2026 NBA Draft Board
My collection of notes from the season and final thoughts on the 2026 NBA Draft class.
Hello all, I am Jonah Maves.
I have been covering, blogging, and writing detailed analysis surrounding the Minnesota Timberwolves for five seasons now and am currently in my second season covering the Minnesota Lynx. My love for the sport of basketball has been a mainstay in my life and a safe space for me over the past decade.
One thing that has always fascinated me growing up online was the draft and high-school prospect ranking sites. My love started with the NFL Draft.
My dad and I used to print out 1st round boards and make our own predictions on paper to try to guess the landing spots. I would spend hours on end in the computer lab at school, looking at mocks and dreaming of one day having my own voice in sports.
I used to spend all my time eating breakfast and lunch at my parents’ dining table, staring at the league leaders in MLB statistics and box scores. Watching SportsCenter over and over, calling my dad on the phone to tell him someone on his fantasy team had a big day last night.
As I grew away from the NFL and MLB and more towards hoops as I aged into my late teens to now my early to mid 20’s, I have become infatuated with the process of the NBA Draft. I have always loved to scour 247sports’s rankings and get to know players before the general public, but creating my own thought battles, looking at the game through different lenses, taking notes as I go, and just straight up learning more about basketball has been the root of it all.
As I developed as a writer at ZoneCoverage over the past five years, I found a love for writing prospect articles come summertime.
The Timberwolves hit the jackpot when they landed Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels in the same draft, and the team has lost draft capital to the Rudy Gobert trade, so I have not had as much material to work with. It would be foolish of me not to mention the draft day trade for Rob Dillingham.
Nonetheless, writing prospect profiles and getting deeper into following prospects as the season continues has always been something that I have thoroughly enjoyed.
This piece is a culmination of my notes throughout the season, thoughts on each prospect, and my best way of explaining my ranking. This season, by far, has the most notes I have ever been able to compile, and I was able to get quite a few in-person scouts on top of it.
Personally, trying to figure out my professional life as I work random jobs to get by and allow myself to support my dream of covering sports full-time, I have not been able to sink as much time into my prospect scouting as I would wish, but the main goal for me this season was to create a more in-depth big board.
That is what I present to you today. Enjoy, and let me know any questions or feedback. Anything helps. I am always trying to grow and develop.
My boards tend to lean towards risk-averse, multifaceted players. I struggle to place volatile players as high and value those who are going to be surefire impact pieces at the next level. Some strong leans I tend to use are Bigs that can operate as DHO hubs, short roll passing, connectivity, 3PAr heavy on-ball guards, positional flexibility, and feel.
As the board goes down, I tend to value experience just as much. There are likely to be more productive players over younger, less proven players, unless they offer an elite trait or high feel. Feel is very important to me when it comes to an eye test.
TIER 1 - ALL NBA TALENT
1.1 Cameron Boozer
Duke | 6’9.5” 252.8 lbs | 7’1.5” WS | 18.9 Draft Age
Games scouted: 12/2 vs Florida, 1/31 at Virginia Tech, 2/28 vs Virginia, 3/12 vs Florida State, 3/13 vs Clemson in person.
Everything about Cam Boozer showcases a prolific winner and one of the most productive players we have ever seen relative to age. His archetype is made up of what I look for in a modern NBA Big. Boozer is easily my top prospect and in his own tier, because he meets my blend of feel, production, and role malleability.
There is a clear pathway for Boozer adjusting to roles as his career goes. He can play a secondary/tertiary role in the early years, and work around the skillsets of others, and as he adjusts, there is a deeper pathway to becoming his team’s most important offensive hub.
The immediate fit for Boozer is tough to project without knowing the team he is drafted to. Much of it will come down to the surrounding infrastructure, but I believe that he is going to find a role and be incredibly productive within it, regardless. That holds enough value itself, even if it is not “flashy”.
