By Jeremy Woo, +2 More, 2026-06-24 14:30:00
2026年NBA选秀的第一轮于周二晚上落下帷幕，状元签的争夺尘埃落定，华盛顿奇才队在首顺位选中了阿利杰·迪班萨 (AJ Dybantsa)，随后犹他爵士队用榜眼签选中了达林·彼得森 (Darryn Peterson)。
一如既往，选秀之夜充满了惊喜，期间共达成了七笔交易，涉及多支NBA球队。
选秀夜以菲尼克斯太阳队在第30顺位得到科亚·皮特 (Koa Peat) 宣告结束。此前，纽约尼克斯队先是将他们的第25顺位新秀塞尔希奥·德·拉雷亚 (Sergio De Larrea) 交易至达拉斯独行侠队（换得第30顺位），随后又将该顺位交易给太阳队。
ESPN的杰里米·伍 (Jeremy Woo)、鲍比·马克斯 (Bobby Marks) 和本·戈利弗 (Ben Golliver) 为大家深度解析首轮的最大赢家、关键疑问以及他们最中意的选秀。
第二轮选秀将于周三（东部时间晚8点，ESPN/ABC直播）进行——欢迎关注我们的实时选秀播报。
更多NBA选秀报道：
奇才选中迪班萨 | 犹他选中彼得森
第二轮模拟选秀 | 最佳剩余可用新秀
交易追踪 | 前100榜单排名 | 选秀主页
伍：首轮最大赢家
犹他爵士
选择：达林·彼得森，控球后卫/得分后卫（第2顺位）
彼得森是我心目中本届选秀的头号球员，而爵士在比该顺位晚一位的位置选到了他。对我来说，这逻辑很简单。历史当然可能会证明我是错的——迪班萨非常优秀——但我认为，外界对彼得森所担忧的大部分风险从长远来看根本无足轻重。爵士队带走了一位能改变队史的球员，而且他们甚至不需要抽中状元签就做到了这一点。
在前四热门新秀中，彼得森可以说是最适合犹他的：爵士需要另一位射手，也需要提升后场的高度，而彼得森能同时满足这两个需求。他们必须弄清楚他如何与另一位得分型后卫基扬特·乔治 (Keyonte George) 兼容，但彼得森作为一名高个子后卫，而且坦率地说，他是一位被低估的防守者，这也会有所帮助。随着时间的推移，这笔选择对犹他来说会显得非常明智。
孟菲斯灰熊
选择：卡梅伦·布泽尔，大前锋/中锋（第3顺位），卡里姆·洛佩斯（第21顺位）
灰熊队度过了一个非常美妙的夜晚，他们在第3顺位摘下了本届第三位具有状元潜质的新秀布泽尔，同时还通过两笔交易向下交易签位，从第16顺位退到第17顺位，再退到第21顺位，并最终选到了洛佩斯。选中布泽尔的意义不言而喻：他将成为一名优秀的NBA球员和球队长期的基石。
另一部分操作则更为精妙：向灰熊队及其总经理扎克·克莱曼 (Zach Kleiman) 致敬。他准确地洞察到，从他们的第二个签位开始，这届选秀的控球后卫储备非常雄厚，并通过两笔交易向下交易，斩获了五个未来的次轮签，从而榨取了最大价值。虽然没人能预料这些选秀权最终会变成什么，但孟菲斯也选到了他们心仪的球员洛佩斯，并且选到他的顺位比预期还要稍微靠后一些。
其他球队原本以为灰熊队会死盯着后卫不放，但他们最终一个后卫也没选。这充分体现了他们对局势的精准研判——正如许多球队所预料的那样，在第16到第30顺位之间是交易的活跃期——这对孟菲斯来说是一个成功的夜晚。
伍：首轮最大惊喜
达拉斯独行侠
选择：莫雷兹·约翰逊二世，大前锋/中锋（第9顺位）
纯粹由于达斯蒂·梅 (Dusty May) 的因素，这是一个非常有趣的选秀。这位刚刚离任的密歇根大学主帅执掌了达拉斯的教鞭，在乐透区面对三位密歇根大学球员时，他最终选择了约翰逊。约翰逊、阿代·马拉 (Aday Mara) 和亚克塞尔·伦德博格 (Yaxel Lendeborg) 本可以以任何顺序被选中——外界普遍预计马拉会最先被选中——但独行侠队在这里的选择表明了他们所看重的特质。
约翰逊在选秀前的准备过程中顺位一路飙升，他将大学时期的赢球履历、强悍的篮板球和多功能防守，与他顶级的无形资产以及在联合试训中的出色表现（体测和测试数据优异）完美结合。他在身体上已经为NBA做好了准备，并且可能从第一天起就担任首发，在竞争强度上与独行侠队的库珀·弗拉格 (Cooper Flagg) 形成良好互补。这可以被看作是达拉斯为了确立球队文化而做出的选择，而不是在天赋上进行豪赌，但总体而言，这种契合度是合理的。不过，这也是我的模拟选秀第一次出现偏差的地方。
