Published June 23, 2026, before Round 1. Time-stamped ahead of the draft as a record of the board, trades, and reasoning as they stood that morning.
The 2026 NBA Draft happens June 23, 10 days after the Knicks closed out San Antonio in five to end a 53-year title drought. The basketball calendar doesn’t take a break, and the draft is what comes next. Two blockbuster trades landed on draft eve and reshaped the board: Milwaukee sent Giannis Antetokounmpo to Miami, and Minnesota moved Julius Randle to Brooklyn in a deal that sent Nic Claxton to Chicago. Both are baked into the picks below.
I’m Patrick, and I’m the founder and only employee of Draft Detective. I have a Master’s in Coaching Education, 15 years coaching basketball, and I built my website because I wanted to test and build my own ability to scout NBA prospects. I’ve done this with extensive tape review, statistical validation, and a framework that I believe asks the right questions rather than ratifying consensus. I have a lot of respect for the scouts who travel 300 days a year doing work no public analyst can replicate. The Draft Detective website isn’t a replacement for that. It’s a different lens, built honestly from what one analyst can do with full attention on it. It’s my portfolio of what I’ve built following this draft class.
The questions I ask are the ones that get less attention in public draft discourse: How does this player project in years 2-6, not year one? Does production translate when competition rises? Is the physical edge a real NBA skill or a college-only advantage? Where does fit actually matter more than talent? Using 15 unique evaluation categories of my own, I’ve built detailed reports on the 60 players I think should be drafted this year.
The full Draft Detective Rankings board for 2026 lives at draftdetective.com/2026-rankings, where clicking any player opens their full scouting report. What follows is the 60-pick mock draft that flows from those rankings. Where this mock diverges from consensus, the reasoning is in the pick. Where it converges, the convergence is earned by independent analysis, not chalk.
Open to scouting opportunities and front-office roles. The best way to reach me is through my LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrick-bostian-303952b6/. My site’s official email tends to attract spam.
First Round — Tuesday, June 23
1. Washington — AJ Dybantsa (SF, BYU)
Washington’s hybrid rebuild after the Anthony Davis and Trae Young trades needs a centerpiece, and Dybantsa is the cleanest fit at the top of the board. Acknowledged Utah trade-up rumors and the BYU-to-Salt-Lake-City fit don’t change the analysis here, but they’re real and could reshape this pick on draft night.
2. Utah — Darryn Peterson (SG/PG, Kansas)
If Utah’s trade-up rumors for Dybantsa become real, this pick changes. As it stands, Peterson is the lead-guard answer Utah’s 22-60 season demanded despite the Collier/George logjam, a 6’5″ combo guard with elite shotmaking and real defensive tools.
3. Memphis — Cameron Boozer (PF, Duke)
Memphis’s frontcourt has been gutted by Brandon Clarke’s tragic passing on May 11, 2026, and Boozer is the answer. A 6’9″ PF who averaged 22.5 PPG, 10.2 RPG on 55.6% FG and 39.1% from three, the Naismith, Wooden, AP, NABC, and TSN Player of the Year alongside ACC Player of the Year, ACC Rookie of the Year, and ACC Tournament MVP. The most decorated college player in the class plays right away on a Memphis frontcourt that desperately needs both production and identity.
4. Chicago — Caleb Wilson (PF, North Carolina)
The fire sale and April front-office shakeup signal a full rebuild in Chicago, and Wilson is the developmental forward the new regime can build around. UNC’s 28th-ranked defense exposed limitations on that end of the floor; the offensive ceiling and connective forward profile are what teams are buying. Some front offices reportedly prefer him to Boozer, which is worth taking seriously even if DD doesn’t.
5. LA Clippers — Keaton Wagler (SG/PG, Illinois)
The Clippers need long-term backcourt identity around an aging core, and Wagler is exactly that piece. A 6’5″ combo guard whose NBA range extends well beyond the line, projects as a role player on a veteran roster who can scale into something more as the next era takes shape.