There are just so many roles that Boozer can fit into as a modern NBA forward, whether that is within DHO’s, short roll playmaking, inverted PnR or Big to Big PnRs, spotting up away from the ball, or getting into dribble pull-ups on occasion himself
Boozer has had fair criticism for his lack of explosive athleticism, but what Boozer does when playing off of two feet, playing with power and a strong lower half, and how he can fit into a multitude of roles is so easy to buy into. He has polished footwork, an effective back to the basket game, and is an underrated passer.
Defensively, Boozer will be tested as a 4, but his rebounding value and strength will help him immensely. He is better suited next to another Big, and the fit there should be interesting whenever his drafted team looks to become playoff-bound. There are pretty simple routes to still giving Boozer some help without it being a disaster or negative on defense.
TIER 2 - ALL-STAR TALENT
2.2 Darryn Peterson
Kansas | 6’5” 198.8 lbs | 6’9.75” WS | 19.4 Draft Age
Games scouted: 1/16 vs Baylor, 1/31 vs BYU, 3/13 vs Houston
The reasoning for why I Darryn at 2 is because I value his proven trait as an elite jump shooter. There has also been enough with his priors, and flashes at Kansas of him being more than that.
Darryn’s median NBA role allows me to put him this high, or if you want to call him still a “safe” pick. Low-end outcomes still see DP being a dynamic shooting off-ball. One who can draw a dynamic gravitational pull with his actions alone.
Kon Knueppel is a completely different prospect than DP, but I had some similar vibes with Kon based around that same idea of they offer the shooting dynamics, but the second side ball-handling, ability to run simple PnR’s, and make easier reads out of a more realistic role can be so valuable.
The 1.0 AST/TO ratio with DP is scary. I do not see the high outcome, primary outcomes, with him due to his still limited playmaking this past season at Kansas. It was a weird team and a weird season, but if DP had this many struggles, I just cannot see him developing into that role realistically any time soon in the NBA, not completely counting it out, but it’s a gamble I’m willing to take.
The secondary role is something much more realistic for DP, and when you compare his electric shooting + median outcome playmaking and passing vision to other movement shooters around the league, you are left with a really valuable piece.
2.3 AJ Dybantsa
BYU | 6’9.75” 217 lbs | 7’0.5” WS | 19.4 Draft Age
Games scouted: FIBA u19’s + exhibition vs Nebraska, 11/21 vs Wisconsin, 1/31 vs Kansas, 2/7 vs Houston, 2/18 vs Arizona, 3/19 vs Texas
AJ might be one of the most fascinating top prospects I have deeply scouted. His movement at his size is so unique. His long strides, wonky change of pace within his gathers, and clear athletic gifts allow him to make some truly remarkable things happen when he gets downhill.
AJ is also a very underrated passer. As the season developed, AJ was able to showcase really impressive flashes against multiple coverages.
The gripes I have with AJ are his shot creation limitations as well as his shot diet. AJ’s reliance on mid-range jumpers is concerning. I have enjoyed his non-rim paint shots, he loves that dribble turn fade shot, but the long two reliance not ideal for someone who projects as a high usage player.
AJ is no doubt still a primary gamble for me despite being such a highly touted prospect. The range of outcomes is very limited for AJ in comparison to his counterpart. The defensive projection is also tough because a 0.3% BLK rate with his size and athleticism, on top of his many lapses, was rough.
TIER 3 - FRINGE ALL-STAR | IMPACT STARTER TALENT
3.4 Keaton Wagler
Illinois | 6’6.25” 188 lbs | 6’6.25” WS | 19.4 Draft Age
Games scouted: 12/6 vs Tennessee, 1/17 vs Minnesota, 1/24 vs Purdue, 3/26 vs Houston,
One of the biggest questions with Keaton Wagler this season has been based on how dependent he is going to be on screens in the NBA. It is one I have not worried about too much, considering he is going to see a heavy ball screen diet anyway, but I really value the other areas of his game.