芝加哥公牛
选择：戴林·斯温，得分后卫/小前锋（第15顺位）
斯温是首轮中另一个颇具趣味的“变速球”（意料之外的选择），他的顺位比我预期的要高一些，但其逻辑是合理的。公牛队原本计划在这个顺位选择最优秀的剩余球员，他们被斯温出色的身体天赋、冲击篮下的得分能力、篮板和防守的结合所吸引。虽然他未必是我会选择的球员，但你可以看到芝加哥全新阵容的愿景正在成型，这确实令人期待。
将斯温和凯莱布·威尔逊 (Caleb Wilson) 引入到包含马塔斯·布泽利斯 (Matas Buzelis)、约什·吉迪 (Josh Giddey) 和诺阿·埃森格 (Noa Essengue) 的阵容中，为公牛队提供了一支年轻的生力军，他们应该能够打出速度、做好防守并打出快攻转换。投篮和空间拉开能力是另一个问题——这是他们最终必须解决的问题——但这是彻底重建的第一步。虽然这是一个略显令人惊讶的选择，但从阵容构建和打法风格的角度来看，它是合理的。
谁是今晚的最佳选秀？
Golliver： 孟菲斯灰熊队在第3顺位选中卡梅伦·布泽尔。布泽尔作为杜克大学大一新秀交出了令人瞩目的数据（场均22.5分、10.2个篮板），并且他在高中和大学生涯中都有着带队赢球的辉煌履历，这使他成为重建中的灰熊队的完美人选。
尽管这位前NBA球星卡洛斯·布泽尔 (Carlos Boozer) 的18岁儿子在过去一个月里作为状元秀竞争者的呼声不高，但他很有可能脱颖而出，成为这届天赋异禀的新秀中最好的球员。他身材高大、移动敏捷、球商极高、控球娴熟，并且在三分线外投篮也游刃有余。
在迪班萨和彼得森被选走后，孟菲斯明智地忽略了外界对其运动能力的质疑，做出了一个无需多虑的绝佳选择。
Marks： 费城76人队在第22顺位选中小拉巴伦·菲隆 (Labaron Philon Jr.)。我将这位阿拉巴马大学的后卫排在本届选秀的第13位。最让我印象深刻的是，菲隆如何吸取2025年选秀联合试训中的建设性意见，并在过去这个赛季付诸实践。他将自己的三分球命中率从32%提升到了40%。
最大的收获是，NBA球队希望看到菲隆担任主要组织者——他在阿拉巴马大学大二期间场均能送出5.1次助攻。在76人队，菲隆将与泰雷斯·马克西 (Tyrese Maxey) 和VJ·艾奇库姆 (VJ Edgecombe) 组成极具爆发力的后场。
Woo： 犹他爵士队在第2顺位选中达林·彼得森。原因见上文。
哪支争冠球队在周二晚上收获最大？
Golliver： 萨姆·普雷斯蒂 (Sam Presti) 执掌的雷霆队已经将选秀流程研究得极其透彻。随着今年夏天球队薪资总额即将暴涨，普雷斯蒂选下了密歇根大学中锋阿代·马拉（第12顺位）和爱荷华大学后卫贝内特·斯蒂尔茨 (Bennett Stirtz)（第16顺位），以解决明确的阵容位置需求。
这位身高7英尺3英寸的马拉可以期待在未来五年里与马刺队球星维克托·文班亚马 (Victor Wembanyama) 进行无数次交锋，而斯蒂尔茨可靠的三分投射和极具破坏力的防守可能会让他成为球迷的宠儿。尽管雷霆队在本周早些时候交易走了亚伦·维金斯 (Aaron Wiggins)，并且正在为下个月痛苦的阵容抉择做准备，但他们在大多数其他顶级争冠球队在首轮毫无作为的情况下，成功收获了两位值得长期留用的球员。
Marks： 纽约尼克斯队如何？他们实际上并没有在首轮带走任何一名新秀。他们通过三次向下交易签位，增加了五个次轮签和部分现金补偿。他们进入休赛期时正承受着第二土豪线的巨大压力，如果目标是保持在红线以下或仅略微超出，那么每一美元都至关重要。
