NBA Draft: My Current Top 10 Draft Prospects

We are only 1 month into college basketball and have about 4 months left. There is a lot of college basketball and international basketball left to be played, but I wanted to put together a rough tier list/board of the top 10 just to see how it’s shaping up. At this time last year, my board was horrendous and not even close to how I felt by the time draft day came around, so take this with a grain of salt. However, I do still feel like I have a grasp on some of these guys and can provide some insight that will still be useful come June of 2026. Without further ado, let’s rank these guys!

TIER 1: THE TOP DAWGS:

1a. Cameron Boozer:

Cam Boozer is a man amongst boys, and honestly, he has been the easiest evaluation of the cycle for me thus far. He has had a super high usage rate and has been nothing but efficient with the basketball; Cam has one of the best assist (26.1 ast%) to usage rates (30.3%) in the class, with an insanely low turnover rate (8.0%), which he has a 3.1 assist to turnover ratio to show for it. He has been doubled, he has been tripled, he has fought in traffic for offensive rebounds, he’s been hacked, you name it, and this man has still been a statistical outlier & one of the best players in college basketball — truly on track to have one of the most dominant individual seasons from a Duke basketball player ever. Cam’s point-of-attack defense has been great; he has good foot speed, and he moves his hips well, which allows him to stay in front of players. He reads the opponent’s offense really well and finds a way to constantly be around the basketball, where he breaks up plays or forces the opposing team to make a different read. All of these defensive buzzwords that I’m using show up in the statistical categories as well; Cam has an 8.1% stock rate (4.7 blk% + 3.1 stl%), which is better than Caleb Wilson, who is another incredibly gifted wing defender in this class. I believe that Cam is a true multi-positional defender who can guard 1-4 and even some 5s depending on the matchup. With his 6’9 250lb frame with broad shoulders and tree trunk legs, I think he can guard opposing teams’ centers on the block or when they face him up, but I do believe there would be some defensive lapses when it comes to guarding the pick-and-roll — Cameron is a player with super high basketball IQ, so I choose to believe that the PnR defense will be awful by any means, and it’s not something that would be a reason for a team to take him any lower than wherever they have him.

Many also speculate if Boozer is an offensive tweener, meaning he is a 4 on defense and a 5 on offense. I’ll answer this for you right now: Cameron Boozer is a PF, and a dominant one at that. The speculation comes from his offensive playtypes (the way he plays).

He has some big man tendencies on offense: He posts up, he crashes the glass for putbacks, he is used as a cutter, and he is used as a popping big at times. Many “eye-test scouts” will say he has a limited advantage creation, and I’ve had my doubts too about him being an on-ball forward who attacks from the perimeter, takes people off the dribble, and does the cute little pull-up jumpers that are associated with dynamic scorers, but what if I told you that’s not the only way to create your own shot? Cam has only been assisted on 39.1% of his shots at the rim — that means 60.9% of his shots are self-created. How? You can see it above, his most used playtype, putbacks (Reb & Scramble). Putbacks aren’t the prettiest form of self-creation, but they are efficient self-creation. Basketball analysts have repeated time and time again that baskets at the rim and 3PT attempts are the most efficient shots in modern-day basketball, and that’s Cam.

Being efficient at both posting up and putbacks is a great thing, but it gets even better when you realize he earns his way to the FT line at a high rate. One of the most prevalent things you will see when you look at the top players in the league. His usage to free-throw rate at his height is up there with Zion Williamson, Blake Griffin, Kevin Love, and others… AND CAM HAS BETTER TOUCH AND FEEL THAN ALL OF THEM. Cameron Boozer has been shooting it at a 38% clip from 3 his entire career, and that’s following suit at Duke. This dude is a weapon inside and out; the in-between-game is a developing part of his game, and it has already been efficient, not that he needed it at all. Ladies and gentlemen, you’re looking at an all-timer here, a player with a 14+ year career ahead of him, and someone who will impact basketball games at the highest level. I’m trying not to get too excited about him, but this is really modern-day Charles Barkley — like for real, Barkley and Minnesota Timberwolves Kevin Love rolled into one. I think I’ve said enough about Cam, but I believe he is ONE OF the greatest prospects we’ve seen since LeBron James.

