s ever done is be awesome — both on and off the court — and win, win, win. If the Grizz grab him, its starting frontcourt on Opening Night should feature the 2023 and 2024 CBS Sports National Player of the Year (Zach Edey) and the 2026 CBS Sports National Player of the Year (Boozer).

Dybantsa, Peterson, Boozer and Wilson have been described by some as the clear top-four in this draft with most ranking Wilson fourth among the group. In truth, his ceiling is maybe higher than at least one of the three players expected to go before him — but his floor is probably the lowest of the group because, right now, Wilson is a non-shooter headed to a league that values it. That’s not ideal for a top-five pick. But the athleticism is off the charts, his motor runs great and competitiveness doesn’t appear to be an issue. So, barring a surprise, Wilson won’t go lower than fourth.

The Clippers are an obvious candidate to trade down. And there are franchises reportedly trying to move into the top five. So don’t be surprised if this pick gets moved. If it doesn’t, though, Wagler makes a lot of sense as a jumbo lead guard who can play on or off the ball. Most importantly, the Clippers need a bigger guard beside Darius Garland, who is only 6-foot-1 and under contract with Los Angeles for two more years, and Wagler is the tallest option among the guards expected to go in this range.

The Nets took four guards in last year’s draft, but none of them really did anything too encouraging as rookies for a 20-win team, which obviously isn’t a great sign. Either way, that’s my way of suggesting Brooklyn shouldn’t hesitate to take a big swing on another guard here — and the biggest swing they can take might be Brown, the one-and-done star from Louisville who was great when he played but limited to just 21 appearances because of a back issue. His best performance came in early February, when Brown made 10 3-pointers and finished with 45 points in a win over NC State. On that day, he looked like a top 10 pick. Later this month, he should be one.

Acuff just became the first player to lead the SEC in both points and assists since Pete Maravich did it at LSU in 1970. Special talent. Fun player. Would it be better if he were taller? Yes. Would it be better if he weren’t a negative-defender? Also yes. But the offensive skill-set and deadly jumper are probably too much to pass on at this point in this draft, especially considering Sacramento is reportedly a fan of John Calipari’s latest one-and-done star.

The Hawks are in need of backcourt help. Flemings could provide it. The point guard prospect wasn’t the highest-rated recruit in Houston’s freshman class but emerged as the program’s best player while helping the Cougars win 30 games and advance to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. He’s the rare 19-year-old who is both a top-tier athlete and a strong shooter. Flemings could be a rotation piece for a playoff team as a rookie.

Koa Peat was the talk of Arizona’s freshman class early — especially after he got 30 points in that season-opening win over Florida. But it was Burries, also a first-year player, who emerged as the leading scorer for a team that won the Big 12’s regular-season title and advanced to the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament. He’s a physical guard who can shoot and rebound. He’d fit nicely in Dallas next to franchise centerpiece Cooper Flagg.

It remains unclear which direction the Bucks are headed, but most indications are that Giannis Antetokounmpo is on the way out. If so, it’ll be rebuild-time in Milwaukee, at which point taking a huge swing on Ament would be defensible. The wing with size had an up-and-down freshman season for the Vols — but the upside isn’t hard to spot. Less than a year ago, the 2025 McDonald’s All-American was considered a possible top-five pick. So getting Ament here would be nice for a Bucks franchise that will likely finish outside of the top 10 in the East next season in the absence of their former MVP.

Lendeborg transferred from UAB to Michigan and was the best player on a team that won the NCAA Tournament one year after he didn’t even win Player of the Year honors in the sport’s 11th-best conference (American). Just an awesome story. That he’s already 23 years old will turn some franchises off — but if Golden State is still all-in on trying to put pieces around Steph Curry, Lendeborg’s age should mostly be irrelevant to the decision-making process in the Bay.

Did you hear about Oklahoma City’s Victor Wembanyama problem? Yeah, it’s serious — perhaps for the next decade-plus. So if Mara is still available at 12, using this pick on somebody who can nearly look Wemby eye-to-eye would be logical. Mara sees the floor well from way up there, passes effectively and finishes with both hands. But his real strength is on defense, where he blocked and altered shots all NCAA Tournament while helping the Wolverines win the national championship.

You might’ve noticed this mock is light on prospects currently playing overseas, and that’s because lots of the top international names have been lured stateside via big NIL/revenue-share payments. Steinbach was one such player. The 20-year-old German proved to be an elite rebounder on both ends in his one season at Washington. The Heat need to add depth to a frontcourt highlighted by Bam Adebayo. Steinbach could provide it.

Johnson should be the third player from Michigan’s frontcourt to go in the lottery of this draft after shooting above 60% from the field as one of the Big Ten’s best players. But, like his teammate Mara, Johnson’s real value is on the other end of the court, where he anchored college basketball’s best defense in his one year at Michigan after transferring from Illinois.

Carr emerged as a real top-20 option after transferring from Tennessee to Baylor and having one of the biggest breakout years in the sport while averaging 14.1 more points per game with the Bears than he averaged previously with the Vols. The 21-year-old has long arms and a solid-enough jump shot. In this mock, he lands beside Wilson in Chicago as a major part of the Bulls’ rebuild.

There are reports that Memphis is trying to package this pick with other assets to acquire a second top-10 pick. That’s my way of saying there’s a decent chance the Grizz won’t even make this pick. If they do, though, Anderson should be an option after going from an intriguing freshman at Texas Tech to one of the Big 12’s stars and best prospects. The sophomore from Atlanta kept the Red Raiders relevant even after JT Toppin, the 2025 Big 12 Player of the Year, went down with a torn ACL in February. Anderson has been described as the best shooter in this class after making 41.5% of the 7.9 3-pointers he attempted this season. In theory, he could offset some of the shooting Memphis sent to Orlando when it traded Desmond Bane last summer.

