2026 NBA Draft Prospects, pundits lock in ahead of NBA Draft
Media Day on the eve of the NBA Draft gave the basketball world one more chance to crystallize its thoughts before selections begin.
Jeff Zillgitt and Krysten Peek, NBA.com
June 22, 2026 11:45 PM
Potential top pick AJ Dybantsa met with the media along with all the draft’s top prospects on Monday. Twenty-four projected NBA draft picks and ESPN draft analysts met with the media Monday ahead of Tuesday’s first round of the NBA Draft (8 ET, ABC/ESPN).
Much was revealed including ESPN draft analyst Fran Fraschilla’s choice of ice cream in relation to the depth of point guards in this year’s class. “Some nights I like baseball nut, some nights I like rocky road, some nights I like chocolate chip cookie dough,” he said, “and specifically with the top four point guards, I love them all. They’re all different. They all fit different situations.” For the record, ESPN draft analyst Jay Bilas is a mint chocolate chip person.
Here are sights and sounds from Monday’s media sessions in New York.
AJ Dybantsa’s busy schedule and night before the draft jitters
Dybantsa, a projected top 3 pick who could go to the Washington Wizards at No. 1, has been everywhere during the pre-draft process. He was in Boston for his older sister’s graduation from Boston College, then Dybantsa and his father, Ace, flew to Paris for the French Open and continued training sessions with Zack Gonzales (the same trainer who went through the pre-draft process with Brooklyn Nets guard Egor Demin last year). Dybantsa then flew back to the United States and was the Player Correspondent during Games 3 and 4 of the NBA Finals in New York. It wasn’t until last weekend when he finally flew to Washington, D.C. and Salt Lake City to meet with the Wizards and Jazz. He has been in New York since last Tuesday for other interviews and obligations with his sponsors Red Bull and Nike.
Follow AJ Dybantsa as he took a break from his draft prep to soak in the NYC skyline with a trip to the Empire State Building! Watch the First Round of the 2026 NBA Draft tomorrow at 8:00pm/et on ABC & ESPN. pic.twitter.com/UxODQwNpTb — NBA Draft (@NBADraft) June 22, 2026
“My schedule is busy, but I’m just finding times whenever I can to be in the gym and work out,” Dybantsa said. When asked if he was going to work out Monday night, Dybantsa said, “Absolutely. I probably won’t be able to sleep so I’ll be in the gym for sure.”
High praise for Cameron Boozer
ESPN draft analyst Jay Bilas watched plenty of Duke’s Cameron Boozer this season. “He’s going to be, if he stays healthy, a truly outstanding pro,” Bilas said. “He’s still really young. He’s actually younger than a number of the other prospects that we’ve been talking about, but at his size, his skill level, but he’s got an understanding of how to play that’s unusual, and he’s got what I would call great processing skills. There are a lot of players who understand the game but aren’t able to process it at the highest level while the pressure’s on and everything’s occurring and he processes actions while they’re happening at a really high level. He had 14 games this year where he led Duke in scoring, rebounding and assists. And he’s an excellent passer. The one thing you could say is does he have the NBA elite athleticism? And I think the answer’s maybe not, but he’s a really good athlete.”
Like father, like son 💪 Carlos and Cam Boozer break down the similarities and differences in their game as Cam prepares for the 2026 NBA Draft. First Round: Tuesday at 8pm/et on ABC and ESPN. pic.twitter.com/Ft3BHyhq2E — NBA (@NBA) June 22, 2026
Fellow ESPN draft analyst Fran Fraschilla said of Boozer: “I know our buddy Tim Legler compares him to Kevin Love. As much as I love Kevin Love at UCLA, he’s got more in the toolbox than Kevin did. That’s not a criticism because Kevin’s a great player, a near Hall-of-Famer. But I just think this kid could be the American (Nikola) Jokic. I really do. He has all the offensive skills you need to be a superstar.”
Players taking in the sights of NYC before the draft
Darryn Peterson visited the Edge: NYC Sunday. Asked if he had a good time at the scenic rooftop view 1,100 feet above Manhattan, he said, “Nope! I’m actually afraid of heights. It was terrifying.”
Darryn Peterson visits @EdgeNYC ahead of Draft night! 🗽 Watch the 2026 NBA Draft on June 23-24! pic.twitter.com/BPGA8JdGJo — NBA (@NBA) June 22, 2026
Allen Graves is from a small town in Louisiana and said visiting Philadelphia when he worked out there and now in New York has been overwhelming. “This city never sleeps. It’s crazy!” he said. “I’m from a really small town so just seeing how busy everything is in these big cities is cool. There’s so much to do.”
“Being in New York before the draft, my favorite thing has been the food,” Dybantsa said. “I’ve had some really good meals here.”
Going pro in basketball … and fishing?
