2026 NBA Draft: Mavericks Underwhelm With Morez Johnson Jr. Pick at No. 9

The first round of the 2026 NBA Draft came and went  on Tuesday night, and there weren't many surprises. Chalk ruled the night as what is being heralded as one of the deepest and most talented drafts in recent memory went almost exactly according to script.

Still, it went better for some than others. Let's take a look at our big winners and losers from Tuesday night.

Winner: AJ Dybantsa

This has long been touted as a potential all-time draft class, and the debate of whether AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer or Caleb Wilson should go No. 1 has been raging for well over a year. In the end, the Washington Wizards   selected Dybantsa , who is now the highest-drafted player in BYU history, besting Shawn Bradley (No. 2 in 1993).

The 6-foot-9 Dybantsa is the type of do-it-all wing that teams across the league are always desperate to find. In his lone collegiate season, he averaged 25.5 points per game on 51/33.1/77.4 shooting splits, 6.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.1 steals. He led the NCAA in scoring, was named Big 12 Freshman of the Year and was a consensus First Team All-American.

Now, Dybantsa has become the latest No. 1 overall pick, joining a rare club that includes some of the best players in  NBA  history while fulfilling a longtime goal.

AJ Dybantsa's relentless pursuit to try and be the No. 1 pick driven by one motto: 'Keep it in the family' Matt Norlander

"Being the No. 1 pick was -- it's meant a lot to me," Dybantsa said. "Obviously, me being No. 1 throughout all my high school career, I definitely wanted to be a staple to be No. 1 in the NBA Draft and be in the same conversation with LeBron James and Cooper Flagg, Allen Iverson and guys like that."

In Washington, Dybantsa will team up with Anthony Davis and Trae Young , along with an array of recent lottery picks, including Alex Sarr and Tre Johnson . Say what you will about Davis and Young, who have their faults, but few No. 1 picks get to show up and immediately play with multiple All-Stars. Those two will take some of the immediate pressure off Dybantsa and allow him to ease his way into the league.

Additionally, Dybantsa is going to a franchise desperate for success. The Wizards haven't even won 20 games in a season since 2023, haven't made the playoffs since 2021, haven't won a playoff series since 2017, haven't been to the Eastern Conference Finals (or Finals) since 1979 and haven't won a title since 1978.

If Dybantsa can change the Wizards' trajectory, he will be a beloved figure in D.C.  -- Jack Maloney

Loser: Dallas Mavericks

The Mavericks stunned the NBA world earlier this week when they hired Dusty May away from Michigan to be their new coach. Everyone expected them to then select one of May's former Wolverines with the No. 9 overall pick, but Morez Johnson Jr. was not the name most expected to hear above Yaxel Lendeborg and Aday Mara.

The 6-foot-9 Johnson averaged 13.1 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.1 blocks on 62.3% shooting last season as he helped the Wolverines win their first national championship since 1989. He's a big, physical forward and was named to the Big Ten All-Defensive Team, but was not projected to be a top 10 pick. In fact, he was ranked 17th on CBS Sports' final prospect rankings .

Additionally, CBS Sports' Adam Finkelstein gave the pick a C+, which was his lowest grade for any lottery selection. Here's his instant analysis of the pick:

> New Mavs coach Dusty May brings in a Michigan player to Dallas. Morez Johnson was one of the biggest winners of the combine, measuring bigger than expected with massive length, well-rounded athleticism, and simultaneously reaffirming the shooting gains we saw this year. Johnson is long and powerful with an NBA-ready body and rugged physicality to match. He is a two-way rebounder and a versatile defender who can not only guard ball-screens in multiple ways but also be switchable inside-and-out. Johnson is not a creator and doesn't project as being more than a complementary piece offensively. Shooting is also still largely unproven with a total of 12 3-pointers in two college basketball seasons. He can provide some secondary rim protection, but doesn't project as a primary shot-blocker at the NBA level. Grade: C+

Johnson could certainly wind up being a good player, and his familiarity with May will help his transition to the pros, but he doesn't have the upside you'd hope to get from a top-10 pick, and the Mavericks still need a lot of help around 2026 Rookie of the Year Cooper Flagg . --  Maloney

Three new offseason questions for Mavericks after hiring Dusty May, including what's next for Kyrie Irving Sam Quinn

Winner: Keaton Wagler

Coming out of high school in Kansas, Keaton Wagler was ranked as the 150th-best player in the country by 247Sports . Now, less than two years later, Wagler was selected No. 5 overall by the Los Angeles Clippers after a brilliant freshman season at Illinois.

"I think it's just all the hard work that I put in," Wagler said during his interview on the draft broadcast. "Not worried about what anyone else said, just staying true to myself and not worrying about the rankings or anything like that, just continuing to work hard and prove myself to show that I can play at this level."

The 6-foot-6 Wagler averaged 17.9 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.2 assists and shot 39.7% on 5.9 3-point attempts while leading Illinois to the Final Four for the first time since 2005. He was the Big Ten Freshman of the Year and a consensus Second-Team All-American.

The last few years have been an incredible journey for Wagler, who, per The Athletic , is now the highest NBA Draft pick ever among U.S.-born one-and-done freshmen who ranked outside the top 100 of the Recruiting Services Consensus Index, which dates back to 1998. As he steps up to the next level, Wagler said he'll carry the same chip on his shoulder that has helped him prove everyone wrong thus far.

