Emmanuel Sharp Prepares for 2026 Draft After Workouts With 13 Teams

Emmanuel Sharp, the son of Derrick Sharp, is expected to be selected in the 2026 NBA Draft in the second round, with the draft set for the night between Wednesday and Thursday. A Sports5 report, based on an interview with PAPERcity, detailed the behind-the-scenes work that went into his draft preparation.

Sharp said he held workouts for 13 teams, including the Boston Celtics, Denver Nuggets, Golden State Warriors, Indiana Pacers, New York Knicks, Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs. He described the sessions as full-team evaluations, saying, "Every time there are basically all the staff members there, general managers, coaches, assistants... usually everyone sits on the side and watches the whole workout."

Houston coach Kelvin Sampson praised him highly, saying, "Emmanuel will be an NBA player for a very long time," and added that the team that picks him will be getting "a winner." Houston assistant Anthony Goldwire also said he spoke with Celtics assistant Sam Cassell, who told him Sharp "played hard," can also score, and would fit Houston's culture after four years in its program.

Sharp said his work with Goldwire featured a lot of dribble moves and one-on-one action, which he believes expanded and diversified his game. He also trained with coach Irv Roland, who has worked with the Houston Rockets and Utah Jazz and previously accompanied James Harden, and Roland focused on agility drills, shooting and three-on-three play. Sharp said, "I overcame a lot of difficulties to get to this point," and added that after "all the hate, all the criticism," he kept his head down and kept working.