Will Karim López be a draft-day steal?
As the Mavericks wrap up their trip to Mexico City to play the Pistons on Día de los Muertos. This is a great opportunity to check in on one of the most polarizing prospects in the 2026 NBA Draft, Mexico’s own Karim López.
López is an 18-year-old, 6’9 220-pound prospect playing for the New Zealand Breakers in the Australian National Basketball League (NBL). López is part of the Next Stars program in the NBL, a proven pathway for NBA prospects to develop on their way to the NBA Draft. The Next Stars program has developed players like LaMelo Ball, Josh Giddy, and Alex Sarr. López, who entered the year projected as a top ten pick in the 2026 NBA draft, has fallen lately to late in the first round on some boards in the loaded 2026 Draft.
The Mexican-born López is already a staple on the international and professional level. López has competed on the international stage for Team Mexico since he was on their U-15 team. At 16, before joining the NBL Next Stars Program with the New Zealand Breakers, López worked his way up to the senior team on a Spanish professional team. A big breakout moment for the Mexican prospect came when the New Zealand Breakers played an exhibition game against the Utah Jazz in the 2024 Summer League, where López, barely 17 years old, scored 13 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists against the Utah Jazz Summer League team.
In the 2025-26 NBL season, López is averaging 10.4 points, 6 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1 block, and 1 steal in 21 minutes a game. His shooting numbers have also impressed, shooting 51 percent from the field, 45 percent from behind the arc on three attempts a game. While his stats have improved from last year, his defensive prowess has come into question, as he looks lost at times on the defensive side of the ball. López was recovering from a back injury and had a slower start to the season; this could have led to López’s struggles on the defensive side of the ball as he was playing himself back into shape. One question that remains to be answered is whether López will be versatile enough to play as a wing in the NBA or if he will just be a stretch four that struggles to guard wings on the perimeter.
When looking at Karim López’s size, strength, and mobility, a couple of NBA players come to mind: Deni Avdija and John Collins. If López’s shooting numbers continue, his ability to drive to the basket and finish around the rim should allow him to become a versatile offensive weapon in the NBA as he develops over the next couple of seasons. Both Collins and Avdija are somewhat limited on the defensive side of the ball as well, but are still solid NBA starters.
Overall, López is still a very young prospect who is continuing to develop. López has played against players who are older and more developed his entire youth career, which may not help him stand out during the draft process, but will allow him to be an early contributor to an NBA roster. López has the physical tools to be a good defender in the league, so only time will tell if he can put it all together before the NBA Draft in June.