"It's something that I can't change my mindset with," Wagler said. "Gotta continue to prove myself to show everyone that I belong here and can be one of the best players in the league."  -- Maloney

Winner: Memphis Grizzlies

Last month, Jonathan Givony of Draft Express said Cameron Boozer would average 20 and 10 and challenge for an All-Star spot as a rookie, and he and many others have consistently said that Boozer would be the clear No. 1 pick in a lot of drafts. The Grizzlies got him at No. 3 on Tuesday night because this draft had at least four players with No. 1 overall talent. That's a major win.

The Grizzlies got a little busy later in the draft, too. First, they traded the No. 16 pick to the  Oklahoma City Thunder  for No. 17 and two second-round picks, then subsequently sent No. 17 to the  Detroit Pistons  for No. 21 and three more second-round picks.

With that 21st pick, they ultimately selected Karim Lopez, a big man who is described as a "lottery-level talent" in our draft grades . On top of it all, the Grizzlies added five second-round picks by way of the trades. A good night of work in Memphis. -- Brad Botkin

Loser: Non-college players

The Grizzlies' selection of Lopez, a big man from Mexico who spent last season playing for the New Zealand Breakers, a team in the NBL, Australia's top pro league. Lopez was the first player who didn't play college basketball last season to be selected on Tuesday, marking the longest wait for a non-college player since 1994, when the Boston Celtics selected Andrei Fetisov at No. 36.

Here's a look at when the first non-college player was selected in the last 10 drafts:

Year Player Overall selection

2026

Karim Lopez

No. 21

2025

Noa Essengue

No. 12

2024

Zaccharie Risacher

No. 1

2023

Victor Wembanyama

No. 1

2022

Dyson Daniels

No. 8

2021

Jalen Green

No. 2

2020

LaMelo Ball

No. 3

2019

Sekou Doumbouya

No. 15

2018

Luka Doncic

No. 3

2017

Frank Ntilikina

No. 8

This was a weak class for non-college players. In CBS Sports' final prospect rankings, Lopez and Spanish guard Sergio de Larrea, who went 25th, were the only non-college players in the top 50. Furthermore, more international players are coming over to play college basketball now that they can make money in the process. German big man Hannes Steinbach, who went 14th to the Charlotte Hornets , is a good example of that. Rather than go right to the NBA, he cashed in by playing one season at Washington, boosting his draft stock in the process.  -- Maloney

Winner: Golden State Warriors

Fans that were hoping for a big-splash trade on draft night might not like hearing this, but the Warriors appear to have landed a stud at No. 11 in Yaxel Lendeborg. Unlike the James Wiseman or Jonathan Kuminga project picks this front office has whiffed on, Lendeborg is a seasoned 23-year-old who is polished, tough on both sides of the ball and ready to contribute right away.

That's good news for a Warriors team that still intends to take one last run at contention before the Stephen Curry era finally fades to black. They can still make a big move. LeBron James could decide to sign as a free agent. Kawhi Leonard is a trade possibility. We know they're in the hunt for Trey Murphy III . Who knows what else is cooking behind the scenes?

However it works out, Lendeborg projects as a core piece in both the short and long term. And from Lendeborg's perspective, while coach Steve Kerr isn't known for being the most trusting coach when it comes to young players, who wouldn't be excited to start their NBA career playing alongside Curry, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green on a team that could be playing deep into the playoffs if all goes right? -- Botkin

2026 NBA Draft Grades: Analysis for AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer, rest of first-round picks Adam Finkelstein

Loser: Darius Acuff Jr.

Look, getting drafted into the NBA is awesome, no matter where you land. That said, to be a top player and end up with the Sacramento Kings is a tough beat. The Kings are rudderless and mostly have been for years. Acuff is a big-time scorer but has been widely panned for his defense, and now he goes to an organization with zero defensive cover or culture.

It just seems like a situation suited to expose the worst of Acuff Jr., who, if he's not careful, could end up with the dreaded early career label of a "good stats, bad team" guy who can't defend. It doesn't have to go that way. Maybe he'll be the engine that gets the Kings going in a different direction. But as NBA journeys go, he's starting out on an uphill climb. At the end of the day, where you get drafted matters. It's unfortunate, but it does. Opportunities are not created equal in the world of professional sports.  -- Botkin

Winner: Utah Jazz

Take away Darryn Peterson's availability concerns, and a lot of smart analysts had him as the most talented player in this draft. Some went as far as to say it's not even particularly close between Peterson and Dybantsa. Time will tell. But on potential alone, which is all anyone can go off at this point, the Utah Jazz just scored a future superstar candidate with the second pick, who can take over the lead guard position of a team that could be set for a huge boom.

They traded for Jaren Jackson Jr . They have Lauri Markkanen . If they can bring back Walker Kessler , you are talking about a gigantic and incredibly complementary two-way front line with elite rim protection and spacing. Now add Peterson and Keyonte George as what could, in pretty short order, develop into one of the league's most electric scoring backcourts, and you've got something serious brewing in Utah. -- Botkin

Winner: Milwaukee Bucks

This is relative, of course. They just lost Giannis Antetokounmpo for a Miami Heat package that, until further notice, does not appear to be as inspiring as the one the Bucks likely could've landed had they decided to make the trade earlier and thus operated from a position of strength.

But they didn't do that, and the past is th

_Originally reported by [CBS Sports](https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/2026-nba-draft-winners-and-losers-mavericks-morez-johnson-aj-dybantsa-keaton-wagler-darius-acuff/)._