Alabama’s Labaron Philon Jr. is skilled on the basketball court and also skilled with a fishing rod. “I can fish at a high level,” Philon said. “I caught a really big bass not too long ago. I was just playing around on the water, and I was reeling in when something snapped and hit it. It scared me.”
Making history for Mexico?
Forward Karim Lopez spent the past two seasons playing for the New Zealand Breakers in Australia’s National Basketball League. He is a projected first-round selection, and if that happens, he will be the first player born in Mexico drafted in the first round. “It would mean a lot to me,” Lopez said. “It would mean a lot to my country and my people.”
Stirtz embraces Korver comp
Iowa’s Bennett Stirtz started his college career at Northwest Missouri State, then followed NMSU coach Ben McCollum to Drake. And after McCollum left Drake to coach Iowa, Stirtz transferred to Iowa where he was an All-Big Ten performer, averaging 19.8 points and shooting 35.8% on 3-pointers. Fraschilla compared him to Kyle Korver. It’s a comparison Stirtz doesn’t mind, especially after working out in the pre-draft process for the Atlanta Hawks where Korver played and is now an assistant general manager. “That’d be great,” Stirtz said. “I think I can handle the ball a little bit more. No shade to Kyle Korver. He’s a great dude. I wouldn’t be mad at that at all.”
Cenac appreciates Sampson’s coaching
It takes the right kind of player to play for Houston Cougars coach Kelvin Sampson, a former NBA assistant who pushes his players. “He coached me hard every single day,” Houston big man Chris Cenac Jr. said. “He held me accountable for everything. He said he coached me harder than anybody he’s coached. Respect to him for that.” Cenac is a projected mid-to-late first-round pick.
The “analytics darling” of the 2026 Draft
Santa Clara forward Allen Graves has snuck into the first round of mock drafts, possibly going in the late teens. He’s a favorite among the advanced stats crowd because of box score plus-minus (No. 6 in 2025-26), scoring efficiency (51.2% shooting from the field, 41.3% on 3-pointers) and low turnover rate. “As far as the analytics part goes, I just play my game,” Graves said. “That’s just how I’ve played my whole life. If it shows up analytically, that’s what it does. I know how big of an impact it’s had on NBA scouts.”
Try stopping this downhill force
Bilas provided the analogy of the day when talking about Arkansas guard Darius Acuff Jr. “He was the first player in the Southeastern Conference to lead the league in scoring and assists since Pete Maravich did it,” Bilas said. “And it’s like trying to guard a bowling ball coming down the mountain. He’s so powerful and athletic and he’s ultra-skilled, and at the end of the season, he was unstoppable.” Several mock drafts have Acuff going to Sacramento at No. 7 – not surprising since Kings general manager Scott Perry coached Acuff’s dad at Eastern Kentucky for the 1998-99 season.
Flemings’ sister ready to star at Duke
Kingston Flemings, who also played for Sampson at Houston, is a projected lottery pick. His sister, Bella Flemings, is set to begin her freshman season at Duke later this year. Asked about similarities and differences in their games, Flemings said, “Similar, both competitive, both want to win. Different, I think I’m more of a point guard. She’s more of a combo scoring guard. She’s naturally a shooter. I think I’m naturally a facilitator.”
Of Flemings’ game, Fraschilla said: “I’m a little partial to Kingston Flemings because I’ve gotten to know him and when you say no maintenance, there’s no maintenance with that young man. I also think Kingston may have the highest ceiling. When you go play for Kelvin Sampson – keep in mind, he’s the first five-star (recruit) to play at Houston under Kelvin Sampson – when you do that, you’re basically joining the basketball equivalent of Navy SEALs.”
What do prospects like about other prospects?
If a draft prospect could “steal” a skill from another player, what is the skill and from whom? “Darius Acuff’s touch,” Baylor’s Cameron Carr said. “Cam Boozer’s IQ,” North Carolina’s Caleb Wilson said.
The international connection
In the last four years of the draft, the first round has been sprinkled with international talent. This year’s draft class features just a few international prospects. Karim Lopez is from Mexico and played the last two seasons in New Zealand, and Hannes Steinbach elected to leave Germany and play one year at Washington before entering the NBA.
“That’s my guy right there,” Lopez said when he saw Hannes entering the set for NBA TV’s On the Clock. “He’s probably the guy I’m closest to in this draft class. He’s really good, too.”
"Guys like me… can help Mexico grow that foundation." Karim Lopez on how him being drafted to the NBA can help grow the game of basketball in Mexico. https://t.co/q2aVSWMRa4 pic.twitter.com/9DTucy9NhY — NBA (@NBA) June 22, 2026
The two joked about a photo shoot where Lopez said he looked like a car salesman and then talked a little bit about the World Cup and who was going to win before dapping up and saying goodbye. Both players were extremely relaxed 24 hours before they hear their names called Tuesday night and find out where they will be starting their NBA careers.
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