There’s a well-worn social media meme about messy people doing messy things because that’s just who they are in their core. But then someone comes along and thinks they can fix that person despite all the available evidence to the contrary. This is the precursor to the classic Arrested Development bit. Something tells me Minnesota bossman Tim Connelly is unfamiliar with those pop culture staples.

On Thursday, the Timberwolves acquired LaMelo Ball and Josh Green from the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for Naz Reid, a 2033 unprotected first-round pick, three first-round pick swaps (2028, 2029, 2030) and three second-round picks. That’s a lot of draft capital for the Wolves to give up, to say nothing of losing a former Sixth Man of the Year in Reid, a guy who could have been the starting power forward in Minnesota after they cut ties with Julius Randle earlier in the week.

In the course of all this, the already-thin Wolves — who gave Ayo Dosumnu a new five-year deal worth $112 million but are likely to be without the services of Donte DiVincenzo for next season due to an Achilles injury — have even less depth. Pairing Ball with Anthony Edwards was apparently too enticing for the Wolves to pass up, but there are countless questions about why Connelly would find that so alluring and how he plans to build out the rest of the roster.

Why the Hornets wanted to move on

We’ll start with Ball, who the Hornets rightly decided wasn’t their guy anymore, choosing to take Reid, the haul of draft picks and swaps, and build around two players who are just flat out better in Kon Knueppel and Brandon Miller. Ball is a counting stats monster, but he’s also rarely available. Yes, he played 72 games last season, but in the three seasons prior to that, he managed to be on the floor for just 105 games combined. And when he did play in Charlotte, the Hornets weren’t a very good basketball team. In six seasons, the Hornets went 139-164 with him on the floor. That’s less than ideal.

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Credit to Hornets coach Charles Lee for trying to coach up Ball and get him to play within the confines of a team system, but LaMelo never consistently got the message. Now and then, it looked like he was willing to be less of a freelancer, only to then revert back to his poor decision-making and abiding love for me-first highlight reel hoops. Ball’s brand of basketball is something approaching YOLO on roller skates. Someone — and apologies to who first came up with this because I can’t remember, but it was a great line — once said he looks like he’s playing basketball in slides. It can be entertaining at times. Unless your main goal is to try to win games above all else, at which point his approach is something much closer to maddening.

Even when the Hornets won games with Ball, it was just as frequently in spite of him as because of him. And sometimes all of that happened on the same night, where Charlotte was forced to overcome messy LaMelo for long stretches, only for him to do something spectacular when the odds seemed heavily stacked against it.

The LaMelo Experience (summed up in one game)

There was perhaps no better example of the full LaMelo Ball Experience than the Hornets play-in game against the Miami Heat this past postseason. Ball hit the game winner and the Hornets won the 9-10 matchup by one point in overtime.

That was good LaMelo, the flash of bright light that can draw so many people toward him. Bad LaMelo was everything that came before that moment, and there was a lot of it. Ball had 30 points, 10 assists and 5 rebounds in that game, but he also needed 31 shots to do it. That included an almost impossible but decidedly comical 14 misses on 16 3-point attempts. At some point, you’d think that, with his shot not falling from distance, he’d adjust his game. You’d think he’d give consideration to the situation on the floor, the time on the clock, how the game was unfolding and how he might best serve his team. You’d think that, and you’d be wrong. Just look at this inadvisable logo 3 he walks into against the Heat with the Hornets up three, halftime approaching, and a ton of time on the shot clock.

My favorite part of that clip is play-by-play announcer Kevin Harlan exclaiming “oh no” as Ball launched. There’s perhaps never been a more succinct encapsulation of how Ball plays.

But that decision was merely a garden variety Ball mishap. There were far more egregious examples of him going Full LaMelo against Miami. At one point, he pulled Bam Adebayo‘s leg out from under him, causing Adebayo to miss the rest of the game with an injury.

Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra wasn’t amused. After the loss, he was asked about Ball’s actions and said “I don’t think it’s cute. I don’t think it’s funny. It’s a dangerous play.” Spoelstra added that Ball should have been thrown out of the game. He wasn’t, but the league did fine him $35,000. He also got hit with another $25,000 fine for cursing in the postgame interview while boasting about the game-winning shot — which also conveniently helped everyone forget about the two boneheaded mistakes he made right before that easily could have cost the Hornets their dramatic victory.

With under 20 seconds remaining in overtime and the Hornets up two, Ball brought the ball up the floor but failed to react quickly enough to the Heat sending a double team at him before he reached halfcourt. He then panicked and threw the ball away, a costly turnover that let the Heat sprint the other direction where Tyler Herro ran to the corner and hoisted a 3-pointer. Even worse than the untimely turnover, Ball compounded his earlier mistake by fouling Herro on the shot. It was a disastrous sequence that was emblematic of how Ball’s style, bad decision-making and lack of awareness can haunt his team.

Herro hit all three free throws to put the Heat up one. But because Ball made the last shot and won the game, those inexcusable miscues faded into the background. That game was a stark example of how volatile LaMelo can be on the court, but there are countless other instances that preceded it. And now it will be up to the Wolves and head coach Chris Finch to manage all the Ball boo-boos that follow.