1b. Darryn Peterson:

Talk about another sensational prospect, wow. Darryn is everything that you would want in a franchise guard. A dribble, pass, shoot guard who can defend multiple spots on the floor, run in transition, and is unguardable, frankly. DP has only played in 2 games so far in his year at Kansas, so this evaluation won’t be as extensive and in-depth as Cameron Boozer’s was (nor will anyone else’s be that long), but in the 2 games he did play, he looked every bit of the best guard prospect in the 2026 draft class.

One of my newly found gimmicks that I have decided to use is if a guard prospect has touch around the basket (rim%) and the FT line (FT%), role-predicated feel for the game of basketball (ast:to & ast:usg/shot volume), and lastly, a positive wingspan (wingspan to height differential). I have found that it’s very common in successful guard prospects. The Thunder’s youth in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Cason Wallace, Jalen Williams, and Isaiah Joe all share these similarities. Donovan Mitchell, Tyrese Haliburton, Ja Morant, Cade Cunningham, Tyrese Maxey, James Harden, and it’s even found in one of the best rookies in the 2025 class so far, Cedric Coward. Darryn also falls under the touch, feel, plus wingspan as well. Darryn is likely to be a guy who gets most of his assists because of usage rather than a traditional guard who is trying to set up an offense, and that’s fairly common in scoring guards in today’s game (ex. Anthony Edwards, early years Devin Booker, Donovan Mitchell, Jalen Brunson, etc.).

One of the gripes from stat nerds coming into the college season was that Darryn had a sub-30% 3pr (three-point rate) going into college, but Bill Self’s (Kansas’ coach) system is going to allow Darryn to take a lot more 3-point jumpers than he did pre-NCAA — Darryn has already been increasing his 3PR throughout the years in HS, too! I’m not worried about Darryn’s pull-up jumper game at all; he has had great FT touch his entire career. The game looks super easy for Darryn; he doesn’t get sped up, he doesn’t get slowed down, he plays at his pace, and the defenders are always on their heels. He has gone toe-to-toe with some of the top-ranked recruits in his class and has even hit game-winning shots on their team *cough cough* AJ Dybantsa & Utah Prep *cough cough*. DP has the goods, and I’m excited to see him play, hopefully, in the near future.

TIER 2: FIGHTERS

3a. Caleb Wilson

If you’ve been following the draft, Caleb Wilson has made a LOT of noise early in the cycle. Caleb Wilson is a 6’10 forward with a listed 7-foot wingspan who has a knack for basketball. This kid makes stuff happen. He is always crashing the defensive glass, getting out in transition, passing the basketball, crashing the offensive glass, draws fouls, and oh my goodness, he is an absolute terror on defense. That’s not even the fun part, either; he actually cares about his name being respected. Caleb Wilson sees the disrespect on social media, screenshots it, and sets it as his wallpaper. Not only that, he takes not getting the basketball in a McDonald’s All-American game as disrespect, and called out Darryn Peterson. You see this stuff from time to time in the draft process, like Matas Buzelis calling out Zaccharie Risacher for a 1v1 during the 2024 draft cycle, and usually I don’t take it too seriously because it isn’t really production on the court, BUT HE TALKS THE TALK AND THEN WALKS THE WALK! He embodies production at such a high level; his rebounding is phenomenal (24.7 Dreb% & 9.9 Oreb%), his steal and block rates are super high (4.3 blk% & 3.4 stl%), he has a freaking 69.1% FT rate (he’s getting to the stripe a ton) and he’s shooting the FT% better than he ever has in his career on solid volume. Caleb has polished up his face-up game, he’s dunking everything, and man, there’s just so much improvement from him since HS.