Lopez should be the first non-college player off the board. (Side note: the idea that the first non-college player off the board could go in the late teens speaks to the level of talent NIL is luring and keeping in college.) The 19-year-old is a physical wing from Mexico with lots of positives. If the 3-point shot comes around, and as long as he doesn’t prove to be a liability on defense, Lopez would be a terrific snag here for an Oklahoma City franchise trying to figure out what’s next after losing in the Western Conference Finals to the Spurs.

Not every prospect who returns to college actually enhances his draft stock — but Philon definitely did. The sophomore guard played more on-the-ball for Alabama than he did in the previous season, and the result was better assist numbers and a 3-point percentage that jumped to 39.9. The unusual amount of top-shelf lead guards available this year will push Philon down further than he’d go in most drafts, but that just makes him a value pick at this point for the Hornets.

Mark Pope’s seat at Kentucky might be a little cooler heading into next season if Quaintance had been available more this season. He cost a lot of money and did little on the court while rehabbing a torn ACL that limited him to just four appearances. Regardless, I saw Quaintance up close at the CBS Sports Classic, and he made an obvious impact immediately in that game. Unless the medicals are scary, Quaintance should not fall much further than this — and he could go much higher.

Seemingly every year now there’s an off-the-radar prospect who generates attention largely because of an interesting statistical profile. Graves is that player in this draft. The 6-foot-9 forward was a zero-star prospect in the 2025 class but is now a 19-year-old near the top of analytics boards. His ability to make shots and rebound with a good body will secure him a guaranteed contract — but Graves remains among the biggest mysteries for casual fans who simply didn’t see him play much in college.

It’s rare for somebody to end up as a first-round pick after starting a college career at the Division II level, but Stirtz has a real chance to do it. Concerns about how he’ll defend in the NBA are valid. But Stirtz is a lead guard with a good assist-to-turnover ratio and reliable jumper. High basketball IQ. All that stuff. If I were running a franchise, I wouldn’t overthink this one. He can play and will be in the NBA for a long time.

If Mara helped himself more than any other prospect in the NCAA Tournament, Reed wasn’t far behind him on the list. The UConn center averaged 19.5 points and 13.2 rebounds in the Big Dance while helping the Huskies reach the championship game. He’s more of a traditional center than a modern center — but that’s OK in today’s game. Traditional centers still hold value. And it’s not like Joel Embiid is going to play forever in Philadelphia.

Cenac will not be selected in this draft in a way that correlates with where he was ranked coming out of high school — but he’s still a likely first-round pick after starting for a Houston team that finished 30-7. Some have argued he should’ve done another year at Houston, and I get that. But there’s little risk of Cenac slipping too far. If he develops quickly enough, the 19-year-old could crack the rotation in Atlanta, where they clearly need frontcourt depth if the goal is to finish in the top six in the East again.

Michael Malone’s first year at UNC would’ve been a lot simpler if he could’ve kept Veesaar in school, but the talented big decided to forgo his final year of eligibility in favor of a professional career. Did Veesaar leave money on the table with this move? Perhaps. But it’s a move that made the draft deeper after other first-round prospects like Braylon Mullins and Thomas Haugh decided to remain in college, and the Knicks could be the franchise that benefits from it, especially if they are counting on losing Mitchell Robinson via unrestricted free agency.

Evans is a high-volume 3-point shooter with good positional size who made 38% of his shots from beyond the arc in two seasons with one of the best brands and teams in college basketball. That’s a good place to start his evaluation. The 20-year-old wing could be a nice piece for a Lakers franchise still building around Luka Doncic.

Peat impacts winning in a variety of ways and was among the reasons Arizona won the Big 12’s regular-season championship before advancing to the Final Four. Good size. Good body. Intriguing prospect. The issue is that he’s a 6-foot-7 wing who doesn’t really shoot, evidence being that Peat only took 20 3-pointers in 36 games with the Wildcats. That’s not ideal for the modern NBA and why Peat’s draft range seems vast.

Jefferson spent four years in college and went from a role player at Saint Mary’s to a star at Iowa State, where he was an All-American this season while helping the Cyclones win 29 times. He’s a big forward who just gets things done. High floor. High basketball IQ. If the perimeter shot gets more reliable, Jefferson would be a steal this deep in the first round of this draft.

Mike Conley is an unrestricted free agent and 38 years old. So even if he resigns with Minnesota, it wouldn’t be dumb for the Timberwolves to look for a lead guard. Okorie should be among the options if he’s still available here. The 19-year-old led the ACC in scoring and tallied at least 33 points five different times this season, including a career-high 40 in a win over Georgia Tech. If you like guards who can bounce it and get by people, Okorie is your guy.

Ejiofor spent four years playing for two Hall of Fame coaches — first Bill Self at Kansas, then Rick Pitino at St. John’s — and went from spending just 5.2 minutes per game on the court as a freshman to winning Big East Player of the Year honors as a senior. Awesome story. Is he undersized for a center? Definitely yes. But Ejiofor does have a 7-foot-2 wingspan and great motor, and those two things, combined with a great reputation as a competitor and winner, are going to give him a chance to stick.

Swain followed his coach, Sean Miller, from Xavier to Texas and emerged as the Longhorns’ leading scorer. The 20-year-old from Ohio is more of a driver than a shooter — and he probably needs to become a better shooter to justify a first-round slot long-term. But there’s definitely stuff here for Dallas to work with, starting with the fact that Swain is an explosive athlete who impacts things on both ends.