The 2026 NBA Draft has come and gone, and we are landing in a space of hope and optimism before the next phase of the offseason. I am not here to give you winners, losers or anything of that sort. I’m here to talk about the things from the draft that brought me joy.
The top 4 picks delivered
I know a lot of people love a good old-fashioned debate with a side of discourse, but the 2026 NBA Draft was refreshing in that we had an idea of who the top four players were going to be and knew that each of the top four teams was going to walk away happy.
The Washington Wizards walked away with the incredibly high ceiling of AJ Dybantsa. His size, skill and ability to drive the basketball consistently jump off the screen. The key is how the Wizards will give him the reps to continue to grow his game with less pressure to create everything. Trae Young and Anthony Davis should give the Wizards consistent pressure points they can hit in the half-court. That should open up opportunities for Dybantsa to attack closeouts and get downhill on the move. The on-ball reps will be there, too, but he’ll have room to grow.
Darryn Peterson gets to fit right into the future of the Utah Jazz. His blend of shiftiness and shooting slides right into an offense where Will Hardy has been more than willing to embrace the different things his players can do. The floor will be spaced, movement will be involved, guys will be used in different positions. For Peterson, the ability to grow as a playmaker should be there.
Cameron Boozer‘s versatility, skill and decisiveness fit right into what the Memphis Grizzlies have worked to become offensively. They can play through him, he can drive, and showcase that versatility (and mix in a post-up or two against a mismatch). The Chicago Bulls continue to add athleticism to their young core with the timeline that will allow Caleb Wilson to build and mold himself into a complete talent.
Once you get past the draft, the road to success is generally paved with fit, opportunity and context. That feels like the real fun for the top-4 picks and the teams that added them. Everyone wins. Sometimes you have to embrace that kind of draft when it arrives.
I, for one, am an appreciator of a team locking in on a player it wants and grabbing him. That’s part of why I liked Dallas taking Morez Johnson Jr. with the ninth pick. If you believe in the player, why not live with the risk?
The other part was, have you seen him defend? There is an inherent activity that, in theory, can fit right from the jump in Dallas. He has the ability to pressure the ball, a willingness to rotate off-ball to protect the paint, and the timing to stunt and recover on drives. Time will tell if the versatility truly expands at the next level, but when the bones are that good defensively, you let them grow.
The Pistons traded up for more driving
I’m a fan of a team understanding its identity and looking to double down on it. The Pistons traded up to the 17th pick to take Ebuka Okorie, whose bucket-getting grabbed my attention ahead of the draft. Okorie shows the patience and wiggle to read defenses, splits in pick-and-roll, and continuously finds the paint. The potential for that within what the Pistons do is fun.
Have the Pistons attempted this before? Yes. Will that stop me from believing in the attempt? No. For whatever you thought the Pistons lacked in shooting, they’ve always tried to make up for with drives. The fact that Okorie can get to his spot when he wants to feels like an exciting fit.
The Thunder and Spurs did it again
Western Conference finalists usually are not supposed to be making these types of swings and gains, but OKC and San Antonio are built different.
The Thunder continue the trend of finding and drafting what feel like the perfect fits for what they like to do. They’ve grown their defense and pick-and-roll attack with two bigs, and now add the 7-foot-3 Aday Mara with the No. 12 pick. The rolls are there, the paint protection should be there and, as it develops, there will be screen navigators and defenders everywhere. You can wonder if Bennett Stirtz (No. 16) can hold up defensively, but a) if he would like to see the floor, he’ll have to hit a certain level, and b) players who can shoot, dribble and pass tend to find a home in OKC. They are just going to keep doing this.
For the Spurs, they made a Finals run that was capped off by some … interesting non-Wemby minutes. And by non-Wemby minutes I mean attempting to make the Luke Kornet minutes work. The Spurs worked to solve that in a two-fold approach in the first round. Jayden Quaintance, the No. 20 pick, is recovering from injury, but when healthy his activity and versatility on defense when Wemby is on the bench should give them a boost. The rolls from Tarris Reed, the No. 26 pick, feel like the other side of this. He can explode to his roll quickly, has a good touch and feel on the move, and can finish. Adding dynamic bigs behind Victor Wembanyama feels like it will pay off down the line.
Philadelphia has been very intentional with trying to find things offensively that can work when Joel Embiid is out of the lineup. A lot of Tyrese Maxey, a lot of VJ Edgecombe, we’ve discussed that. So being able to add another aggressive scoring guard to that at No. 22 in Labaron Philon feels like the ideal scenario for the Sixers.
Are there question marks that led to him being available late in the first round? Absolutely. But if you’re able to get that kind of scoring talent with that kind of burst and who fits your ideals, that’s a win. Trust your ability to develop, give the opportunity and find out what you have.
Read the full article here