Now, there are some concerns, he isn’t shooting a lot of 3s, and his non-dunk rim% has not been efficient at all (31.6%, I believe). The touch around the basket makes me feel like the FT% improvement is fake, especially when you pair that with his lack of 3pt attempts. The only notable NBA players who have had a non-dunk rim% under 40% are Max Christie and Peyton Watson… that is not good company to be in if those are the only 2 NBA players worth noting. There are some better players when you push it to 50% as the threshold: Lu Dort, Jaden McDaniels, Zach LaVine, VJ Edgecombe, Avery Bradley, Bam Adebayo, Dereck Lively, and Jaren Jackson Jr. It’s interesting because most of those players that made it were defensive oriented, but still, there’s like 70+ other drafted college players since 2010 who failed. However, we are rocking with Caleb Wilson for now. One comparison someone brought to my attention the other day (shoutout @AJ3Jazz on X) was Kevin Garnett, and honestly, I see it. I laugh at it too because of how crazy it sounds out loud, and people were making that comparison for the Jazz’ Taylor Hendricks who went 9th in 2023, but Caleb Wilson actually fits the mold of Kevin Garnett. KG wasn’t a guy who had elite touch coming into the league either.

Caleb Wilson also plays like a big man. He gets a lot of post touches and he crashes the offensive glass. However, his perimeter game is even more lackluster than Boozer’s was. I’d say there is potential for a small ball 5 who can be an impactful basketball player at the same time. I mean, look at the names we have listed above already, Bam Adebayo, Jaren Jackson Jr, and freaking Kevin Garnett. There is nothing wrong with being a toolsy small ball 5 who can defend multiple positions, pass the ball, and score at the same time. I’d say there is a lot of patience that needs to be done before we make a complete decision on Caleb Wilson for now. With all of this being said, I’m riding with him for now, and we’ll check back at a later date.

3b. Jayden Quaintance

When you talk about potential all-defense guys, Jayden Quaintance has to be in the mix. JQ was playing college basketball last year on a terrible Arizona State team before he transferred to Kentucky. 24 games into the season, Quaintance tore his ACL, and from what it sounds like, Jayden has healed up quicker than Kentucky was hoping, and we should be seeing a return here soon. On ASU, Quaintance showed us that he is very mobile at 6’9 (potentially 6’10) and can be everywhere on defense, and he makes that even easier with a crazy long wingspan of 7’5.

Not only does Jayden have elite anthro metrics, but Jayden Quaintance has also shown that he can put the ball on the ground and swing the rock. Now, last season JQ had a very questionable shot selection at times, but now that he has joined a team with more structure, better players, and a team that is trying to make a legitimate run at an NCAA title, it’s likely that he will not be fooling around as much as he did on ASU when he was 17 years old.

Even with the offensive rough edges, the appeal with Quaintance is simple: big, young, tools, and real feel. He doesn’t have to be a polished scorer to make an impact early — his defensive activity, ground coverage, and timing already translate. If he buys into a defined role offensively, finishes plays, keeps the ball moving, and cuts out the low-percentage stuff, he’s the kind of modern frontcourt piece who can swing lineups. The path is straightforward: defend at a high level, stay disciplined, and let the physical tools carry the baseline value while the skill slowly catches up, like, he’s going to be 18 on draft day even after already playing 2 years of college basketball, buy stock now.

3c. AJ Dybantsa

For me, AJ Dybantsa has been nothing but disappointing in his start of the season vs BYU. I’ll make this quick as well. Though there are many things to love about AJ: He creates his own shot and get’s down hill in a variety of ways, he does pass the ball, and he plays within BYU’s system the way that he should — particularly running an action with Keba Keita where he receives a Gortat screen from him for an easy & open layup.

