The 2026 NBA Draft cycle is about to begin in earnest as the college basketball season tips off, and there is rightfully a lot of excitement about this one.

At the top of the class are three genuine potential stars in Kansas guard Darryn Peterson, BYU wing AJ Dybantsa and Duke forward Cameron Boozer. Peterson is the dynamic playmaking guard whom teams search high and low for; Dybantsa is the flexible, athletic wing who slashes and drives to create easy buckets; and Boozer is the statistically dominant four-man who controls the glass and is an inside-out playmaker with elite feel for the game. All three currently project for me as prospects in the same tier as Cooper Flagg was last season, which is saying a lot and will likely lead to rather robust tanking down the stretch of the NBA season.

Beyond those three? There are players whom teams are excited about, and yet there are significantly more questions than you’d expect from a draft class that has gotten this kind of publicity over the last couple of seasons. Basically, everyone from No. 4 downward through the lottery has some question mark that teams want those players to answer this season, and everyone from No. 17 downward has some sort of significant question that could result in them not even becoming a 2026 draft prospect. The depth of this class remains a question, which could lead to an even more frenzied tanking extravaganza near the end of the season if few players emerge out of that group into true potential stardom.

Indeed, the 2026 draft class is going to be one of the most fascinating to discuss in a long while, and it comes before a 2027 NBA Draft class that scouts are extremely worried about because of its perceived lack of high-end talent.

A few notes:

Many incoming college freshmen could appear here. My favorite whom I don’t have listed is Kansas’ Kohl Rosario at Kansas, a 6-foot-5 guard who can shoot the ball at an exceedingly high level but has proven he can get paint touches and thrive on defense.
Ages are as of the expected draft night in 2026.
Heights for college freshmen are what their schools list them as. Players who attended this year’s draft combine are listed by their official measurements there.
1. Darryn Peterson | 6-5 guard | 19 years old | Kansas

Peterson remains the 2026 draft prospect I hear the most excitement about from scouts. He has all the requisite tools to become an elite on-ball guard in the NBA who can also shift toward playing off the ball if he’s next to another star. He’s a great ballhandler and terrific pull-up scorer and shooter, and he can make plays for others with his passing. Defensively, he’s big, long, tough and aggressive, measuring in at 6-feet-5.5 in shoes with a 6-foot-10.5 wingspan and an 8-foot-7 standing reach at Adidas Eurocamp in 2024. 

The big step forward for Peterson last year at Prolific Prep came with his passing and playmaking. He’s always been a tremendous scorer, but last year he began to read the second and third levels of the defense and make plays off how help defenders played him, even at times manipulating them himself. To me, that’s the difference between him and the No. 2 player here.

Kansas coach Bill Self has already said publicly that he hasn’t “been around anybody that’s more prepared to be a college freshman that can carry the load more so than what Darryn can.” Expect a monster year for Peterson. I don’t think 20 points, six rebounds and five assists per game is out of the question.

2. AJ Dybantsa | 6-9 wing | 19 years old | BYU

Most scouts see Dybantsa, Peterson and Boozer in the same top tier, but my conversations seem to reveal a preseason consensus around Peterson at No. 1, Dybantsa at No. 2 and Boozer at No. 3. Not everyone has them ranked the same way — I have Boozer at No. 2 and Dybantsa at No. 3 entering the season — but this mock draft reflects the most popular ranking among the dozens of scouts I’ve spoken with.

Dybantsa might have better physical tools entering his pre-draft year than any wing I’ve seen in a while. His ability to play with serious bend mixed with explosiveness allows him to consistently get into the teeth of the defense as a straight-line driver. In transition, he’s an absolute menace. His nose for the foul line is second to none in this class with his polished footwork and gathers. Dybantsa is going to score a lot this year at BYU.

However, the rest of his game is a bit unpolished. His jumper clearly needs work, and his handle can be an impediment. Defensively, he looked a bit lost in BYU’s preseason opener against Nebraska. Then again, he also dropped 30 in that game and showcased all the tools that have made scouts so excited by him over the last three years. The hype is worthwhile for Dybantsa. 