Wolves have work to do

On paper, Ball’s talent is tantalizing and there’s an argument to be made that the Wolves had to roll the dice in the hyper-competitive Western Conference. They were unable to get past the conference finals in two consecutive years and got bounced in the second round this past season. Connelly obviously decided it was time for a change and evidently hopes that pairing Edwards and Ball will level up the Wolves. I’m skeptical.

The guess is that Dosumnu goes to the bench as a super sub and makes a bid for Sixth Man of the Year, because playing him as a starter along with Ball and Anthony Edwards would leave them vulnerable at the defensive end. Dosumnu is crafty but small, and the next time Ball plays good defense will be the first.

Beyond Ball, with Reid and Randle gone, who’s the power forward here? Is Joan Berringer really the backup for Rudy Gobert at center? And how do they plan to address the rest of the bench? They have a team option on Terrance Shannon, while Bones Hyland, Kyle Anderson and Mike Conley are all free agents.

There’s a lot of work to do in Minnesota. Connelly is one of the best executives in the NBA. He built the Nuggets roster that won the championship a few seasons ago and then overhauled the Wolves that went deep into the postseason in back-to-back years. But he doesn’t have a ton of levers left to pull, considering he just gave the Hornets control of the Wolves draft for a big chunk of the next seven years. Connelly must have a vision here, but what it is beyond let Ant and LaMelo cook and hope for the best is hard to see at the moment.

The 2026 NBA Draft is in the books, and the class that scouts and executives have been circling for years finally has NBA homes. The final 30 selections were made Wednesday in the second round, to conclude a historic draft.

For all the anticipation around this draft — and there has been plenty — was relatively light on true chaos. There were a few wonky, small-potatoes trades, some movement around the margins and one notable faller in Koa Peat, who slid further than expected before barely saving face as a first-round pick. But the headliner remained the pool itself: a loaded group of prospects headlined by a Big 3 whose potential stardom has been obvious since high school. AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson and Cameron Boozer have long been viewed as franchise-altering talents, and now the real work begins for the Wizards, Jazz and Grizzlies, in that order.

The strength of this draft did not stop there. Caleb Wilson and Keaton Wagler helped give the top five even more star power than expected, while the one-and-done point guard crop — Wagler, Mikel Brown, Darius Acuff and Kingston Flemings among them — gave lottery teams plenty to debate. Brooklyn picking Brown over Acuff will be one of the draft’s defining long-term questions.

As always, these grades are not just a referendum on the player. They are an attempt to evaluate each pick in the proper context: the prospect’s long-term upside, the team fit, the range of outcomes and, in some cases, the resources it took to get into position to make the selection.

• More NBA Draft: Complete coverage | Draft tracker | LIVE updates
• Mock draft: Adam Finkelstein’s second round projections

With that in mind, here are CBS Sports’ grades for every pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.

2026 NBA Draft Grades

Round 1

1. Washington Wizards: AJ Dybantsa | BYU | SF 

Dybantsa is a prototypical big wing with positional size, length, athleticism, and an elastic build who can score from all three levels and create his own offense almost on demand. He pressures the rim, understands how to get fouled, and is as polished of a scorer as we’ve seen in several draft cycles. He will be a Day 1 scorer in the NBA and yet still has plenty of room to keep taking his game to new levels with the progression of his 3-point shooting, handle, and defense. Dybantsa legitimately has the potential to lead the NBA in scoring one day, but also has to prove that he can consistently impact, and ultimately, drive winning. Grade: A

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2. Utah Jazz: Darryn Peterson | Kansas | PG

Peterson is the best fit here and has the higher long-term upside. At Kansas this season we saw a level of shot-making that we did not know existed. Peterson can get to the rim, score at all levels, and is a dynamic shotmaker. He has a chance to be the very best player to come out of this draft. With the frontcourt rebuilt this year, you can slot Peterson very cleanly next to Keyonte George to create Utah’s backcourt of the future. With this move, the Jazz have essentially rebuilt its roster. The hope is that the durability issues from last season are now behind him and he can merge the shot-making we saw at Kansas with the creation we saw in high school. Grade: A

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3. Memphis Grizzlies: Cameron Boozer | Duke | PF

Boozer has the highest floor in the draft and an underrated ceiling. Not only can no other player in the field match Boozer’s history of winning or production, but Boozer also has an unmatched overlap of size, skill, physicality, and feel for the game. He’s also very much in line with the type of player that Memphis has prioritized in the draft process in recent years. Memphis can plug Boozer in next to Zach Edey and Cedric Coward and Memphis’ rebuilding project already has their frontcourt of the future figured out. Grade: A+

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4. Chicago Bulls: Caleb Wilson | N. Carolina | PF

Wilson was the fairly obvious choice here. He has legit star-type outcome and potential. He’s the most explosive athlete in the draft with a big-time motor and unusual elasticity (or bend) for a player his size.  At North Carolina, Wilson was farther along offensively than expected and yet has immense room for progress, not just with his perimeter skill-set, but even his defensive polish. Those tools should check a lot of boxes for new Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Bryson Graham. Grade: A    

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5. Los Angeles Clippers: Keaton Wagler | Illinois | PG

