\u2022\u00a02026 NBA Draft Board<\/a><\/p>\n
LAS VEGAS \u2014 The path becomes a much straighter line starting now. The next batch of NBA players are finishing up NBA Summer League<\/a> and, after a brief rest, will start training camp. It happens so fast. It\u2019ll be here before anyone knows it.<\/p>\n Such is the case in the transition from college to the NBA. There\u2019s barely enough time to exhale before professional careers are launched.<\/p>\n With that in mind, what\u2019s on the mind of players from the Draft Class of 2026?<\/p>\n Here\u2019s a sampling of poll questions tossed to select incoming rookies and their responses:<\/p>\n Discounting yourself, who has the best chance to win Kia Rookie of the Year in 2026-27?<\/p>\n What advice do you want from your veteran teammates next season?<\/p>\n Chris Cenac Jr., Celtics: Just how to navigate the league as a rookie. I know some of the guys like (Jayson Tatum) came into the league at my age of 19. So I want to know what were some of the challenges they had to face, so I\u2019ll get a better idea and make it easier for me.<\/p>\n Caleb Wilson, Bulls: Good places to eat, for one. How to navigate relationships mainly, that\u2019s what the vets can teach me. That\u2019s going to take time. The things like off the court relationships, the changes you go through, just life.<\/p>\n Mikel Brown Jr., Nets: How the league works, the 82-game season, how do you deal with the ups and downs, what takes your mind off the adversity.<\/p>\n Labaron Philon Jr., 76ers: How to be organized, professionalism, being on time, how to thrive in that winning culture because I\u2019m going to a winner in Philadelphia.<\/p>\n AJ Dybantsa, Wizards: Anything that can help. I\u2019m going to be a sponge, ask a lot of questions, anything on the court, anything off the court.<\/p>\n Cameron Boozer, AJ Dybantsa and Darryn Peterson discuss what they’re looking forward to in the NBA.<\/p>\n If LeBron James approaches in your first meeting, introduces himself and says what\u2019s up, how will you respond?<\/p>\n Chris Cenac Jr., Celtics: What\u2019s good, you got any advice for me?<\/p>\n Nate Ament, Bucks: Well, I would speak for the younger generation and tell him how much I\u2019ve watched him and what he means to the sport, and to all these new kids coming in.<\/p>\n Darryn Peterson, Jazz: Nice to see you in person. Great to see you. Wait a minute, is this conversation happening before the game? If so, then I won\u2019t say much. I\u2019ll be ready to play.<\/p>\n Mikel Brown Jr., Nets: I would just have a normal conversation with him. At the end of the day, he\u2019s a human being. That\u2019s how I\u2019ll treat him.<\/p>\n Meleek Thomas, Cavaliers: I\u2019m probably like, what up? I watched you all my life, I\u2019m a huge fan of your game and I\u2019m excited to compete against you.<\/p>\n Cameron Carr, Lakers: I\u2019m going to give him his respect, tell him how much I appreciate him and how much I look forward to playing against him. I\u2019m not going to ignore him that\u2019s for sure. (Note: LeBron chose not to re-sign with the Lakers for next season and therefore deprived Carr the chance to be teammates.)<\/p>\n Caleb Wilson, Bulls: Just hey. That\u2019s all. I can\u2019t say too much because I got to play against him.<\/p>\n AJ Dybantsa, Wizards: I\u2019ve talked with LeBron plenty of times. He gave me some advice. I worked out with him in L.A. once.<\/p>\n Alex Karaban, Kings: I\u2019ll tell him I appreciate just the way he has played, how he allowed me to fall in love with basketball, the competitor he is, ask about the championships he won. Just his love for the game. I\u2019d like to thank him for that.<\/p>\n Labaron Philon Jr., 76ers: What\u2019s good?<\/p>\n What are the kids you went to high school with saying right now?<\/p>\n Meleek Thomas, Cavaliers: They\u2019re super proud of me. They say `stay on your path.\u2019 They saw how I worked hard early and was so passionate about the game. You know, when you make it, they always say `we always knew you were gonna do it.\u2019 But the real ones I grew up with and had bonds with, they say right now, `keep doing what you\u2019re doing, because we\u2019ll never see anything like this again.\u2019<\/p>\n Chris Cenac Jr., Celtics: They\u2019re all just proud of me. I still talk to two or three of them almost every day.<\/p>\n Labaron Philon Jr., 76ers: They\u2019re telling me I look good.<\/p>\n Mikel Brown Jr., Nets: They\u2019re telling me I\u2019m not done yet.<\/p>\n Kingston Flemings, Hawks: The friends I\u2019m close with, they\u2019re honest with me. I think I\u2019m a great person. I keep my circle tight so therefore the people I\u2019m friends with from back then, they\u2019re great people as well.