2026 NBA Draft Big Board 1.0: Early prospect rankings for next season

With the 2025 NBA Draft behind us, it's never too early to look ahead to what's next. The 2026 NBA Draft cycle promises to be the most exciting in years. It starts at the top. Cooper Flagg was originally part of the 2025 recruiting class, but he decided to reclassify and move up a year. It's a shame, because now we won't get to see him jockey for draft position with Cameron Boozer, Darryn Peterson and AJ Dybantsa, all of whom are on Flagg's level as high school prospects.

In addition to a loaded freshman class, there are tons of interesting college basketball returners. NIL has changed the landscape considerably; there was not a single freshman taken in the second round of this year's draft. Players with eligibility left are overwhelmingly opting to return to school instead of testing the waters and rolling the dice without solid guarantees at the NBA level.

It's far too early to know the shape of the 2026 NBA Draft in truth, and this board will change dramatically in the months ahead. But, as things sit, here's a quick introduction to 60 prospects worth monitoring this upcoming season, with a deeper dive into the top 10.

2026 NBA Draft Board: Way-too-early prospect rankings

1. Cameron Boozer, F, Duke (Fr.)

Cameron Boozer is the most complete and polished prospect in the 2026 draft. At 6’9 with a strong frame and NBA athleticism, Boozer’s impact touches all aspects of the game. 

He offers genuine point forward skills, often pushing the tempo off of defensive rebounds and slinging pinpoint outlet passes to a sprinting teammate. 

In the halfcourt setting, Boozer is efficient at all three levels. He can run pick-and-rolls or pick defenses apart as the short roller, with rapid-fire processing and incredible spatial awareness. Boozer has the strength to punish mismatches inside and finish through contact. He can also dance with slow-footed bigs on the perimeter, attacking downhill with long strides or even getting to his spots as a pull-up shooter. 

Boozer will rebound, defend multiple positions with great anticipatory instincts, and operate as the centerpiece of an offense. The weaknesses are few and far between.

2. Darryn Peterson, G, Kansas (Fr.)

Darryn Peterson is the best guard prospect in a minute. At 6’5 with long arms and a well-balanced skill set, Peterson figures to ignite the imagination of front offices looking for the next franchise lead guard. 

He’s the most dynamic scorer in the 2026 draft. Peterson gets to his spots with an impressive blend of burst, creativity and dexterity. He’s not uber-explosive, but Peterson is a high-level athlete who can shift gears and hit the turbo at the exact right moment to capitalize on a created advantage. 

In addition to a smooth pull-up jumper, especially from the mid-range, Peterson is a crafty rim finisher who draws a lot of fouls (and subsequently converts his free throws). He keeps his defenders off-balance and embraces physicality on his drives. 

Peterson needs to keep developing his point guard skills, but the vision is there. He’s also equipped with a high vantage point and a gift for generating fissures in the defense with his handle. 

While not an elite defender, Peterson has the tools and the competitive fire to get to that level eventually.

3. AJ Dybantsa, F, BYU (Fr.)

AJ Dybantsa has been on NBA radars for years now. He’s a prototypical athlete on the wing — 6’9 with long arms, a solid frame and incredible burst. In terms of pure upside, Dybantsa probably ranks atop his class. 

The shot-making is off the charts with Dybantsa. He can get to any spot on the floor with shifty handles or straight explosiveness. Dybantsa has a beautiful high release on his pull-up jumper, allowing him to punish the defense from anywhere at any time. 

He needs to get more physical as a driver, but Dybantsa can glide through open lanes and finish with impressive power at the rim. Out in transition, he’s a proper handful. He’s too quick, long and coordinated for most defenders, and will be in the NBA, too. 

Defensive intensity has not always been Dybantsa’s strong suit, but he can cover tons of ground as a roamer and he’s versatile enough to handle a variety of matchups. Dybantsa can slide laterally with point guards or body up forwards in the post, it’s just a matter of locking in and playing with intent. 