Wagler is not overtly athletic, but he does such a great job at playing with varied pace and at times off of two feet. Something that I have continued to value in guards over more exciting raw burst or leaping ability. His ability to play on the ball when Kylan Boswell was injured, and spot-up a pass away, is where I see him fitting in early.
My scouting tendencies lean towards players who are scheme versatile on a possession-to-possession basis and can impact the game in multiple play types. I believe that there will be some growing pains early on with Wagler, but the idea of him getting bench run early, potentially being a prioritized scoring option early, and being able to also play off the ball as a second side option and shooter is what is tantalizing for me.
Illinois toggled around with Wagler as a screener for flare-outs, but even as a ghost threat, which is more realistic, there is some serious value.
There were a lot of benefits for Wagler within the Illinois spaced offense, but watching him cook switches for off the dribble created threes is what I loved the most. His jab into step back space creation was a fantastic watch.
My take on Wagler’s driving ability is that I think building a stronger lower half is more important than worrying about his upper body strength. There are real chops of him playing off of two feet and being crafty inside the arc, I love the decel’s. His shoulders are so narrow, so I don’t think he is realistically going to add game-changing strength. Therefore, if he focused more on keeping a strong lower half, he could win the leverage game and still boogie inside the arc.
3.5 Caleb Wilson
North Carolina | 6’10.5” 210 lbs | 7’0.25” WS | 19.9 Draft Age
Games scouted: 1/14 vs Stanford, 1/24 vs Virginia, 2/10 vs Miami
Wilson has been another tough player to scout. His athletic traits are nuts, 64 dunks in 24 games… His mid-post footwork, ability to use his length to get around defenders to get to the rim, and also eat in transition, is tantalizing.
Defensive disruption is also huge. 4.4% BLK rate and 2.8% STL rate.
My gripe with bumping Wilson down a spot from consensus is the archetype. I just struggle to justify putting a scorer with limited creation, shaky jumper, a lot of transition reliance, and athleticism reliance. I still believe that Wilson is going to be a two-way monster, I just have some hesitancy with the offense.
I also feel like he needs to find the right balance of his raw athleticism and bulking up more because he is not going to get his game off at 210 as well, especially over the season.
3.6 Kingston Flemings
Houston | 6’3.75” 183.4 lbs | 6’3.5” WS | 19.5 Draft Age
Games scouted: 11/16 vs Auburn, 2/7 vs BYU, 2/16 vs Iowa State, 2/21 vs Arizona, 3/26 vs Illinois
Kingston was one of my toughest scouts this season, but he is also simultaneously the prospect I feel the most confident in being a rotational player for a decade. I have truly been all over the map on him. Started high, fell lower as the season went on, dropped when the combine data was released, and skyrocketed again before draft day.
The playing content for Flemings is fascinating. He had the benefit of having an experienced ball-handler, Milos Uzan, and a deep spacer, Emanuel Sharp, at his side. But Kingston had to work around the clear deficiencies of his frontcourt.
Jojo Tugler is one of my favorite college defenders, but his touch and offense is truly dreadful.
Chris Cenac Jr was so fun to watch lean into Kelvin Sampson’s OREB principles and show more aggression, but his play finishing and jumper was very shaky.
Kalifa Sakho falls into a similar archetype of Tugler, where the offense was just as raw as it could get.
Others, such as Chase McCarty and Isiah Harwell, also had clear deficiencies offensively. Even within that context, according to DraftBallr, Fleming’s had 4 unassisted rim makes per game, which ranked in the 87th percentile.
I have worried about the mid-range heavy diet in terms of his scoring ceiling. I think a lot of that is ingrained in his game rather than something that was fine in Houston’s offense.
Lastly, Fleming’s eye test passing, the skips, the low man reads, the potential he has in the league when he has an actual good play finisher, on top of having an AST/TO of 2.9, which was in the 92nd percentile, is tantalizing.
