Draft 2026 NBA Draft Prospects Thread

[Paramore]

 

[Paramore]

Wemby
Jayden
Castle
Fox
Harper

 

[Paramore]

Made for the Spurs

 

[Mugen]

Fun thought experiment I saw on Reddit… who is the worst current NBA player you’d take in exchange for the #1 overall pick?

Jalen Johnson.

 

[ginobilized]

Admittedly, I don't follow college ball very closely. If Quaintance is there at our pick and his medical eval and workout goes well, I'd bet the Spurs grab him if OKC doesn't cockblock us. If not Quaintance, then one of Cam Carr, Haugh, Morez Johnson, Joshua Jefferson, Ngongba or Dame Sarr should be available and potentially an eventual rotation piece. I finally trust the front office to choose the right fit now that we have seen what we actually are and adding a few select pieces will be building our future championship core.

 

[Mugen]

OKC has Sorber to rehab. They're not taking another big with health concerns tbh. I'd be surprised if Carr gets past Presti.

 

[OK Computer]

I think I would be excited to land Quaintance. Wasn’t interested at first, but the more I watched the more I was intrigued. He’s a tier above the typical inside big like Ngongba, Morez. Deep dive soon.

 

[bozhemoi]

I'm a little puzzled by the interest in Quaintance. He reminds me of Dariq Whitehead, who was severely impacted and never recovered from his injuries. Athleticism gone, he was never the same player. Quaintance looks like an athlete-first type, which is fine enough, but you'd have to be really sure that athleticism comes back. If you're looking for a guy who can block shots at the same rate, why not just take Mara, who can do so much else? They both stink from the line, but Mara is maybe an even better shot blocker and can provide a lot of facilitation.

 

[100%Duncan]

My draft board
Nate Ament’s profile
Cameron Carr’s profile
Thomas Haugh’s profile
Hannes Steinbach’s profile
Allen Graves’ profile
Joshua Jefferson’s profile

————————————

Tounde Yessoufou is justifiable at 20… because of the type of versatility he brings, even if it doesn’t match what fans usually think of when they hear that word.

For years, Spurs fans have felt like the front office keeps drafting “undersized” players, a lot of them around 6’5”. But there’s a real chance that’s been intentional. Their version of versatility may be centered around that size range, players who can realistically guard multiple positions and still bring strength and mobility.

Tounde fits right into that idea. He’s listed around 6’5”, and maybe the combine adjusts that, but either way, he plays bigger than that. He uses his strength and build to make himself feel more imposing than his listed height. At Baylor, he played power forward and didn’t look outmatched by bigger players. At the same time, he has the footspeed to stay in front of guards. That’s real versatility.

Offensively, there aren’t major holes. He’s comfortable shooting from three, can work in the midrange, and even shows flashes of taking tougher shots like fadeaways. He’s not there yet as a shot creator, but the flashes are there. On top of that, he’s a high-level athlete who can finish above the rim.

From a Spurs fit standpoint, it’s easy to see where he fits, similar to Carr in that sense. The difference is he’s not as polished within the flow of an offense right now. At Baylor, he wasn’t always playing within structure the way Carr does. That’s where the development comes in.

He’s likely going to need some growing pains early, learning how to channel his physical tools and offensive instincts into winning basketball, similar to what we saw from Carter Bryant this year. But the tools are there. He has the kind of physical profile that translates to the NBA.

From a character standpoint, he comes across well in interviews. He’s from Benin, and that kind of background tends to bring a different perspective and experience, which the Spurs have valued in the past. There’s also a natural connection point there with Wemby, especially with the French language, which could help him integrate more easily.

The combination of strength, athleticism, and versatility makes him a very understandable pick at 20.

The AE similarity really intrigues me… You made buy into him a few months ago lol

 

[spurraider21]

thanks for all the workups @OK Computer

 

[Arguendo]

Dame Sarr is a guy I haven't really seen mentioned much in here. 19 yr-old, 6'8 190 lb G/F from Italy with a 7'0 wingspan and big 10.5' hands who was the #1 European prospect last Summer and was a projected lottery pick before the season started, but ended up being more of a role player for Duke this season.

Elite defender — one of the best in all of CBB this season — with really active hands and a great motor on that end, but who's still developing offensively (reminds me of nephew coming out of college in that regard tbh). He's spoken in interviews about his desire to be the best defensive player in the country, and that was def his calling card this season.

He finished the year playing his best ball though and if he enters the draft, he's a guy I could see MATFO being interested in with the 20th Pick (don't think he'd make it to 35, esp if he shoots it well at the Combine and in workouts). He'd def be an upside pick if they took him in the First considering he didn't have much of an offensive impact this season, but I could def see them being intrigued by his long-term potential as a 3&D wing with his combination of size, length, elite defense, and flashes of shooting ability. Also a very well-spoken kid who seems to be of high-character so that shouldn't be an issue.