Of the four one-and-done freshman point guards, Wagler is the easiest to pair with Clippers’ guard Darius Garland. The positional size and shooting give him on/off ball versatility that would be critical in this context, but it’s his feel for the game and natural instincts that may be his true superpower. Wagler is a natural shooter with versatility to make shots off the catch, dribble, or on the move. He has terrific basketball instincts, high basketball IQ, and a very deliberate pace that prevents opposing defenders from speeding him up. Grade: B+

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6. Brooklyn Nets: Mikel Brown Jr. | Louisville | PG 

Brown gives Brooklyn a naturally skilled, high-upside, late-blooming lead guard, whose athleticism is catching up. He’s incredibly skilled, naturally ambidextrous, has complete control of the ball, is a pinpoint passer, and a much better shooter than his numbers showed at Louisville. Brown Makes deep shots in bunches when he gets hot. Excellent left hand too. Very good floor-vision, passing, and ability to make reads coming off of ball-screens. Ranked in the 89th percentile as a pick-and-roll ball-handler. Grown into having positional size at 6-3.5 without shoes, long arms, and newfound athleticism. The concerns are Brown’s lack of strength and physicality. He can hunt high-level plays instead of making the easy one, and he has a history of injuries, which could impact his durability. Brown impressed teams when he met with them face-to-face. Grade: B

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7. Sacramento Kings: Darius Acuff Jr. | Arkansas | PG

This is exactly what Sacramento wanted and it didn’t have to trade up to get him.  Acuff gives the Kings the type of offensive alpha creator they don’t yet have and he provides a more immediate impact than other players on the board, especially on the offensive end of the floor. Acuff is a shot-creator and multi-level scoring threat. He has the strength, balance, and poise to dictate his own pace and supplements that with extreme confidence to deliver in big games and moments. There are some concerns with his defensive commitment and approach. Size, length, and athleticism are adequate for NBA standards, but not ideal. Grade: A-

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8. Atlanta Hawks: Kingston Flemings | Houston | PG

Flemings gives Atlanta a high-level athlete and two-way lead guard with a high floor. Flemings would fit with a defensively oriented young perimeter core in Atlanta, and give them plenty of upside if his shooting proves to be sustainable. What is undeniable is that Flemings is an elite athlete who can get a piece of the paint on demand and rise up explosively at the rim.

Flemings is a dynamic athlete with end-to-end speed, burst in his first step, physical strength, and leaping ability. He puts constant pressure on the paint, attacks both sides off the dribble, and rises up for big finishes. He’s also capable of getting to his pull-up at virtually any time and arguably the most dedicated defender of this freshman quartet. Flemings has solid positional size, but lacks great length. His 3-point shot is still very streaky with questionable mechanics. Grade: B+

9. Dallas Mavericks: Morez Johnson Jr. | Michigan | PF

New Mavs coach Dusty May brings in a Michigan player to Dallas. Morez Johnson was one of the biggest winners of the combine, measuring bigger than expected with massive length, well-rounded athleticism, and simultaneously reaffirming the shooting gains we saw this year. Johnson is long and powerful with an NBA-ready body and rugged physicality to match. He is a two-way rebounder and a versatile defender who can not only guard ball-screens in multiple ways but also be switchable inside-and-out.
Johnson is not a creator and doesn’t project as being more than a complementary piece offensively. Shooting is also still largely unproven with a total of 12 3-pointers in two college basketball seasons. He can provide some secondary rim protection, but doesn’t project as a primary shot-blocker at the NBA level. Grade: C+

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10. Milwaukee Bucks: Brayden Burries | Arizona | SG

The Bucks benefit from Dallas taking a swing on Morez Johnson and are able to get Burries at No. 10. Burries is a strong and aggressive two-way guard who can get downhill with force, provide a formidable 3-point shooter, and defend his position, all with an NBA-ready frame. He has versatility in his shot-making profile and utilizes his strength as an engaged defender and high-volume perimeter rebounder. Burries played point guard when he was younger, but hasn’t shown the ball-handling or passing growth as much since. Best as a secondary handler. Grade: B+

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11. Golden State Warriors: Yaxel Lendeborg | Michigan | PF

Lendeborg is one of the more versatile two-way players, and specifically defenders, in the draft. At 6-9 with a 7-3+ wingspan, he often guarded opposing point guards this year, is an excellent passer, and improved shooter who made 37% of his 3-pointers. Very good passer who can be a connector offensively, start the break himself, and has improved each year as a shooter.

The questions about Lendeborg are tied to his upside since he will turn 24-years-old before playing in his first NBA game. Very solid ball-handler for his size but more of a straight-line driver than dynamic creator or change of direction play. Aday Mara would have been a better roster fit here for the Warriors. Grade B-

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12. Oklahoma City Thunder: Aday Mara | Michigan | C 

The Thunder picking Mara here is easily seen as a direct answer to attempting to defend San Antonio Spurs superstar Victor Wembanyama for the foreseeable future. At 7-3 (without shoes), Mara is a giant, even by NBA standards, and a tremendous rim protector. He’s also got sneaky mobility, good hands, real passing ability, and provides vertical spacing.  Mara is a defensive anchor who alters or discourages as many shots as he blocks thanks to his timing and massive size.