纽约面临着关于自由球员米切尔·罗宾逊 (Mitchell Robinson)、兰德里·沙梅特 (Landry Shamet) 和何塞·阿尔瓦拉多 (Jose Alvarado) 的关键决定。阿尔瓦拉多在6月29日之前可以决定是否执行下赛季450万美元的合同选项。尼克斯队与去年的次轮秀穆罕默德·迪亚瓦拉 (Mohamed Diawara) 达成了一份新合同，预计将使球队薪资保持在第二土豪线以下约1400万美元。他们被允许超过这一门槛以带回自己的自由球员。
Woo： 圣安东尼奥马刺队。他们非常明确地解决了自己最大的需求，即提升前场的体量和对抗强度。我们看到文班亚马在总决赛中有些被对手针对和消耗。一个健康的杰登·昆坦斯 (Jayden Quaintance) 和做好了NBA准备的小塔里斯·里德 (Tarris Reed Jr.) 应该能为他提供一些保护，因为圣安东尼奥正在为未来激烈的季后赛肉搏战做准备。
在前四顺位之外，你认为谁最有可能获得年度最佳新秀？
Golliver： 小达里厄斯·阿卡夫 (Darius Acuff Jr.)。萨克拉门托国王队在近年来交易走前乐透秀达龙·福克斯 (De’Aaron Fox) 和泰雷斯·哈利伯顿 (Tyrese Haliburton) 之后，将把来自阿肯色大学的7号秀阿卡夫塑造成他们最新的未来控卫。
萨克拉门托在2025-26赛季经历了一个真正令人沮丧的赛季，部分原因在于主教练道格·克里斯蒂 (Doug Christie) 过度依赖老将。希望国王队在下个赛季能够纠正方向，重用在大一时期领跑SEC联盟得分榜和助攻榜的阿卡夫。如果萨克拉门托放手让他发挥，这位19岁的年轻人有机会追随另一位由约翰·卡利帕里 (John Calipari) 执教、并在国王队获得年度最佳新秀的后卫的脚步：泰瑞克·埃文斯 (Tyreke Evans)。
Woo： 亚克塞尔·伦德博格。他可能不会最终获奖，但他会获得大量的出场时间，并且必须在金州勇士队打出一个成功赛季的过程中扮演重要角色。
他们在第11顺位选中他，充分考虑到了即战力的紧迫性。如果他能赢得主教练史蒂夫·科尔 (Steve Kerr) 的信任——据信科尔对这次选秀有一定的影响力——他将获得必要的上场时间，在急需他的球队中证明自己。
在前十顺位之外，你最看好哪位新秀与球队的契合度？
Golliver： 杰登·昆坦斯加盟圣安东尼奥马刺队。圣安东尼奥在文班亚马的第一次季后赛之旅后深知，他们需要为前场增加更多的高度和对抗。到了总决赛结束时，尼克斯队前锋OG·阿奴诺比 (OG Anunoby) 轻松赢下了他的对位，而老将卢克·科内特 (Luke Kornet) 和凯尔登·约翰逊 (Keldon Johnson) 在他们的上场时间里也难以做出贡献。
19岁的昆坦斯之所以跌至第20顺位，是因为他上赛季大部分时间都在从前交叉韧带 (ACL) 伤势中恢复。马刺队在赌一旦他完全康复，他的防守多样性和力量将有助于解决他们的短板。快进几年，最理想的情况对对手的进攻来说可能是极其恐怖的。面对拥有文班亚马、斯蒂芬·卡斯尔 (Stephon Castle)、卡特·布莱恩特 (Carter Bryant) 和昆坦斯的阵容，对手要怎么得分？
圣安东尼奥还通过交易得到了康涅狄格大学中锋小塔里斯·里德，在选秀夜结束前进一步增加了内线高度。
Marks： 克里斯蒂安·安德森 (Christian Anderson) 加盟夏洛特黄蜂队。当我4月份与他见面时，他坚信自己是本届选秀中最好的得分后卫。考虑到他上赛季在德克萨斯理工大学的三分命中率高达42%，他确实有理由这么说。
投篮并不是安德森上赛季唯一擅长的事情。他场均能送出7.4次助攻，并且在防守端表现活跃（场均1.5次抢断）。在2025年FIBA U19男篮世界杯上，安德森的竞争心脱颖而出。他带领德国国家队夺得银牌，同时场均贡献6.6次助攻。
Woo： 阿代·马拉加盟俄克拉荷马雷霆队。这是我上个月推测过的一个选秀，而它确实成真了。
我完全被将马拉作为进攻轴心的想法所吸引，这能给雷霆队的前场带来独特的面貌。他能否开发出足够的投篮能力将对手拉出禁区是一个合理的问题，但当雷霆和马刺下一次交手时，我一定会关注他如何应对与文班亚马不可避免的对位。