If he can improve as a defender and an on-ball decision-maker, Dybantsa’s path to NBA stardom will be unobstructed.

4. Mikel Brown Jr., G, Louisville (Fr.)

It can be tough sledding for small guards in the modern NBA, but Mikel Brown Jr. has the outlier talent necessary to command a high draft pick. A late bloomer physically, Brown has grown to 6’3 with a 6’6 wingspan. He needs to add muscle, sure, but he competes on defense and has very little trouble putting the ball in the basket. 

Brown is incredibly dynamic with the rock in tow. He can break out a wide array of dribble moves to lull his defender to sleep and break things down, mixing speeds and changing directions, all with the ball on a string. He’s also an elite pull-up shooter, with range that extends well past the NBA 3-point line. 

He will face an adjustment period against the size and physicality of NBA defenses, but Brown gets downhill fairly often and has a nice package of floaters and finesse shots to offset his limited brute strength. In the pick-and-roll, Brown exercises total control over the game. He can deliver every pass in the book and the pull-up threat never ceases. 

It’s not hard to envision Brown becoming an All-Star type offensive generator at the next level.

5. Nate Ament, F, Tennessee (Fr.)

Nate Ament’s ceiling rivals any prospect in this class. The 6’10 freshman is an incredibly fluid mover on the wing. He needs to add strength and continue developing his ancillary skills, but the athleticism and shot-making chops — at his size — are easy to get excited about. 

Ament borders on matchup proof. He struggles with physicality at the point of attack, but as his frame fills out and he gains more confidence in his own abilities, Ament should be able to better navigate traffic. In the meantime, he can still get to his spot and elevate for a pull-up jumper. 

The release point on that jumper is unblockable. Ament isn’t half-bad as a creator either. He’s a bit upright handling the rock, but Ament can push the tempo off of a rebound, run the occasional pick-and-roll and find inroads attacking off the catch. If Ament can get to the point where he’s taking bumps and playing through contact at the rim, there won’t be many holes in his offensive repertoire. 

He’s still earlier in his developmental arc than other top prospects, but Ament reads the floor well and doesn’t operate as selfishly as other preternaturally gifted shot-makers in his mold have in the past (see: Bailey, Ace). The defense comes and goes, but the tools — again — are right on the surface.

6. Bennett Stirtz, G, Iowa (Sr.)

Bennett Stirtz spent two years at D-II Northwest Missouri State before following his head coach, Ben McCollum, to Drake as a junior. Stirtz quickly established himself as one of the most dominant point guards in D-I hoops, punching his ticket to the Big Ten and Iowa. 

Stirtz displays incredible poise and vision out of the pick-and-roll. He’s intentional with every movement. While not an elite athlete, Stirtz isn’t slow — and he’s great at patiently working his way to an advantage, decelerating and accelerating on a dime to keep his man in limbo. 

The passing is nuts. Stirtz processes the floor at warp speed and can deliver precise dimes with either hand, whether he’s flying down the lane at full sprint or stationary at the top of the key. He complements that playmaking and ball-handling jazz with a potent pull-up jumper and a feather-soft floater in the lane. 

Stirtz needs to add strength and there are defensive concerns, which are magnified by his age. But in terms of offensive profile, very few point guards in recent memory can claim Stirtz’s blend of passing IQ, shot-making juice and overall precision.

7. Jayden Quaintance, C, Kentucky (So.)

Jayden Quaintance arrived at Arizona State as a 17-year-old freshman. He then transferred to Kentucky as a sophomore, hoping to rebuild his stock after an unfortunate ACL injury. Still one of the youngest players in the draft, Quaintance is one of the best defensive prospects in recent memory. 

At 6’9 with long arms and standout athleticism, Quaintance covers a ton of ground as a roamer. He can slide his feet on the perimeter, collapse for weak-side swats, and do a little bit of everything in between. He gets vertical with ease and shows remarkably sharp instincts for such a young player. 

