Prez’s 2026 NBA Draft Big Board 1.0

Now that the NCAA Tournament is over, it’s time to start thinking about the NBA Draft.

Now that Michigan and their combined 198-foot wingspan have won the NCAA Championship, we can get on to more important matters. That's right, it's big board time!

You've heard it said before but it bears reporting: this is the deepest draft in a while. As you will see, I have about 40 first-rounder quality prospects by my grading. The top four are Cooper Flagg-level prospects, which is to say, really good. This class is especially deep at guard and center. The depth will probably take a slight hit once a few kids decide they would rather pass on late-first or early-second round money for another year of NIL money, but even still, this draft is shaping up as an all-timer.

With that said, let's get to ranking. This isn't Knicks specific, but Prez specific!

Not generational, but likely franchise star

1. Cam Boozer – Fr., Forward, Duke

2. AJ Dybantsa – Fr., Wing, BYU

3. Darryn Peterson – Fr., Guard, Kansas

4. Caleb Wilson – Fr., Forward, North Carolina

Not guaranteed franchise cornerstone, but high upside and very high floor

5. Keaton Wagler – Fr., Guard, Illinois

6. Brayden Burries – Fr., Wing, Arizona

7. Kingston Flemings – Fr., Point Guard, Houston

Franchise star potential, also implosion potential

8. Darius Acuff – Fr., Point Guard, Arkansas

9. Mikel Brown – Fr., Point Guard, Louisville

High-impact playoff rotation bets with real upside

10. Jayden Quaintance – So., Big, Kentucky

11. Yaxel Lendeborg – Sr., Forward, Michigan

12. Ebuka Okorie – Fr., Point Guard, Stanford

13. Thomas Haugh – Jr., Wing, Florida

14. Dailyn Swain – Jr., Wing, Texas

15. Braylon Mullins – Fr., Guard, UConn

16. Labaron Philon – So., Point Guard, Alabama

17. Nate Ament – Fr., Wing, Tennessee

Good-in-your-role bets (all first-rounder level prospects)

18. Hannes Steinbach – Fr., Big, Washington

19. Aday Mara – Jr., Big, Michigan

20. Koa Peat – Fr., Forward, Arizona

21. Karim Lopez – 18 y/o, Wing, Juventut Badalona (Spain)

22. Morez Johnson – So., Big, Michigan

23. Cam Carr – Jr., Guard, Baylor

24. Isaiah Evans – So., Wing, Duke

25. Patrick Ngongba II – So., Big, Duke

26. Amari Allen – Fr., Wing, Alabama

27. Bennett Stirtz – Sr., Guard, Iowa

28. Motiejus Krivas – Jr., Big, Arizona

29. Joshua Jefferson – Sr., Wing, Iowa State

30. Juke Harris – So., Wing, Wake Forest

31. Henri Veesar – Jr., Big, North Carolina

32. Tarris Reed Jr. – Sr., Big, UConn

33. Christian Anderson – So., Point Guard, Texas Tech

34. Zuby Ejiofor – Sr., Big, St. John’s

35. Sergio De Larrea – 20 y/o, Guard, Valencia Basket (Spain)

36. Ivan Karchenkov – Fr., Forward, Arizona

37. Chris Cenac Jr. – Fr., Big, Houston