My qualms stem from his lack of defensive production. In high school, AJ did not have a high steal or block rate, in fact, it was rather low. AJ was blessed with all of the tools to be a monster on defense, but instead, he is a straight-up chud. He looks lost half of the time, he isn’t blocking anything, and he isn’t getting in any lanes. He kind of just stands around, awaiting the next offensive possession. That’s not even the part that frustrates me. You mean to tell me you can’t assert yourself on defense against unranked teams and low-major schools like Holy Cross or Delaware? He hasn’t even been crashing the offensive glass as much either! Offensive rebounding is something I value a lot for guys who predominantly score in the paint, and especially if you’re 6’9. This just screams “low motor” player to me. Another indicator of that is the foul rate because, typically, when players have a higher foul rate, it can mean/show that a player is trying on defense, and AJ’s foul rate is low. So, with all of those indicators, it turns me off from him quite a bit. The only reason I’m not putting him lower is because a team is going to take him high, he’s going to get a lot of usage for many years, and he’s going to be a usage PRA (points, rebounds, assists) guy rather than a true impactful basketball player. I’ve said it’s more likely he brings Carmelo Anthony-level impact to a team than, let’s say, a Rudy Gobert-level impact — fight me. I do think it’s going to be hard for him to bring back crazy net negative value on defense, but I suspect it won’t be super positive. He will have a mix of good moments, bad moments, eh moments, and fine moments, but what matters the most is which moment will we see the most frequently.

The lack of 3pt scoring frustrates me because he’d rather shoot a contested fade-away mid-range jumper if he can’t find his way to the basket. There’s just a lot going on with AJ right now that has been frustrating a lot of people in the draft space, including me, obviously.

Really hoping AJ gets it going because 1) I live in Utah and want BYU to go all the way, and 2) I love the NBA and want my eyes to witness another fantastic NBA career. So please, AJ, get it together!

TIER 3: NBA PLAYERS

SHORTER DESCRIPTIONS NOW

6a. Yaxel Lendeborg

A forward on one of the best frontcourts in college basketball, Yaxel Lendeborg is off to a fantastic start in what hopes to be is best season yet. After dominating mid-major basketball for years, Yaxel has come up to play with the big boys, and by gosh, he is not disappointing. A forward with high IQ who can dribble, pass, shoot, and has amazing anthros (big frame, long wingspan). He is an impact player who crashes the glass, has amazing touch at the rim, and is not holding back from deep after having a lower three-point rate in previous years.

He may be old, but all you will get from drafting Yaxel will be gold. There is value in drafting older players, and Yaxel could be one of them ones who pop like the other ancient college players who made it into the league. (ex. Draymond, Jimmy Butler, Zach Edey, Jimmy Butler, Grant Hill, Tim Duncan, okay, maybe not that good, but Derrick White good).

6b. Bennett Stirtz

Another “old but gold” prospect who I have grown to love is Bennett Stirtz. Stirtz is one of the best point-guards in college basketball and plays a very traditional guard style of basketball. Think Tyrese Haliburton. Stirtz is efficient at the rim, has elite feel for the game, draws a lot of contact, can shoot the peel, and is a neutral to solid defender.

He’s someone who grabbed a lot of people’s attention late in the year last year, and it only increased as he went on a tear in the NCAA tournament. He transferred to Iowa, following his coach and teammates from Drake, and wants to show people that he can perform in high-major basketball.

6c. Koa Peat

Koa is a player who I can’t get a full grasp on yet, and I still need a larger sample size to form a better opinion, but he’s been productive early. Another guy with a monster body, Koa is a fantastic defender; he moves well, he uses his length to disrupt defenses, he blocks shots, he doesn’t foul more than he should, and he’s been crashing the defensive glass.

On offense, he also nabs a lot of putbacks and has been great in the pick and roll, but that hasn’t been his greatest skill. In my opinion, his greatest asset is his passing. Not a lot of guys at his size and length have the ability to find the open man or just make a simple dump off pass to the other big man down low, but Koa has excelled when operating as Arizona’s hub.

The biggest questions I have are about his shooting touch. As it stands, he is shooting 65.9% from the stripe on fairly high volume this early in the season — his pre-NCAA FT% was 61.6% on the sample size I have. His far 2% has not been great so far either, at 33.3% FG on 30 attempts. It is something that scared me even before he played a game at Arizona, too; Koa Peat has a mediocre 2PT% (53.6%), in my eyes, for a guy who had a very low three-point rate (11.2 3pr). One thing that stood out to some draft evaluators is that Koa Peat created almost all of his shots in HS, excusing his low 3pt% and low 2pt%, and after his first few games into the year with Arizona, it looked like that was true. Now that the Koa game vs Florida hype has died down, and some bad shooting performances outside the paint have accrued, I’m growing hesitant on Koa.

