The 2026 NBA Draft has something for everyone. There’s star power at the top, a deep point guard class, talented forwards young (Nate Ament, Hannes Steinbach) and old (Yaxel Lendeborg) throughout the lottery, a classic 7’3 drop coverage big man in Aday Mara, and a long-term stretch five bet in Chris Cenac Jr. Like last year, the biggest winners will be the teams that moved into the top-4 on lottery night, but there should still be valuable contributors available into the 20s, plus a few more players who exceed expectations in the second round.
Our instant mock draft after the lottery tried to take a stab at how the first round will actually play out. I also wrote up a mock on what I would do with every pick if I was the GM for each team. Read my story on why Cameron Boozer is the top overall prospect in this class.
Now, let’s dive into some draft fits we love from both the team and player perspective. These six fits stand out entering the draft.
Darryn Peterson – Utah Jazz
Peterson looked like he might be developing into the best prospect in the class when he dropped 58 points in a head-to-head matchup against A.J.Dybantsa as a high school seniors in Feb. 2025. Fast forward a year and change, and Peterson enters the draft as a somewhat polarizing prospect after a bizarre freshman year at Kansas plagued by cramping and soft tissue injuries. Peterson didn’t show the same explosiveness he possessed in high school, but he claims he’s fully recovered now after realizing his issues were caused by taking too much creatine without proper hydration.
The Jazz have close ties to A.J. Dybantsa after he spent the last two years playing in the state of Utah, but Peterson feels like a better fit for what the team needs going forward. The Jazz already have a strong core in place with Jaren Jackson Jr., Lauri Markkanen, and (probably) Walker Kessler in the frontcourt, Ace Bailey on the wing, and Keyonte George in the backcourt. The ideal final piece would be a guard who can make an impact on defense while adding offensive firepower by blending on-ball and off-ball utility next to George. Peterson fits that description to a tee.
Peterson proved he could be a deadly off-ball scorer without his best burst while playing at Kansas. His three-point volume and accuracy both vastly exceeded preseason expectations, and the movement shooting he showed off for the Jayhawks would be an ideal fit in Will Hardy’s Utah schemes. It’s also totally possible that Peterson could again become the takeover scoring guard he looked like in high school, thus demanding more touches on the ball. If he regains his burst, only thing really holding him back will be his playmaking vision, which looked pretty mediocre at Kansas. Whatever Peterson gives you offensively will be made even more valuable because he’s an impactful defender who can rack up steals and blocks as a helper. George will look a lot better defensively with Peterson deterring ball handlers with hard digs in the paint or even by taking the tougher assignment.
Add Peterson, and I really think Utah can be a playoff team in the Western Conference next year.
Aday Mara and Ebuka Okorie – Atlanta Hawks
The Hawks pick at No. 8 and No. 23, and they have long-term needs at point guard and center. It will be tempting to take whichever top-rated guard is still available with their first pick — Mikel Brown Jr., Darius Acuff, Kingston Flemings, and Keaton Wagler among them. I like waiting until their second pick to land a point guard since it’s the deepest position in this draft class, thereby allowing them to select the draft’s clear top center prospect in Michigan’s Aday Mara at No. 8.
The Hawks made a mistake by passing on Zach Edey and Donovan Clingan with the No. 1 pick in the 2024 draft in favor of Zaccharie Risacher (okay, they could have had Stephon Castle, too), and this would be an opportunity to right that wrong. There are only so many 7’3 players available in the world, and Mara brings special passing vision and enough post scoring touch to give him real two-way viability. Mara is not the most scheme-versatile defender, but he should be effective in drop, and it helps that the Hawks would have some dogs at the point of attack in front of him with Dyson Daniels and Nickeil Alexander-Walker hounding opposing ball handlers.
If Ebuka Okorie is still on the board at No. 23, it would be a home run pick for Atlanta. The 6’2 Stanford point guard has the best first step in the class with a tight handle to help generate paint touches whenever he pleases. He’s more of a scorer than a passer at this stage, but it’s worth noting he didn’t have much talent around him in college, and could take a big leap as a playmaker with better teammates in the NBA. Okorie has been rising up draft boards lately and could even challenge for a lottery pick, but he’s been viewed in the 20s for most of the cycle, and it’s possible teams aren’t quite as high on him as the online hipsters like me. Mara and Okorie would set the Hawks up to compete in the East for a long, long time.