6. Brooklyn — Darius Acuff Jr. (PG, Arkansas)
After waiving Cam Thomas, Brooklyn’s offense needs a new primary engine, and Acuff is the cleanest fit at this slot. A 6’2″ Arkansas freshman who averaged 23.5 PPG and 6.4 APG running an SEC offense, the kind of high-usage scoring lead the rebuild can develop around.
7. Sacramento — Kingston Flemings (PG, Houston)
Sacramento’s full teardown of the Sabonis-LaVine-DeRozan-Monk era starts with a primary lead guard, and Flemings is the answer. A 6’5″ Houston freshman who averaged 16.1 PPG, 5.2 APG, and 1.5 SPG running Sampson’s program, the kind of long-and-organized PG who anchors a rebuild.
8. Atlanta — Mikel Brown Jr. (PG, Louisville)
McCollum is in his final years, and Atlanta needs the next lead guard for Jalen Johnson’s young core. Brown is a 6’4″ Louisville freshman who set the ACC single-game freshman record with 45 points vs NC State (breaking Cooper Flagg’s 42), the kind of pure scoring lead who plays off McCollum immediately and inherits the offense long-term.
9. Dallas — Brayden Burries (SG/PG, Arizona)
With Flagg as the new face of the franchise, Dallas needs a scoring guard who plays off the primary creator. Burries projects more as a primary scoring shooting guard than a true lead point, but that profile fits Dallas exactly: a Flagg-led offense doesn’t need another lead creator, it needs a scorer who plays off the primary and provides bridge insurance against the Kyrie situation.
10. Milwaukee — Karim Lopez (SF/PF, NZ Breakers)
With Giannis dealt to Miami, Milwaukee’s rebuild is on, and Lopez is the long-term forward a teardown builds around. The Herro, Ware, Jaquez, and Jakucionis return reloads the young core, and Lopez slots right into it: a versatile two-way forward from the NZ Breakers with the size and feel to develop on a cheap timeline with no win-now pressure. Pure upside, exactly what this slot should be now.
11. Golden State — Yaxel Lendeborg (PF/SF, Michigan)
Golden State’s switch-heavy identity needs bigs who can guard the perimeter, and Lendeborg fits that mold at 23.7 years old. A 6’9″ stretch-4 who organized Michigan’s offense as a Big Ten All-Defensive selection with a 25.4 PER. Steinbach tempts as the highest board piece available, but he doesn’t fit their switch-heavy defensive identity where bigs need to guard out to the perimeter.
12. OKC — Hannes Steinbach (PF/C, Washington)
Picking late as one of the league’s deepest contenders, OKC takes the highest board piece available who fits their length-and-versatility identity. Steinbach tested at 6’10.25″ barefoot with a 7’2.25″ wingspan, 35.5″ max vertical, and a 95.5 combine grade at the PF position. The kind of long, switchable big OKC’s system absorbs at value.
13. Milwaukee — Nate Ament (SF/PF, Tennessee)
Milwaukee lands the No. 13 pick in the Giannis deal and spends it on the rebuild’s highest-upside swing. Ament is a 6’9.75″ wing with elite tools at 18 years old, the kind of project a team that just shed its franchise player can develop on its own clock with no pressure to produce. The teardown’s bet on a ceiling, not a need.
14. Charlotte — Labaron Philon (PG/SG, Alabama)
The best 5-man differential in NBA history doesn’t matter if LaMelo can’t stay healthy, and Coby White is an unrestricted free agent. Philon is a 6’4″ Alabama sophomore with elite scoring instincts and the kind of secondary creation profile that takes pressure off LaMelo when he’s on the floor and runs the offense when he’s not.
15. Chicago — Aday Mara (C, Michigan)
Chicago just brought in Nic Claxton in the Randle deal, which settles the starting five, so Mara is a long-term swing at the position rather than a need fill. A 7’3″ Spanish center who shot 67% from the field at Michigan, the kind of rim-running passing big who fits Giddey’s playmaking and gives the rebuild a developmental center to grow behind Claxton.