Playmaking big who has good touch, can pass the ball from various spots on the floor, and even show some creativity with the way he can manipulate passing angles. Vertical spacer and lob threat who ranked in the 97th percentile at the rim with his extreme reach, underrated hands, and coordination for his size. Mara’s body mechanics aren’t ideal with less visible muscle mass and high/wide hips that can impact his flexibility. Not always a graceful mover on the perimeter, but more adept at keeping people in front than he sometimes gets credit for. He is an inconsistent free-throw shooter who has shown a reluctance to develop his face-up touch. Grade: A-

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13. Milwaukee Bucks: Nate Ament | Tennessee | PF

(via trade with Miami)

The Bucks begin their rebuild after trading away Giannis Antetokounmpo by selecting Ament, a late-blooming 6-10 combo-forward who is fluid and has touch and skill. Ament remains inconsistent and needs to get stronger, but has a great overlap of positional size, along with dexterity (great left hand) and fluidity as a mover. He has soft natural hands and touch and a high release point on his shot.

Ament has a lack of strength and sheer force in his game, which can impact his physicality. He can play upright, without ideal bend or upper body elasticity, on both ends of the floor, and is somewhat in between positions defensively. Ament’s shooting and finishing numbers haven’t been nearly as encouraging in college as they were in high school. While his freshman year was up and down, Ament’s overall arc has been linear, and there’s still glaring potential. That upside makes him a logical choice here. Grade B+

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14. Charlotte Hornets: Hannes Steinbach | Washington | PF

Steinbach is a skilled and smart big man who has elite hands and is a high-volume rebounder. He’s a bit between a 4 and a 5, but with the NBA trending back towards more size in the frontcourt, he should be capable of playing both positions on most nights. Efficient offensive player (58% field-goal shooting) with footwork, passing instincts, and versatility as a roller (can slip, short-roll, or even play-make some). Soft touch around the rim and floor-spacing potential (35% on catch-and-shoot 3-pointers). There are some athletic limitations both in terms of vertical explosiveness in traffic and lateral mobility when pulled to the perimeter defensively. Grade: B

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15. Chicago Bulls: Dailyn Swain | Texas | SF

Swain is a high-upside big wing who puts pressure on the rim, has all the tools to blossom into an elite defender, and significant upside if he proves to be more of a primary creator. The questions are the shooting and the high turnover rate. Swain checks a lot of boxes as a defensive-oriented big wing who can play off the bounce, pressure the rim, and provide some secondary creation.

He has the two-way versatility and the potential to play multiple positions with his perimeter size, 6-10 wingspan, and on-ball creation. If he proves to be a jumbo initiator, rather than a slashing wing, it changes his upside. Grade: C+ 

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16. Oklahoma City Thunder: Bennett Stirtz | Iowa | PG

(via trade with Memphis)

Stirtz is a highly skilled true point guard with an elite feel for the game. He’s not an overwhelming athlete or defender, but he’s a big-time shooter, ultra-reliable, and always in the right spots. Stirtz one of the smartest players in the draft, a floor-spacer and another ball-handler who can run the offense. Stirtz combines true shot-making (49% on catch-and-shoot 3-pointers) with the ability to run.

Stirtz has solid positional size, but otherwise lacks overwhelming or ideal physical tools for NBA standards. Perceived lack of rim pressure and separation at the next level given his lack of elite burst. There are questions about how Stirtz will match up with elite playmaking guards at the point of attack defensively in the NBA. Good move by OKC to takes advantage of loads of future draft assets to make sure Memphis doesn’t take the guy it wants.  Grade: B+

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17. Detroit Pistons: Ebuka Okorie | Stanford | PG 

(via trade with Memphis)

Detroit did a ton of due diligence here on Okorie. He lacks overwhelming size, but he has terrific speed, can get a piece of the paint on demand, and his shooting continued to tick up as the season went on last year.  Okorie puts constant pressure on the rim, beginning in the open floor by utilizing his speed, but continuing in the halfcourt where he’s effective with his angles and footwork.
Okorie gives Detroit speed and rim pressure but is not an elite shooter, and so he doesn’t really help their floor spacing quite as much as hoped around Cade Cunningham, but he does give them another creator when Cunninghm is off the floor
Undersized for the NBA with a still relatively undeveloped, 186-pound frame that needs to keep bulking up without compromising his burst. Grade: B

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18. Charlotte Hornets: Christian Anderson | Texas Tech | PG

The Hornets get who may be the best shooter in the draft. While Anderson is similar to what they already have (skilled shooters who are questionable defenders), Anderson would fill the void left by Coby White’s anticipated departure in free agency. Anderson also has a complementary feel for the game and advanced understanding of how to play off ball-screens. There are questions about how he’ll adapt physically and defensively, but his offense is worth betting on.

I think this may be a little bit a case of giving them what they already have. Charlotte’s got great shooting, but it needed more defense. Having said that I’m a big Anderson fan. Grade: B+

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19. Toronto Raptors: Allen Graves | Santa Clara | PF

Graves left at least five million dollars on the table in NIL money to stay in the draft, so it was expected he would be selected around this range. Graves is an analytic darling who has elite BPM metrics and a rare overlap of defensive playmaking, passing, ball-security, and offensive rebounding. In addition to his combination of physicality and feel, Graves also has great hands and touch to stretch the floor.

