The NBA draft always carries promise, but the 2026 class offers a rare sense of security. For Draymond Green, the depth of the upcoming batch all but guarantees that meaningful contributors will be found throughout the board, especially with the one-and-dones.
In a recent episode of his podcast, the Golden State Warriors forward dedicated a segment to hype up the 2026 NBA draft class, pointing to last Saturday’s explosive showings by some of the freshmen. He mentioned the 40-point outings of Kingston Flemings, Keaton Wagler and AJ Dybantsa as the undeniable proof that the class is operating on an entirely different level.
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“This has to be the most loaded freshman class probably since Derrick Rose, Eric Gordon and those guys. You talking about immediate impact,” Green declared.
Freshmen scoring record
As mentioned, January 24 was a monumental day in college basketball. With Dybantsa scoring 43 points, Flemings 42 and Wagler 46, it was the only time that three college freshmen over the last 20 years each dropped at least 40 on the same date. Not only that, Cam Boozer of Duke and Darius Acuff of Arkansas had 32 and 31, respectively.
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Scouts have wasted little time staking their positions in the class. All five are widely viewed as lottery-level prospects in the 2026 draft, while Dybantsa and Boozer are already being floated as possible No. 1 picks. The other potential first-overall pick, Darryn Peterson, did not even play because of an ankle injury.
From Green’s perspective, this level of freshmen talent could be unprecedented, so that NBA teams anywhere in the lottery could still strike gold.
“This may be the best freshman talent ever. Look at these points!” Green said with an excited, almost dumbfounded voice. “These are all freshmen scoring at this magnitude. Scoring 43 in insane. 46, 42, in college?… In college, scoring these types of points? And these are first-year players. It’s unbelievable.”
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“I can’t believe that this much talent is in this freshman class. You’re talking about an incredible NBA draft. Some of these guys are gonna fall in this draft just because you have to. Man, if you at the top of this draft, it’s going to be hard to get it wrong,” he added.
As Draymond reiterated, scoring in the forties in college is quite an accomplishment. The game is only 40 minutes long, so assuming you played the entire game, you have to score at a rate of one point per minute to secure a 40-piece.
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Well, Dybantsa just saw 36 minutes of action and Flemings 38. Wagler, who is suiting up for Illinois, was able to get to 46 in overtime, but he was on the floor for just 39 minutes. And the wild thing is that Wagler is even projected to be picked outside the lottery in the latest ESPN Mock Draft!
Beyond the usual names
Looking at it that way, Green is 100 percent right. This could be the rare draft where the franchise holding the top pick looks past consensus and chooses based on fit. They usually go for the best player as the No. 1 selection, but this batch looks like it has three legitimate guys who could hold that cup.
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Besides the usual suspects (Peterson, Dybantsa and Boozer), North Carolina’s Caleb Wilson should also be up there. Wilson averaged 19.9 points, 10.1 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.4 blocks for the Tar Heels. The 6’10” forward is not as polished as Boozer, but he is a ball of explosive energy and a versatile defender. Imagine getting a guy like that outside the top 3.
Green also gave a nod to Acuff in his show, applauding the 6’3″ guard’s steady improvement. Even though Draymond had the chance to see him up close in Detroit, the youngster’s uptick in skill still caught him off guard.
“I am so impressed with how much better Darius Acuff has gotten over the past two years. And I’m even more impressed on how much Darius Acuff has improved since the beginning of this season… He guards, playmakes, scores, shot has gotten a lot better, fast, strong, looks a lot more athletic than I thought he was. Darius Acuff may be the second or third-best point guard in this draft,” Green stated.
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The 2026 draft will keep front offices busy, but that’s exactly the kind of problem they want. The depth here, especially among the freshmen, means almost no franchise will walk away empty-handed.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Jan 27, 2026, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.