3. Cameron Boozer | 6-8 forward | 18 years old | Duke

Boozer — the son of former NBA All-Star Carlos Boozer — is the most productive player in the freshman class. No player has been more dominant statistically in his age group. In 26 games tracked on Synergy this past year at Columbus High School in Florida, Boozer averaged 22 points, 11 rebounds and 3.5 assists while shooting 55 percent from the field, 40 percent from 3 and 79.6 percent from the foul line. With NightRydas Elite on the EYBL circuit in the summer, Boozer averaged 23 points, 13 rebounds and 3.5 assists. He led EYBL in both scoring and rebounding. He’s a winner at every single level. 

On some level, I think it’s worth buying into his overall dominance, especially given the way he’s cleaned up his handle and jumper over the last year. And yet, scouts wonder about his upside as he’s not all that fluid through his hips and doesn’t have a ton of shake. His footwork is sublime on the block, and his strength makes him a mismatch nightmare. But he’s not massive, and that could lead to issues as he moves up levels. But it didn’t really cause issues for a multi-time All-NBA guy like Kevin Love, and I think Boozer is even further ahead of where Love was at this age.

Nate Ament could be the first player drafted after the top three. (Saul Young / Imagn Images)

4. Nate Ament | 6-10 wing/forward | 19 years old | Tennessee

Ament is the consensus No. 4 guy right now for scouts. He’s huge but moves like a wing and has an immense amount of body control. He’s also on an awesome upward trajectory. You can see that in the way he’s improved over the last year heading into his freshman season at Tennessee. I really like how aggressive he is on defense, too. He cares, and he slides his feet well on that end. His ability to cover ground, arguably the most important thing that a hybrid three/four can do in the NBA, is superb. Then on offense, he has terrific touch and knocks down shots. 

The key for Ament will be continuing to add strength and becoming more consistent as a ballhandler. Though he made strides there last year, he’s less of a finished product than the top-three players in this class, and I don’t think he profiles yet as a true advantage creator because of his lack of strength, explosiveness and overall skill. He might end up as more of an awesome 3-and-D guy as opposed to a star. But the upside is tantalizing given his athleticism and development. 

5. Mikel Brown Jr. | 6-4 guard | 20 years old | Louisville

This is where things get murky. I’ve gotten a wide variety of names for the No. 5 player in the class. I’ve gone with Brown here, and scouts definitely see him as a future lottery pick. The pitch with Brown is pretty simple. In today’s NBA, there might not be a more important intersection of skills than shooting and passing ability. Brown has those two skills in a big way. He’s a monster 3-point shooter who hits them at volume, and he is a tremendous live-dribble passer who reads the court well and makes good decisions while also being able to separate in ball screens.

There are concerns with Brown, however. He’s not overly strong, as his body is still adjusting to later growth spurts, and he doesn’t put a ton of pressure on the rim. He needs to keep filling out his frame and desperately needs to improve on defense this year. But there is a lot of excitement — and rightfully so — at Louisville about Brown.

6. Chris Cenac Jr. | 6-10 big | 19 years old | Houston

There is no player whose play this season will swing the strength of this draft class than Cenac. There is a world in which Cenac, who is attending Houston in part because he wants to be coached hard, flourishes and develops under Kelvin Sampson and company.

Cenac has all the tools required to be a truly elite player on defense. He moves his feet well and is flexible for a player this size. The same is true on offense. He has a ton of tools but hasn’t actualized them all yet. With his dribble-pass-shoot skills at the center position, you can envision him as a five-out answer. Or you can envision him as someone who thinks he’s a wing and is too turnover-prone with his handle. And then on defense, you can be left wanting with his motor at times.

Cenac’s tools are not terribly different from what Jaren Jackson Jr. possessed entering Michigan State. Both play with terrific bend and flexibility and both had burgeoning offensive games on the perimeter. The difference is that Jackson was always an elite shot-blocker and interior defender, whereas we’ve only seen it in spurts from Cenac. 