Graves gives Toronto needed frontcourt floor spacing but his defensive footspeed and athleticism are concerns. Grade: B-

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20. San Antonio Spurs: Jayden Quaintance | Kentucky | C

Quaintance is the best defensive player in the draft. We’re talking about a lottery talent, one of the best athletes in the draft, and a potential defensive savant who fell in the raft due to a knee injury. A healthy Quaintance gives the Spurs a real long-term option up front — his defensive playmaking numbers were off the chart as a freshman at Arizona State. If the Spurs can figure out how to keep Wemby healthy, they can get Quaintance right.

After playing only four games this year at Kentucky, Quaintance helped himself at the combine by looking explosive in his pro day. He’s long, powerful, violently athletic at the rim, and a real game-changer on the defensive end of the floor. Grade A-

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21. Memphis Grizzlies: Karim Lopez | Mexico | PF

(via trade with Detroit)

This is a long-term stock move by the Grizzlies, and the fit is a little clunky alongside Cameron Boozer as I expected Memphis to take a guard here. It is good business to add five second round picks.

Lopez is a Mexican native who played with the New Zealand Breakers in the NBL Next Stars program this year and made really nice strides. He’s a hard-playing, physical presence who pressures the rim and competes on both ends. He is a lottery-level talent and could have been off board much higher than this. He has the physical strength, projectable frame, and potential positional versatility to be very appealing. Grade: B

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22. Philadelphia 76ers: Labaron Philon | Alabama | PG

Philon replaces Jared McCain, who the previous GM, Darryl Morey, moved to OKC at the deadline. Philon gives Philadelphia a dynamic scorer who attacks with pace, has worked his way into a shot-maker, and showed more defensive chops as a freshman.  A gifted shot creator, Philon stuffed the stat sheet as the focal point of one of college basketball’s fastest offenses, and did it with 50/40/80 shooting splits. If he can tap back into some of the defensive tools he showed as a freshman, there could be real value here. Grade: B+

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23. Atlanta Hawks: Zuby Ejiofor | St. John’s | C

Ejiofor is undersized for a center but is powerful, strong and physical with an NBA-ready body, very long arms (7-2 wingspan), high motor, and infectious energy levels. He is mobile and coordinated athletically for his size and a competitive defender who can body up with bigger guys in the post, be switchable on the perimeter, and very active as a playmaker with 3.3 stocks per game (2.1 blocks and 1.2 steals). He is an emphatic dunker when he has the space to get above the rim, but can otherwise be bothered by size and length in the paint. Grade: C+

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24. Los Angeles Lakers: Cameron Carr | Baylor | SG 

(via reported trade with New York)

Carr definitely slipped a bit, but his physical traits and shotmaking is hard to find at this point in the draft. Carr followed up on his breakout season at Baylor with a terrific showing at the combine. Has a rare overlap of bouncy athleticism, extreme length (7-foot-plus wingspan), and shot-making, which is the basis for high long-term upside projections. Carr is a true three-level threat who can be a tough shot-maker from the perimeter, a constant threat to rise and fire in the mid-range area, and a straight-line slashing threat.

Carr is one of the few perimeter prospects in this draft who can combine length, athleticism, and shot-making. He still has some maturing to do, but Carr gives the Lakers physical tools and shooting range to match. He lacks physical strength and may not have an NBA-ready frame, which could be initially problematic on both ends of the floor. Grade: B+

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25. Dallas Mavericks: Sergio de Larrea | Spain | SG   

(via reported trade with New York)

A big guard and advanced passer with excellent perimeter size, de Larrea has the potential to play multiple positions. He has a good feel for the game and ability to navigate and make reads off ball-screens. Dictates his own pace and rarely gets sped up. Made notable strides as a shooter and became a reliable floor-spacer, albeit with a fairly elongated release that is powered primarily through his upper body.

De Larrea has some athletic limitations that are exacerbated by playing upright with limited bend or flexibility in his body mechanics. He struggles to get all the way to the rim, especially in the half-court. Also a limited finisher in traffic. Relies on his size and IQ defensively, but has had similar struggles to hold his own on that end of the floor in EuroLeague play. Grade: B

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26. San Antonio Spurs: Tarris Reed Jr. | UConn | C

(via reported trade with Denver)

Reed has NBA-caliber positional size, length, power, athleticism, maybe more face-up skill than he gets credit for, and some defensive versatility and sneaky switchability to match. Reed was as good as any big man in the NCAA Tournament and followed that up with a strong combine performance, which makes him the best available five-man at this point. Inconsistent free-throw shooter (61.7%) and not yet a floor-spacer (didn’t make a 3-pointer in two seasons at UConn), albeit with some face-up touch to potentially develop. Grade: B

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27. Boston Celtics: Chris Cenac Jr. | Houston | PF

Cenac has size, length, measurables, athleticism, mobility to slide laterally, and some developing face-up skill and shooting potential. Very fluid multi-directional mover who is equally smooth as a leaper. He was a high-volume rebounder this year and answered questions about his motor in the process, but still has times where the potential exceeds the production. Switchable defender who slides laterally very well for his size. Simultaneously showed spurts of being a high-volume rebounder.