16. Memphis — Christian Anderson (PG, Texas Tech)
With Morant’s Memphis future unsettled heading into the summer and the Jaren Jackson Jr. trade signaling the reset, the Grizzlies need a young lead guard who can play next to him now and grow into the chair if he’s moved. Anderson is the answer, a 6’1″ sophomore who led the Big 12 in assists (7.4 APG) and set a Texas Tech single-season record with 244 while scoring 18.5 points per game on 41.5% from three. His shooting and passing let him play on or off the ball, the secondary playmaker the rebuild can develop alongside Boozer for the next decade.
17. OKC — Jayden Quaintance (PF/C, Kentucky)
After Steinbach addresses the immediate roster fit, OKC’s second pick is a long-term upside swing. Quaintance is a 6’10” freshman who reclassified up to play at Kentucky, the kind of high-ceiling developmental piece OKC’s pattern of asset accumulation absorbs at value.
18. Charlotte — Chris Cenac Jr. (PF/C, Houston)
With Kalkbrenner’s drop coverage as the anchor, Charlotte needs an athletic lob threat to complement him. Cenac is a 6’10” Houston freshman whose vertical pop and finishing above the rim fit exactly the role the front office needs at this slot.
19. Toronto — Allen Graves (SF, Santa Clara)
Toronto’s length and switching identity gets longer. Graves is a 6’7″ wing from Santa Clara with a 7’1″ wingspan, the kind of long-and-switchable defender Raptors leadership has built the roster identity around.
20. San Antonio — Morez Johnson Jr. (PF/C, Michigan)
After the Finals loss to New York in five, the Spurs add the bruiser PF the playoff series exposed as a roster need. Johnson is a 6’9″ Michigan sophomore with elite physical tools and the kind of defensive presence Wemby needs alongside him in playoff lineups.
21. Detroit — Dailyn Swain (SG/SF, Texas)
Detroit pushed Cleveland to a Game 7 in the second round with Cade Cunningham earning All-NBA First Team, Jalen Duren earning All-NBA Third Team, and Ausar Thompson earning First-Team All-Defense honors (third in DPOY voting). Swain is the wing development piece next to that core, a 6’6″ Texas freshman with the length and two-way profile Detroit’s identity rewards.
22. Philadelphia — Henri Veesaar (C, North Carolina)
Embiid’s availability remains the central question for Philadelphia, and Veesaar is real backup-5 insurance. A 7’0″ Estonian who transferred from Arizona to North Carolina, the kind of mobile-and-skilled five who plays right away when Embiid is out and complements him when he’s healthy.
23. Atlanta — Meleek Thomas (PG/SG, Arkansas)
After Mikel Brown at 8 covering the long-term lead, Atlanta’s second pick adds the scoring guard piece the rotation needs. Thomas is a 6’4″ Arkansas freshman who averaged 15.6 PPG and shot 41.6% from three (48.7% in SEC play, an Arkansas school record), the bench scoring punch a McCollum-led backcourt absorbs as immediate impact.
24. New York — Ebuka Okorie (PG, Stanford)
Closing out San Antonio in five, capped by Brunson’s superhuman Game 5 carrying the offense when KAT was in foul trouble at two points, was a title that worked once. Doing it every postseason runs your star into the ground. Okorie is the backup PG insurance, a 6’1″ Stanford freshman who led the ACC in scoring at 23.2 points a game and can run a second unit on his own, letting Brunson rest in regular season minutes without the offense collapsing.
25. Los Angeles Lakers — Koa Peat (PF, Arizona)
The Lakers’ 2026 second-round sweep by Oklahoma City exposed the frontcourt as the standing weakness, with free agency additions of Ayton and LaRavia addressing the starting spots without solving the depth question behind them. Peat is the answer at slot value, a 6’8″ 235-pound physical PF with combine measurements that match the role exactly (35.5″ max vertical, 8’9″ standing reach), the kind of bruising frontcourt depth piece who plays right now on a contender’s bench while LeBron’s window stays open.