<\/p>\n In your first game, you have a choice: game-winning shot or game-saving steal or block?<\/p>\n Kington Flemings, Hawks: Game-winning shot. That\u2019s like once in a lifetime. In your first game? Yeah.<\/p>\n Darryn Peterson, Jazz: The shot. That\u2019s just natural. That\u2019s what I want to do throughout my career.<\/p>\n Brayden Burries, Bucks: Game-winning shot. A stop though is pretty cool. I had one in college.<\/p>\n Meleek Thomas, Cavaliers: Game-saving stop. Because I can guarantee that I\u2019ll get in the next game if I get a stop. If I hit the shot, that just meant somebody went to double Donovan (Mitchell) and left me open and gave me a chance.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Prospective members of the 2026 NBA Draft are presented before the First Round tips off in Brooklyn at Barclays Center.<\/p>\n What are you looking forward to most about your new city?<\/p>\n Kingston Flemings, Hawks: The thing about Atlanta is there\u2019s so many trees around. I love that. And I just want to be a fan favorite. I want the fans to love me. I\u2019m a great guy to get to know.<\/p>\n Labaron Philon Jr., 76ers: The city is very supportive of the teams. You got the Phillies, Eagles and Sixers. It\u2019s a really a big special place for basketball, football and baseball. Being able to experience that fan support will be great.<\/p>\n Nate Ament, Bucks: It\u2019s kind of similar to where I\u2019m from, so I\u2019m excited to get into the community and feel the fan base. But also excited to put on for the city.<\/p>\n Mikel Brown Jr., Nets: Brooklyn is very historical. I just look forward to going around to see the monuments and getting a feel for the city. It\u2019s amazing.<\/p>\n Caleb Wilson, Bulls: I learned about the city when I went on a tour. I\u2019m very blessed to be in that city. A great city. I really want to connect with the people, with high schoolers, the community. Can\u2019t wait to make a positive impact on the city and hopefully people\u2019s lives.<\/p>\n Who do you want to jersey-swap with next season?<\/p>\n Meleek Thomas, Cavaliers: Probably the Thompson twins. I love their impact. Kevin Durant for sure, (Nikola) Joki\u0107 for sure.<\/p>\n Brayden Burries, Bucks: LeBron, Steph Curry, Devin Booker, the main three right there.<\/p>\n Labaron Philon Jr., 76ers: Tre Johnson. My guy from high school. (Note: Philon and Johnson, in his second season with the Wizards, played at Link Academy in Branson, Mo. That basketball powerhouse has produced, among others, Chris Cenac and Tarris Reed, also in the 2026 draft class.)<\/p>\n Nate Ament, Bucks: Kevin Durant. I\u2019d tell him how much he meant to me as a kid. That\u2019s my guy. I tried all his moves on the blacktop. But also I can\u2019t lay it on too thick. I got to compete against him.<\/p>\n Kingston Flemings, Hawks: Cason Wallace, Cade Cunningham, Tyrese Maxey. I watched Cason and Cade a lot growing up. I kind of modeled my game after them.<\/p>\n Because of your age, you never saw Michael Jordan and most of Kobe Bryant\u2019s prime, if any. You didn\u2019t see them in the moment. Do you feel as though you missed out?<\/p>\n Meleek Thomas, Cavaliers: Well, what they brought to the game, their spirit and their play, it\u2019s still out there. I watched so much of it on YouTube. So while I missed out on the real time, and I realize real time is different than YouTube, I still pick up a lot from them.<\/p>\n Chris Cenac Jr., Celtics: I\u2019ve watched a little film, but I know it\u2019s a lot different than being in the moment.<\/p>\n Kingston Flemings, Hawks: A lot of time in history, you kind of wonder what it was like. Luckily with video, you can kind of go back and watch, realizing it\u2019s not the same. I\u2019m glad to be in the time that I\u2019m in.<\/p>\n Labaron Philon Jr., 76ers: Definitely missed out. Michael Jordan was the best player ever to touch the ball. And Kobe. Watching those guys\u2019 highlights, it was crazy even though it wasn\u2019t in real time.<\/p>\n Nate Ament, Bucks: You also think back to the guys like Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, they\u2019re the reason we\u2019re here today, they also brought the game to where it is today.<\/p>\n Brayden Burries, Bucks: Everything happens for a reason. I think I was born at the right time.<\/p>\n Caleb Wilson, Bulls: For sure. It goes to the era, to Michael Jordan and everyone who came before him, to Magic, Kareem (Abdul-Jabbar). At some point people miss out on those eras. I was fortunate to see LeBron play, at least I can say that. Now it\u2019s up to me, to create my own era. (Note: Wilson is playing in Chicago, where hopes are high for him, and will likely often see the Jordan statue outside United Center.)