7. Jayden Quaintance | 6-8 big | 18 years old | Kentucky

Now we’re fully into a guessing game. Quaintance is still recovering from a torn ACL he suffered late last year at Arizona State, and it may take time for him to hit his stride this year. But scouts remain enthusiastic about Quaintance’s game. An All-Defense selection in the Big 12 as a 17-year-old freshman last year, he transferred from Arizona State to his original pre-college commitment with Kentucky in the offseason. When he’s on the court, he’s a genuine anchor on the interior defensively. The name that comes to mind the most as a comparison is Robert Williams III, who has been one of the best defensive players in the NBA when healthy. Both Williams and Quaintance have a tremendous blend of length and fluid athleticism that allows them to be proactive on defense as opposed to reactive. 

Quaintance also shows some flashes on offense as a passer and can handle the ball a bit, but there are questions about his scoring. He likes to shoot but hasn’t yet proven the ability to do so. And his finishing around the rim is limited by a lack of vertical pop. He is a potential NBA All-Defense guy if things go right. But his range is wide entering the year because of the injury recovery.

8. Koa Peat | 6-7 wing | 19 years old | Arizona

Few players generate a more polarizing view from scouts than Peat. Some scouts have told me they have him in their top five to enter the season. Others see him as more of a late first-round pick. If you’ve seen him play, it’s not hard to understand why. He’s a big-bodied, 6-8 wing who is tough, physical and can create his own shot as a mismatch nightmare. He’s explosive vertically and can handle the basketball, plus he’s extremely strong and bumps defenders out of his pathway well. However, he also struggles to shoot from distance, even if he is a confident midrange shooter. Scouts also want to see how his lateral footspeed shows up on defense this year when he gets into switches. Is he more of a combo forward, or more of a four/five?

Peat dominated Arizona’s opener against Florida on Monday, dropping 30 points, grabbing seven rebounds and dishing out five assists while moving Gators big man Alex Condon wherever he wanted on the court. To the questions above, though, he didn’t even attempt a 3 and was right around his career prep average by making 66.7 percent from the line.

9. Tounde Yessoufou | 6-5 wing | 20 years old | Baylor

Yessoufou was a big-time standout at the Nike Hoop Summit in front of a ton of NBA scouts, showcasing an ability to play as a two guard after his tape often showed him overpowering smaller players in high school almost as a small-ball four. He had a lot of catches in the mid-post or high post and would drive in a straight line to finish at the rim. However, he seems to have improved his guard skills within the last year. He was much more comfortable handling the ball on the perimeter and attacking defenses from beyond the 3-point line, seemed to have improved a lot as a jump shooter and brought defensive intensity. Scouts also love the energy that Yessoufou brings every time he takes the court. At Baylor, he should get ample opportunity to play across the wing and showcase his skills, although scouts will be looking for improved off-ball defense and passing ability.

🗣️ TOUNDE

BU 73, IU 72 | 1:14 2nd#SicEm | #CultureofJOY pic.twitter.com/TwFXizcHPM

— Baylor Men’s Basketball (@BaylorMBB) October 26, 2025

10. Labaron Philon | 6-3 guard | 20 years old | Alabama

Philon was the last player to withdraw from the 2025 NBA Draft and chose to try his luck in college again this season. If Philon had stayed in the draft last year, he would have been one of my 20 favorite bets to carve out a long-term NBA career. I love his basketball IQ with and without the ball. He seems to have a tremendous amount of spatial awareness, and he’s a really tough defender who figures to only get better as he gets stronger. But I thought he would have been entering the NBA too early, and I don’t think he would have been worth a top-20 pick as an investment. With a year of added strength and hopefully a few more answers on how he scores the basketball at a high level, Philon should lead Alabama’s terrific offense under Nate Oats. 

11. Braylon Mullins | 6-5 wing | 20 years old | Connecticut

Mullins has impressed Connecticut’s staff in the early going, as he’s a serious marksman from deep. No freshman in this class can match his mix of volume and percentage from distance; he drilled 41.7 percent of his 3s on the Adidas circuit last summer on about nine 3-point attempts per game. Defensively, he also has incredibly reactive hands and is a playmaker. Scouts still want to see how he adjusts to playing against physicality for the first time consistently this year. Mullins didn’t play at a particularly athletic level of high school basketball in Indiana and is still quite skinny. But scouts look for the intersection of shooting, defensive IQ and quick decision-making, and Mullins has that in a big way. 