26. Denver — Zuby Ejiofor (PF/C, St. John’s)
Denver’s playoff exposure has always been lack of defensive switchability behind the Jokic-MPJ-Aaron Gordon core, and the 6-seed Minnesota Timberwolves exploited that exactly, eliminating Denver in six games with Jaden McDaniels leading the charge against a Nuggets roster short on two-way wings. Ejiofor is the answer at slot value, a 6’7.5″ PF/C with a 7’2″ wingspan who was the unanimous Big East Player of the Year (first unanimous winner since Doug McDermott in 2013-14) and Big East Defensive Player of the Year as the anchor of a St. John’s defense that finished top three nationally. The frontcourt defender who can guard up to fives or slide into switch coverage Jokic can’t.
27. Boston — Cameron Carr (SG/SF, Baylor)
Boston’s title window doesn’t have time to spend this pick on a project, and with the best player on the board at 27 being a 3-and-D wing, the contender takes value over a backup five. Carr is a 6’4.5″ Baylor guard with the best guard wingspan in the class (7’0.75″, an 8.25″ differential), a 42.5″ max vertical (T-2nd at combine), and the fastest lane agility among draft-eligible players (10.46), who shot 37.4% from three on real volume. Plug-and-play perimeter depth next to the Tatum-Brown core, the kind of cheap two-way wing a tax team needs.
28. Brooklyn — Tarris Reed Jr. (C, UConn)
Brooklyn moves up to 28 in the Randle deal and lands the center its roster just lost. With Claxton shipped to Chicago, the five became a real hole, and Reed drops straight into it: a 6’9.75″ senior with a 7’4.25″ wingspan and 9’2″ standing reach who averaged 14.7 PPG and 9.0 RPG on 60.7% from the field at UConn. The kind of physical real-five who plays now and gives the rebuild an anchor in the paint next to Acuff’s perimeter creation.
29. Cleveland — Jaden Bradley (G, Arizona)
The February trade of Garland to LAC for Harden left Mitchell paired with a 36-year-old lead guard on a $36M expiring deal, and Cleveland needs a long-term backcourt complement. Bradley is the answer, a 6’2″ Arizona senior who captained a 36-3 Final Four squad and shot 38% from three, the kind of mature secondary creator who plays right away behind Mitchell-Harden and inherits the backcourt long-term.
30. Dallas — Bennett Stirtz (PG, Iowa)
With Burries at 9 covering the shooting guard need, Dallas’s second pick fills the actual backup PG hole behind Kyrie. Stirtz is a 22.7-year-old Iowa transfer who went from D2 to leading Iowa in scoring, assists, and steals in a single season, the kind of mature plug-and-play backup PG the Mavs need behind an injury-prone Kyrie.
Second Round — Wednesday, June 24
31. New York — Maliq Brown (PF, Duke)
After grabbing Okorie at 24 to protect Brunson, the Knicks double down on the lineup problem that nearly cost them the title. KAT’s foul trouble in Game 5 and Mitchell Robinson’s free throw vulnerability against intentional fouling exposed real playoff gaps that Hart sliding to the 4 couldn’t fully solve. Brown is the small-ball 5 the Knicks need, a 6’8″ switchable defender with a 7’0.75″ wingspan who won the ACC Defensive Player of the Year, ACC Sixth Man of the Year (first player ever to win both in the same season), and the Lefty Driesell Award as the anchor of Duke’s nation-leading defense. The kind of switch-everything piece who can play backup C minutes in playoff lineups without losing defensive integrity or making the team hack-a-vulnerable.
