{"id":635914,"date":"2026-05-11T04:17:08","date_gmt":"2026-05-11T04:17:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/635914\/"},"modified":"2026-05-11T04:17:08","modified_gmt":"2026-05-11T04:17:08","slug":"predicting-top-14-first-round-selections","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/635914\/","title":{"rendered":"Predicting top 14 first-round selections"},"content":{"rendered":"

CHICAGO \u2014 After a generational class brought on a season of embarrassing tanking, the top of the draft order is finally set<\/a>. The NBA held its draft lottery Sunday to order the top half of the teams.<\/p>\n

Here is a first look at how those selections could play out next month at Barclays Center.<\/p>\n

1. Washington Wizards<\/p>\n

AJ Dybantsa, BYU (F, 6-9, 215 pounds)<\/p>\n

Led the NCAA in scoring and has the kind of star potential to do the same in the NBA for the Wizards as the linchpin of their rebuild, inheriting the team from Anthony Davis and Trae Young.<\/p>\n

2. Utah Jazz<\/p>\n

Darryn Peterson, Kansas (PG\/SG, 6-6, 205)<\/p>\n

Cramping, availability issues and decreased explosion raised eyebrows. He says creatine brought on the cramps. Now teams await his medicals and interviews, and want to see how he looks at the combine, but Utah won\u2019t overthink this.<\/p>\n

BYU forward AJ Dybantsa smiles as he talks to media during the NBA
basketball draft lottery on May 10, 2026. AP<\/p>\n

3. Memphis Grizzlies<\/p>\n

Cam Boozer, Duke (PF, 6-9, 250)<\/p>\n

A lack of verticality will have teams eyeing his combine measurements, but he\u2019s the ultimate winner and had a historic season for Duke. Memphis loves to draft productive collegians, and Boozer is the apex of that.<\/p>\n

4. Chicago Bulls<\/p>\n

Caleb Wilson, North Carolina (SF\/PF, 6-10, 215)<\/p>\n

The skywalker saw his season cut short at UNC. But if he develops a 3-point shot, he can grow into the best player in a great class and a legit star for the Bulls.<\/p>\n

5. LA Clippers (from Indiana)<\/p>\n

Kingston Flemings, Houston (PG, 6-4, 190)<\/p>\n

A dogged two-way player who had a 3-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio and plays both ends of the floor. The speedy Flemings will inject youth and athleticism for the Clippers, who got their best-case scenario in landing this pick from the Pacers.<\/p>\n

6. Brooklyn Nets<\/p>\n

Keaton Wagler, Illinois (PG\/SG, 6-6, 185)<\/p>\n

Shoots like a two-guard and maps the court like a lead playmaker. Yes, his modest athleticism and lack of downhill juice are a worry next to Egor Demin, but the Nets go with the best available player.<\/p>\n

Keaton Wagler #23 of the Illinois Fighting Illini dribbles up court
during the National Semifinal game of the 2026
NCAA Men\u2019s Basketball Tournament against the
Connecticut Huskies at Lucas Oil Stadium on April 04, 2026. Getty Images<\/p>\n

7. Sacramento Kings<\/p>\n

Darius Acuff Jr., Arkansas (PG, 6-3, 190)<\/p>\n

The ball-dominant guard led the SEC in scoring and assists. His defense is a glaring question that could lead Brooklyn to hesitate, scarred by the Cam Thomas experience. The Kings, however, are known to like him.<\/p>\n

8. Atlanta Hawks (from New Orleans)<\/p>\n

Mikel Brown, Louisville (PG, 6-5, 190)<\/p>\n

With an up-and-down season at Louisville and back issues, Brown \u2014 who\u2019d come into the year as a projected top 5 pick \u2014 has to show a lot at the combine, but could be a nice young piece for a Hawks team in need of a pure point post-Young.<\/p>\n

9. Dallas Mavericks<\/p>\n

Brayden Burries, Arizona (SG\/PG, 6-4, 205)<\/p>\n

He\u2019s a versatile and well-rounded player who can excel on or off the ball and fit anywhere next to Kyrie Irving and play off Cooper Flagg.<\/p>\n

Brayden Burries #5 of the Arizona Wildcats goes to the basket during the National Semifinal game of the 2026 NCAA Men\u2019s Basketball Tournament against the Michigan Wolverines at Lucas Oil Stadium on April 04, 2026. Getty Images<\/p>\n

10. Milwaukee Bucks<\/p>\n

Nate Ament, Tennessee (SF, 6-10, 207)<\/p>\n

After the run on guards, taking an upside swing on a gifted developmental player here seems like a worthy gamble for a Bucks team that could be in full-on rebuild in a post-Giannis era.<\/p>\n

11. Golden State Warriors<\/p>\n

Labaron Philon Jr., Alabama (PG, 6-4, 175)<\/p>\n

Benefited greatly from coming back for his sophomore season. He\u2019ll benefit again from serving as Stephen Curry\u2019s understudy.<\/p>\n

12. Oklahoma City Thunder<\/p>\n

Yaxel Lendeborg, Michigan (PF, 6-9 \u00be, 235)<\/p>\n

Big and skilled. And old. He\u2019ll be 24 before his rookie season even starts, so he\u2019ll be expected to come in and contribute immediately \u2014 exactly the kind of rookie the champion Thunder could use.<\/p>\n

13. Miami Heat<\/p>\n

Karim Lopez, New Zealand Breakers (SF\/PF, 6-8, 220)<\/p>\n

The Mexican teen playing in New Zealand is the top international in this class. He\u2019s a prospect who can boost his stock in combine workouts this week in Chicago. But as it stands, he\u2019d be a nice get for the Heat here.<\/p>\n

14. Charlotte Hornets<\/p>\n

Jayden Quaintance, Kentucky (PF, 6-10 \u00bd, 255)<\/p>\n

The ultimate X factor. He played just four games this season, a year out from a torn ACL. But with the return to big-boy basketball and burly centers, Quaintance brings that element for Charlotte.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"CHICAGO \u2014 After a generational class brought on a season of embarrassing tanking, the top of the draft…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":635915,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[63],"tags":[6417,671,11949,7329,760,2243,11952,7741,8173,360,355,13329,274658,349,6402,6404,99,4219,11948],"class_list":["post-635914","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nfl","tag-atlanta-hawks","tag-brooklyn-nets","tag-charlotte-hornets","tag-chicago-bulls","tag-dallas-mavericks","tag-golden-state-warriors","tag-los-angeles-clippers","tag-memphis-grizzlies","tag-miami-heat","tag-milwaukee-bucks","tag-nba","tag-nba-draft","tag-nba-mock-draft","tag-nfl","tag-oklahoma-city-thunder","tag-sacramento-kings","tag-sports","tag-utah-jazz","tag-washington-wizards"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/635914","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=635914"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/635914\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/635915"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=635914"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=635914"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=635914"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}