What to Watch for NBA Draft 2026: Latest Intel Around No. 1 Pick, Predicted Risers and Fallers
What to Watch for NBA Draft 2026: Latest Intel Around No. 1 Pick, Predicted Risers and Fallers
Also, point guards will dominate the early lottery picks with a host of highly talented ones projected to be selected between picks five through 10. Kevin Sweeney|
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Washington WizardsUtah JazzMemphis GrizzliesDallas MavericksLos Angeles ClippersThe NBA draft is officially here!
After months of speculation about who’ll go No. 1 and years of work by NBA front offices evaluating the top prospects in this much-anticipated class, the moment has finally arrived. The combination of the strength at the top of this class and the potential trade activity surrounding multiple established stars that could come to a head on draft night makes this year’s first round a must-watch affair.
What should you be keeping an eye on during Tuesday’s first round? Here’s a look at all the latest intel and key questions to be answered:
There’s real drama at No. 1
For the first time since the 2022 draft that featured Paolo Banchero, Chet Holmgren and Jabari Smith Jr., we enter draft day with a real lack of clarity over who will go No. 1. According to ESPN, the Wizards have narrowed their choice down to BYU wing AJ Dybantsa and Darryn Peterson, who have long been the consensus top two prospects on the board. Dybantsa has been the favorite to go No. 1 in the eyes of NBA executives since his late-season surge that saw him average nearly 29 points per game in February and March. He has all the measurables to be the next great big wing in the NBA. That said, Peterson is as good a guard prospect as many decision-makers have evaluated, especially if he can regain the athletic burst that defined his game in high school before cramping issues derailed his season at Kansas.
If Peterson is the surprise choice at No. 1, expect Dybantsa to land in Utah with the Jazz, who own the second pick. Dybantsa has spent the last two years in Utah, first at Utah Prep and then at BYU. If Dybantsa goes first, Peterson is the favorite to land in Utah and fits better with the current Jazz core. However, Cameron Boozer, whose father Carlos works in the Jazz front office, is also believed to be in play for that second pick, especially if Dybantsa is not available.
The point guards will dominate picks five through 10
After the draft’s “core four” of Dybantsa, Peterson, Boozer and North Carolina’s Caleb Wilson, the next stretch of the draft will be heavily shaped by point guards. Four are expected to be picked between pick Nos. 5 and 10: Illinois’s Keaton Wagler, Arkansas’s Darius Acuff Jr., Louisville’s Mikel Brown Jr. and Houston’s Kingston Flemings.
At No. 5, the Clippers’ choice is particularly fascinating given the presence of Darius Garland, who the team acquired earlier this year from the Cavaliers. Does his presence mandate that the Clippers draft a bigger guard who can play off the ball more comfortably? Conventional wisdom says Wagler is the most logical choice, and Wagler canceling his workout with Brooklyn (which owns the sixth pick) has added fuel to the fire that Wagler could be primed to go No. 5. Brown seems like the other most in play for the Clippers assuming they keep their pick. Brown and Acuff are both expected to get long looks from the Nets at No. 6, though it’s not a guarantee they’ll take a point guard and are known to like Nate Ament.
Flemings seems to have the lowest floor of the four point guards on draft night, but it’d be a surprise to see him slip past the Bucks at No. 10. If he does, expect a flurry of activity from teams trying to move up to get him.
Who could rise?
Arizona guard Brayden Burries has seemed to gain steam in recent days. He has often been connected to the Mavericks at No. 9, where he seems like a solid fit alongside Kyrie Irving in the backcourt and gives the Mavs a potential high-level scorer to pair with Cooper Flagg long term. But it increasingly seems possible that Burries could go earlier than that, potentially as a trade target if teams move up into the top eight.
Michigan forward Morez Johnson Jr. tested well at the NBA draft combine and has impressed teams with his consistency as a shooter in workouts. He’s also the exact type of player who teams see as a good fit for what worked in this season’s playoffs with size, physicality and offensive rebounding increasingly important.
Who could fall?
