Unveiling the 2026 NBA Draft First-Round Picks: Which Rising Stars Will Redefine the Game?

The future is now: A list of the players selected in the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft Tuesday night in Brooklyn, New York.

Why NBA teams may have been tanking this past season – OK, definitely were – was on full display Tuesday night.

The 2026 NBA Draft is generally regarded as historically strong. Beginning with the Washington Wizards selecting BYU’s AJ Dybantsa with the No. 1 pick, the class of prospects is expected to feature franchise cornerstones and future All-Stars.

Said ESPN analyst Tim Legler: “There are a lot of guys that are going to be in opening-night rotations from the first round of this draft.”

For the second consecutive year, the first eight picks were freshmen. Overall, there were 15 to tie for the fourth most in the first round. 

Following are the first-round picks with a quick look back to their 2025-26 season.

2026 NBA Draft First Round

1. Washington Wizards: AJ Dybantsa, BYU, 6-9 Wing

BYU’s first-ever No. 1 overall pick became the second Division I freshman since 1953 to average 25+ points on 50% shooting with eight free throw attempts per game (previously, Kansas State’s Michael Beasley in 2007-08).

2. Utah Jazz: Darryn Peterson, Kansas, 6-5 Guard

Averaged 20.2 points with 43.8/38.2/82.6 shooting splits and posted a 6.4 DRIP (a projection of a player’s contribution to a team’s plus/minus per 100 possessions) in just 24 games.

3. Memphis Grizzlies: Cameron Boozer, Duke, 6-8 Power Forward

Led Division I in DRIP (10.6) and won AP National Player of the Year on 59 of 61 votes.

4. Chicago Bulls: Caleb Wilson, North Carolina, 6-9 Power Forward

Averaged 19.8 points, 9.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.4 blocks while ranking 17th in D-I DRIP (7.2).

5. Los Angeles Clippers: Keaton Wagler, Illinois, 6-5 Guard

Ranked fifth in D-I in WAR (8.83) as a freshman while leading Illinois to the Final Four.

6. Brooklyn Nets: Mikel Brown Jr., Louisville, 6-4 Point Guard

Posted 45 points with 10 3s against NC State, but later missed the ACC and NCAA tournaments with a back injury.

7. Sacramento Kings: Darius Acuff Jr., Arkansas, 6-2 Point Guard

The first-team All-American averaged 28.8 points and 6.7 assists over his final 13 games while shooting 47.6% on 3-pointers.

8. Atlanta Hawks: Kingston Flemings, Houston, 6-3 Point Guard

Averaged 16.1 points and 5.2 assists while ranking 26th in D-I in WAR (6.73).

9. Dallas Mavericks: Morez Johnson Jr., Michigan, 6-9 Power Forward

Particularly efficient shooter inside the arc (65.8%) who posted a double-double in the Wolverines’ national championship win against UConn.

10. Milwaukee Bucks: Brayden Burries, Arizona, 6-4 Shooting Guard

Finished his freshman season 10th in D-I in WAR (7.86) and DRIP (8.0).

11. Golden State Warriors: Yaxel Lendeborg, Michigan 6-9 Power Forward

Led D-I in WAR (10.50) and shot 48.1% on 3s over his final 16 games for the national champion Wolverines.

12. Oklahoma City Thunder: Aday Mara, Michigan, 7-3 Center

Michigan’s third selection of the first round led the Big Ten and ranked fourth in D-I in FG% (66.8%) while averaging 12.1 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.6 blocks.

13. Miami Heat: Nate Ament, Tennessee, 6-10 Wing

Got to the free throw line nine times per game during a 12-game SEC stretch in which he averaged 22 points on 44/38 shooting splits. (Traded to Milwaukee Bucks)

14. Charlotte Hornets: Hannes Steinbach, Washington, 6-10 Forward

Freshman led D-I in rebounding at 11.8 per game and tied with Duke’s Cameron Boozer and Kent State’s Delrecco Gillespie for the national high of 22 double-doubles.

15. Chicago Bulls: Dailyn Swain, Texas, 6-7 Wing

Ranked 16th in D-I in DRIP (7.3) while averaging 17.3 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.6 assists.