Yaxel Lendeborg – Oklahoma City Thunder
Yaxel Lendeborg is a month older than Josh Giddey, who just completed his fifth NBA season. He’s also clearly one of the best prospects in the 2026 NBA Draft with a unique skill set that few modern day forwards can replicate. Lendeborg was the second-best player in college basketball this season behind Cameron Boozer, but it wasn’t just because he was an overwhelming scorer against younger competition. After going through the pre-draft process last season, Lendeborg told me he entered Michigan with the intention of showing off his role player skills by upping his three-point volume and proving he could take on more challenging defensive assignments. He excelled in both areas in the Wolverines’ run to the national championship, and he looks like a plug-and-play starter who adds value on both sides of the ball as he enters the NBA.
Lendeborg is almost as big as an NBA center standing nearly 6’9 barefoot with a 241-pound frame and a 7’3.25 wingspan. He proved he could play on the perimeter offensively full-time at that size by taking 8.4 threes per 100 possessions and making 37.2 percent of them this season. He’s always been a good passer who can make quick, connective reads all over the floor, he’s a solid offensive rebounder, and he’s a load to deal with when he starts attacking downhill on cuts or off the dribble. The Thunder need cost-controlled contributors, and they always value prospects who can dribble, pass, and shoot with an NBA frame. OKC should be doing backflips if Yaxel still on the board at No. 12. I’d take him in the top-6 of this draft.
Bennett Stirtz – Detroit Pistons
Cade Cunningham had to take on almost all of the creation responsibility for the Pistons this season on a roster devoid of extra ball handling. It feels like an obvious area of need for Detroit to address with the No. 21 overall pick, and there’s no better fit than Iowa point guard Bennett Stirtz if he’s still on the board.
Stirtz almost never came off the floor for the Hawkeyes this season while providing efficient scoring and playmaking in a high-usage role. He’s a skilled pick-and-roll operator who knows every passing read on the floor but can also pressure the opposing defense with his off-the-dribble scoring. Stirtz is also one of the draft’s better shooters and would be a valuable floor spacer when Cunningham is at the controls. I’m also fascinating to see what Stirtz would look like in a more uptempo system after Iowa played about as slow as anyone in college basketball this past season.
Stirtz is just an additive player in every way offensively. He might struggle a bit defensively, but the Pistons just finished with the league’s top defense and have plenty of big bodies to insulate him. This feels like a mutually beneficial pairing between player and team in every way.
Morez Johnson – Charlotte Hornets
The Hornets finished with the best net-rating in the NBA after Jan. 1, but their play-in tournament exit showed the team still needs some more toughness and beef on the interior. There won’t be an obvious center prospect on the board at No. 13 overall assuming Mara is gone, but his Michigan teammate Morez Johnson is the next best thing. Johnson is a tweener, but that’s not a knock on him. He showed he can thrive in two big lineups with the Wolverines, but he also measured big enough at the combine to hold down center minutes on his own. Johnson came in at 6’9 barefoot with a 250-pound frame and 7’3.5 wingspan, giving him the length and strength needed for an NBA five. He’s an excellent athlete for his size who will win by finishing feeds from the dunker’s spot, beating opposing bigs down the court in the open floor, and catching lobs as a roll man. He’s also one of the best defenders in this class with a low center of gravity to win the battle for positioning on the ground, and quick enough feet to switch screens on the perimeter.
Playing with an elite facilitator like LaMelo Ball and an elite spacer like Kon Knueppel would open up so much room inside for Johnson’s finishes. He could play next to Ryan Kalkbrenner and Moussa Diabate, or act as the lone big man for stretches. Johnson would also be a great pick for the Chicago Bulls at No. 15 or the Thunder at No. 17 (or No. 12). There might be higher upside players with more shooting value on the board, but sometimes to win a playoff series, you have to build a team that can win a street fight. Johnson’s the perfect player for trying to build that type of mentality.
