Draft 2026 NBA Draft Prospects Thread

[STAT88]

Mikel Brown with a 45 piece and 10 threes. After a couple of stinkers that should solidify him further into the 5-10 range.

 

[ace3g]

Mikel Brown with a 45 piece and 10 threes. After a couple of stinkers that should solidify him further into the 5-10 range.

 

[OK Computer]

Mikel Brown with a 45 piece and 10 threes. After a couple of stinkers that should solidify him further into the 5-10 range.

I had just said something about Mikel Brown in the last page of this thread. Did it again, tbh

 

[onechance87]

When people give me props they typically list those two i’ve had more recent draft hits, man!

It’s way too early to say he’s the best available, but I’ll just say I really, really like what I see. He’d fit in not in the positional sense, but an identity one. His style of play is aggressive, walks the line between stupid-aggressive that leads to turnovers and good-aggressive that leads to game changing plays (think Manu). I keep saying this, but think of a more talented version of Keldon who is way more athletic, and has more ways to score. Adding that to our team would be downright deadly.

rather go with dailyn swain if we going this route.

 

[spursistan]

Massive red flags about this guy's attitude, mentality and motor.

https://twitter.com/x/status/2021045250136100912

https://twitter.com/x/status/2021040960260784524

https://twitter.com/x/status/2021044831884279871

https://twitter.com/x/status/2021046121674756244

 

[bozhemoi]

Does he got that Shaeden Sharpe "I'd rather not play basketball" thing going on?

 

[OK Computer]

rather go with dailyn swain if we going this route.

I just checked out Dailyn Swain based on your mention here.

Some players are easily identifiable as NBA players. Swain is one of them. There are college players who share the same skill on offense as Swain, let’s say for example Malaki Branham, who never make it. The reason is that they’re missing a key trait. The key trait that sets players apart is their decisiveness with the ball - Swain has that from what I can tell.

Not sure if it’s because of him wearing that orange jersey, but he reminds me a lot of Tre Johnson from last year. I wasn’t a huge fan of Tre last year, but only because he was being projected as a top 10 pick (which comes with star-ish expectations). I’m placing Swain into my tier 3 section (maybe he makes it to tier 2 by the end of college season?), an easy move after liking what I see. Doesn’t appear to have the star quality that I see in Tounde, but would make a decent pick. Thanks for mentioning him. My tier list is rounding into form.

Tier 1 - franchise - max three players

Darryn Peterson
AJ Dybantsa
Caleb Wilson

Tier 2 - running mates - max four players

Cameron Boozer
Mikel Brown Jr.
Tounde Yessefou

Tier 3 - long-term role players - max 10 players

Hannes Steinbach
Dailyn Swain
Braylon Mullins
Joshua Jefferson
Cameron Carr
Koa Peat

 

[Uriel]

I think the odds are high, perhaps very, very high, the pick is going to be one of the following (assuming we don’t leap into the top 4):

Koa Peat
Yaxel Lendeborg
Thomas Haugh
Hannes Steinbach
Karim Lopez
Chris Cenac Jr

In fact, I would be very surprised if none of those guys ends up being the pick.

 

[OK Computer]

Like I said earlier, it’s not easy to make my list on a few watches. But some players stand out. I’m editing my list above and adding another player: Joshua Jefferson.

Joshua Jefferson has most of the same qualities Yaxel has, meaning he is a versatile big who can run in transition WITH the ball and can look like a guard at times. Given his physical traits (he’s over 6’8”), he should be another player baselinebums gets obsessed about.

Joshua has a funny thing about him - in that the offensive sets being run for him (and by him) look like plays straight from the Spurs playbook. Because of this, I think he would be a seamless fit.

As of now, I’d take him over Karim Lopez and Yaxel. Incredibly intelligent player and tons of skill. I’m surprised he didn’t make @SpursBills‘ prototypical Spur list.

 

[bozhemoi]

Nate Ament would be the pick over a number of those guys if he's there.

 

[OK Computer]

I think the odds are high, perhaps very, very high, the pick is going to be one of the following (assuming we don’t leap into the top 4):

Koa Peat
Yaxel Lendeborg
Thomas Haugh
Hannes Steinbach
Karim Lopez
Chris Cenac Jr

In fact, I would be very surprised if none of those guys ends up being the pick.

So… you filtered for players above 6’8” and are mocked in our range… got it…

 

[BatManu20]

I'm a big Texas fan so I've watched Dailyn Swain a lot this season. He transferred over from Xavier after we hired Sean Miller as our new HC. After a slow start to the year, he's really turned it on the past few weeks. He's easily been our best player this season.

