The 2026 NBA Draft is in the books, and as always, there were moves that made sense, moves that raised eyebrows, and a few picks that could define franchises for the next decade. Now that the dust has settled, it’s time to break down the winners, highlight some of my favorite picks from a fit standpoint, and look ahead at the Rookie of the Year odds to see if anything is worth betting right now.
2026 NBA Draft Winners
Milwaukee Bucks
Brayden Burries – No. 10
Nate Ament – No. 13
When Milwaukee was rumored to be interested in drafting Ament at 10, with nobody else coming in, that would have been an issue. While Ament has all the tools, he’s largely unproven as an actual contributor. He needs to continue to work on his three-ball, as he’s currently a three-and-D wing that doesn’t make threes. However, Ament being picked with the additional first the Bucks acquired from the Heat in the Giannis Antetokounmpo deal makes way more sense. It isn’t nearly as big of a reach at 13, plus the team was able to get Burries. The guard was viewed as a top-10 prospect by many talent evaluators, and Milwaukee now gets to move forward with two players with serious potential. It’ll likely take some time before the Bucks are truly relevant again, but grabbing a three-level scorer and a high-upside wing is a start.
Oklahoma City Thunder
Aday Mara – No. 12
Bennett Stirtz – No. 16
The rich got richer in the first round. After a Western Conference Finals in which Victor Wembanyama absolutely dominated Oklahoma City, the Thunder knew they needed more size. Well, they were able to grab the best center in the draft, with Mara being a 7-foot-3 big that can anchor a defense. He’s also a solid play-finisher, he has a decent-looking jumper, and he’s a good connective passer. He can likely give OKC some immediate minutes, and he also has the potential to turn into high-level starting big. The Thunder also got an awesome shot-making guard in Stirtz, who can shoot off the bounce and score in the paint. He’s also a decent passer. Oklahoma City clearly sees some cost-cutting moves coming, creating a need for Stirtz’s impressive skillset.
San Antonio Spurs
Jayden Quaintance – No. 20
Tarris Reed Jr. – No. 26
Quaintance looked like he was at risk of falling out of the first round, with several teams being concerned about his knee. After tearing his ACL in his freshman season with Arizona State, Quaintance was only able to play four games with persistent knee swelling at Kentucky. The big man has also said that he will likely require a meniscus cleanup at some point to truly put the issues behind him. However, Quaintance is an elite defensive prospect, capable of shutting down the paint and guarding one through five. The idea of him defending next to Victor Wembanyama should have opponents peeing their pants with fear. Reed should also be a good piece for San Antonio off the bench. The Spurs didn’t have enough frontcourt depth last year, and Reed is a pro-ready body that can score around the basket and rebound at a high level.
2026 Individual Favorite Prospect Fits
Darius Acuff Jr. (No. 7) – Sacramento Kings
I liked a lot of the fits for the top-10 prospects, so I don’t want to spend too much time on them. However, all basketball fans win with Acuff heading to a team without a point guard blocking him from minutes. It would have been nice if it was Brooklyn that made the move, but Sacramento will do. Acuff is a special off-the-dribble scorer and good playmaker. He’s the type of guy you build an entire offense around. The Kings now have a face of the franchise, but they need to build correctly around him.
Yaxel Lendeborg (No. 11) – Golden State Warriors
Lendeborg’s main flaw isn’t a basketball flaw at all. It’s that he’ll turn 24 during the regular season, and not all front offices want to invest in an older prospect. Well, Golden State is a great situation for him. Lendeborg is a good shooter, passer, rebounder, and defender, and he has an NBA body. He should be ready to play big minutes right away, meaning the Warriors can play him as they look to remain competitive in the final years of Steph Curry’s career. Lendeborg is also said to be an interesting, fiery competitor. Pairing him with Draymond Green in the frontcourt should be fun, even if it’s in a Mentos and Coke type of way.
Hannes Steinbach (No. 14) – Charlotte Hornets
The Hornets have a bunch of gunners on their roster, with LaMelo Ball, Kon Knueppel, and Brandon Miller all being players that are eager to get shots up. Well, those guys are going to love having Steinbach around. The German is an absolute monster on the glass, so he’s going to get his new teammates a bunch of second opportunities. He’s also going to look a lot better offensively playing off the sharp passers and decision-makers on the Hornets roster. If he develops a three-ball, this will be a dream pairing — and a massive steal.