虽然没有真正能限制文班的方法，但马拉拥有在身体对抗上与他抗衡的身材和态度，同时还具备能让队友变得更好的传球技术，这能让雷霆队成为一支更具活力的进攻球队。这是一个非常酷的设想。
填空题：雄鹿队得到布雷登·伯里斯和内特·阿门特是______。
Golliver： 一个提醒：在交易走扬尼斯·阿德托昆博 (Giannis Antetokounmpo) 之后，重返巅峰将是一条漫长的道路。
密尔沃基可以声称这两个选秀权物超所值：伯里斯（第10顺位）和阿门特（第13顺位）在一些分析师的预测中顺位都比实际落点要高。来自亚利桑那大学的攻防一体后卫伯里斯 (Brayden Burries)，以及来自田纳西大学的身材修长的前锋阿门特 (Nate Ament)，都是大一参选的新秀，有潜力成长为扎实的NBA球员。
他们作为新秀能否在密尔沃基打出来则是另一个问题。理想情况下，伯里斯应该在一位成名的球星级组织者身边担任第三进攻选择。在雄鹿队新任主教练泰勒·詹金斯 (Taylor Jenkins) 在没有阿德托昆博的情况下重构进攻体系时，他是否会迷失方向？而对于阿门特，可能最好保持耐心，他必须增加体重并提高得分效率。
Marks： 后阿德托昆博时代生活的坚实基础。
伯里斯起步较慢，但在Big 12联盟的比赛中火力全开，场均贡献17.5分，投篮命中率50.2%，三分命中率38.2%。他为雄鹿队提供了一名高大后卫，可以惩罚身材较矮小的防守者。他场均还能抢下1.7个进攻篮板。
阿门特在赛季末是带伤作战，但在他最后的10场比赛中场均仍有7.5次罚球尝试。他的身材以及在SEC联盟中的表现表明他拥有前十级别的天赋。
请记住，在交易之前，阿德托昆博是密尔沃基阵容中唯一由本队在首轮选中的球员。
对某位首轮秀本赛季或其职业生涯做出一个预测。
Golliver： 达林·彼得森将有机会创造犹他爵士队单赛季场均得分的队史纪录。皮特·马拉维奇 (Pete Maravich)、卡尔·马龙 (Karl Malone) 和阿德里安·丹特利 (Adrian Dantley) 是爵士队历史上仅有的场均得分超过30分的球员，自1989-90赛季的马龙以来，犹他还没有球员能达到这一标准。
彼得森在堪萨斯大学饱受伤病困扰的大一赛季中，每100回合场均能砍下40.7分，是一位得分如探囊取物的得分手，他能否打破马拉维奇保持的场均31.1分的队史纪录？在现代NBA中，得益于三分球和高节奏推动的进攻狂潮，各项纪录正在接连作古。更重要的是，彼得森在选秀前被拿来与科比·布莱恩特 (Kobe Bryant) 和谢伊·吉尔杰斯-亚历山大 (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander) 进行比较，这两位得分大师在职业生涯中都曾多次场均得分超过30分。
三位来自密歇根大学的首轮秀中，谁去到了最好的去处？
Golliver： 莫雷兹·约翰逊二世加盟达拉斯独行侠队。
也许真正的答案是三个都是。考虑到雷霆队对内线高度的需求，阿代·马拉是他们的完美人选；而亚克塞尔·伦德博格对金州勇士队来说也完全合理，因为自2022年夺冠以来，他们一直缺乏前锋位置上的高度和运动能力。
但身体强壮、活力四射的约翰逊现在将有机会在充满活力的前场与2025年状元秀库珀·弗拉格并肩成长。随着弗拉格吸引更多的防守注意力，约翰逊应该能在篮下轻松获得大量吃饼机会。在达拉斯经历了灾难性的卢卡·东契奇 (Luka Doncic) 交易以及与安东尼·戴维斯 (Anthony Davis) 的短暂合作之后，他们正试图确立一种全新的文化，而约翰逊永不停歇的活力将是一个巨大的加分项。
最棒的是，他得以与主教练达斯蒂·梅重聚，后者在本周早些时候离开密歇根大学加盟了独行侠队。
在看到首日选秀尘埃落定后，你对自己的终版模拟选秀最大的遗憾是什么？
Woo： 总体而言，我对自己的模拟选秀感觉非常好，更重要的是，其中贯穿了情报和球队策略的逻辑主线，在我看来，这是衡量模拟选秀质量的最佳标准。不过，事情总会在某些地方偏离轨道。