I do believe that he can find a role in the NBA quite easily because of his efficiency in the paint, passing, and defense, so I am holding on to that for now. I’m thinking along the lines of an Aaron Gordon. However, Kawhi had these same problems at San Diego State, and he mid-range spammed his way into being a great shooter, so maybe Koa can too.

6d. Meleek Thomas

Leek is 6’4 – 6’5, and has the touch, feel, and plus wingspan that I have said I love before. Leek has been putting up a TON of 3s, and shots in general. He is shooting 66.7% at the rim, has a FT% of 83.3%, a 3pr of 54.4 and shooting it on an average clip of 34.5%. That’s not even the wildest part. Currently, he is a passing outlier — 27% usage rate with a 23.8%, AND ONLY A 6.9% TO% (he has an a:to of 3.9). History says that it’s not sustainable for a player at his age to keep it up, and shoutout Cam Boozer for being in that conversation as well, but even then, Meleek is marginally better than them in that department.

Meleek is just an amazing prospect so far in my eyes. Even with the 3pt volume, he is still crashing the offensive glass, too, and he has a great stl% so far. I do wish he had a better FTR, but if you look at most of Calipari’s (Arkansas’ HC) guard prospects with 3pt volume, the FTR is almost always underwhelming due to the system & coaching. Meleek hasn’t been a volume PnR guy in his career from what I’ve seen, and the small sample of playtype data we have so far backs that up, but he can run it. He’s played the 2/3 wing spot for most of his career, and I think he could even be playing out of position because has the ball on the string, can beat people with his first step, pass out of double teams, and create some shots, I just wish there was more on ball actions and BH PnR stuff run where he is the primary playmaker instead of a scorer because he definitely has feel. Anyways, wingspan, touch, and feel, with some positive stl+foul rates. Meleek has the early indicators of being a great guard prospect, and hopefully, it continues as conference play gets rolling here soon.

6e. Hannes Steinbach

Hannes Steinbach projects as a functional, connective frontcourt player whose best NBA outcome mirrors the long, steady career of Mason Plumlee (as a median outcome). Opinions on Steinbach vary, but the middle ground is the most realistic: a reliable, role-driven big with strong feel, efficient interior scoring, and the ability to elevate lineups through decision-making rather than athletic pop.

Steinbach, like Plumlee, fits the mold of a rhythm-based athlete. He isn’t an explosive leaper from a standstill, but he compensates with timing, coordination, and excellent hands. His rebounding approach reflects this — he frequently tips the ball to himself, uses his frame to seal defenders, and wins on positioning rather than burst. Compared at the same developmental stage, Steinbach is already the better offensive rebounder, generating extra possessions through body control and anticipation.

One of his most intriguing traits is his ability to handle the ball. Whether pushing in transition, flowing into dribble attacks out of the roll, or operating from the perimeter, Steinbach plays with composure and keeps actions alive. He makes quick, correct reads, showing real potential as a short-roll facilitator and connective passer in modern NBA spacing.

His measurements support an NBA-ready frame. Steinbach’s most recent numbers — 6’9.5″ without shoes, 229 lbs, and a 7’1″ wingspan — are in the same ballpark as Plumlee’s combine marks (6’11”, 238 lbs, 6’11” wingspan at age 23). The physical comparison isn’t exact, but stylistically it’s strong: both rely on functional strength, coordination, and timing rather than elite vertical tools.

This comp may feel modest to those looking for a flashier projection, but it reflects a high-probability, high-value outcome. Plumlee carved out a 10+ year career as a starter, backup, and dependable rotation piece thanks to his rim efficiency, screening, connective passing, and defensive competence. If Steinbach lands in that developmental lane, he becomes a winning player who fits across multiple lineups and schemes.

Overall, Steinbach profiles as a smart, disciplined, physical big who brings stability, extra possessions, and decision-making to the frontcourt. The archetype isn’t glamorous, but it’s durable — and for teams prioritizing functionality and feel, Steinbach represents a strong and realistic long-term investment.

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