Cenac’s overall production has never lived up to the totality of his diverse tools, even when playing with a consistently higher motor this year at Houston. Inefficient offensive style. Drifts to the perimeter too often for someone who remains an inconsistent 3-point shooter. Also has a habit of settling for tough twos around the mid-post area instead of pressuring the rim like he should be capable of. Grade: B

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28. Brooklyn Nets: Joshua Jefferson | Iowa St. | PF

(via trade with Minnesota)

Brooklyn showed a clear affinity for high-feel passers in last year’s draft cycle, and Jefferson checks those boxes. Jefferson is a strong-bodied four-man who was one of the best frontcourt passers in college basketball this year. He has terrific vision, dexterity, and uncommon feel for the game from the forward position. He has an NBA-ready frame and good defensive playmaking metrics. Jefferson should be, at minimum, a valuable connector at the next level. Grade: B

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29. Sacramento Kings: Alex Karaban | UConn | PF 

(via reported trade with Cleveland)

A two-time national champion at UConn, Karaban is a shooter with extreme gravity. He shot 53% on unguarded catch-and-shoot 3-pointers. He is a high feel processor of the game. Excellent passer within the flow of the offense who makes quick reads with the ball and is equally good as a cutter.
Karaban will be a rotation player who spaces the floor and passes. He is an ideal role player. Deceptive length with a 6-11 wingspan and soft natural hands.Karaban is not a naturally explosive athlete in terms of vertical explosiveness or lateral quickness, so he relies on acumen, angles, and physicality defensively. He is a bit in between positions, particularly on the defensive end, at 6–6.75. Much more of a connector, floor-spacer, and decision maker than he is a dynamic creator. Built to be a role player, not an offensive hub. Grade B

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30. Phoenix Suns: Koa Peat | Arizona | PF

(via reported trade with New York)

Peat will play in the NBA for 10+ years. He is strong, has an NBA-ready body and the physicality, willingness, and ability to play through contact, and a wealth of competitive intangibles.

Peat’s stock has slid a bit because of questions surrounding his shooting and mixed reviews from some workouts, but his impact on winning is well-documented. He puts pressure on the rim as a straight-line driver and off short-rolls. Excellent finisher who converted 67% at the rim and is now quick off his feet athletically. Peat is much higher than this on the CBS Big Board, but his glaring lack of shooting is going to require a specific fit. Peat is a nonshooter whose mechanics seemed to get worse during the pre-draft process, despite making just seven 3-pointers (and 62% of his free throws) on the season. Grade: A- 

Round 2

31. Houston Rockets: Bruce Thornton | Ohio St. | PG

(via trade with New York)

Big-bodied guard with extreme versatility in terms of the places and ways he can create offense for himself and his teammates. The Rockets have been burdened by uncertainty at the point guard position and this fits that need. Super-efficient offensive player, made 52% of his unguarded catch and shoot 3-pointers, an extreme 57% of his mid-range pull-ups and 59% at the rim. Grade: B

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32. Memphis Grizzlies: Richie Saunders | BYU | SG

The Grizzlies did it again. The team with the best second-round history in recent years has found another sure-thing NBA player outside the first 30. Saunders is still rehabbing from his ACL injury but once he gets healthy he has a clear niche with his 3-point shooting, understanding of spacing, and the type of size and frame that translates to the next level. Grade: A-

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33. Minnesota Timberwolves: Isaiah Evans | Duke | SG 

(via trade with Brooklyn)

First-round talent in the second round. Shooting gives him a translate NBA niche, and he proved last year that he was a consistent threat to make NBA-caliber movement 3-pointers. Evans will add great floor spacing around Anthony Edwards and give Minnesota another offensive weapon around its superstar. Going to need to keep building up his body and proving he can hold his own defensively, but this is the equivalent of an extra first-round pick. Grade: A- 

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34. Cleveland Cavaliers: Meleek Thomas | Arkansas | SG

Thomas is a microwave scoring guard and tough shot-maker who needs to prove he can be efficient and solid and reliable enough defensively to hold his own, but his high upside is significant.  If this hits, Thomas would be able to step into a role that an aging James Harden currently fills. Grade: A-

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35. Denver Nuggets: Trevon Brazile | Arkansas | PF

(via reported trade with San Antonio)

Versatile big man who can space the floor in different ways because he’s a lob threat and can also make spot-up 3-pointers. Brazile is someone who can back up Nikola Jokić or play alongside him. Grade: B+

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36. Los Angeles Clippers: Baba Miller | Cincinnati | PF

Miller is a high upside proposition because of his combination of size, mobility, two-way playmaking, and rebounding. He is super mobile for his size, has athleticism to match, but still needs to build up his body. Miller has the physical tools to be a very versatile defender. Rare combination of upside and relatively high floor for a second-round pick. Important for Clippers given the uncertainty around future drafts. Grade: B+

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37. Miami Heat: Ryan Conwell | Louisville | SG

(via reported trade with Oklahoma City)

Conwell is a high-level shooter with a strong body and enough handle to play on or off the ball. This pick gives the Heat much needed shooting and depth following the Giannis Antetokounmpo deal. Grade: B

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38. Indiana Pacers: Braden Smith | Purdue | PG

(via trade with Chicago)