3.7 Darius Acuff Jr.
Arkansas | 6’3.25” 185.8 lbs | 6’6.5” WS | 19.6 Draft Age
Games scouted: `12/3 vs Louisville, 2/18 vs Alabama, 3/4 vs Texas,
Darius Acuff Jr’s performance vs. Alabama was truly one of my favorite individual games from a prospect in quite some time. The shot-making and backpacking he did was just bonkers.
On the latter, like many others, Acuff has still been a tough scout. His production, composure, and offensive prowess are nuts. He is bulky enough to get his at the rim, is an incredible shooter who was capable of flowing into pull-ups with ease, and was also used off the ball quite a bit in Calipari’s system (gave me Rob Dillingham PTSD lol.)
His place on my board and within my process as a scout, and my personal preferences, have been so hard. You can argue many of the same things that make Acuff a scary prospect as you can Wagler, who I have at 4 this year. I just think the defense is truly that awful. Wagler is not a good defender himself, but it was more just the apathy that turned me off.
3.8 Morez Johnson Jr.
Michigan | 6’10.25” 250.6 lbs | 7’3.5” WS | 20.4 Draft Age
Games scouted: u19’s, 11/11 vs Wake Forest, 2/11 vs Northwestern in person, 2/27 vs Illinois, 3/14 vs Wisconsin, 3/15 vs Purdue.
Morez Johnson Jr. is likely my most above consensus player on my board this year. Morez is a great example of the modern tweener (complementary). Many Bigs that cannot fall into a 4 or 5 mold struggle, but I see it as Morez’s superpower.
The first note I have on my U19’s scout is that I absolutely love Morez’s motor. It was evident when I made the trip up to Evanston to watch him play Northwestern this season, where he has an electric block into a lob on the other end. It is a cliché, but Morez just makes winning things happen.
45.2% of Johnson’s minutes this season came alongside the gigantic 7’3” Aday Mara. While much of it can be credited to Michigan’s fantastic spacing principles through Dusty May and Mara’s Eliott Cadeau’s passing prowess, Johnson was able to showcase that he can be a malleable piece alongside another Big, but also as the sole 5 himself.
Morez was able to be a dynamic piece defensively for Dusty May’s switch-heavy defense. The core of the defense was built around using Aday Mara’s rim protection, but on the perimeter, Morez was unfazed when he needed to switch matchups.
An underrated area of Morez’s physical traits is that I love his gait. He is always in a low-leverage position, offense and defense. When he catches on the roll, he likes to maintain a wide base, which allows him to be more dynamic. Similarly, defensively, he uses it to be an impressive perimeter defender for his size.
Johnson projects as a play finisher offensively. However, if you believe in the jumper, as I do, there is a much higher range of outcomes. Johnson already has shooting indicators with his free-throw percentage, career 72.2% and 78.2% last season at Michigan, and increased three-point volume this season, attempting 35 3PA after zero last season.
The downside I have with Morez is that the passing chops and hub chops could be better.
3.9 Mikel Brown Jr.
Louisville | 6’4.75” 190.2 lbs | 6’7.5”” WS | 20.2 Draft Age
Games scouted: u19’s, 11/11 vs Kentucky, 12/3 vs Arkansas, 2/23 vs North Carolina
Mikel is my favorite ceiling swing in the draft. Everything from his 3PAr + passing prowess, on top of being a rapid riser from late in high school.
He is one of my favorite 3P shooters this draft, and it goes well past his 34.5%. His extended range will be effective both on the ball as a pull-up threat out of ball screens and off the ball as a catch-and-shoot option.
My biggest concern with Mikel is that I consistently have had worries since my initial u19’s scout about his inside-the-arc game and rim finishing. Mikel is skinny and still had a lot of trouble inside the arc for a Louisville team that had Ryan Conwell and Isaac McNeely as shooters, Sananda Fru as a screener/roller/play finisher, and Aly Khalifa off the bench to push 5-out lineups. The offensive context was great, but it still did not live up to expectations for Louisville and Brown, despite Brown posting impressive counting stats.
All season, scoring was just very volatile for Brown. He was dealing with a back injury, but he still, but the scoring was very boom or bust.