Yaxel Lendeborg could have a fascinating draft night. Teams have two big concerns: his age (he’ll be 24 by the time he makes his NBA debut) and his immaturity, which was one of the reasons his stock was less secure last season and led to him enrolling at Michigan. He could still get picked in the back half of the lottery, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if he falls into the teens and not a total shock if he’s available in the 20s.
Labaron Philon Jr. out of Alabama could feel the crunch of the slew of point guards available. He’s clearly below the four top PGs mentioned above on many boards, and other PGs like Christian Anderson and Bennett Stirtz could be better fits since they’re better shooters who project better playing off the ball. He’s another who could slip into the 20s if things break wrong.
Jayden Quaintance is another popular potential faller, with fuel added to that speculation by him not receiving an invitation to the green room for draft night. Concerns linger about his health after he played only four games this season at Kentucky struggling to recover from an ACL tear. Still just 18 years old, teams may also be worried he’s just not ready to make an early NBA impact even if healthy. It’s still expected that he finds a suitor in the first round, but things might get nervy into the 20s.
What are late first-round picks worth?
Among the biggest stories of the predraft process has been the flood of prospects who elected to return to school over turning pro. The effect of that is that the quality of the draft notably drops off somewhere between the 20s and 30s. Given the cap hit attached to first-round contracts, it will be interesting to see just how aggressively teams covet those picks in the 20s. There’s a strong group of college veterans expected to be picked somewhere in the No. 25 to 40 range who could be controllable plug-and-play pieces, but not every team in the 20s will be happy with what’s available and those picks could get moved even for rather modest returns.
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Published 38 minutes ago | Modified 38 minutes ago
KEVIN SWEENEYKevin Sweeney is a staff writer at Sports Illustrated covering college basketball and the NBA draft. He joined the SI staff in July 2021 and also serves host and analyst for The Field of 68. Sweeney is a Naismith Trophy voter and ia member of the U.S. Basketball Writers Association. He is a graduate of Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism.
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Badenoch blasts 'moaning' female Labour MPs over Burnham jobs 'quota'
Kemi Badenoch has told Labour women to earn a job in Andy Burnham's Cabinet instead of demanding they are handed jobs because of their gender.
The Tory leader lashed out today amid reports that female MPs are demanding the de-facto new prime minister introduce a 50:50 gender split 'quota' in his government.
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister also complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts.
But in a scathing article in the Times today Mrs Badenoch told them to 'stop moaning' and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'.
'There are many, many reasons why you shouldn't have any Milibands in the cabinet,' she said.
'But complaining that the boys haven't given them the right jobs or that the boys are taking all the jobs, just shows that Labour's women still don't get it.'
The idea of quotas was also attacked by Baroness Jacqui Smith, Labour's Skills Minister.
Asked by Times Radio if Mr Burnham should reserve jobs for women, she said: 'No, I think what Andy Burnham should be doing is building the very best team around him to change this country.'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband (above, right, in 2010) is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts
But Mrs Badenoch told them to pipe down and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party and seen by the BBC has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs after he succeeds Sir Keir Starmer.
'We are asking you to demonstrate this change from day one and address the toxicity and misogyny within our own party and government,' it said.
Labour has never had a female leader, while the Conservatives have had three, and Mrs Badenoch urged the government to follow its meritocratic example.
'If you run a meritocracy, then you do not have to worry about jobs for the boys,' she wrote.
'Every woman who is a Conservative MP, every woman who has ever won the leadership, has had to fight to get where she is.
'By contrast, Labour women are demanding guarantees from Burnham. But the truth is he doesn't have to give any guarantees.
'If none of Labour's women are prepared to get their hands dirty and challenge him for the leadership, their demands are toothless.'
'In fact, it's quite revealing that the women's parliamentary Labour Party has written to Burnham asking him to commit himself to at least 50 per cent female ministers.
'This has nothing to do with meritocracy. It is yet more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country.'
Venezuela Fury and Noah Price subsidising their life by livestreaming
Venezuela Fury and her husband Noah Price look to be making their own way in the world by raking it in from their lucrative social media accounts.
