[jeffbobtomsteveParticipant]

Preface: stole this idea from SBnation but they haven’t done it in awhile so myself and two friends drafted who we thought would be the best players in 2026. I am posting this without their consent (consent is for girls) and my friend Mike is sciences biggest mystery so some of his picks are a little more out there than the others but anything is possible I guess.

1. Jokic – Ryan (me) – Him, Doncic and Giannis were my first tier, felt like Jokic is the MVP and should age well.

2. Giannis – David – Giannis probably the right pick coming off a championship.

3. Ja – Mike – Not a fan of white players, hopefully Ja doesn’t follow in D Roses footsteps.

4. LaMelo – M – Loves tall guards, doesnt consider Doncic a guard because he was drafted as a small forward, you figure it out.

5. Doncic – D – Seems like a steal.

6. Trae – R – Hes been doubted every step of the way and just keeps doing ridiculous things.

7. Mobley – R – Hes clearly special.

8. Tatum – D – He took Embiid at first but made me cross it out because he got scared by Embiids injury history.

9. Embiid – M – One of the few times Mike took someone that I wouldve taken at that spot.

10. Garland – M – One of the many times Mike took someone way higher than I wouldve considered taking them.

11. Booker – D – I dont love the Jenner connection, but even if they drain him of his soul his midrange game should remain intact.

12. Edwards – R – Hes been about as good as anyone couldve expected early in his career.

13. Towns – R – Back to back wolves, what was I thinking.

14. Donovan Mitchell – D – Not overthinking things here.

15. SGA – M – We are all thunder fans, Mike loves Poku but we all agreed hes not list worthy until at least 2028.

16. Zion – M – This is why we do this, he will either be top 10 or playing the giant blueberry in a willy wonka remake.

17. Bam – D – Another solid no frills choice.

18. Durant – R – First old guy, hed be 37 but hed still be tall and unguardable if he can stay healthy.

19. Chet – R – Big fan, not sure how hes not the clear #1 pick. People lost their shit when Thon Maker had a youtube clip of him hitting a jumper off of a crossover in high school, meanwhile Chet is crossing Steph Curry, shooting 50% from three and blocking 4 shots a game. Not sure what else you people want from him.

20. Barnes – D – Ive never been wrong until Scottie Barnes came along, definitely thought Suggs was better but Im willing to admit I was wrong.

21. J. Jackson Jr – M – Didnt see this one coming but its actually one of my favorite picks from Mike, Im rooting for him.

22. LaVine – M – What I love about basketball is how everyone thought LaVine was garbage (including me) then one year everyone slowly got on board and people still act like player progression is linear, theres hundreds of examples of people not just steadily improving into their prime and then steadily regressing into retirement.

23. J. Brown – D – Another good pick from sensible David.

24. Cade – R – Im really not even a big fan but this is good value for a guy that can shoot and pass and play defense, probably the three most important skills.

25. Ingram – R – Kind of a forgotten man wasting away in New Orleans.

26. Haliburton – D – Spoiler alert, Jalen Smith doesnt make our top 100.

27. Jabari Smith – M – Little aggressive for me but Jabari seems like a safe pick to be good.

28. Ayo – M – We grew up in Illinois, tall guard, he couldnt help himself.

29. D. Murray – D – He stole this pick from me, shouldve been an all star.

30. A. Davis – R – As a 32 year old man who thinks he might die every time I use a treadmill anyone over 30 feels like an injury risk.

31. Ivey – R – I end up with a lot more prospects because the other two have babies and I dont have any kids because it would distract from my unpaid NBA draft scouting.

32. Bane – D – The biggest reach from team David in my opinion, feel like Bane is what he is.

33. Scoot – M – Young, black and fast, the formula for getting Mikes attention on and off the court.

34. F. Wagner – M – Think he got tired of us calling him a racist, bullying works.

35. Ayton – D – Doesnt have ay ton of talent but he aint bad.

36. Sabonis – R – Solid

37. J. Allen – R – Grizzlies and Cavs are the first two teams with 3 guys drafted so far.

38. Giddey – D – I had to talk these two off a ledge when the Thunder ended up with Giddey but here we are now.

39. D. Russell – M – Definitely in my top three for worst pick award.

40. Herro – M – The top white American of 2026 if Chet breaks in half.

41. J. Murray – D – If he recovers well this is a steal.

42. Miles B. – R – Most improved, still could shoot better.

43. Gobert – R – Tall.

44. Barrett – D – Still a complete mystery to me, all depends if he can shoot consistently.

45. Kuminga – M – Fortune favors the bold.

46. Sexton – M – Could be the perfect 3rd guard somewhere or a 25 ppg scorer on a bad team.

47. Mikal B. – D – David loving the young 3 and D types, by 2026 the trend could be 4 and E types though.

48. Johnny Davis – R – Kind of in a slump but hes starting to rebound like crazy.

49. B.Simmons – R – Who knows, I think he just needs the right team around him.

50. J. Collins – D – Solid.

51. Coby White – M – Probably my least favorite pick, hes a bench guard.

52. Wiseman – M – Hes tall and can do big guy stuff but I think that will get him closer to 100 than 52.

53. Beal – D – In 2026 he will have been in trade rumors for 9 years at that point.

54. Kawhi – R – He should be plenty rested.

55. LeBron _ R – Tom Brady of basketball, hopefully Im not one year too late.

56. VanVleet – D – I think small guards dont age as well so this one seemed high to me but David watched a raptors game the night before we did this and took like 4 raptors.