The Pros:

- Very good two-way player with good size at 6'8 220 lbs. Long arms and a plus athlete
- Great/versatile/pesky defender who can guard 1-4 (this is his bread and butter)
- Very good ball-handler and passer at his size that will translate to the NBA
- Really excels at slashing to the rim and finishing at the basket in numerous ways
- Good foul shooter with a career 81% FT% which bodes well for his 3PT shot

The Cons:

- Only real negative is he's not a great 3PT shooter yet* (32% 3PT% on 3 attempts per), although he's been shooting it much better from 3 in conference play (37%). But, he's really good at everything else. Elite finisher at the rim (57% FG% this season). Connective glue-guy type player with a natural feel for the game who locks down the opposing team's best wing player. Just looks the part of an NBA wing. How well he improves his 3PT shot will determine his NBA career, but if he does, he's going to be a steal for some team in this draft.

https://twitter.com/x/status/2017026026623078711

https://twitter.com/x/status/2018336765451379034

 

[Uriel]

Nate Ament would be the pick over a number of those guys if he's there.

I agree, but he won’t be.

 

[Uriel]

So… you filtered for players above 6’8” and are mocked in our range… got it…

Isn’t that what the front office is doing too?

 

[OK Computer]

Isn’t that what the front office is doing too?

No? This is the same kind of simple analysis that’s led to people overhyping players like Zaccharie Risacher, Ace Bailey, Cody Williams, Jabari Smith. Every one of these players was called the next Kevin Durant or T-Mac at some point.

 

[OK Computer]

These passes between the 5 minute mark and 9 minute mark are FILTHY. This dude might become my second favorite player to draft in our range, and my next player to beat my drum about in this thread. He’s projected end of first round right now, but I bet he rises up to the 10-20 range soon - calling it now. Come in here @RC_Drunkford, I know he’s your type of guy too.

Joshua fits the high IQ player profile that I think the Spurs are looking for. His defense is up there too. Complete package.

Lock this thread @scott. Speculation is over. Joshua is the pick. It’s a done deal.

 

[onechance87]

These passes between the 5 minute mark and 9 minute mark are FILTHY. This dude might become my second favorite player to draft in our range, and my next player to beat my drum about in this thread. He’s projected end of first round right now, but I bet he rises up to the 10-20 range soon - calling it now. Come in here @RC_Drunkford, I know he’s your type of guy too.

Joshua fits the high IQ player profile that I think the Spurs are looking for.

Lock this thread @scott. Speculation is over. Joshua is the pick. It’s a done deal.

but he looks like he needs the ball to be effective.Not sure we need a player like that rn with this team.

 

[onechance87]

I just checked out Dailyn Swain based on your mention here.

Some players are easily identifiable as NBA players. Swain is one of them. There are college players who share the same skill on offense as Swain, let’s say for example Malaki Branham, who never make it. The reason is that they’re missing a key trait. The key trait that sets players apart is their decisiveness with the ball - Swain has that from what I can tell.

Not sure if it’s because of him wearing that orange jersey, but he reminds me a lot of Tre Johnson from last year. I wasn’t a huge fan of Tre last year, but only because he was being projected as a top 10 pick (which comes with star-ish expectations). I’m placing Swain into my tier 3 section (maybe he makes it to tier 2 by the end of college season?), an easy move after liking what I see. Doesn’t appear to have the star quality that I see in Tounde, but would make a decent pick. Thanks for mentioning him. My tier list is rounding into form.

Tier 1 - franchise - max three players

Darryn Peterson
AJ Dybantsa
Caleb Wilson

Tier 2 - running mates - max four players

Cameron Boozer
Mikel Brown Jr.
Tounde Yessefou

Tier 3 - long-term role players - max 10 players

Hannes Steinbach
Dailyn Swain
Braylon Mullins
Joshua Jefferson
Cameron Carr
Koa Peat

swain like a bigger stephon castle the way he plays.

 

[OK Computer]

but he looks like he needs the ball to be effective.Not sure we need a player like that rn with this team.

Swain has similar USG% so I’m not sure that’s valid. Joshua is playing for a top 5 college team and is likely playing a role he’s asked to play in order for them to have success. Would we say no to Dybantsa or Boozer because they handle the ball a lot for their respective teams? I would hope not…. I’m not saying he has the same talent level - I’m just saying that it’s not a bad thing for a player to have “top dog” experience in college vs someone who had role player experience (like CB) and you constantly have to wonder if they have more talent than that. Having this experience only means that their skills are being unearthed sooner rather than later.

 

[SpursBills]

Like I said earlier, it’s not easy to make my list on a few watches. But some players stand out. I’m editing my list above and adding another player: Joshua Jefferson.

Joshua Jefferson has most of the same qualities Yaxel has, meaning he is a versatile big who can run in transition WITH the ball and can look like a guard at times. Given his physical traits (he’s over 6’8”), he should be another player baselinebums gets obsessed about.

Joshua has a funny thing about him - in that the offensive sets being run for him (and by him) look like plays straight from the Spurs playbook. Because of this, I think he would be a seamless fit.