Smith is a pure point guard and one of the all-time great passers in college basketball history. Pacers saw a ton of him at Purdue. They know exactly what they’re getting and this tells you they think he’s a legit NBA player, despite lacking prototypical NBA physical tools. Grade: B

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39. New York Knicks: Jack Kayil | Germany | SG 

(via reported trade with Houston)

A versatile guard with a strong frame and on and off-ball versatility and a well-rounded skill set who will probably sign a two-way contract. He can make shots, but should have gone to Gonzaga where he would have made more money. It’s very possible he won’t come over next year which would allow the Knicks to add an asset without impacting their cap. Grade: B-

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40. Boston Celtics: Dillon Mitchell | St. John’s | PF

The Celtics prioritize shooting as much as anyone in the NBA and they took a glaring non-shooter. Why? Because he’s a versatile defender, frontcourt passer, high-energy guy, who can help them win the possession game. Mitchell is an extreme mid-air athlete who showed off defensive versatility and offensive playmaking this year with St. John’s. He’s not a shooter, but his unique overlap of tools could be what lands him on the roster. Grade: B

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41. Oklahoma City Thunder: Otega Oweh | Kentucky | SG

(via reported trade with Miami)

I’m a believer that he’s an NBA player. Translatable frame and defender who will be more efficient in an offensive role that is scaled down from what we saw at Kentucky. When you factor in his improved spot-up shooting, power, physicality, and projected two-way grit, he could have a chance to stick in the NBA. As Oklahoma City works to shed contracts, it might have some opportunity on the wing, and Oweh could compete for those minutes. Grade: B

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42. San Antonio Spurs: Ja’Kobi Gillespie | Tennessee | PG

Former football player who has real game with the ball in his hands. There are a lot of guards in San Antonio but he could give them some extra shooting and his lack of size won’t be as problematic there next to bigger guards like Harper and Castle. Grade: B

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43. Brooklyn Nets: Tyler Bilodeau | UCLA | PF

Clear translatable niche on the offensive end as a stretch 4 who can really space the court. Bilodeau made a whopping 60% of his unguarded catch-and-shoot 3-pointers this season. The biggest question is whether or not he has the footspeed to hold his own and be a competent defender in the NBA. With Henri Veesaar on the board, I’m confused why he wasn’t the pick. Grade: C+

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44. San Antonio Spurs: Maliq Brown | Duke | C

Brown’s offense is unclear, but his defense and willingness to do the dirty work would fit the culture in San Antonio. If it turns out he can establish a niche on the other end, he could prove to be better than expected. The Spurs are really investing in defense in this draft cycle. Grade: B- 

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45. Sacramento Kings: Emanuel Sharp | Houston | SG

Shooting is his niche. More than that, he’s someone who can make tough movement shots with a hand in his face. He’s not a prototypical NBA body type, but he’s a deceptively good defender. In a Kings backcourt that lacks depth, he could stick. Grade: B 

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46. Washington Wizards: Felix Okpara | Tennessee | C

(via trade with Orlando) 

Okpara is a rim protector, offensive rebounder, and lob threat with NBA-caliber size, but needs to get stronger. Not many true centers on the Washington roster, so Okpara has a chance to carve out a role as a third-string big. Grade: C+ 

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47. New York Knicks: Tyler Nickel | Vanderbilt | SF 

(via reported trade with Phoenix)
A pure 3-point shooting specialist who made 52% of his unguarded catch-and-shoot 3-pointers and ranked in the 96th percentile as a spot-up threat. If New York loses depth on the wing, he gives them a specialist. Nickel has quality size, but will need to hold up defensively. Grade: B 

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48. Dallas Mavericks: Tobi Lawal | Virginia Tech | PF

One of the best vertical athletes in this draft class. Lawal can stick his nose on the rim with pogo-stick bounce. He notched 42 dunks in just 23 games last season and profiles as a helpful jumbo-wing defender. He’s a high-level athlete, lob threat, but will have to embrace a defensive identity and find an offensive role based on his athleticism. The skillset is a major question. He’s shape-shifted from a small-ball 5 to a jumbo wing, who strictly plays off the ball. But the jumper is very streaky. Grade: B- 

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49. Denver Nuggets: Bryce Hopkins | St. John’s | SF

A big-bodied, strong combo-forward who can play through contact and is an excellent offensive rebounder. Hopkins’ conditioning has been inconsistent. He will need to prove he can guard NBA wings and continue to ascend as a shooter, as he did late in the season at St. John’s. Grade: B- 

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IRVINE, Calif. – A familiarly unexciting, if understandable, refrain has come out of the mouths of the U.S. men’s national team players this week and Tuesday was no exception. “It’s a coach’s decision, obviously,” goalkeeper Matt Freese said, the latest in a chorus of his teammates who have danced around the issue of who might play in their Group D finale against Turkiye on Thursday.

This time, though, the uncertainty is a sign of strength rather than a weakness.

The USMNT clinched top spot in Group D hours after their 2-0 win over Australia on Friday, while Turkiye’s defeat to Paraguay that day would ensure it would be a proper dead-rubber game at SoFi Stadium this week since the visitors have already been mathematically eliminated. The expectation now is that head coach Mauricio Pochettino will tinker with his starting lineup for Thursday’s game, even if his usual selection is fairly well-known. The starters for the win over Australia and the previous week’s 4-1 victory over Paraguay were nearly identical – Pochettino made one change in between games, forward Ricardo Pepi starting in Christian Pulisic’s place while the latter dealt with a calf issue that now seems to be old news. The coach, though, now has the flexibility to truly do whatever he pleases before the knockout rounds begin.