I still feel comfortable with Brown in my top ten, because he has all the tools you would want from a modern lead guard, he is just going to require a lot of development.
TIER 4 - 5TH STARTER - FLAWED STARTER - ROTATION
4.10 Yaxel Lendeborg
Michigan | 6’10” 241.4 lbs | 7’3.25” WS | 23.7 Draft Age
Games scouted: 11/11 vs Wake Forest, 2/11 vs Northwestern in person, 2/27 vs Illinois, 3/14 vs Wisconsin, 3/15 vs Purdue.
Yaxel is no stranger to my board. Before he committed to go play for Dusty May and Michigan, I had UAB Lenderborg 18th on my 2025 board.
All season long, Yaxel has been an easy scout. He offers positional flexibility, positional size, rebounds the ball, is versatile across the positional spectrum as a defender, and has already shined in his projected NBA offensive role at the collegiate level.
He is a sure-fire NBA role player, much of it is just going to come down to how much he can contribute offensively and how the jumper looks. Plug and play is easy to say with older prospects, but Yaxel may be one of the most obvious ones I have scouted.
The jumper was pretty inconsistent for Yaxel. I loved that he got more volume up at Michigan compared to his UAB seasons. I just question the touch.
As a driver, Yaxel relies a lot on straight line openings. He does not have advanced fluidity outside of getting to some spin lays. I think that he could struggle to get to the rim as often in the NBA in the half-court, especially if teams do not take him as seriously as a 3P threat. However, he is going to eat in transition as a rim runner and drive.
4.11 Brayden Burries
Arizona | 6’5” 215.4 lbs | 6’6” WS | 20.8 Draft Age
Games scouted: 12/6 vs Auburn, 1/31 vs Arizona St, 2/14 vs Texas Tech, 2/21 vs Houston
Burries was another guard that I have had all over my board. All season long at Arizona, Burries was able to fill whatever role was needed from him. He was more of a secondary ball-handler than a true 1 because of Jaden Bradley splitting reps with him, but it served as a great example of his potential NBA role.
Why I struggle with Burries is that he seemingly disappeared in some of my scouts this season. This Arizona roster was loaded, but Burries still left to be desired at times.
On top of that, he will be a combo-guard, who was an old freshman, and is more of a master of none jack of all trades prospect than one with an astute standout trait.
My favorite statistic this season for Burries was his efficiency inside the arc. Burries does not have standout athletic traits and was working with multiple non-shooting bigs on the floor at Arizona, and still shot 56.2% on 2P FG.
Burries has been touted for his defensive prowess, and while I, too, like it, he still feels limited due to his stature. He is bulked up at 215 lbs at the combine and moves his feet well. I just don’t see the schematic archetype of someone who can go too far up the positional spectrum.
Combo Guards are scary, but it’s pretty easy to buy into Burries secondary scoring/ball-handling traits, jumper, and defensive steadiness.
4.12 Aday Mara
Michigan | 7’4.25” 259.8 lbs | 7’6” WS | 21.2 Draft Age
Games scouted: 11/11 vs Wake Forest, 2/11 vs Northwestern in person, 2/27 vs Illinois, 3/14 vs Wisconsin, 3/15 vs Purdue.
I was so happy to see Mara break out. The passing tools at UCLA were so evident. It just took some time and the proper utilization. Dusty May did a great job at setting Mara up for success. A big part of that was managing his minutes to keep him fresh, working around TV timeouts. The discussion surrounding May and Mara should not lean one way or the other. Mara was already immensely talented, but May’s guidance allowed him to reach higher.
I feel similarly about his NBA fit. I believe that it is going to take Mara some time to become a good NBA player and he has all the talent. His fit is just going to be important. At the baseline, Mara is clearly going to be an impactful rotational player in some capacity.