我设计的最终方案因为把卡里姆·洛佩斯排在第13顺位（雄鹿队本可以做出这个选择）而被打乱了。其他球队认为他有顺位下滑的可能，事实也确实如此，他一路跌到了第21顺位被孟菲斯灰熊队选走。
进入第二轮之前，你最惊讶谁依然没有被选中？
Woo： 亨利·维萨尔 (Henri Veesaar)（北卡罗来纳大学）。其他大个子球员最终在20多顺位超越了他，但他不太可能在周三的第二轮中等待太久。他在我的总新秀榜单上排名第28位。
由生成式 AI 翻译，译文内容可能不准确或不完整，以原文为准。
点击查看原文：2026 NBA draft: Round 1 winners, surprise picks, questions
2026 NBA draft: Round 1 winners, surprise picks, questions
Round 1 of the 2026 NBA draft wrapped Tuesday night, and the race for the No. 1 pick was decided with the Washington Wizards selecting AJ Dybantsa first, and then the Utah Jazz taking Darryn Peterson with the No. 2 pick.
As always, draft night is full of surprises, as there were seven trades involving NBA teams.
The night wrapped with the Phoenix Suns acquiring Koa Peat at No. 30 after the New York Knicks traded their No. 25 pick, Sergio De Larrea, to the Dallas Mavericks at No. 30 and then traded that pick to the Suns.
ESPN’s Jeremy Woo, Bobby Marks and Ben Golliver break down the biggest winners, questions and their favorite picks from Round 1.
Round 2 is Wednesday (8 p.m. ET, ESPN/ABC) – follow along on our live Draftcast.
More NBA draft coverage:
Wizards take Dybantsa | Utah picks Peterson
Round 2 mock draft | Best available prospects
Trade tracker | Top 100 rankings | Draft
Woo: Biggest winners of Round 1
Utah Jazz
The pick: Darryn Peterson, PG/SG (No. 2)
Peterson was my No. 1 player in the draft, and he was available one pick later than that slot. To me, that’s simple logic. I could certainly be proved wrong by history – AJ Dybantsa is very good – but I think much of the perceived risk around Peterson simply won’t matter in the long run. The Jazz will walk away with a franchise-changing player and didn’t have to win the lottery to do it.
