Adam Finkelstein Previews 2026 NBA Draft Lottery With His Top Picks

2026 NBA Mock Draft: Adam Finkelstein's projections for top picks as Sunday's lottery to determine No. 1 looms

Finkelstein's last mock draft before Sunday's NBA Draft Lottery, when the official order is locked down

By Adam Finkelstein

May 5, 2026 at 1:43 pm ET • 1 min read

On Sunday at 3 p.m. ET we'll finally know the order teams will pick in the 2026  NBA Draft . The NBA Draft Lottery is right around the corner. And with lottery reform on the horizon , this may be the last year a team's odds of landing a high draft pick are directly tied to how many games it lost that season. This is also the most talented and stacked draft that franchises are forecasting for the next several years.

To put it plainly, the stakes have never been higher for  NBA teams  looking to fast-track their rebuilding process.

The top of the draft is undeniably loaded. We started the year with a perceived big three – Kansas' Darryn Peterson , BYU's AJ Dybantsa and Duke's Cameron Boozer . Those players remain at the very top, albeit now potentially in a slightly different order. Behind that trio are classmates who emerged in a big way during the 2025-26 college season and added real star power to this deep, talented and robust draft class.

There's a growing belief that North Carolina's Caleb Wilson could make this a big four. Then there's a quartet of one-and-done lead guards who are expected to be taken in the middle of the lottery. That includes Arkansas's Darius Acuff Jr. , Houston's Kingston Flemings , Illinois' Keaton Wagler and Louisville's Mikel Brown Jr. Then there is a pair of Arizona freshmen who propelled the Wildcats to the Final Four. Put it all together, and the top 10 picks are all projected to come from the same star-studded freshmen class.

If history is any indication, the ping pong balls will almost certainly bear out some surprises on Sunday night. This mock draft, though, is based on what would happen if straight probability won out. It also takes team needs and drafting history into consideration and thus is not a total reflection of our latest CBS Sports Big Board.

Mock Draft Round 1

Round 1 - Pick 1

AJ Dybantsa

SF

BYU

• Fr • 6'9" / 215 lbs

Projected Team

Washington

PROSPECT RNK

1st

POSITION RNK

1st

PPG

25.5

RPG

6.8

APG

3.7

3P%

33.1%

Dybantsa has established himself as the clear-cut favorite to be the number one pick. He's a polished scorer and shot-creator who also happens to have great positional size, athleticism, and elasticity. He can rise-and-fire in the mid-range area on demand, made huge strides with his rim pressure, gets to the free-throw line in high volume, and is capable, albeit a bit unreliable, from three. He's even creating for teammates and making reads better than ever before. The defense is the last frontier and while he has physical tools, it's not yet his point of emphasis.

Round 1 - Pick 2

Cameron Boozer

PF

Duke

• Fr • 6'9" / 250 lbs

Projected Team

Indiana

PROSPECT RNK

3rd

POSITION RNK

1st

PPG

22.5

RPG

10.2

APG

4.1

3P%

39.1%

Darryn Peterson is the second ranked prospect on the CBS Sports Big Board, but if the lottery fails this way I won't be surprised to see Boozer be Indiana's pick. He's the surest thing in this draft. He had a historic high school career, was the college basketball player of the year, and has an extremely high floor with his overlap of physicality, skill, and basketball IQ. There will be questions about whether his creation or upside is on par with Dybantsa and Peterson, but for a team that has hopes to get back to the NBA Finals as soon as next season with Tyrese Haliburton's return, Boozer's ability to slide in alongside Ivica Zubac and Pascal Siakam could be too compelling to pass up on.