Mara is one of the many players I got a live scout on this season, and his rim deterrence is absurd. He is reliant on drop coverage, but when he sits back, there is no doubt in my mind that he will already be one of the NBA’s better rim protectors in his first season. Similar to any other drop big, it comes down to the infrastructure.
Mara’s passing ability and creativity are his best offensive traits. His backdoor finds, ridiculous outlet passes off of opponent made baskets and defensive rebounds, elbow and DHO hub ability, and being able to use his passing to open up lineup flexibility next to another big is superb. His size/passing intersection is among the best I have ever scouted. His creativity has also flashed with Gortat seals and through his post-up game.
4.13 Bennett Stirtz
Iowa | 6’3.75 186.2 lbs | 6’6” WS | 22.7 Draft Age
Games scouted: 1/6 vs Minnesota, 1/14 vs Purdue, 3/22 vs Florida, 3/26 vs Nebraska
Stirtz’s story is among the best in the class. He was a joy to watch at Drake, and was a joy to watch at Iowa where himself and Ben McCollum were able to find just as much success, in the Big 10, with essentially the same roster they had in the MVC.
What made Stirtz tough was trying to decipher his play compared to the schematics of McCollum. Stirtz was the engine of it all, he played 37.7 minutes per game and mirrored all of his JR season stats at Drake to his SR season at Iowa.
4.14 Hannes Steinbach
Washington | 6’11.5” 248 lbs | 7’2.25” WS | 20.1 Draft Age
Games scouted: exhibition vs UNLV, 1/31 vs Northwestern in person, 3/12 vs Wisconsin
Steinbach was another player I was able to get a live scout on this cycle. In-person, his feel, touch, rebounding, and passing acumen stood out. It is why Steinbach has been such an easy scout for me.
It did help that he measured in at damn near 7-feet in-shoes at the combine, but Steinbach’s build is what I tend to love in a big. I will always value Bigs who can be creative passers and playmakers out of typical bigman situations.
On the glass, Steinbach was truly an animal this season. His rebounding reminded me a touch of my scout of Derik Queen last cycle. While Steinbach does not have dominant athleticism to high point the basketball, the basketball just seemingly finds its way to him. I loved how he was able to bring down anything that touched his hands and tip the ball to himself.
The concern on defense is very straightforward with Steinbach. While this season’s Washington team had numerous flaws, the eye test and data behind Steinbach’s reliance on shot blocker Franck Kepnang were obvious.
Steinbach feels like a sure-fire productive NBA player, he just cannot get much higher for me since he is going to be very limited defensively.
4.15 Dailyn Swain
Texas | 6’7.75” 211.2 lbs | 6’10” WS | 20.9 Draft Age
Games scouted: 3/4 vs Arkansas, 3/19 vs BYU, 3/26 vs Purdue
Swain is a sick archetype. His downhill driving ability this past season at Texas + his Xavier defensive tape gives a fun glimpse into the player he could be in the NBA in a more scaled down role.
He is not going to play a role anywhere near his Texas on-ball reliance, but in bench units and as a change of pace secondary ball-handler, Swains size and downhill physicality is
4.16 Ebuka Okorie
Stanford | 6’2.5” 186 lbs | 6’7.75” WS | 19.2 Draft Age
Games scouted: 1/14 vs
Okorie was a fun surprise this season. He ate at the rim on an iffy Stanford team and pretty much carried the load. 6.4 unassisted rim makes per game.
I question the jumper, but his quickness and scoring in the paint is bound to bring him success. Especially once he gets more talent around him. Smaller guard but good combine measurements.
TIER 5 - ROTATIONAL PIECE
5.17 Cameron Carr
Baylor | 6’5.75” 184.4 lbs | 7’0.75” WS | 21.6 Draft Age
Games scouted: 1/16 vs Kansas,
Carr is extremely skinny and will be 22 as a rookie, but I value his spacing. His ability to spot up well beyond the arc and be a safety valve could be insanely effective if he lands in the right spot. I think he can also add offensive value off of pindowns. I just struggle with figuring out if he can attack aggressive closeouts, because that is the easy adjustment to make.
