NBA mock draft 2026 features changes near top after scouting combine
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CHICAGO — The impact of the 2026 NBA Draft Scouting Combine on the actual draft is an annual debate.

After years of evaluating players during high school, grassroots and college basketball games, NBA teams gathered in Chicago this week to conduct medical exams and put the best draft prospects in the world through measurements, agility testing, shooting drills and scrimmages. Hundreds of front office executives were at Wintrust Arena, and inevitably a few draft narratives emerged along with the wingspans, vertical jumps and medical reports.

The early speculation is the top-four players in this class are set but the order in which they'll be selected remains up for grabs during the pre-draft process. There's also a promising group of guards projected as the next best available prospects, so much so there could be promising wings and big men capable of jumping into the top-10 and late lottery picks. The late first round outlook could change in the coming weeks, with several players poised to return to college due lucrative NIL opportunities.

USA TODAY Sports was in the building in Chicago during the NBA Draft Scouting Combine sifting through the latest rumors and speculation after the NBA Draft lottery. Some picks have changed based on the intel. Here's our updated 2026 NBA mock draft based on what we learned from Combine workouts and interviews:

2026 NBA DRAFT: Why AJ Dybantsa is on a mission to be the No. 1 pick

2026 NBA mock draft: Post-scouting combine edition1. Washington Wizards: AJ Dybantsa
  • TEAM: BYU
  • POSITION: Wing
  • BORN: Massachusetts
  • HEIGHT: 6-9
  • DRAFT AGE: 19
2. Utah Jazz: Darryn Peterson
  • TEAM: Kansas
  • POSITION: Guard
  • BORN: Ohio
  • HEIGHT: 6-5
  • DRAFT AGE: 19
3. Memphis Grizzlies: Cameron Boozer
  • TEAM: Duke
  • POSITION: Forward
  • BORN: Florida
  • HEIGHT: 6-9
  • DRAFT AGE: 18

4. Chicago Bulls: Caleb Wilson
  • TEAM: North Carolina
  • POSITION: Big
  • BORN: Georgia
  • HEIGHT: 6-10
  • DRAFT AGE: 19
5. Los Angeles Clippers: Keaton Wagler
  • TEAM: Illinois
  • POSITION: Wing
  • BORN: Kansas
  • HEIGHT: 6-6
  • DRAFT AGE: 19
6. Brooklyn Nets: Darius Acuff Jr.
  • TEAM: Arkansas
  • POSITION: Guard
  • BORN: Michigan
  • HEIGHT: 6-3
  • DRAFT AGE: 19
7. Sacramento Kings: Mikel Brown Jr.
  • TEAM: Louisville
  • POSITION: Guard
  • BORN: Florida
  • HEIGHT: 6-5
  • DRAFT AGE: 20
8. Atlanta Hawks: Kingston Flemings
  • TEAM: Houston
  • POSITION: Guard
  • BORN: Texas
  • HEIGHT: 6-4
  • DRAFT AGE: 19
9. Dallas Mavericks: Brayden Burries
  • TEAM: Arizona
  • POSITION: Guard
  • BORN: California
  • HEIGHT: 6-4
  • DRAFT AGE: 20
10. Milwaukee Bucks: Nate Ament
  • TEAM: Tennessee
  • POSITION: Wing
  • BORN: Virginia
  • HEIGHT: 6-10
  • DRAFT AGE: 19

11. Golden State Warriors: Aday Mara
  • TEAM: Michigan
  • POSITION: Big
  • BORN: Spain
  • HEIGHT: 7-3
  • DRAFT AGE: 21
12. Oklahoma City Thunder: Yaxel Lendeborg
  • TEAM: Michigan
  • POSITION: Forward
  • BORN: New Jersey
  • HEIGHT: 6-9
  • DRAFT AGE: 23
13. Miami Heat: Labaron Philon
  • TEAM: Alabama
  • POSITION: Guard
  • BORN: Alabama
  • HEIGHT: 6-4
  • DRAFT AGE: 20
14. Charlotte Hornets: Hannes Steinbach
  • TEAM: Washington
  • POSITION: Big
  • BORN: Germany
  • HEIGHT: 6-11
  • DRAFT AGE: 20
15. Chicago Bulls: Jayden Quaintance
  • TEAM: Kentucky
  • POSITION: Big
  • BORN: Ohio
  • HEIGHT: 6-9
  • DRAFT AGE: 18
16. Memphis Grizzlies: Cameron Carr
  • TEAM: Baylor
  • POSITION: Wing
  • BORN: Minnesota
  • HEIGHT: 6-5
  • DRAFT AGE: 21
17. Oklahoma City Thunder: Chric Cenac Jr.
  • TEAM: Houston
  • POSITION: Big
  • BORN: Louisiana
  • HEIGHT: 6-11
  • DRAFT AGE: 19
18. Charlotte Hornets: Karim Lopez
  • TEAM: International (Australia)
  • POSITION: Forward
  • BORN: Mexico
  • HEIGHT: 6-8
  • DRAFT AGE: 19
19. Toronto Raptors: Bennett Stirtz
  • TEAM: Iowa
  • POSITION: Guard
  • BORN: Missouri
  • HEIGHT: 6-4
  • DRAFT AGE: 22
20. San Antonio Spurs: Morez Johnson Jr.
  • TEAM: Michigan
  • POSITION: Big
  • BORN: Illinois
  • HEIGHT: 6-9
  • DRAFT AGE: 20
21. Detroit Pistons: Christian Anderson
  • TEAM: Texas Tech
  • POSITION: Guard
  • BORN: Georgia
  • HEIGHT: 6-3
  • DRAFT AGE: 20

22. Philadelphia 76ers: Allen Graves
  • TEAM: Santa Clara
  • POSITION: Forward
  • BORN: Louisiana
  • HEIGHT: 6-9
  • DRAFT AGE: 20
23. Atlanta Hawks: Isaiah Evans
  • TEAM: Duke 
  • POSITION: Wing 
  • BORN: North Carolina 
  • HEIGHT: 6-6 
  • DRAFT AGE: 20
24. New York Knicks: Koa Peat
  • TEAM: Arizona
  • POSITION: Forward
  • BORN: Arizona
  • HEIGHT: 6-8
  • DRAFT AGE: 19
25. Los Angeles Lakers: Henri Veesaar
  • TEAM: North Carolina 
  • POSITION: Forward 
  • BORN: Estonia 
  • HEIGHT: 7-0 
  • DRAFT AGE: 22
26. Denver Nuggets: Amari Allen
  • TEAM: Alabama
  • POSITION: Wing
  • BORN: Wisconsin
  • HEIGHT: 6-7
  • DRAFT AGE: 20
27. Boston Celtics: Luigi Suigo
  • TEAM: International (Serbia)
  • POSITION: Big
  • BORN: Italy
  • HEIGHT: 7-4
  • DRAFT AGE: 19
28. Minnesota Timberwolves: Ebuka Okorie
  • TEAM: Stanford
  • POSITION: Guard
  • BORN: New Hampshire
  • HEIGHT: 6-2
  • DRAFT AGE: 19
29. Cleveland Cavaliers: Malachi Moreno
  • TEAM: Kentucky
  • POSITION: Center
  • BORN: Kentucky
  • HEIGHT: 7-0
  • DRAFT AGE: 19
30. Dallas Mavericks: Dailyn Swain
  • TEAM: Texas
  • POSITION: Wing
  • BORN: Ohio
  • HEIGHT: 6-8
  • DRAFT AGE: 20

Contributing: Bryan Kalbrosky

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 2026 NBA mock draft: Did scouting combine shake up first round?



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