Peterson was arguably the best fit for Utah out of the top four prospects: the Jazz needed another shooter and more size in the backcourt, and in Peterson, they get both. They will have to figure out how he balances alongside another scoring guard in Keyonte George, but Peterson, being a taller guard and frankly, an underrated defender, also helps. The way this worked out will age very well for Utah.
Memphis Grizzlies
The picks: Cameron Boozer, PF/C (No. 3), Karim Lopez (No. 21)
The Grizzlies had a very good night, landing the third No. 1-caliber prospect in the class at No. 3 in Boozer, while also making two deals to maneuver down the board from No. 16 to No. 17 to No. 21 and select Lopez. The Boozer pick is pretty self-explanatory: He’s going to be an excellent NBA player and a long-term cornerstone.
The other part of this is more nuanced: tip of the cap to the Grizzlies and top exec Zach Kleiman, who correctly read what was a very strong class for point guards starting at their second pick and extracted value from the two deals by netting five future second-round picks. What those picks end up being is anyone’s guess, but Memphis also landed a player it liked in Lopez and was able to get him a bit later than he was expected off the board.
Other teams thought the Grizzlies were dialed in on guards, and they ended up not taking one. This was a good reading of what figured to be – and was, as many teams expected – a busy time for trades between picks 16 and 30, and a good night for Memphis.
Woo: Biggest surprises of Round 1
Dallas Mavericks
The pick: Morez Johnson Jr., PF/C (No. 9)
This was an interesting pick purely due to the Dusty May factor, with the now-former Michigan coach taking over in Dallas, having his pick of three Wolverines in the lottery, and selecting Johnson. Johnson, Aday Mara and Yaxel Lendeborg could have conceivably gone in any order – Mara was generally expected to be first off the board – but the Mavericks’ preference here tells you something about what they value.
Johnson rose up the board during the predraft process, marrying a winning college season, strong rebounding, and versatile defense with his elite intangibles and a good process at the combine, where he measured and tested well. He’s physically ready for the NBA and could be a day one starter who matches Cooper Flagg well from an intensity standpoint for the Mavericks. This can be read as more of a culture-setting pick for Dallas, rather than taking a big talent swing, but the fit makes sense overall. It was, however, the spot where my mock draft first went wrong.
Chicago Bulls
The pick: Dailyn Swain, SG/SF (No. 15)
Swain was another one of the more interesting first-round curveballs, going a bit higher than I expected, but in a way that made sense. The Bulls were planning to go best available player at this slot and were drawn to Swain’s mix of physical tools, downhill scoring, rebounding and defense. Though it’s not the player I necessarily would have picked, you can see the vision for Chicago’s new-look roster taking shape, and it’s an intriguing one.
Adding Swain and Caleb Wilson to a group that includes Matas Buzelis, Josh Giddey and Noa Essengue gives the Bulls a young group that should be able to play fast, defend and run in transition. The shooting and spacing component is another question – one that they will eventually have to address – but this is square one of a full rebuild. Though this was a slightly surprising choice, it makes sense from a roster-building and style perspective.
What was the best pick of the night?
Golliver: Cameron Boozer to the Memphis Grizzlies at No. 3. Boozer’s impressive statistical body of work as a Duke freshman (22.5 points, 10.2 rebounds) and his track record of driving wins throughout his high school and college careers make him a perfect prospect for the rebuilding Grizzlies.
Though the 18-year-old son of former NBA star Carlos Boozer didn’t generate much buzz as a contender for the No. 1 pick over the past month, he has a good chance of emerging as this talented class’s best player. He’s big, mobile, smart, good with the ball and comfortable shooting from beyond the arc.
Memphis smartly looked past the questions about his athleticism and made a no-brainer selection once AJ Dybantsa and Darryn Peterson were off the board.
Marks: Labaron Philon Jr. to the Philadelphia 76ers at No. 22. I ranked the Alabama guard as the 13th-best prospect in the draft. What stood out for me is how Philon took the constructive criticism from the 2025 draft combine and applied it this past season. He improved his 3-point shooting from 32% to 40%.
The biggest takeaway is that NBA teams wanted to see Philon as a primary playmaker – he averaged 5.1 assists as a sophomore at Alabama. With the 76ers, Philon will join an explosive backcourt with Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe.