Unfortunately, Mullins is going to miss the first month or so of the season with an ankle injury that he suffered in late October.

12. Bennett Stirtz | 6-4 guard | 22 years old | Iowa

Here’s another polarizing player for scouts. There might not be a higher basketball IQ bet in the draft than Stirtz, a consummate floor general who knows how to make plays at a high level for his teammates and is an extension of his coach, Ben McCollum, on the floor. He’s also a knockdown shooter from distance. He averaged 19.2 points, 4.3 rebounds and 5.7 assists while leading Drake to the second round of the NCAA Tournament last year. Stirtz then followed McCollum to Iowa this season, so we’ll get a chance to watch him consistently go against top competition. Scouts want to see how he separates against top defenses. Stirtz is one of the players I’m most looking forward to watching this season.

13. Brayden Burries | 6-4 guard | 20 years old | Arizona

Burries is the second of three Arizona freshmen here, and he’s the most polished scorer of the three. He has a well-rounded ability to handle and score at all three levels, even if there will be questions as he rises through the ranks about his athleticism. He’s strong and physical and can absorb contact while also changing speeds and decelerating. Ultimately, the growth area for Burries will be as a passer. He draws defenders to him well and lives at the foul line, which makes him one of the most efficient players in the class. But it might not be so easy to draw fouls in college or the NBA, so developing that passing ability will be key.

14. Dash Daniels | 6-6 wing | 18 years old | Melbourne United

Daniels has helped himself about as much as any player in the class with his early-season play. He’s been terrific for Melbourne United, doing everything at a high level outside of shooting. The younger brother of the Atlanta Hawks’ Dyson Daniels is an awesome defensive player at the point of attack and is highly switchable. He’s strong and physical. His downhill driving game and cutting have been top-notch, and he passes the ball well as a wing. I don’t think he’s really a point guard, but he has skills that translate. The one issue? The jumper is going to take a lot of time to develop. He has touch and showcases it on floaters in the lane. But he’ll need to make some major mechanical improvements over the next couple of years. He doesn’t turn 18 until December, though, so there is a lot of time.

15. Yaxel Lendeborg | 6-9 big | 23 years old | Michigan

Lendeborg was close to staying in the 2025 draft and had a strong combine performance before transferring from UAB to Michigan, where he’s been selected as a preseason All-American. Physically a monster at 6 feet 8.5 without shoes with a 7-foot-4 wingspan, he possesses a terrific combination of power and skill. He dribbles, passes and shoots at a high level at the four position and plays with great bend that allows him to leverage his opposition. Scouts are looking forward to seeing him play at a high-major competition level all season; I bet that he thrives and ends up looking like a clear first-round pick even at 23 years old. The physical tools are just too great.

16. Caleb Wilson | 6-8 wing | 19 years old | North Carolina

There is an immense amount of excitement about Wilson on the defensive end, as his tools play up in a significant way there. A massive human who can really slide his feet and has great length, Wilson profiles as the exact kind of bigger wing defender that NBA teams search far and wide for. But offensively? That’s where scouts have a bevy of questions, as Wilson isn’t really a ballhandler and his jumper is still a work in progress. The tools are very real, and as soon as the jumper comes around, Wilson would project to be very valuable. But it remains to be seen what exactly the production will look like at North Carolina this year.

Thomas Haugh helped Florida win the national title last season. (Eakin Howard / Imagn Images)

17. Thomas Haugh | 6-9 wing | 22 years old | Florida

By the end of last season, I thought Haugh was the second-best player on the national title-winning Florida Gators. He was a serious mismatch issue for teams as he largely played at the four next to Alex Condon. His ability to shoot at 6-foot-9 provided major value, along with his presence athletically on the defensive end and his passing ability at the top of the key. He’s a very well-rounded player with an intersection of size and skill who profiles well as an NBA rotation player — as long as he can iron out his handle and some off-ball defensive issues that schools like Connecticut exploited with a lot of screening action.