Averaged 6.4 pts, 4 rbs, & 1 ast on 40% shooting (32% from 3 on 3.5 attempts per). His shooting was up-and-down this year. Started the season off hot from 3 (37% 3PT in his first 15 games on 3.5 attempts per), then went through a bad shooting slump halfway through the year, and then shot it much better again towards the end of the season (36% from 3 over the last 15 games).

Thanks for the write-up. I would not hate a long, athletic possible 3& definite D type at 20. 6'8 190 is concerning for his ability to play forward/how much explosiveness would he lose adding weight and his FT% is very scary getting to the line quite a bit this yr FTr 29.8%.

Looking at his game log that 8 game stretch for Duke that dragged his 3pt% down was mostly 0-2, 0-3 nights, the rest of the season he averaged over 4 attempts and hit above average, over 36%. Small sample, but he also hit at almost 37% in 34 games in Europe, only 1-8 his first yr but over 40% in 27 games in 24-25 but that was only 39 attempts.

If he's an elite defending, explosive athletic role player gives him a pretty high floor on a team we hope expect to have 3-4 AS caliber offensive players for his whole rookie contract.
Scouting report says "Excels in the open court and getting downhill to the basket. Has a quick first step and is aggressive going to the rim." ---That'd fit great with our ability to run.
Can play above the rim, score through contact and also shows good passing vision on his drives to the hoop."--- Another guy who can finish lobs and another guy that gets to the line at a high clip.
Has a lot of talent and ability but is still unrefined. Can be a bit wild and careless with the ball. --- Mitch has already had a ton of experience cleaning up wild/careless TOs with Steph and Vic.
Plays decent defense but reaches too often and needs to be more disciplined, patient and move his feet better.--- Decent vs elite. I do think we have a D that's a lot easier to stay disciplined in than most.

I'd prefer a more plug&play guy, but honestly I doubt there' gonna be many minutes available next year regardless. Harp and CB will play definitely play more, Steph/Champ/Vic prolly will too. I think Barnes will be back on the cheap. Barring a trade and someone falling to 20, that rookie will get less run than CB got, it's gonna be a development yr or two for almost anyone we draft. Stats wise his freshman yr looks like a way less efficient shooting CB, more of a project, but probably more potential and length. Interesting prospect for sure though.

 

[mo7888]

Dame Sarr is a guy I haven't really seen mentioned much in here. 19 yr-old, 6'8 190 lb G/F from Italy with a 7'0 wingspan and big 10.5' hands who was the #1 European prospect last Summer and was a projected lottery pick before the season started, but ended up being more of a role player for Duke this season.

Elite defender — one of the best in all of CBB this season — with really active hands and a great motor on that end, but who's still developing offensively (reminds me of nephew coming out of college in that regard tbh). He's spoken in interviews about his desire to be the best defensive player in the country, and that was def his calling card this season.

He finished the year playing his best ball though and if he enters the draft, he's a guy I could see MATFO being interested in with the 20th Pick (don't think he'd make it to 35, esp if he shoots it well at the Combine and in workouts). He'd def be an upside pick if they took him in the First considering he didn't have much of an offensive impact this season, but I could def see them being intrigued by his long-term potential as a 3&D wing with his combination of size, length, elite defense, and flashes of shooting ability. Also a very well-spoken kid who seems to be of high-character so that shouldn't be an issue.

Averaged 6.4 pts, 4 rbs, & 1 ast on 40% shooting (32% from 3 on 3.5 attempts per). His shooting was up-and-down this year. Started the season off hot from 3 (37% 3PT in his first 15 games on 3.5 attempts per), then went through a bad shooting slump halfway through the year, and then shot it much better again towards the end of the season (36% from 3 over the last 15 games).

I've got him late 1st, but he's a guy I expect to rise..

 

[BatManu20]

Yea that's the big question with JQ obviously. Is his knee really still giving him problems? Or is his camp just playing it safe and holding him out to be ultra-cautious. It's a significant injury and he's barely played this season so it's hard to get a read on it. His medicals will ultimately determine where he's selected

As I said a couple pages back though, IF* his medicals check out, he'd be really enticing and imo might be too difficult to pass on if he were still on the board in the 14-16 range. I feel even more strongly about that after last night. I personally think he'll be gone by the time we pick, as he'd likely be a top-10 lock if not for the injury, but if he's available, I think MATFO might have no choice but to seriously consider taking him. He'd be arguably the best backup defensive Center in the league from day 1. His floor is basically Robert Williams imo, who is a defensive monster when he's actually able to stay on the court. He's quick enough to switch onto wings and guards. He's got an elite physical profile at 6'10.5 255 lbs with a 7'5 wingspan. Might be the best athlete in the draft. And still only 18 years old as he entered college a year early (was only 17 in the highlights below which is scary). Just a physical freak and he also appears to interview well so I don't foresee his personality being any issue. The medicals will be everything for him though, and like you said, it is a significant risk taking someone that high coming off that injury.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1916911976938393996

Posted this about Jayden Quaintance a few weeks ago. He's been one of my favorite prospects for a while despite not playing because I watched him dominate defensively at Arizona State last year as a 17 year-old, but I thought for sure he'd be gone by the time we picked. He's arguably the best athlete in the entire class if/when he's healthy and has an elite physical profile.