As of now, I’d take him over Karim Lopez and Yaxel. Incredibly intelligent player and tons of skill. I’m surprised he didn’t make @SpursBills‘ prototypical Spur list.

As currently constructed, Spurs are probably in the market for a do-it-all forward with size. Dribble-pass-shoot-rebound-defend with size. If they're primarily drafting for need, there's really only a few guys that fit this bill. The question is whether they're talented to enough to end up starting.

Top 3: Cam Boozer
Lottery to 20: Yaxel Lendeborg
20-40: Josh Jefferson
Deep second round/undrafted: Alvaro Folgueiras, Kwame Evans Jr

There are other guys who are more talented per draft slot, or will probably put up better numbers, or will work better as either backup center. But of the versatile role playing forward types who are sort of well rounded, these are probably who I'd be looking at depending on which draft slot they want to use

Since this post, I think Folgueiras and Kwame Evans have really fallen off. Yaxel's shot has fallen off and part of that may be due to his calf injury, but fortunately he's still producing in other areas. What set Yaxel apart from Jefferson at the time of this post was that his shot looked good and he's got better size (6'10 and 7'4 wingspan) to potentially slide over to center and had experience playing big wing as well. As of now though, both are in that 20-40 draft range that they may be viable second round targets.

 

[SpursBills]

I'm a big Texas fan so I've watched Dailyn Swain a lot this season. He transferred over from Xavier after we hired Sean Miller as our new HC. After a slow start to the year, he's really turned it on the past few weeks. He's easily been our best player this season.

The Pros:

- Very good two-way player with good size at 6'8 220 lbs. Long arms and a plus athlete
- Great/versatile/pesky defender who can guard 1-4 (this is his bread and butter)
- Very good ball-handler and passer at his size that will translate to the NBA
- Really excels at slashing to the rim and finishing at the basket in numerous ways
- Good foul shooter with a career 81% FT% which bodes well for his 3PT shot

The Cons:

- Only real negative is he's not a great 3PT shooter yet* (32% 3PT% on 3 attempts per), although he's been shooting it much better from 3 in conference play (37%). But, he's really good at everything else. Elite finisher at the rim (57% FG% this season). Connective glue-guy type player with a natural feel for the game who locks down the opposing team's best wing player. Just looks the part of an NBA wing. How well he improves his 3PT shot will determine his NBA career, but if he does, he's going to be a steal for some team in this draft.

https://twitter.com/x/status/2017026026623078711

https://twitter.com/x/status/2018336765451379034

If you want to bet on a guy with busted shot mechanics in the early second, Swain is THE guy to bet on tbh. I suspect his combine measurements are going to make him shoot up though - probably measures 6'7 without shoes with a 7 foot+ wingspan, giving him ideal wing size who's a strong driver and passer. I liked him a lot last year when he was with Xavier but lately he's probably blown up too much to be in range for the Spurs as a smart team is going to take him late first (probably OKC or Boston)

 

[OK Computer]

Player Comparison | Tankathon

Compare the statistics of 2026 NBA Draft prospects to each other and prospects from previous drafts. Stats are normalized to per-36-minutes numbers.

www.tankathon.com

Comparison to an undisputed #1 pick. Not far off.

A good tournament run will solidify his standing as a late lottery pick. If he turns out to be the MVP or anything like that, he’ll go top 10.

The Spurs like winners, and they also don’t take risks with players that fall into their lap. I didn’t say this with Tounde, but if JJ really is there for the taking - it feels like he will be selection with the ATL pick.

 

[ginobilized]

Thanks for the Joshua Jefferson inside track! Helluva player and I'd be interested in him for his passing above his scoring. Point forward who could have some post-up game would be a great fit with this team. He's got some grit to him, too. Combine measurements and drill speeds might raise him up the draft order list or keep him in the higher range of the 1st round. I'd guess there are some players that the Spurs have been studying for years and they have done all the background checks on. I hope he's on their radar.

 

[Exstatic]

Isn’t that what the front office is doing too?

If it is, they’re doing a bad job of it. None of our last 3 FRPs is 6’8”. CB, the tallest is 6’6.5”.

 

[BatManu20]

If you want to bet on a guy with busted shot mechanics in the early second, Swain is THE guy to bet on tbh. I suspect his combine measurements are going to make him shoot up though - probably measures 6'7 without shoes with a 7 foot+ wingspan, giving him ideal wing size who's a strong driver and passer. I liked him a lot last year when he was with Xavier but lately he's probably blown up too much to be in range for the Spurs as a smart team is going to take him late first (probably OKC or Boston)

Yea I don't see any way he falls to the 2nd Round now with the way he's playing as to late. He's one of the more high-upside prospects in the that 20-30 range and the fact that he's been shooting the 3 at 37% since conference play began bodes well for his draft status. He will have plenty of suitors if he performs well at the Combine. I just really hope he doesn't wind up on the Lakers. That would be disgusting tbh.