16. Memphis Grizzlies: Bennett Stirtz, Iowa, 6-3 Point Guard

The D-I leader in minutes was the only player to have at least 730 points, 160 assists, 95 rebounds, 90 3-pointers and 50 steals. (Traded to Oklahoma City Thunder)

17. Oklahoma City Thunder: Ebuka Okorie, Stanford, 6-2 Point Guard

Averaged 23.2 points as a freshman while getting to the foul line 7.3 times per game. (Traded to Detroit Pistons)

18. Charlotte Hornets: Christian Anderson Jr., Texas Tech, 6-1 Point Guard

Ranked 11th in D-I in WAR (7.78) while averaging 18.5 points and 7.4 assists on 41.5% 3-point shooting.

19. Toronto Raptors: Allen Graves, Santa Clara, 6-8 Power Forward

Ranked ninth in the freshman class in DRIP (6.2) and shot 41.3% on 3s in just 22.6 minutes per game off the bench.

20. San Antonio Spurs: Jayden Quaintance, Kentucky, 6-9 Forward/Center

Played just four games at Kentucky after tearing his ACL, but averaged 2.6 blocks per game as a 17-year-old freshman at Arizona State in 2024-25.

21. Detroit Pistons: Karim Lopez, New Zealand Breakers, 6-8 Forward

The first Mexican-born first-round pick in NBA Draft history averaged 11.9 points and 6.1 rebounds on 49% shooting for the New Zealand Breakers. (Traded to Memphis Grizzlies)

22. Philadelphia 76ers: Labaron Philon Jr., Alabama, 6-3 Point Guard

Posted the highest offensive DRIP (6.1) of any sophomore draft prospect while nearly shooting 50/40/80 splits for Alabama.

23. Atlanta Hawks: Zuby Ejiofor, St. John’s, 6-9 Power Forward

First player in Big East history to receive Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Scholar-Athlete of the Year and the Dave Gavitt Trophy (Big East Tournament MVP) in the same season.

24. New York Knicks: Cameron Carr, Baylor, 6-5 Wing

Put a 7-foot-1 wingspan to good use while averaging 18.9 points on 49.4/37.4 /80.1 shooting splits as a redshirt sophomore. (Traded to Los Angeles Lakers, per ESPN)

25. Los Angeles Lakers: Sergio de Larrea, Valencia, 6-6 Guard

Shot 40.7% on 3s while averaging 9.3 points and 3.6 assists for Valencia in the Liga ACB, earning Spanish Super Cup MVP honors. (Traded to New York Knicks, per ESPN)

26. Denver Nuggets: Tarris Reed Jr., UConn, 6-10 Center

Led the Big East in FG% (64.0) while averaging 14.7 points and 9.0 rebounds as a senior. (Traded to San Antonio Spurs, per ESPN)

27. Boston Celtics: Chris Cenac Jr., Houston, 6-10 Forward/Center

Excelled in the postseason with 17 points and 14 rebounds against Kansas in the Big 12 Tournament and 18 rebounds against Idaho in the NCAA Tournament.

28. Minnesota Timberwolves: Joshua Jefferson, Iowa State, 6-8 Forward

Ranked fifth in DRIP (8.4) as one of only two D-I players (also Michigan’s Yaxel Lendeborg) with both offensive and defensive DRIP above 4.0. (Traded to Brooklyn Nets)

29. Cleveland Cavaliers: Alex Karaban, UConn, 6-7 Forward

UConn’s all-time leader in wins (126) and 3-pointers (292) was 12th in D-I WAR (7.74) while averaging 13.2 points and 5.3 rebounds as a senior. (Traded to Sacramento Kings, per ESPN)

30. Dallas Mavericks: Koa Peat, Arizona, 6-7 Forward

Ranked 12th in the freshman class in WAR (5.44) and shot 52.8% in Arizona’s Final Four campaign. (Traded to Phoenix Suns, per ESPN)

Teams Without a First-Round Pick

Houston Rockets, New Orleans Pelicans, Phoenix Suns, Portland Trail Blazers, Orlando Magic and Indiana Pacers

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