<\/p>\n * * *<\/p>\n Shaun Powell has covered the NBA since 1985. You can e-mail him at\u00a0spowell@nba.com<\/a>, find\u00a0his archive here<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0follow him on\u00a0X<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"From Yaxel Lendeborg to Karim L\u00f3pez, relive some of the best emotional moments from the 2026 NBA Draft…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":788121,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3767],"tags":[25086,7,670,247,3803,6,26280,671],"class_list":["post-788120","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-brooklyn-nets","tag-2026-nba-draft","tag-basketball","tag-brooklyn","tag-brooklyn-nets","tag-brooklynnets","tag-nba","tag-nba-rookies","tag-nets"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/116929950672282499","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/788120","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=788120"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/788120\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/788121"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=788120"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=788120"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=788120"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Milwaukee](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1782365957_42_logo.png\"){kind=logo}
Nate Ament, Bucks: I say AJ Dybantsa. He\u2019s a great player, got the skill set, the mentality. A good chance to win it.<\/p>\n![\"Utah](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1782874653_387_logo.png\"){kind=logo}
Darryn Peterson, Jazz: AJ. No specific reason, just the name that came to mind.<\/p>\n![\"Washington](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1782365956_32_logo.png\"){kind=logo}
AJ Dybantsa, Wizards: Darryn Peterson. He\u2019s a talented scorer; he\u2019s on the right team.<\/p>\n![\"Chicago](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1782360198_279_logo.png\"){kind=logo}
Caleb Wilson, Bulls: Cam (Boozer) because he\u2019ll be the focal point of his team. He doesn\u2019t have anyone else.<\/p>\n![\"Boston](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1782874665_965_logo.png\"){kind=logo}
Chris Cenac Jr., Celtics: AJ. I know all the work he puts in.<\/p>\n![\"Atlanta](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1782362214_954_logo.png\"){kind=logo}
Kingston Flemings, Hawks: Darryn Peterson the first choice, then Cam Boozer. They\u2019ll have the most opportunities and the situation they\u2019re in. Darryn at the two guard is in a good spot for a team that needs him. As for Cam in Memphis, they just traded Ja (Morant) and Jaren Jackson, so he\u2019ll get a lot of touches and chances.<\/p>\n![\"Philadelphia](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1782874663_567_logo.png\"){kind=logo}
Labaron Philon Jr., 76ers: Peterson or Dybantsa. I like both. Just the way they play the game. They play the way it\u2019s supposed to be played.<\/p>\n![\"Brooklyn](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1782874662_15_logo.png\"){kind=logo}
Mikel Brown Jr., Nets: AJ or Darryn. They\u2019re just talented man, so talented.<\/p>\n![\"Cleveland](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1782342382_886_logo.png\"){kind=logo}
Meleek Thomas, Cavaliers: How to stay yourself. I also want to watch film with that vet and I want that vet to let me know how the game is played and how I can get better.<\/p>\n![\"Memphis](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1782798159_217_logo.png\"){kind=logo}
Cameron Boozer, Grizzlies: Just help me grow in the league. Obviously coming in as a rookie, I don\u2019t know everything.<\/p>\n![\"Los](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1782360198_542_logo.png\"){kind=logo}
Cameron Carr, Lakers: I just want to know how they see the game, to see if I can elevate my game and see how they see it. Also I want to show them I\u2019m smarter than the typical rookie and ready for any challenge.<\/p>\n![\"Sacramento](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1782342381_147_logo.png\"){kind=logo}
Alex Karaban, Kings: What it takes to succeed, what can I do to help the team win and how to help the organization compete at the highest level.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Brayden Burries, Bucks: I would say, what\u2019s up, coach? Well, actually, he\u2019s not my coach no more. (Note: Burries once played for LeBron\u2019s AAU team, Strive For Greatness, where he averaged 22 points and nearly 10 rebounds.)<\/p>\n Henri Veesaar, Hawks: I\u2019ll play it cool, like, what\u2019s up?<\/p>\n