Woo: Darryn Peterson the Utah Jazz at No. 2. See above.
Which title contender helped itself the most on Tuesday night?
Golliver: Sam Presti’s Thunder have the draft process down to a science. With a payroll set to balloon this summer, Presti added Michigan center Aday Mara (No. 12) and Iowa guard Bennett Stirtz (No. 16) to address clear positional needs.
The 7-foot-3 Mara can look forward to countless battles with Spurs star Victor Wembanyama over the next half-decade, and Stirtz’s reliable 3-point shooting and disruptive defense could make him a fan favorite. Though the Thunder traded Aaron Wiggins earlier this week and are bracing for painful roster decisions over the next month, they added two keepers while most of the other top title contenders were nonfactors in Round 1.
Marks: How about the New York Knicks, who didn’t actually come away from Round 1 with a prospect? They made three trades down the board, adding five second-round picks and cash considerations. They enter the offseason pressed against the second apron and every dollar matters if the goal is to remain under or slightly above.
New York faces key decisions with free agents Mitchell Robinson, Landry Shamet and Jose Alvarado. Alvarado has until June 29 to opt in to his $4.5 million contract for next season. The Knicks agreed to a new contract with Mohamed Diawara, last year’s second-round pick, for a projected $14 million below the second apron. They are allowed to exceed the threshold and bring back their own free agents.
Woo: The San Antonio Spurs. They were very pronounced about how they tackled their biggest need, which was to become bigger and more physical up front. We saw Wembanyama get beaten up a bit in the Finals. A healthy Jayden Quaintance and NBA-ready Tarris Reed Jr. should give him some cover as San Antonio prepares for physical playoff battles to come.
Outside of the top four picks, who would be your choice to win Rookie of the Year?
Golliver: Darius Acuff Jr. The Sacramento Kings will cast Acuff, the No. 7 pick out of Arkansas, as their latest point guard of the future after trading former lottery picks De’Aaron Fox and Tyrese Haliburton in recent years.
Sacramento endured a truly demoralizing 2025-26 season in part because coach Doug Christie relied too heavily on his veterans. Hopefully, the Kings course-correct next season by empowering Acuff, who led the SEC in scoring and assists as a freshman. If Sacramento turns him loose, the 19-year-old has a chance to follow in the footsteps of another John Calipari-coached guard who won Rookie of the Year with the Kings: Tyreke Evans.
Woo: Yaxel Lendeborg. He probably won’t win, but he’s going to play a lot and have to have a significant role for the Golden State Warriors to have a good season.
They picked him at No. 11 with urgency in mind. If he can earn the trust of coach Steve Kerr – who was thought to have a degree of influence over this pick – he’ll have the minutes necessary to make a case on a team that needs him.
What’s your favorite prospect-team fit outside of the top 10?
Golliver: Jayden Quaintance to the San Antonio Spurs. San Antonio came out of Wembanyama’s first playoff run knowing it needed to add more size and physicality to its frontcourt. By the end of the NBA Finals, Knicks forward OG Anunoby was handily winning his matchup and veterans Luke Kornet and Keldon Johnson were struggling to contribute in their minutes.
Quaintance, 19, fell to the No. 20 pick because he sat out most of last season recovering from an ACL injury. The Spurs are betting that his defensive versatility and strength will help address their shortcomings once he’s back to full strength. Fast-forward a few years, and the best-case scenario could be terrifying for opposing offenses. How will anyone score on lineups featuring Wembanyama, Stephon Castle, Carter Bryant and Quaintance?
San Antonio added even more size by trading for UConn center Tarris Reed Jr. before the night was over.
Marks: Christian Anderson to the Charlotte Hornets. When I met with him in April, he was confident that he was the best shooting guard in this draft. Considering that he shot 42% from 3 last season at Texas Tech, there is a case he could be right.
Shooting is not the only thing Anderson did well last season. He averaged 7.4 assists and was active on defense (1.5 steals). Anderson’s competitiveness stood out for the 2025 FIBA U-19 World Cup. He led the German national team to a silver medal while averaging 6.6 assists.
Woo: Aday Mara to the Oklahoma City Thunder. This is a pick I speculated about last month that actually came to fruition.