This is the area where we start to get into the next tier of players, with a wide range of potential outcomes for these guys over the season — anywhere from being back in school in 2027 to going even higher than this.

18. Isiah Harwell | 6-5 wing | 19 years old | Houston

I’m a big fan of Harwell, especially at Houston where his ability to score, knock down shots and defend should play up under Kelvin Sampson. He’s a tough 6-foot-5 wing with a 215-pound frame that is ready-made for both college and NBA physicality, and he does a great job of using that frame to his advantage. His overall game is extremely well-rounded. But Harwell missed time in high school with an ACL injury, then had some setbacks this summer with his knee that resulted in Houston largely holding him out of practice. Sampson has been clear that he’s going to play a major role on the team, but scouts and executives will want to get a full accounting and understanding of what that knee looks like pre-draft. Still, Harwell is big, he can shoot and he can defend. When you can do those three things, NBA scouts immediately take notice and get excited.

19. Karter Knox | 6-5 wing | 21 years old | Arkansas

Knox was one of the more exciting late-season breakouts in college basketball last season as Arkansas made a bit of a late run under John Calipari despite myriad injuries. The former five-star prospect averaged 11.5 points and three rebounds while shooting 56 percent from the field, 42 percent from 3 and 80 percent from the line in his final 12 games. The brother of former New York Knicks first-round pick Kevin Knox, Karter is more athletic and flexible than Kevin, with a strong slashing game and a burgeoning ability to shoot the ball off the catch. He was invited to the combine but returned to Arkansas, where it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him take on a primary scoring role.

20. Dwayne Aristode | 6-8 wing | 19 years old | Arizona

Aristode is another freshman ranked outside of the consensus top 25 who has impressed scouts. Few players in this class look the part of a one-and-done first-round pick more than Aristode, a 6-8 athlete who is very explosive and covers ground across the court exceedingly well. Particularly, scouts are excited about his potential on the defensive end entering the year, as he already has an NBA-ready frame mixed with competitiveness on that end. It also helps that he’s been a solid 3-point shooter throughout his career, having hit 37.1 percent from 3 during the last two years before a foot injury held him out during his senior year at Brewster Academy.

21. JoJo Tugler | 6-7 forward | 21 years old | Houston

I’m a buyer on Tugler. He’s a monster on the interior at 6-8 and could measure with a 7-foot-6-plus wingspan. I thought he was probably the best overall defender in college basketball last season, and there’s simply nothing that he can’t do on that end. He is elite in terms of ground coverage in help, flying all across the court. He is a good rim protector with solid principles, he has switchability and he can play multiple different styles of ball-screen coverage as a big. Offensively, it’s a real adventure, but he might be so good defensively that it doesn’t matter. He’s my clear favorite heading into the year for college basketball’s defensive player of the year award, and the only thing that might stop him is if award voters aren’t sure what they’re actually seeing.

22. Patrick Ngongba II | 6-11 big | 20 years old | Duke

I’m not convinced that it’ll be this year for Ngongba as opposed to 2027, but most scouts who have seen Duke have noted that he looks like an eventual NBA player despite playing only 316 minutes in 2024-25. Ngongba moves his feet well for his size and also offers rim protection despite having never profiled as a particularly big-time shot-blocker. Just as important, though, is his dexterity with the ball on the perimeter offensively, as he’s very comfortable making passing reads and helping to initiate actions. He needs to prove that he can provide a scoring threat consistently, and that’s what scouts hope to see.

It’s also worth noting that Ngongba’s history of foot injuries has already given scouts pause, as he missed his senior high school season with a right foot injury and had a left foot injury in the fall last year.