The defense alone will put Quaintance high on draft boards. NBA teams, however, will hope for offensive progression that pushes Quaintance toward the realm of stardom. 

There are plenty of flashes on tape. He can step behind the 3-point line on occasion. He’ll spin into a mid-range jumper or attack with coordinated drives off the catch. Quaintance even makes some high-level passing reads on the short roll. 

That said, the efficiency of those perimeter shots needs to improve — dramatically. He’s a bad free throw shooter, so the touch indicators aren’t great. He finishes well at the rim and can provide a vertical threat for his NBA point guard, but much of Quaintance’s offense is more theoretical than actual right now.

8. Karim Lopez, F, Mexico (2007)

Karim López has multiple years of professional experience under his belt already, impacting winning as a teenager in Australia’s physically demanding NBL. The 6’5 wing from Mexico has a skill set every NBA team covets on the wing. 

In this age of positional versatility, López won’t struggle to carve out a role. He’s a highly adaptable defender, with the length to smother passing lanes and roam for weak-side blocks, as well as the lateral agility to mirror guards on the perimeter. 

Offensively, he offers plug-and-play utility. López still needs to get more consistent from 3-point range — his mechanics are a little unconventional and will need fine-tuning at the next level — but the touch and volume are encouraging. Inside the arc, he’s an impressively varied scoring threat. 

López gets downhill with a purpose, mixing speeds and directional changes to put his defender in a compromised position. He has the physicality to absorb contact and draw fouls, as well as the finesse to side-step slower defenders and score with touch in the lane. He’s an attentive off-ball cutter and particularly dangerous attacking off the catch, but López will create his own looks on occasion. 

It’s rare to find such well-rounded wings at such a young age — especially one who is producing consistently in a top pro league. 

9. Koa Peat, F, Arizona (Fr.)

Few players dominated as thoroughly at the high school level as Koa Peat. He’s been one of the most productive players in his age group for a while now, which has led to plenty of NBA intrigue — but also some upside concerns. 

Peat has an old-school game at 6’8. He’s a big, physical forward who leverages his strength advantage for easy buckets in the post. He has impressive coordination and touch on paint buckets and short mid-range pulls, but he doesn’t really shoot 3s yet — not consistently. 

He won’t be able to bully defenders in the same way at the next level. Peat lacks standout length or mobility. He’s a smart, hard-working defender, but he won’t protect the rim in the traditional sense. How effectively his interior-oriented offensive repertoire translates to the NBA remains to be seen. 

The concerns are valid. But at the end of the day, it’s generally wise to trust the tape. And Peat has outclassed many of his peers in this draft for a while. He knows how to play. He’ll grab and go off a rebound. He processes the floor quickly and drops slick dimes from the elbow or the post. He has exceptional touch inside the arc, which projects well toward the 3-point line long term. 

It may take some imagination to envision Peat’s slo-mo buckets and old-school craft popping at the next level, but he’s immensely skilled and ahead of the curve for a freshman.

10. Darius Acuff Jr., G, Arkansas (Fr.)

Darius Acuff Jr. will face all the standard challenges of a small guard in today’s NBA, but he’s a strong, physical defender with a plus-four wingspan, so he should be able to hang well enough on that end to supplement an explosive offensive skill set. 

Acuff is a proficient three-level scorer who loves to work out of pick-and-rolls. Few ball-handlers in this class are better at manipulating screens and putting their defenders in a compromised position. Acuff blends straight-line quickness with a deep bag of tricks, from violent crossovers to sudden decelerations. 

He can get to a smooth, compact pull-up jumper just about anywhere on the floor and he’s an impressive at-rim finisher, with the strength to absorb contact and the vertical pop to finish among the trees. Acuff is effectively a switch-hitter in the paint, dropping floaters and touch shots with either hand. 

Shot selection will be the point of emphasis for scouts. Acuff can deliver advanced passes on the move, but he has a tendency to settle into hero mode every now and again. He will need to make a point to set up teammates at the next level.