There are several meaningful things to take into consideration, chief among them player fitness. Pulisic trained with his teammates for a second straight day on Tuesday after missing all of last week’s sessions, while forward Folarin Balogun also re-joined training after receiving an extra recovery day. Midfielder Cristian Roldan, though, missed out on a second session this week while dealing with a muscle strain that has been described as day-to-day. Four very important players are also on yellow cards – Balogun, midfielder Tyler Adams and defenders Chris Richards and Antonee Robinson – and another booking on Thursday would rule them out of the round of 32 game on July 1.

The fact that the result technically does not matter on Thursday, though, will create a litmus test for the USMNT’s depth. This has not historically been a quote-unquote “stacked team” and over the course of Pochettino’s rocky spell in charge, that has remained glaringly obvious at times. He has spent much of his almost two-year-long tenure developing that depth but by force at times, several high-profile players dealing with injuries at various points along the way. The era of experimentation, though, has delivered several notable results – defender Alex Freeman went from his first MLS start with Orlando City to a World Cup goalscorer in the span of just 476 days, for example, and Freese was also similarly uncapped in June 2025 and is now the starter in goal.

Call It What You Want is your front-row seat as the USMNT takes center stage at the 2026 World Cup. The crew delivers live reactions, analysis, and debate before and after every game. Catch new episodes live on the Golazo America YouTube channel

The gears started to turn for Pochettino’s USMNT at last year’s Concacaf Gold Cup, 13 members of that heavily rotated roster making the cut for the World Cup. That list includes nine bubble players who proved their worth and a handful who were otherwise fairly inexperienced at the international level – like Freese and Freeman, midfielder Sebastian Berhalter and defender Max Arfsten went from newcomers to World Cup participants and midfielder Malik Tillman went from benchwarmer to a key figure in the U.S. team’s midfield.

“I don’t understand the discussions that were there before,” ex-USMNT player Earnie Stewart said before their 2-1 loss to Germany in their final pre-World Cup friendly when asked which player on the current team he would most like to play with. Stewart has championed Tillman for years, both as the former U.S. Soccer sporting director and now in a similar role for Dutch club PSV, where Tillman played before last summer’s transfer to Bayer Leverkusen in Germany. “He is one of the most amazing players that I’ve ever seen.”

While a handful have worked their way into Pochettino’s usual starting rotation, there is opportunity for the rest to make their case in the build-up to Thursday’s game against Turkiye – and hopefully during it. Forward Alex Zendejas said Monday that he is training hard in the hopes of his big World Cup moment finally arriving and the same is true for Arfsten, who might be able to slot in for Robinson.

“Everyone’s happy that we’ve already advanced but at the same time, regardless of if we’ve advanced or not, training is still very competitive,” Arfsten said on Tuesday. “It’s very intense and I think that’s the culture that the coach has created and no matter what, everyone’s still trying to prove something so it’s good.”

He, like several before him and a few after, skirted around the issue of whether or not he believes he will have a shot on Thursday. The same is true for Freese, who is likely nailed-on the USMNT’s starter for the knockout stages even if the possibility exists Pochettino might rotate him out completely for understudy Matt Turner against Turkiye.

“We’ve got 26 guys here who all want to play and who all are ready to play and working hard every day in training,” he said. “We, as a group, have full confidence in all 26 of us so really just we’re focused on continuing to prepare and work hard in training and be ready for whatever.”

Some players may have a better case than others. Pepi’s strong outing against Australia – as well as the career-best form he entered the World Cup in – will be something to consider especially with Balogun’s yellow card. Adams’ booking, coupled with a history of hamstring injuries, could see Berhalter fill in though Pochettino’s plans for the midfield could be impacted by Roldan’s muscle strain. Defender Auston Trusty’s appearance off the bench to close out the game against Australia could see him take Richards’ place if Pochettino decides to go in that direction. Then there’s Gio Reyna, who came off the bench and scored against Paraguay and is a player Pochettino has previously said he has placed a lot of trust in.

For the experiment-prone Pochettino, Thursday offers one last chance to tinker with his personnel and his tactics before the win-or-go-home games finally begin. He may have to weigh that habit with the fact that he has repositioned himself as a vibes guy first and a skilled tactician second, so far striking the balance expertly. The distribution of weight seems to be changing over the course of the tournament – the USMNT first convened almost exactly a month ago and between their pre-World Cup friendlies and their opening games of the competition, they have four strong performances as the foundation for what they hope will be a deep run this summer. Pochettino’s tactical acumen is increasingly hard to ignore and is truly just as important as the mood, down to the decision to select Pepi in Pulisic’s place on Friday and go with two strikers. It is hard to understate, though, how important the vibes actually are.

“I think the most important thing is no matter who’s playing, to go out and try to get three points just because I think the momentum of the two wins is what’s keeping the energy high right now,” Arfsten noted. “Three would be even more. At the end of the day, that’s the coach’s decision. We’ll see what happens.”