The 26th pick in the NBA Draft hasn’t been the luckiest in recent years.
Over the last decade, the ceiling for players selected 26th has been “solid bench contributor on an NBA Finals team after multiple years of pro development.” Landry Shamet (2018) is lighting it up from 3-point range for the Knicks right now. Payton Pritchard (2020) won Sixth Man of the Year last season in Boston. Ben Sheppard (2023) gave the Pacers 13.6 minutes per game against Oklahoma City in the Finals last year.
The last time the Nuggets drafted 26th was in 2021, when they were a contender on the rise. They took Bones Hyland with that pick, then they ended up dumping him at the trade deadline two seasons later en route to winning the championship without him.
They’re set to pick 26th again on June 23 (6 p.m. MT, ESPN), this time as a contender seemingly in decline. Lead executives Jon Wallace and Ben Tenzer will be dealing with far more pressing dilemmas on draft night and in the days that follow, but they’re also tasked with using the low-value pick to locate someone who can help Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets win immediately. Roster needs are aplenty after a first-round playoff debacle in April. Which need will Denver try to address in the draft? Here are 12 names to watch at No. 26.
Note: Denver also possesses a second-round pick at No. 49 overall, but this list is solely focused on the team’s first-round candidates.
Ebuka Okorie — 6-foot-1 | Stanford | G
The Nuggets have made it abundantly clear that they want to improve their ball-handling depth. One of their most convenient avenues for accomplishing that is the draft. A one-and-done at Stanford, Okorie ranked sixth in the country with 23.2 points per game. He’s an explosive scorer whose first instinct is to get downhill into the paint, which might be appealing enough for Denver to overlook the lack of positional size. The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie has mocked him for joining Spencer Jones in the Palo Alto-to-Colorado pipeline.
Dailyn Swain (3) of the Texas Longhorns dribbles the ball against Braden Smith #3 of the Purdue Boilermakers during the first half in the Sweet Sixteen of the 2026 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at SAP Center on March 26, 2026 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson, Getty Images)
Dailyn Swain — 6-7 | Texas | F
ESPN projects Swain to Denver at No. 26. After a three-year college career at Xavier and Texas, he’s considered one of the best slashing wings in this class. He could make a serviceable replacement for Peyton Watson if the Nuggets lose the former 30th pick in restricted free agency. Then again, if they retain Watson, it’s also generally agreed in the NBA that you can never have too many athletic two-way wings.
Bennett Stirtz #14 of the Iowa Hawkeyes reacts against the Illinois Fighting Illini during the first half in the Elite Eight of the 2026 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Toyota Center on March 28, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Kenneth Richmond/Getty Images)
Bennett Stirtz — 6-4 | Iowa | G
From Division II Northwest Missouri State to a D-I NCAA Tournament appearance at Drake to an Elite Eight run with the Hawkeyes, Stirtz developed into one of the best pick-and-roll operators in the college game. He might be just out of the Nuggets’ reach after his 15 minutes of fame in March, but his experience in a methodical system would fit one of their defining organizational philosophies of the Jokic era — that when it matters most, halfcourt precision outweighs reliance on transition offense. Early on in the pre-draft process, Stirtz was a popular match for Denver in mocks.
Joshua Jefferson #5 of the Iowa State Cyclones dribbles the ball around the Koa Peat #10 of the Arizona Wildcats in the first half during the semifinals of the Big 12 Tournament at T-Mobile Center on March 13, 2026 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images)
Joshua Jefferson — 6-8 | Iowa State | F
Draft experts consider Jefferson one of the best passers at his position in the 2026 class. He was a consensus Second Team All-American last season, but his four-year college career ended with an ankle injury during the first round of the NCAA Tournament. CBS Sports has Denver taking him.
Christian Anderson #4 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders looks on against the Alabama Crimson Tide during the second half in the second round of the 2026 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Benchmark International Arena on March 22, 2026 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Mike Carlson/Getty Images)
Christian Anderson — 6-1 | Texas Tech | G
Like Okorie, Anderson is undersized, which could dissuade a team that sorely needs to bulk up its perimeter defense. But the Atlanta product was a versatile combo guard in college who could play on or off the ball, facilitating out of pick-and-rolls, spotting up or creating his own shot against 1-on-1 defense. He knocked down 41.5% of his 3s last season on eight attempts per game. That’s high efficiency on high volume, but at a cost: He isn’t as effective at attacking downhill as other guards who could end up in the same range. Rim pressure felt like another glaring absence from Denver’s roster in the playoffs. Nonetheless, Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo! forecasts the Nuggets biting.
