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5 takeaways: College players rule 1st round of 2026 NBA Draft - NBA.com
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10 minute min
Andrei Miroslavescu
NEW YORK – Surprises were minimal as the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft unfolded Tuesday at Barclays Center. BYU’s AJ Dybantsa went No. 1 to the Washington Wizards, followed by Kansas’ Darryn Peterson at No. 2 to the Utah Jazz, Duke’s Cameron Boozer at No. 3 to the Memphis Grizzlies, North Carolina’s Caleb Wilson at No. 4 to the Chicago Bulls and Illinois’ Keaton Wagler at No. 5 to the LA Clippers. Nine of the first 10 picks in the 2026 NBA Draft were college freshmen, tying the record for the most freshmen in the top 10, set in 2017 and 2025. The first 20 selections all played college basketball, marking the first time since 1994 that the first 20 picks came from college. Here are takeaways from the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft: Seven teams had two first-round picks Counting Milwaukee, which reportedly acquired the No. 13 overall pick from Miami in the reported Giannis Antetokounmpo trade, seven teams had two picks in the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft Tuesday: the Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets, Chicago Bulls, Dallas Mavericks, Memphis Grizzlies, Milwaukee Bucks and Oklahoma City Thunder. Here’s what those teams did with their picks: Hawks: The Hawks made the playoffs last season (remember, they had a 2-1 first-round series lead against the eventual-champion New York Knicks) and added guard Kingston Flemings from Houston at No. 8 and St. John’s forward Zuby Ejiofor at No. 23. Hornets: The Hornets went from 19 victories in 2024-25 to 44 victories in 2025-26 and want to take another jump next season. With the final lottery pick, they took Washington big man Hannes Steinbach at No. 14, and with the 18th pick, the Hornets drafted Texas Tech guard Christian Anderson. Bulls: Another team with a new coach (Tiago Splitter) and a new front-office leader (executive vice president of basketball operations Bryson Graham), the Bulls wanted North Carolina forward Caleb Wilson and took him No. 4. They also selected Texas guard-forward Dailyn Swain at No. 15. Mavericks: Amid a rebuild with a new president (Masai Ujiri), new general manager (Mike Schmitz) and new coach (Dusty May), the Mavericks added Michigan big man Morez Johnson Jr., who played for May, at No. 9, and in a trade with New York, Dallas reportedly acquired Spain’s Sergio De Larrea to go alongside reigning Kia Rookie of the Year Cooper Flagg. Grizzlies: Memphis is trying to rediscover winning ways and moved in the right direction by taking Duke forward Cameron Boozer at No. 3. In a reported trade, Memphis sent the No. 17 pick it got from Oklahoma City to Detroit and acquired Mexico’s Karim Lopez at No. 21. Bucks: Moving on from the Antetokounmpo era, the Bucks added Miami’s pick to their first-round haul, taking Arizona guard Brayden Burries 10th, and with the pick from Miami, the Bucks will acquire Tennessee forward Nate Ament 13th. Thunder: A front office with an eye for talent and fit on and off the court, the Thunder selected Michigan’s 7-foot-3 center Aday Mara 12th, and in a reported trade with Memphis, they acquired No. 16 pick Bennett Stirtz, a guard from Iowa. It also means seven teams did not have a first-round pick: the Houston Rockets, Indiana Pacers, Miami Heat, New Orleans Pelicans, Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns and Portland Trail Blazers. Michigan has three go in the top 12 Michigan, which won the 2026 NCAA championship, had three players selected in the top 12: Morez Johnson Jr. at No. 9, Yaxel Lendeborg at No. 11 and Aday Mara at No. 12. It marks the first time since Florida in 2007 that three non-freshmen from the same school were lottery picks. “I'm so happy for those guys,” Johnson said. “We talked about it during the season. We got our ultimate goal of winning the national championship and we just got drafted together, all lottery picks. I'm proud of my brothers, and I'm very excited to see what our future has for us.” Johnson, going to the Mavs at No. 9, also reunites him with his coach at Michigan, Dusty May, who was just named Dallas' coach. “I was insanely shocked when I saw Dusty was going to be coach of the Mavs,” Johnson said. “I did not see it coming at all. And now for him to be my coach again, I'm excited. I'm excited. I can't wait to get there and go to work with him again and ultimately win again.” Big night for Big 12 Nine players from the Big 12 were selected in the first round, including four in the top 10. The nine first-rounders set a Big 12 record for most first-rounders in a single draft, surpassing the seven picked in the first round of the 2010 draft. The picks: Dybantsa (to the Wizards); Peterson (to the Jazz); Houston’s Kingston Flemings (to the Hawks); Arizona’s Brayden Burries (to the Bucks); Texas Tech’s Christian Anderson Jr. (to the Hornets); Baylor’s Cameron Carr (to the Lakers); Houston’s Chris Cenac Jr. (to the Celtics); Iowa State’s Joshua Jefferson (to the Nets) and Arizona’s Koa Peat (to the Suns). The Big 12 today is different from what it was five years ago, as it now has six more teams than in 2021. Still, it was an impressive showing from the Big 12. Big Ten: Six players SEC: Five players ACC: Four players Draft lottery reform kicks in next season This was the last year – at least through the 2029 NBA Draft – that the teams with the worst records had the best odds at winning the No. 1 pick in the draft lottery. The NBA’s Board of Governors in May approved a new draft lottery system that “is designed to eliminate incentives for teams to prioritize draft position over winning.” Key parts of the new system: The teams with the three worst records do not have the highest odds of winning the lottery. No team’s pick will be permitted to be the first pick in consecutive drafts. No team’s pick will be permitted to be a top-five pick in three consecutive drafts. * * * Jeff Zillgitt has covered the NBA since 2008. You can email him at jzillgitt@nba.com, find his archive here and follow him on X.