March Madness is underway and today's college stars have a chance to cement themselves in this summer's NBA draft class. The 2026 draft is expected to take place in late June. In USA TODAY's latest mock draft, Michigan's Aday Mara is expected to go in the first round.

Here's how USA TODAY currently projects the center's draft night will play out.

Aday Mara 2026 NBA Draft prediction: Pick No. 27 overall, Boston Celtics

All picks based on Tankathon lottery projection

Kalbrosky's Analysis:

As the Celtics continue to exceed expectations, they do have some holes to fill in their frontcourt after losing both Kristaps Porzi??is And Al Horford. After selecting Hugo Gonzlez from Spain in the draft last season, they could potentially target his former FIBA U18 European Championship tournament teammate Aday Mara. The 7-foot-3 big man who transferred from UCLA is a fantastic rim protector. Opponents only attempt 18.7 percent of their field goals at the rim when the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year is on the court, per CBB Analytics, the second-lowest among all NCAA players. He can also pass well, finding some awesome outlet looks in transition.

See USA TODAY's full mock draft here

Aday Mara player profile

(all stats as of March 15)

• Position: Center
• Current Team: Michigan
• 11.6 points per game
• 6.9 rebounds per game
• 2.3 assists per game
• 67.4% field goal percentage
• 25.0% three-point field goal percentage

Boston Celtics 2026 projected draft picks

• No. 27 and No. 40 (via MIL)

All picks based on Tankathon lottery projection

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Aday Mara NBA mock draft projection: Where Michigan star is expected to land

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