32. Memphis — Isaiah Evans (SG/SF, Duke)
With Boozer at 3 and Anderson at 16 already in the rebuild, Memphis adds the wing shooter Boozer’s interior dominance needs to maximize. Evans is a 6’5.5″ Duke sophomore who shot 36.1% from three on real volume (7.4 three-point attempts per game, third-most made threes in the ACC), with NCAA Tournament games where his shooting carried Duke’s offense (career-high 32 vs Florida State with 7 threes in the ACC Tournament). The 186-pound frame and limited creation off the dribble are real flags; the spacing fit next to Boozer is exactly what the rebuild needs.
33. Minnesota — Joshua Jefferson (SF/PF, Iowa State)
Minnesota slides back to 33 in the Randle deal, and the wing they were eyeing went a tier up to Brooklyn, so they take the best player here and backfill the forward depth Randle’s exit opened. Jefferson is a 6’7.75″ 246-pound forward who averaged 16.4 PPG, 7.4 RPG, and 4.8 APG at Iowa State as a Consensus Second-Team All-American and First-Team All-Big 12, the physical-passing forward archetype that adds size and feel behind Edwards and a now-starting Naz Reid.
34. Sacramento — Trevon Brazile (PF, Arkansas)
After Flemings at 7, Sacramento doubles down on its teardown by adding pure athletic upside in the frontcourt. Brazile is a 6’9.5″ PF with a 7’3.75″ wingspan and 41.5″ max vertical (top five at the combine), a fifth-year senior who came back from an ACL tear to win SEC Defensive Player of the Year (HoopsHD selection). The age and injury history are the discount, the length and athleticism are exactly what a teardown adds when it can afford to develop a project.
35. San Antonio — Ugonna Onyenso (C, Virginia)
With Johnson at 20 addressing the bruiser PF need behind Wemby, San Antonio’s second pick fills the backup-5 hole specifically. Onyenso is a 6’11” Nigerian center with a 7’5″ wingspan and 9’5″ standing reach who led the ACC and finished 2nd nationally in blocks, the rim-protecting backup-5 archetype Wemby’s rest minutes need. ACC All-Defensive Team and ACC All-Tournament First Team (single-event tournament record 21 blocks). The kind of long-and-disruptive defender that fits San Antonio’s identity.
36. LA Clippers — Rafael Castro (C/PF, George Washington)
After Wagler at 5 to anchor the backcourt of the future, the Clippers add backup-five depth behind an aging Brook Lopez. With Beal still out for the season and the Clippers needing real depth at every position, Castro is a 6’9″ Dominican center with a 7’1.25″ wingspan and 9’1.5″ standing reach who averaged 15.3 PPG and 9.1 RPG on 62.7% FG at GW, the kind of athletic backup-five who fits a win-now contender. Hoping a Brazile or Onyenso falls to them and missing both, Castro is the late-pick C depth they need.
37. OKC — Jack Kayil (PG, Alba Berlin)
OKC takes the international stash they can afford to develop on someone else’s payroll. Kayil is a 20-year-old German guard who chose Alba Berlin over Gonzaga to stay on a pro track, winning Bundesliga Best Young Player AND FIBA Champions League Best Young Player in 2026 while leading Alba Berlin to the German BBL Finals. Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress reported Kayil was receiving first-round feedback from NBA teams. The 6’5″ lead-guard size, pick-and-roll creation, and passing feel fit OKC’s pattern of accumulating long-term international assets with no immediate rotation pressure.
38. Chicago — Alex Karaban (PF/SF, UConn)
With Wilson at 4 and Mara at 15 setting the frontcourt, Chicago needs plug-and-play shooting and wing depth around Giddey and the developing Buzelis-Essengue young core. Karaban is a two-time NCAA champion at UConn who shot 37.4% from three across four college seasons on real volume, and led all combine participants at 74.8% across shooting drills. The maturity (age 23) and championship pedigree are exactly what a young rebuild benefits from culturally, and his ability to play both wing and stretch-four spots makes him versatile rotation depth for the Bulls’ developing core.