I still think he'll be long gone (no way he falls to 20 if his medicals check out tbh, the upside is too high), but he might be too enticing for the Spurs to pass on if he somehow did. A defensive front court of Wemby and Quaintance would instantly be the best in the league. He's that good defensively. His offense still has a ways to go though, as he plays more like a Center right now.

https://twitter.com/x/status/2036513406165950539

 

[Exstatic]

Posted this about Jayden Quaintance a few weeks ago. He's been one of my favorite prospects for a while despite not playing because I watched him dominate defensively at Arizona State last year as a 17 year-old, but I thought for sure he'd be gone by the time we picked. He's arguably the best athlete in the entire class if/when he's healthy and has an elite physical profile.

I still think he'll be long gone (no way he falls to 20 if his medicals check out tbh, the upside is too high), but he might be too enticing for the Spurs to pass on if he somehow did. A defensive front court of Wemby and Quaintance would instantly be the best in the league. He's that good defensively. His offense still has a ways to go though, as he plays more like a Center right now.

https://twitter.com/x/status/2036513406165950539

To even be interested, he must have 100% green flag medicals. Disturbing that he only played four games at the beginning of the season at about 18 minutes per.

 

[Biggems]

Just did a mock draft on Fanspo.com

Hannes was taken by OKC, sadly

1 - G/F Dailyn Swain - Texas
2 - G/F Alex Karaban - UConn
2 - F/C Tarris Reed Jr - UConn
2 - F/C Baba Miller - Cincinnati

 

[Exstatic]

JQ has other issues besides his health. He doesn’t have the skill set for the 4, or the size for the 5. In addition, he shot 30% FTs last year, and 48% at ASU. That’s a huge flaw for a guy with only rim finishing offense.

 

[Paramore]

Admittedly, I don't follow college ball very closely. If Quaintance is there at our pick and his medical eval and workout goes well, I'd bet the Spurs grab him if OKC doesn't cockblock us. If not Quaintance, then one of Cam Carr, Haugh, Morez Johnson, Joshua Jefferson, Ngongba or Dame Sarr should be available and potentially an eventual rotation piece. I finally trust the front office to choose the right fit now that we have seen what we actually are and adding a few select pieces will be building our future championship core.

Jayden is really very interesting good Sir

A frontcourt of Wemby, Jayden and Carter Bryant would be incredible moving forward

 

[wemvp]

Just did a mock draft on Fanspo.com

Hannes was taken by OKC, sadly

1 - G/F Dailyn Swain - Texas
2 - G/F Alex Karaban - UConn
2 - F/C Tarris Reed Jr - UConn
2 - F/C Baba Miller - Cincinnati

If Swain legitimately is 6'8 or 6'9 at the combine he could be a decent take, but I feel like he's most likely a very late 1st or early 2nd round talent. He has the ability to score, solid finisher with a good handle, and a streaky shooter. Is a role player through and through which works on the Spurs with the star talent already on board. Should hopefully be able to find a better fit at 20.

 

[OK Computer]

The AE similarity really intrigues me… You made buy into him a few months ago lol

More on Tounde:

He had a life-threatening experience (Malaria) as a teenager, and this was a lesson he carries on the court giving his all since “you never know when it will be taken from you”. Sounds similar to Wemby’s DVT scare. Also, he funded a basketball court back home in Benin - I think the Spurs love players who give back to communities.

IMO, obviously it’s a long shot to become an Anthony Edwards but if he could turn into someone like Lu Dort for us, that would be amazing. He’s got the body to be super physical for us.

 

[100%Duncan]

More on Tounde:

He had a life-threatening experience (Malaria) as a teenager, and this was a lesson he carries on the court giving his all since “you never know when it will be taken from you”. Sounds similar to Wemby’s DVT scare. Also, he funded a basketball court back home in Benin - I think the Spurs love players who give back to communities.

IMO, obviously it’s a long shot to become an Anthony Edwards but if he could turn into someone like Lu Dort for us, that would be amazing. He’s got the body to be super physical for us.

Thanks for the insights offcourt tbh

 

[Paramore]

 

[Paramore]

 

[Paramore]

Dame Sarr is like a Bill Russell-wing ,,,,very interesting.......

 

[bozhemoi]

JQ has other issues besides his health. He doesn’t have the skill set for the 4, or the size for the 5. In addition, he shot 30% FTs last year, and 48% at ASU. That’s a huge flaw for a guy with only rim finishing offense.

Yeah, he just looks like a big, fast dude, very athletic, who has not a ton of basketball skills.

 

[Exstatic]

Yeah, he just looks like a big, fast dude, very athletic, who has not a ton of basketball skills.

I think he could actually wind up something like Timelord, but he’d have to buy into being at least a two year project, maybe three. He was the number 8 prospect in his HS class, so that might be an issue.