2026 NBA Draft Preview: Washington on the Clock, Second Round Could Include Israelis
The 2026 NBA Draft begins overnight, with the first round set for Tuesday into Wednesday and the second round, where Noam Yaakov and Emmanuel Sharp could be selected, scheduled for Wednesday into Thursday. Washington owns the No. 1 pick and, according to U.S. reports, has still not decided between AJ Dybantsa and Darryn Peterson.
ESPN said the gap between the two prospects appears very small. Dybantsa, 19, 2.06 meters, was a standout scorer at BYU with 25.5 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game, shooting 51 percent from the field and 33 percent from three. He has been compared to Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Tracy McGrady, and worked out for both Washington and Utah, which picks second.
Peterson, 19, 1.98 meters, declined to work out for Utah and was evaluated only by Washington. If he is not taken first, Utah is expected to select him anyway, as it did last year with Ace Bailey. Peterson missed 11 games in his lone college season at Kansas because of injuries, but when healthy he averaged 20.2 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists, shooting 43 percent overall and 38 percent from deep. He has been compared to Devin Booker.
Most projections have Memphis taking Cameron Boozer at No. 3. The 18-year-old, 2.06-meter son of Carlos Boozer, averaged 22.5 points, 10.2 rebounds and 4.1 assists, with shooting splits of 55 percent from the field and 39 percent from three. Chicago is projected to get Caleb Wilson at No. 4, while the Clippers at No. 5 could take VJ Edgecombe, with Tennessee forward Nate Ament also mentioned.
Brooklyn, despite taking three point guards in the previous draft, is expected to choose another guard at No. 6. ESPN and Yahoo project it to be Mikel Brown Jr. of Louisville, who averaged 18.2 points, 3.3 rebounds and 4.7 assists last season. The article also lists the full first-round order, starting with Washington, Utah, Memphis, Chicago, the Clippers and Brooklyn, and ending with Dallas at No. 30.