39. Houston — Milos Uzan (PG, Houston)
Houston’s first-round loss to the Lakers exposed VanVleet’s ACL absence as the standing weakness, and the recovery timeline makes backup PG depth a real need. Uzan is Sampson’s hand-picked culture piece, a 6’4″ Houston senior who organized the offense for one of the nation’s top programs, the kind of mature ready-now PG who plugs into Houston’s program without needing development reps.
40. Boston — Bruce Thornton (PG, Ohio State)
Boston’s offseason will rebuild the roster around the Tatum-Brown core, and the backup PG slot behind Pritchard is a real depth question. Thornton is the cleanest value at this point of the draft, a 6’0″ 223-pound Ohio State senior who shot 55/40/83 splits with a roughly 3-to-1 career assist-to-turnover ratio, Ohio State’s all-time leading scorer and one of four four-time captains in program history. His strength and physicality hold up in Boston’s switch-heavy scheme, the mature winning-culture backup PG a contender values.
41. Miami — Braden Smith (PG, Purdue)
The Giannis trade emptied Miami’s perimeter offense, shipping Herro and Jakucionis, so the need around Giannis and Bam flipped from a defensive guard to creation and spacing. Smith is the answer and the value, the NCAA’s all-time assists leader (1,103) who averaged 14.3 points and 8.8 assists as the engine of the nation’s No. 1 offense and the only player ever with 1,500 points, 1,000 assists, and 500 rebounds. He’s the lead ball-handler the roster lost and a reliable shooter who spaces for Giannis’s drives, with Davion Mitchell taking the point-of-attack matchup to cover his size. The 5’10” frame is the known tax; at this slot the IQ and playmaking are too much value to pass.
42. San Antonio — Sergio de Larrea (PG/SG, Valencia)
With Johnson at 20 and Onyenso at 35 addressing the frontcourt, San Antonio’s third pick fills the actual playoff vulnerability the Finals run exposed: shooting around Wemby. De Larrea is a 6’5″ Spanish guard who shot 43% from three for Valencia in the EuroLeague’s 2-seed regular season campaign, the Spanish Supercup MVP and a senior national team contributor at EuroBasket 2025. His draft status is genuinely open, eligible to come over now or stay in Valencia another year, and a guard-deep San Antonio is exactly the team that can absorb that uncertainty: a tall floor-spacer who develops behind Fox, Harper, and Castle on whatever timeline he arrives.
43. Brooklyn — Keyshawn Hall (SG/SF, Auburn)
With Acuff at 6 as the new primary engine after Cam Thomas was waived, Brooklyn needs the bucket-getter wing archetype Thomas vacated. Hall is the 23-year-old NIT MVP, a 6’6″ 227-pound physical wing with a 6’10.25″ wingspan who filled the stat sheet at Auburn after a four-program college path. Steven Pearl’s quote during Auburn’s NIT Championship run (“If I’m an agent and I have a really good player, I’m not putting a player in a workout with that guy”) captures exactly the bucket-getter motor Brooklyn’s rebuild needs.
44. San Antonio — Dillon Mitchell (PF, St. John’s)
Four picks deep into the night and the Spurs keep stacking length and defense. Mitchell is a 6’8″ forward with elite athletic tools and free-safety instincts, a former five-star and McDonald’s All-American who closed a Texas-to-Cincinnati-to-St. John’s path as a captain on a 30-7 Big East champion with All-Big East Third Team and Big East All-Defensive honors. Sochan’s buyout in February left a hole in the long-defender bench rotation, and Mitchell at near-slot value fills it as developmental wing depth behind Vassell and Champagnie. The shooting is the swing skill that decides his ceiling, but the defense and athleticism are NBA-ready now.
45. Sacramento — Otega Oweh (SG, Kentucky)
Sacramento’s teardown keeps accumulating at slot value, and Oweh is the best player on the board here. A 6’4.25″ 213-pound senior who averaged 18.6 PPG at Kentucky and earned NABC All-District First Team honors, he’s a physical, defense-first slashing guard with real point-of-attack toughness and transition value. The jumper is the swing skill, but the two-way frame and downhill pressure are exactly the kind of bet a rebuild can afford to develop cheaply behind Flemings.