Ebuka Okorie (No. 17) – Detroit Pistons
The Pistons desperately need some shot-makers and playmakers. Last year, while things looked great during the regular season, their lack of offense was alarming. Detroit is going to need to continue to add pieces that can take pressure off Cade Cunningham, and drafting Okorie is a start. Okorie is one of the most exciting players in this class, as he can really create space for himself off the dribble. That allows him to attack downhill, and it also sets up his stepback jumpers. Of course, Okorie is an undersized guard, which is something he’ll need to work to overcome. But the Pistons have a good defensive infrastructure, meaning they might be able to hide his weaknesses.
Labaron Philon Jr. (No. 22) – Philadelphia 76ers
When we had Bruce Pearl on the Hardwood Handcappers NBA Draft Edition, the legendary head coach called Philon a “killer.” Philon averaged 22.0 points and 5.0 assists per game last year, and he shot 50.1% from the floor and 39.9% from three. He was tremendous as the engine of one of college basketball’s best offenses, and he now enters a situation in which he won’t be under too much pressure. With Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe entrenched as starters for a very long time, Philon can come off the bench and do what he does best. Look for him to turn into the 76ers’ version of Payton Pritchard, as he’s an electric scorer, a good shooter, and he can make plays for others. He’s going to change the energy in several basketball games next year.
Cameron Carr (No. 24) – Los Angeles Lakers
Carr was the talk of the NBA Draft combine, where he proved to be even more freakish and athletic than people thought. Carr, who shot 37.4% from three at Baylor last year, also happened to play very well during the combine scrimmages. With all of that in mind, Carr entered the 2026 NBA Draft as one of the more intriguing wing projects, and he looked like someone that would benefit from ending up with a great organization. Well, that’s exactly what happened. And not only do the Lakers have a good coaching staff and excellent developmental resources, they also have Luka Doncic. Carr, who can shoot, cut, and hammer down big-time dunks, will love playing with a passer like Doncic.
2026 Rookie of the Year Odds & Best Bets
- Cameron Boozer (+240)
- AJ Dybantsa (+300)
- Darryn Peterson (+330)
- Darius Acuff Jr. (+550)
- Caleb Wilson (12-1)
- Mikel Brown Jr. (14-1)
- Keaton Wagler (25-1)
- Yaxel Lendeborg (30-1)
- Kingston Flemings (60-1)
- Aday Mara (60-1)
(These are the top-10 players on the board at DraftKings Sportsbook. Head over there for the rest of the odds.)
As of this moment, Boozer is the player worth betting in this market. I already have a play (+260 risking 2 units) on the new face of Memphis’ franchise, as the uber-talented forward is stepping into a great situation. Last year’s first-round pick, Cedric Coward, was excellent in his rookie year, but he’s not a player that demands a high usage rate. And with Ja Morant expected to be moved out of Memphis soon, the only other player that really requires touches is the oft-injured Zach Edey. That said, Boozer has the potential to be the No. 1 option for the Grizzlies right from the jump, and that’s probably Memphis’ best path towards competitiveness. Not only is Boozer a highly efficient scorer, he’s also an excellent playmaking hub. I can see him being a guy that consistently gives the Grizzlies something like 16 points, nine rebounds, and five assists. There’s a good chance that’ll be enough for him to take home this award.
Dybantsa and Peterson should be great from Day 1, but both players are going to be in winning situations in which they’ll be surrounded by veterans that also need their touches. That said, if any of the chalkier options will wrestle this away from Boozer, I’d expect it to be Acuff. Like Boozer, we’re going to see the keys given to Acuff immediately. However, finding any sort of efficiency as a young guard is an uphill battle for rookies. And that’s especially true with one that finds himself on a roster as barren as the Kings.
A little further down the board, I’m keeping an eye on Burries. If Milwaukee finds a taker for Tyler Herro before the start of the 2026-27, don’t sleep on Burries’ ability to make an instant impact and nudge his way into the conversation here. He’s a very versatile scorer, he has good size at the two-guard spot, and he plays some defense.