I’m simply fascinated by the idea of Mara as an offensive hub who can give the Thunder a unique look up front. Whether he can develop enough shooting to pull opponents out of the paint is a fair question, but I will tune in when the Thunder and Spurs play next to see how he handles inevitable matchups with Wembanyama.
There is no real counter for Wemby, but Mara has the size and attitude to match him physically, as well as the passing skills to make teammates better and make the Thunder a more dynamic offensive team. It’s a pretty cool concept.
Fill in the blank: The Bucks landing Brayden Burries and Nate Ament is ______.
Golliver: A reminder that it will be a long road back after trading Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Milwaukee can claim it got good value with both picks: Burries (No. 10) and Ament (No. 13) were both projected by some analysts to go higher than where they landed. Burries, a two-way guard from Arizona, and Ament, a long forward from Tennessee, are both one-and-done prospects with the potential to blossom into solid NBA players.
Whether they pop as rookies in Milwaukee is a different question. Ideally, Burries would be cast as a tertiary offensive option alongside an established star-level playmaker. Could he get lost in the shuffle as new Bucks coach Taylor Jenkins reworks the offense without Antetokounmpo? And it’s probably best to remain patient with Ament, who must fill out physically and improve his scoring efficiency.
Marks: A strong foundation to life after Antetokounmpo.
Burries got out of the gates slowly but turned it on in Big 12 games, averaging 17.5 points while shooting 50.2% from the field and 38.2% from 3. He gives the Bucks a big guard who can bully smaller defenders. He also averaged 1.7 offensive rebounds.
Ament played hurt at the end of the season but still averaged 7.5 free throw attempts in his final 10 games. His size and play during the SEC showed that he has top-10 talent.
Keep in mind that before the trade, Antetokounmpo was the only player on the roster Milwaukee drafted in the first round.
Make one prediction for a first-round pick, for this season or his career.
Golliver: Darryn Peterson will have a chance to set a Utah Jazz franchise record for scoring in a season. Pete Maravich, Karl Malone and Adrian Dantley are the only players in Jazz history to average more than 30 points, and no player has hit that benchmark in Utah since Malone in 1989-90.
Could Peterson, an effortless scorer who averaged 40.7 points per 100 possessions during an injury-plagued freshman season at Kansas, eclipse Maravich’s franchise record of 31.1 points per game? Records are falling left and right in the modern NBA thanks to an offensive boom driven by 3-point shooting and a high pace of play. What’s more, Peterson has drawn pre-draft comparisons to Kobe Bryant and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, two scoring craftsmen who averaged more than 30 points multiple times in their careers
Which of the three Michigan first-rounders landed in the best spot?
Golliver: Morez Johnson Jr. to the Dallas Mavericks.
Maybe the real answer is all three. Aday Mara was a perfect fit for the Thunder, given their need for interior size and Yaxel Lendeborg made total sense for the Golden State Warriors because they’ve lacked size and athleticism at the forward spots since their 2022 championship.
But the physical and energetic Johnson will now get the chance to grow alongside 2025 No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg in a dynamic frontcourt. With Flagg drawing extra defensive attention, Johnson should feast on easy opportunities around the hoop. And as Dallas attempts to set a new culture after its disastrous Luka Doncic trade and its short-lived dalliance with Anthony Davis, Johnson’s nonstop motor will be a major plus.
Best of all, he gets to reunite with coach Dusty May, who left Michigan to join the Mavericks earlier this week.
What is your biggest regret from your final mock draft after seeing Day 1 play out?
Woo: I felt very good about my mock overall and more importantly, the logical throughline of the intel and team strategy, which in my mind is the best measure of quality. Things always go off the rails somewhere.
The final scenario I put together was thrown off by putting Karim Lopez at No. 13 (a selection the Bucks could have made). Teams thought he had a chance to fall, and he did, dropping to the Memphis Grizzlies at No. 21.
Who are you most surprised to see still on the board heading into Round 2?
Woo: Henri Veesaar (North Carolina). Other bigs ended up jumping him in the 20s, but he’s not likely to be on the board long Wednesday. He’s my No. 28th overall prospect.
By Jeremy Woo, +2 More, via ESPN