46. Orlando — Nick Martinelli (SF/PF, Northwestern)
Orlando’s first-round loss to Detroit exposed half-court scoring as the standing weakness even after the Bane trade, and Tyus Jones could leave in free agency. Martinelli is the bucket-getter the Magic need at slot value, a two-time Big Ten scoring champion who averaged 23.0 PPG on 51% FG and 41.7% from three at Northwestern. The rare high-volume AND high-efficiency wing scorer who plugs straight into Orlando’s half-court need without requiring developmental reps.
47. Phoenix — Ryan Conwell (PG/SG, Louisville)
With Booker continuing to handle PG duties by default rather than design, Phoenix needs combo-guard depth to share the lead and let Booker play off the ball where his 6’5″ frame and shotmaking belong. Conwell is a 215-pound left-handed bomber at Louisville who attempted 9.6 threes a game with a 39.5″ max vertical, the kind of plug-and-play shooting guard who handles secondary creation and provides off-ball scoring punch.
48. Dallas — Tobi Lawal (SF/PF, Virginia Tech)
With Burries and Stirtz covering the backcourt of the future and Gafford-Lively holding the frontcourt, Dallas adds athletic wing depth for a Flagg-led roster. Lawal recorded a 45.5″ max vertical at the combine, highest in the class, the kind of transition-finishing piece a young team can develop next to its star.
49. Denver — Felix Okpara (C, Tennessee)
With Valanciunas playing just 12 minutes a night in the regular season and 6 minutes in the playoffs before exploring a return to Europe, Denver’s backup-five spot behind Jokic is genuinely uncertain. Okpara is a 6’10” Tennessee senior with a 7’2″ wingspan and 9’4″ standing reach, a settled backup-five archetype with SEC All-Defensive honors who fits the contender’s-depth role without needing to space the floor.
50. Toronto — Baba Miller (PF/SF, Cincinnati)
Toronto’s identity sells out for length and feel over spacing, the rare landing spot that absorbs his non-shooting. A 6’10.5″ Spanish connective forward who averaged 13.0 PPG, 10.3 RPG, and 3.7 APG at Cincinnati, the first Bearcat since Oscar Robertson to lead the team in points, rebounds, and assists, and one of only three Division I players to clear 13-10-3 this season (with Boozer and Michael Ajayi). The 19.2% from three is a real flag; what makes him a Raptors-specific pick is the tools, feel, and connective passing despite it.
51. Washington — Izaiyah Nelson (PF/C, USF)
With Davis aging at 33 and Vukcevic still developmental, Washington’s rebuild needs athletic frontcourt depth behind Sarr. Nelson is a 6’8.5″ 246-pound forward who won AAC Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, and Newcomer of the Year in the same season at USF, the rare triple sweep that signals real two-way production. The mid-major competition is the discount, the athletic profile is the upside for the young Wizards core.
52. LA Clippers — Ja’Kobi Gillespie (PG, Tennessee)
With Garland injury-prone as the new lead and Beal out for the season, the Clippers need real backup PG depth that can score in a pinch. Gillespie is a 5’11.75″ Tennessee microwave guard whose 28-point combine scrimmage with five threes made him a featured riser at the combine, the kind of instant-offense bench piece a contender uses for second-unit minutes. The value drop is the kind of late-second-round steal a win-now roster grabs without hesitation.
53. Houston — Emanuel Sharp (SG, Houston)
After taking Uzan at 39, the Rockets double down on Sampson-program continuity. Sharp is a five-year Houston Cougar, First-Team All-Big 12 and Big 12 All-Defensive in the same year, the cleanest culture-and-defense plug-in for a win-now team that just lost VanVleet to ACL recovery. Two Sampson-system guards in the same draft is the kind of intentional culture move Udoka’s program rewards.