The influencer daughter of Tyson and Paris Fury, 16, has become an internet sensation after tying the knot with her husband Noah, 19, earlier this year.
Since getting married and moving in together the couple have been earning thousands of pounds a month, livestreaming their life as newlyweds in their static caravan in the East Riding of Yorkshire.
And fans can't get enough of their regular life updates on TikTok and Kick, which have proved to be very profitable for the pair.
They look to be supporting themselves after Noah denied that he was given £5million by Venezuela's family as a wedding gift.
Despite his wife's huge family wealth, an estimated combined £160 million, Noah recently told his Kick followers that he 'pays for everything' for the couple.
Making light of the claims about Venezuela's millionaire financial status, Noah said: 'I actually pay for everything unfortunately. You'd expect the millionaire to pay for it wouldn't you.'
Venezuela Fury and Noah Price are earning thousands livestreaming their caravan life - after her new groom insisted he pays all the bills and denied he had £5m handout from her dad
The influencer daughter of Tyson and Paris Fury , 16, has become an internet sensation after tying the knot with her husband Noah, 19, earlier this year
Venezuela then asked their fans: 'Do you think I am a millionaire?'
Noah joked: 'She isn't a secret millionaire guys', before she broke into song and sang: 'But I live like a millionaire!'
But it seems according to estimated calculations from their social media work, Noah and Venezuela can more than afford to support themselves.
Noah has been livestreaming on platforms such as Kick and TikTok, where viewers can send paid gifts or donations.
He was previously encouraging viewers to send gifts on his honeymoon during livestreams, suggesting this is one revenue stream.
Both Noah and Venezuela have built substantial followings on Instagram and TikTok. They can potentially earn money through sponsored posts, brand collaborations, affiliate links and creator payouts.
Kick allows its creators to take home 95 per cent of the £4.99 subscription cost that fans pay.
Streamers keep 100 per cent of direct tips and donations, minus minor standard payment processing fees.
It is unclear how many subscribers Noah currently has because this information is hidden, but he does have 7,200 followers which is publicly viewable.
An industry insider has suggested Noah is making around £400 per video on TikTok, while Venezuela is likely to make £2,000 due to her following count of 1.3 million.
An industry insider has suggested Noah is making around £400 per video on TikTok, while Venezuela is likely to make £2,000 due to her following count of 1.3 million
In one video on their honeymoon, Noah asked his followers if they'd give them some more gifts now that they were married.
In a TikTok live viewed by 20,000 he said: 'Keep liking our videos people, keep sending gifts.'
After saying thank you to several of his followers he joked they should stick around on the livestream and 'watch Venezuela punch me in the mouth'.
The other half of the honeymooning couple said: 'I am, honestly!'
Noah previously confirmed that the pair don't share their finances after they were asked whether they have a shared bank account.
'She earns her money, I earn mine,' said Noah, as Venezuela joked: 'Yeah, what you gonna do about it.'
Noah went on to debunk the rumour that Tyson gave him £5million when he tied the knot with his daughter as he insisted: 'No Tyson did not give me £5million'.
Meanwhile Venezuela is being eyed up by executives for a fly on the wall TV series.
Noah went on to debunk the rumour that Tyson gave him £5million when he tied the knot with his daughter as he insisted: 'No Tyson did not give me £5million'
Boasting 1.3 million TikTok followers, Venezuela is already entertaining fans with her honest musings and candid moments, from cooking to kitting out her and Noah's static caravan home.
And following the success of the Netflix series At Home With The Furys, it is no wonder bosses are wanting to draw on the Fury popularity.
A TV insider said: 'The couple are not A-list celebrities but everyone has become obsessed with their love story.
'People are genuinely intrigued by them. Whether it’s the fact they have married so young, Venezuela’s famous family or their gypsy lifestyle, they have the ‘X factor'.
'Several TV executives think a proper fly-on-the-wall series following their lives as newlyweds in the gypsy community would be fascinating,' they told The Sun.
It is thought Netflix would be likely to produce the series due to their already established relationship with the Furys.
Venezuela's representatives told The Daily Mail: 'We have many offers on the table regarding Venezuela which we are discussing.'