Michigan forward Morez Johnson Jr. (21) dunks against Saint Louis during the second half in the second round of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Saturday, March 21, 2026, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Morez Johnson Jr. — 6-9 | Michigan | F
The Ringer has Denver taking Johnson, but he seems to be garnering increasing attention lately as a fringe lottery pick. DaRon Holmes II and Zeke Nnaji got limited playing time in 2025-26, so if Denver wants a fresh start in the “switchable power forwards” department, someone like Johnson could make sense. The Nuggets will have to account for Aaron Gordon’s injuries as part of their reality going forward if the veteran starter is sticking around. Younger hamstrings might not hurt.
Isaiah Evans #3 of the Duke Blue Devils shoots the ball against Rubén Prey #17 of the St. John’s Red Storm during the first half in the Sweet Sixteen of the 2026 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Capital One Arena on March 27, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)
Isaiah Evans — 6-6 | Duke | G
Evans still needs to fill out his frame a bit, but he was a dynamic movement shooter and spacer at Duke with enough positional size to inspire confidence in his defensive potential at the next level. He played alongside Cooper Flagg and Cameron Boozer the last two years. There’s not as much evidence yet of Evans’ capability as a creator, however.
Cameron Carr #43 of the Baylor Bears reacts after scoring during the second half against the Arizona Wildcats at Foster Pavilion on Feb. 24, 2026 in Waco, Texas. (Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images)
Cameron Carr — 6-5 | Baylor | G
Another athletic wing who should be able to score efficiently off action, but again, the question is whether he can create a shot off the dribble enough to satisfy Denver’s ball-handling needs. After transferring from Tennessee, Carr finished his college career at Baylor with a breakout third year, averaging 18.9 points on 49.4% shooting from the field and 37.4% from 3-point range.
Zuby Ejiofor #24 of the St. John’s Red Storm slam dunks against the Duke Blue Devils during the second half in the Sweet Sixteen of the 2026 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Capital One Arena on March 27, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)
Zuby Ejiofor — 6-9 | St. John’s | F/C
The Big East Player of the Year has been projected as more of an early second-round talent, but he’s a well-rounded defender whose instinct on offense is to power into the restricted area. That checks two boxes for Denver. Ejiofor’s positional fit is a little awkward. Do the Nuggets want to draft yet another small-ball center option when Holmes and Nnaji haven’t panned out as steady backups? — and the 22-year-old isn’t much of a shooter. He’ll probably need to develop a more consistent jumper eventually if he wants to be a viable four in the modern NBA.
Meleek Thomas #1 of the Arkansas Razorbacks dribbles the ball against the Arizona Wildcats during the first half in the Sweet Sixteen of the 2026 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at SAP Center on March 26, 2026 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
Meleek Thomas — 6-3 | Arkansas | G
Thomas is a one-and-done prospect who shot 41.6% from deep for John Calipari’s Razorbacks. He’s got serious microwave scorer potential as a creator off the bench, but he could come into the league with erratic tendencies at only 19 years old. Widely projected to go near the end of the first round.
Karim Lopez of the Breakers drives to the basket during the NBL Ignite Cup Final match between Adelaide 36ers and New Zealand Breakers at Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre, on Feb. 22, 2026, in Gold Coast, Australia. (Photo by Albert Perez/Getty Images)
Karim Lopez — 6-8 | New Zealand Breakers | F
Another ball-handling wing with a drive-first mentality. His mock draft range has been all over the place, from the lottery to Denver’s territory. This is a weaker year for international prospects compared to the last few. Lopez is one of the top overseas players in the class.
Tarris Reed Jr. #5 of the UConn Huskies shoots the ball over Aday Mara #15 of the Michigan Wolverines during the first half of a game in the National Championship of the 2026 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium on April 06, 2026 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
Tarris Reed Jr. — 6-10 | UConn | C
If the Nuggets want to go young at backup center and try to solidify a long-term reserve behind Jokic, Reed seems more realistic as a mid-20s option than Michigan big man Aday Mara, whose stock has risen after the Wolverines’ run to the NCAA championship.
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