54. Golden State — Oscar Cluff (PF/C, Purdue)
Golden State’s actual hole behind Curry and Butler is real backup-center minutes (Horford is 39, Porzingis can’t be relied on for 82 games, Bassey is depth not a long-term piece). Cluff is what their workout list already told us they wanted: a 6’11” 255-pound Australian Big Ten Tournament champion at Purdue who shot 68.3% from the field (second in program history) with elite offensive rebounding. The 24-year-old age is the feature for a contender, not a flag.
55. New York — Trey Kaufman-Renn (PF, Purdue)
The Knicks’ playoff run exposed real frontcourt vulnerability when KAT was in foul trouble and Mitchell Robinson became hack-vulnerable. After Maliq Brown at 31 addresses the switchable small-ball five, the Knicks add ready-now insurance at the 4. Kaufman-Renn is a 6’7.75″ Purdue senior who led the nation in field goals made (292) as a junior, then accepted a reduced role on a Big Ten Tournament champion as a senior. The polished college senior fits a contender’s depth role without needing development reps, exactly what a title team protects itself with.
56. Chicago — Kylan Boswell (PG, Illinois)
After Wilson at 4, Mara at 15, and Karaban at 38, Chicago’s fourth pick adds backup PG depth behind Tre Jones. Boswell is a 6’1.25″ Illinois senior with a 6’7″ wingspan who earned Big Ten All-Defensive Team honors in 2026, the mature defensive PG profile a young Bulls core benefits from as a low-mistake backup who plays winning basketball.
57. Atlanta — Aaron Nkrumah (SG/SF, Tennessee State)
After Mikel Brown at 8 covering the long-term lead, Atlanta’s second pick is a pure upside flier. Nkrumah is a 6’5″ OVC wing with NBA athletic tools (2.8 SPG reading passing lanes), the kind of late-second flier a team with a developmental pipeline absorbs cheaply. The competition level is the discount, the tools and instincts are the bet.
58. New Orleans — Tyler Bilodeau (PF, UCLA)
New Orleans needs shooting around Zion, and Bilodeau is the cleanest spacing fit at this depth. He’s a 6’9″ UCLA senior who shot 46.4% from three on real volume, the stretch-4 archetype that creates driving lanes for Zion without requiring anything else from him offensively.
59. Minnesota — Quadir Copeland (PG/SG, NC State)
With Conley aging and DiVincenzo’s Achilles tear ending his postseason, Minnesota needs backup PG depth. Copeland is a 6’6″ oversized PG who led the ACC in assists at 6.5 APG while shooting 49.4% from the field, the size-and-passing combo guard a Wolves team built around switchable defense can develop into rotation depth.
60. Washington — Darrion Williams (SF/PF, NC State)
Washington’s hybrid rebuild closes the draft with mature wing depth for the young core. Williams is a 23-year-old who shot 40.4% from three at NC State this season after a four-year college path across three programs (Nevada, Texas Tech, NC State). The kind of polished senior wing a rebuild absorbs as bench shooting depth without spending developmental capital.
That’s the full 60-pick prediction for June 23-24.
The first round on June 23 is what most of this mock will be measured against. That’s where teams pick by need, where reputations get made or lost, and where consensus and analysis collide in real time. The second round on June 24 is where front offices either nail their depth pieces or watch other teams find rotation players they passed on.
I’ll be re-ranking after the draft. Players who go higher than expected, players who fall, and players who land in better or worse situations than the mock anticipated will inform the post-draft board update. The work of evaluating prospects doesn’t end at the draft. It continues every year, against the actual NBA evidence that follows.
If anything in this mock surprised you, or if you want to talk about a specific pick or a specific player I have higher or lower than other public boards, reach out. The full Draft Detective board is at draftdetective.com/2026-rankings, and I’m available through LinkedIn for anyone interested in scouting and front-office work.
Thanks for reading.