The 2026 NBA Draft is in the books and if you ask the people who actually evaluate players for a living, there’s a clear consensus. No bad picks in the first round. That almost never happens. And the hottest debate among front office types isn’t about who went first. It’s about whether the guy who went second might have been the better call all along.
AJ Dybantsa went No. 1 overall to the Washington Wizards. Darryn Peterson went second to the Utah Jazz. Cameron Boozer fell to third with the Memphis Grizzlies. That top three is about as clean as it gets in a draft this deep. But the chatter around the league suggests the Wizards made the safe choice while Peterson might have the higher ceiling.
“Probably the right pick, but we would’ve gone Peterson at No. 1 if we were in that spot,” one Eastern Conference executive told ClutchPoints. “Few guards enter the league with his scoring mentality and killer instincts leading an offense. None of the other guards have the same level of comfortability as an isolation scorer. He will be special in Utah, no doubt.”
Another front office member countered that Dybantsa’s fit with Trae Young and Anthony Davis is almost too perfect to pass up. That same person argued Dybantsa could average 20 points per game as a rookie. A Western Conference scout went further and said Dybantsa might become the first rookie All-Star since Blake Griffin in 2011.
“They had to go with AJ. Washington hasn’t had a proven scorer like this at forward since what, Antawn Jamison or Caron Butler? And AJ is 10 times better than them. You have to have wings like AJ to be a successful team nowadays. I wouldn’t be shocked if he makes the All-Star team as a rookie.”
Boozer fell to three and that changes everything in Memphis
If you watched Duke last season, you know Cameron Boozer is not a consolation prize. He won the Wooden Award as a freshman, averaged 22.5 points and 10.2 rebounds per game, and his game translates immediately. The Grizzlies might have gotten the steal of the lottery simply because the top two picks were locked in.
“Memphis is in a good spot with Cam. There isn’t one thing he does bad and he is always just so in control of the game,” said one Eastern Conference scout. “Everyone keeps saying he doesn’t have that ‘it’ factor that wows you, but his ‘it’ factor is winning.”
The Grizzlies are rebuilding but they got a player who can step in and be a leader from day one. That matters more than flashy highlights.
Warriors, Thunder come out of the draft looking like winners
Golden State took Yaxel Lendeborg at No. 11. He just led Michigan to a national championship and he’s ready to play right now. One Eastern Conference executive called the Warriors the biggest winners of the first round. “We kept saying ‘The Warriors are going to get him’ during the first round. That was a perfect match — a win-now guy who can give you 30 or more minutes a game in any role.”
At No. 12, the Thunder grabbed Aday Mara, a 7-foot-3 big man who fills their biggest weakness from last season. Then they moved up to take Bennett Stirtz at No. 16. Two picks, two needs addressed. One Western Conference scout put it simply: “I don’t know how Sam Presti does it, man.”
Darius Acuff Jr. falls to Sacramento and the league is watching
The biggest surprise of the night might have been Darius Acuff Jr. sliding to No. 7. The Clippers and Nets both passed on him. The Clippers took Keaton Wagler. The Nets took Mikel Brown Jr. Acuff was the second-best guard in most draft rooms behind Peterson. The Kings happily scooped him up and he’s going to get heavy minutes.
“The Clippers and Nets passing on Darius Acuff has to be the biggest surprise,” an Eastern Conference scout said. “Did they even watch what he did at Arkansas? How do you let a guy like that fall to the seventh pick?”
Comparisons to Jalen Brunson are already floating around. Acuff is a smaller guard who can score from anywhere. If that comparison holds, Sacramento just got a steal.
Lakers move up for Cameron Carr and scouts are divided
The Lakers moved up one spot at No. 24 to take Cameron Carr. He tested well at the Combine and some teams had him as a borderline lottery pick. But one Western Conference scout questioned the fit. “Probably the Lakers moving up one spot for Cameron Carr. How does he fit into what they need? Luka has been pleading for a big man and with several on the board, they go out and add another off-ball guard who isn’t known for being a passer.”
A few other scouts pointed to concerns about Carr’s work ethic and his tendency to play with tunnel vision. But others still believe the Lakers got good value late in the first round.
Mikel Brown Jr. to Brooklyn and the health question that follows
The Nets took Mikel Brown Jr. at No. 6 and one Western Conference front office member said they had Brown ranked higher than Acuff. “There is this relaxed flow to his game and yet he still has that killer instinct when hunting his shot. I think Brooklyn just put themselves back on the map with this kid.”
The concern? Brown missed significant time last season at Louisville with back problems. He played only 21 games. An Eastern Conference scout put it bluntly: “That depends. Are his back issues completely gone? We’ve all seen what he can do when he’s on the court but you have to be playing to make an impact. I am always worried when I hear ‘back issues’ for a young guard.”
The Nets are betting on health. If Brown stays on the floor, he might be exactly what Brooklyn needed. If the back problems linger, this pick could age poorly. Only time will tell which version of Mikel Brown shows up.
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