23. Darius Acuff Jr. | 6-2 guard | 19 years old | Arkansas

Acuff’s NBA potential has been questioned throughout his high school career. He’s a downhill scoring guard who excels at getting paint touches and getting to the rim, but he hasn’t always been a great passer or shooter from distance. But he’s looked so lethal getting to the rim in the preseason that it’s hard to deny that Acuff will be among the most productive freshmen in the country. And while his jumper hasn’t really been tested to this point, his ability to make passing reads looks much improved. If he can carry Arkansas’ offense along with Karter Knox, the Razorbacks will have a tremendous second season under John Calipari, and he’ll have a real shot to be one-and-done.

24. Karim Lopez | 6-8 wing | 19 years old | New Zealand Breakers

Lopez’s numbers look in line with other lottery picks who have come out of Australia’s Next Stars pathway, but the overall play on the court has been far too inconsistent. He’s averaging 10 points and six rebounds while shooting 48 percent from the field and 46 percent from 3, so the shot looks to have really worked itself out. He’ll also show flashes of attacking closeouts that give you some hope on offense.

Karim Lopez 🆚 Brisbane Bullets in 18 MINS:

7 PTS
3/6 FG
3 REB
1 AST@NZBreakers pic.twitter.com/ESKcEQVwvO

— NBL Next Stars (@NBLNextStars) October 23, 2025

However, Lopez’s energy level has just been nowhere near good enough on defense, and he’s struggled immensely off the ball on one of the worst teams in the league. Lopez came into the year with a back injury and had what was referred to as a “bout of sickness” a couple of weeks ago, so he hasn’t had a clean slate of health. But teams are already worried about what exactly his role would be athletically and on defense in the NBA.

25. Dame Sarr | 6-7 wing | 20 years old | Duke

Scouts are certainly intrigued by Sarr, a long, athletic wing who finished the season incredibly well for an injury-riddled Barcelona team last year in the EuroLeague and Spanish ACB. He then played quite impressively at Nike Hoop Summit as one of the standouts on the World Team. Scouts who have seen Duke have early questions about how quickly he’ll adjust to college basketball as he makes the transition from Europe, particularly on the offensive end. However, expect Sarr to be an impact defensive player from day one for the Blue Devils, even as he irons out what exactly his role will be on offense.

26. Miles Byrd | 6-7 wing | 22 years old | San Diego State

Byrd was another late withdrawal from the 2025 draft after he couldn’t get assurances that he would be a first-rounder. He likely would have gone somewhere in the 23-to-40 range if he’d have stayed in. Byrd’s statistical profile really popped for teams starting at around midseason last year, as he averaged 12 points per game, 2.7 assists, nearly a 2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio, 2.1 steals and 1.1 blocks. His defensive activity is immense, and he flies around the court with tremendous anticipation. He has a big-time basketball IQ and also gets up in the ballpark of six 3-point attempts per game, although he hit only 30 percent last year. He came back to college with two directives from scouts: get stronger and improve his 3-point percentage. If he does those things and averages something like 14 points, five rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block while shooting 38 to 40 percent from 3 on volume — not unreasonable projections — you can expect him to hear his name called in the first round.

Milos Uzan was a leader for the Houston team that finished as national runner-up. (Bob Donnan / Imagn Images)

27. Milos Uzan | 6-4 guard | 23 years old | Houston

The fourth Houston player to appear here, Uzan was one of the best guards in the country by the time last season ended, averaging 13.3 points and four assists while shooting 47/47/79 splits over his final 23 games. His confidence and poise running the show were valuable even as his counting numbers took a bit of a dip toward the end of Houston’s run to the title game. The key for Uzan will be to continue to showcase that his shooting near the end of last season wasn’t an aberration, as well as scoring consistently at the rim. He passes well and is big enough to guard at the NBA level as long as he gets stronger.

28. Neoklis Avdalas | 6-8 wing | 20 years old | Virginia Tech

Avdalas was another late withdrawal in the 2025 draft, as he decided to attend college instead of going to the NBA directly from Peristeri in Greece. The idea with Avdalas is a big, skilled wing who can dribble, pass and shoot with serious size. He measured in last season at just under 6-8 without shoes with an 8-foot-9 standing reach. His numbers weren’t immense for an 18-year-old in Greece at eight points and three rebounds per night, but it was more the way he went about it with skill. He drilled 36 percent of his 3s and showed he could lead the break and even make high-level passing reads. Mike Young’s well-spaced offense at Virginia Tech should be tailor-made for him to succeed on that end. The big key for him will be showing that he can move his feet well enough on defense.