Regardless, Carr will always have a spot on a roster if the jumper sticks.
His 7-foot wingspan is awesome on paper, but I have a tough time rationalizing it when he is so thin. When you balance the two out, it draws a pretty even outcome. He will get bullied physically by stronger players (does not take much) and does not have the height or defensive tools to be a valuable low man even with the impressive 3.9% block rate.
5.18 Labaron Philon
Alabama | 6’3.75” 176.2 lbs | 6’6.25” WS | 20.6 Draft Age
Games scouted: 11/8 vs St Johns, 11/13 vs Purdue, 1/3 vs Kentucky, 2/18 vs Arkansas, 3/22 vs Texas Tech
Similar to Yaxel Lendeborg, Philon is a player who was in the top 20 of my 2025 board.
Philon is such a tough fade for me, because he is so good at basketball and such a fun watch. He is just so small, and I still have some gripes with his jumper. Many of my thoughts remained the same from my 2025 scout despite him having an even better Sophomore season.
Philon feels boom or bust. He is dynamic on the ball, had 4.8 unassisted rim finishes per game, shooting 65.7% at the rim this season, and attempted 6 FTA per game. I just feel like he needs the ball in his hands to be maximized, and I am unsure if he will be able to do that early on.
5.19 Joshua Jefferson
Iowa State | 6’9” 246.2 lbs | 6’10.75” WS | 22.6 Draft Age
Games scouted: 1/7 vs Baylor, 1/17 vs Cincinnati, 2/16 vs Houston
Joshua Jefferson’s archetype is one of my favorites. He is a jack of all trades master of none guy, but his passing ability and feel for the game is unreal.
I profiled Jefferson as a Wolves target, so go check that out…
5.20 Ja’Kobi Gillespie
Tennessee | 6’1” 181.8 lbs | 6’4” WS | 22.3 Draft Age
Games scouted:
Two years ago, I took the train up north to Evanston to watch Derik Queen and the Crab Five. Queen is the player I wanted to see in person, and I truly loved that team, but the player I came home the most impressed with was Gillespie.
Gillespie is one of my more lofty board pushes, but I think he brings so much to the table as a backup guard at the next level.
Wherever Gillespie was in college, Belmont, Maryland, or Tennessee, he won. His pull-up three-point shooting, rapid pace downhill, and projectable defense as a bench guard based around his high career STL rate of 3.6%, along with a football background.
Gillespie has a pretty rare intersection of defensive disruption, 3PAr, and assist rates. Only two drafted players have ever had an AST rate of 25% or better, 3PAr per 100 possessions of 10 or better, and a STL rate of 3.5% or better throughout their college careers. Gillespie is one of those.
5.21 Allen Graves | Forward | Santa Clara
5.22 Christian Anderson | PG | Texas Tech
5.23 Jayden Quaintance | Big | Kentucky
5.24 Nate Ament | Wing | Tennessee
5.25 Koa Peat | Big | Arizona
5.26 Richie Saunders | Wing | BYU
TIER 6 - GUARANTEED CONTRACT WORTHY - FLAWED PEDIGREE VS PROVEN VETERANS
6.27 Chris Cenac Jr. | Big | Houston
6.28 Karim Lopez | Forward | Mexico
6.29 Zuby Ejiofor | Forward | Texas Tech
6.30 Emanuel Sharp | Guard | Houston
6.31 Tarris Reed Jr. | Center | Connecticut
6.32 Meleek Thomas | Guard | Arkansas
6.33 Isaiah Evans | Guard | Duke
6.34 Trevon Brazile | Forward | Arkansas
6.35 Maliq Brown | Forward | Duke
6.36 Bruce Thornton | Guard | Ohio St
6.37 Ryan Conwell | Guard | Louisville
6.38 Henri Veesaar | Forward | North Carolina
6.39 Nick Martinelli | Wing | Northwestern
6.40 Alex Karaban | Forward | Connecticut
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