[Vecenie] Dybantsa, Peterson and Boozer are projected to end up as Tier 1 prospects for me (significant chance at All-NBA upside)… Wagler, Flemings, and Wilson project as at least Tier 2 players (sig. likelihood of All-Star upside). I’ve never had at least six Tier 1 and Tier 2 players in a draft
-–
First and foremost, the 2026 NBA Draft has multiple elite prospects at the top. BYU wing AJ Dybantsa, Kansas guard Darryn Peterson and Duke forward Cameron Boozer are projected to end up as Tier One prospects for me, or players I think have a significant chance at All-NBA upside. I don’t have any of those three right now with a higher grade than I gave to Cooper Flagg last year, but in the decade-plus that I’ve been scouting the NBA Draft, I’ve never had three players as Tier One prospects in a single class. Illinois guard Keaton Wagler, Houston guard Kingston Flemings, and North Carolina forward Caleb Wilson project as at least Tier Two players, a rating I give to prospects I believe have a significant likelihood of All-Star upside. I’ve never had at least six Tier One and Tier Two players in a draft class.
-–
Secondly, the two draft classes after that are not viewed as particularly strong. In the 2027 class, I would not project any prospect to be rated ahead of the top six 2026 players. Prospects like Jordan Smith Jr., Bruce Branch III and Tyran Stokes are terrific, but they’re not on quite the same level as Dybantsa, Peterson, Boozer or Flagg. I’m not alone in that opinion. When I speak with scouts around the NBA, they are concerned about the top-end talent of the 2026 recruiting class as a whole. While it’s too early to project the 2028 NBA Draft, we have not yet seen a player emerge who looks to be on a Tier One level, either. And by now, we typically have a good sense of those truly elite talents.