29. Sergio De Larrea | 6-5 wing | 20 years old | Valencia

De Larrea is another early-season performer overseas, as he’s playing in both Spanish ACB and EuroLeague competition, the toughest duo of domestic and international play across the pond. Taking on a bit more responsibility with the ball for Valencia than he did last season, De Larrea has been efficient and polished while averaging about 10 points, two rebounds and three assists while shooting 51 percent from the field, 56 percent from 3 and 81 percent from the line. The last couple of weeks have been a bit less effective than his blazing hot start, but he’s still a bigger guard who can dribble, pass and shoot in an era where those skills are coveted. De Larrea just needs to keep working on his frame.

30. Isaiah Evans | 6-6 wing | 20 years old | Duke

Evans has a serious case as the best shooter in college basketball. Basically every scout who has been to Duke has come away saying that he drilled an obscenely high percentage in the practices they saw, with absolutely pristine mechanics. More good news? He also showcased that last season once he started to get playing time, hitting 41.6 percent of his attempts. That skill set alone is going to get him serious NBA looks given the importance of floor-spacing around stars. The concerning issue about Evans? He needs to find an impact on the game outside of his shooting. He took only 25 shots from inside the arc in half-court settings last year, most of which were seemingly off cuts. He hasn’t shown much in terms of handle yet, and his defense was all over the place in terms of rotations and help. Just improving the latter part would be huge, but scouts have viewed him as an Isaiah Joe-like bet and think he could carve out an NBA role in time.

Second round

31. Tahaad Pettiford | 6-1 guard| 20 years old | Auburn

32. Braden Smith | 6-0 guard | 22 years old | Purdue

33. Hannes Steinbach | 6-10 big | 20 years old | Washington

34. Christian Anderson Jr. | 6-2 guard | 20 years old | Texas Tech

35. Tomislav Ivisic | 6-11 big | 22 years old | Illinois

36. JT Toppin | 6-7 big | 21 years old | Texas Tech

37. Cameron Carr | 6-6 guard | 21 years old | Baylor

38. Nate Bittle | 7-0 big | 23 years old | Oregon

39. Adam Atamna | 6-5 guard | 18 years old | ASVEL

40. Flory Bidunga | 6-7 big | 21 years old | Kansas

41. Boogie Fland | 6-2 guard | 19 years old| Florida

42. Paul McNeil | 6-5 wing | 20 years old | NC State

43. Henri Veesaar | 7-0 center | 22 years old | North Carolina

44. Alex Karaban | 6-7 wing | 22 years old | Connecticut

45. Anthony Robinson II | 6-3 guard | 21 years old | Missouri

46. Joshua Jefferson | 6-8 wing | 22 years old | Iowa State

47. Donovan Dent | 6-2 guard | 22 years old | UCLA

48. Richie Saunders | 6-5 wing | 23 years old | BYU

49. Darrion Williams | 6-6 wing | 23 years old | NC State

50. Alex Condon | 6-11 forward | 21 years old | Florida

51. Otega Oweh | 6-5 guard | 23 years old | Kentucky

52. Johann Grunloh | 7-0 big | 20 years old | Virginia

53. Momo Faye | 6-10 big | 21 years old | Senegal

54. Tucker DeVries | 6-7 wing | 23 years old | Indiana

55. Trey Kaufman-Renn | 6-9 forward | 23 years old | Purdue

56. Ryan Conwell | 6-4 guard | 22 years old | Louisville

57. Mackenzie Mgbako | 6-7 wing | 21 years old | Texas A&M

58. Josh Dix | 6-5 wing | 22 years old | Creighton

59. Dailyn Swain | 6-7 wing | 20 years old | Texas

60. Silas Demary Jr.| 6-4 guard | 22 years old | Connecticut