57. Porzingis – M – All about health.

58. W. Carter – M – Seems high.

59. Kyrie – D – He will probably be dead from covid by this time or will have accidently walked off the edge of the Earth.

60. Fox – R – People are jumping off the Fox train but this would be right around when his prime should be.

61. Keegan Murray – R – I live 45 minutes away from Iowa City and honestly I wanted to sneak Kris Murray onto this list too but ultimately couldnt, its a mystery to me why he isnt on any draft boards though.

62. OG – D – Raptor.

63. Paolo – M – Not sure what he does besides score but this is about the range I was going to take him also.

64. Victor Wenbanyamamamma – M – I like it!

65. Maxey – D – Good pick.

66. Steph – R – Hed be like 37 and relies on running around a lot so I think he will decline a good amount but hes Steph, he had to go somewhere.

67. Lonzo – R – Such a high level role player.

68. P. Williams – D – Who knows.

69. J. Green – M – Clearly an elite athlete but hes another guy that only has one potential skill as a pure scorer.

70. Suggs – M – Really like this pick, not giving up any Suggs stock yet.

71. D. Hunter – D – solid.

72. Okongwu – R – Always a fan, definitely better than Wiseman.

73. Siakim – R – I poached one raptor and hes probably their best player right now.

74. Sengun – D – OKC just said no to the Sengun experience and we all shed a tear when they did.

75. Portis – M – Theres a punchers chance hes still as good 4 years from now.

76. Wiggins – M – He initially took Wiggins at 34 but then changed his mind then didnt select him again until pick 76, you figure it out.

77. D. Brooks – D – Sure.

78. Isaac – R – Major health concerns but nows the time to scoop these guys up.

79. M. Turner – R – Almost went MPJ but ultimately chickened out.

80. AJ Griffin – D – Shooting the lights out, I really like him.

81. MPJ – M – Probably the most concerning injury history but talent wise he wouldve gone top 30.

82. Bamba – M – One thing Mike and I have in common is our love for tall lanky young men.

83. Herb Jones – D – Im 100% sure David has never seen Herb Jones play but a solid pick nonetheless.

84. Marjon B. – R – Could just as easily be Dyson Daniels but Marjon is my favorite G league guy.

85. Shaedon Sharpe – R – Complete shot in the dark but way more fun than taking Devin Vassell who was ultimately my biggest snub.

86. Keldon J. – D – Spurs have a team full of borderline guys.

87. J. Randle – M – Kind of slipped down, good pickup.

88. Primo – M – Thought the spurs taking him was dumb but watched him light up the Ignite team and I get it now.

89. G. Trent – D – Raptor.

90. Poole – R – Think his situation makes him good right now but hes still young.

91. Time lord – R – Basically the same as Wiseman or M. Robinson or a handful of other bigs but none of them have cool nicknames.

92. A. Simons – D – Thought I would get him with my next pick.

93. Cockburn – M – Maybe Eddy Curry types will make a comeback, you never know.

94. Kuzma – M – Wizards also had a ton of borderline guys, think I like Montrezl over Kuzma.

95. S. Bey – D – David had the strategy of start boring, get squirrely in the middle and then end boring.

96. DeRozan – R – Hes having his best year at 32 so this was the last old guy I felt needing to be drafted.

97. PJ Washington – R – Boring pick.

98. Cole Anthony – D – Magic had 6 guys get selected yet I still expect them to be trash in 2026.

99. Reddish – M – Originally he selected Paul George and Klay with his last two picks but I reminded him that half the reason we did this list was because he thought Reddish would become a borderline all star and Kevin Knox just needed a fresh start after they were traded.

100. Kevin Knox – M – Good luck.

101. Brunson – D – We did 102 so everyone had the same amount, although I feel like after the Knox pick we might have already been ok.

102. Mathurin – R – Some of my personal snubs include CJ McCollum, Lauri M., Cam Johnson, Smart, B. Clarke, Huerter and of course Bol Bol.

[OhCanada-Participant]

As a Raptors fan this is really bad. Kuminga ahead of Siakam? He’s gonna be in his prime at 31. Right now he’s a top 25 player. Kuminga might not even be in the league.

[Author]

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