Round 1 - Pick 3

Darryn Peterson

PG

Kansas

• Fr • 6'6" / 205 lbs

Projected Team

Brooklyn

PROSPECT RNK

2nd

POSITION RNK

1st

PPG

20.2

RPG

4.2

APG

1.6

3P%

38.2%

The Nets are deep into their rebuilding project and still lack a star of the future. Peterson could give him that. While his season at Kansas was full of controversy, he made massive gains with his shooting. Combine that with the playmaking, burst, and physicality we saw when he was completely healthy in high school and you have a prospect who could very well end up being the best player taken from this draft down the road. In Brooklyn, he would be the focal point from day one and the player that the Nets build the rest of their roster around moving forward. Having a big facilitator on the wing like Egor Demin, could also be a nice long-term fit.

Round 1 - Pick 4

Caleb Wilson

PF

North Carolina

• Fr • 6'10" / 215 lbs

Projected Team

Utah

PROSPECT RNK

4th

POSITION RNK

2nd

PPG

19.8

RPG

9.4

APG

2.7

3P%

25.9%

The Jazz are done rebuilding and hoping to join the list of contenders in the west next year, so this is potentially their last big swing at the draft for a while. Wilson gives them a prospect with legit star-type outcomes. He's a high-level athlete with a big-time motor, and has unusual elasticity (or bend) for a player his size. There's still immense room for progress, both with his perimeter skill and defensive polish. Slot him into a frontline that already includes Jaren Jackson and Lauri Markkanen and Utah would be loaded up front.

Round 1 - Pick 5

Darius Acuff Jr.

PG

Arkansas

• Fr • 6'3" / 190 lbs

Projected Team

Sacramento

PROSPECT RNK

5th

POSITION RNK

2nd

PPG

23.5

RPG

3.1

APG

6.4

3P%

44%

The Kings are a franchise in need of a lead guard of the future, and with the 5th pick they'll have their choice of four one-and-done freshmen. Acuff was the best college player of the bunch and may also be the most prepared to step in and be an offensive focal point in the NBA. He's a multi-level creator with shooting splits that were off the charts last year at Arkansas and has the passing metrics to match. While he may be maximizing his impact offensively, it's the defensive end of the floor that is the biggest question, and if Sacramento were to go in a different direction here, that would be the reason.

Round 1 - Pick 6

Kingston Flemings

PG

Houston

• Fr • 6'4" / 190 lbs

Projected Team

Memphis

PROSPECT RNK

6th

POSITION RNK

3rd

PPG

16.1

RPG

4.1

APG

5.2

3P%

38.7%

Ja Morant may still be on the Grizzlies, but that isn't expected to last, so Memphis is another team that could look for their future point guard. Flemings would provide the Grizz with an elite athlete who can get a piece of the paint on demand, rise up explosively at the rim, get to his pull-up at virtually anytime, and be solid on the defensive end. His swing skill is his shooting. If that holds up, then Flemings has legit star-type outcomes. He also just seems to be a fit for the things Memphis, who has drafted extremely well in recent years, prioritizes.

From New Orleans Pelicans Round 1 - Pick 7

Keaton Wagler

PG

Illinois

• Fr • 6'6" / 185 lbs

Projected Team

Atlanta

PROSPECT RNK

7th

POSITION RNK

4th

PPG

17.9

RPG

5.1

APG

4.2

3P%

39.7%

There is a case to be made that Wagler is the best long-term point guard prospect in this draft. He came out of virtually nowhere to have a huge freshman season and lead Illinois to the Final Four with his combination of skill and feel. He has terrific positional size, which will ultimately allow him to play on and off the ball, and yet he's still just beginning to fill out his frame. With still so much growth left in front of him, his adjustment to an unprecedented level of competition at Illinois should have required patience, and yet it was seamless. It's possible that this could be a sign of things to come.

Round 1 - Pick 8

Brayden Burries

SG

Arizona

• Fr • 6'4" / 205 lbs

Projected Team

Dallas

PROSPECT RNK

10th

POSITION RNK

1st

PPG

16.1

RPG

4.9

APG

2.4

3P%

39.1%

Mikel Brown Jr. is the best available prospect on the board, but Burries may be a better long-term fit alongside Cooper Flagg, particularly if Masai Ujiri is content to keep Kyrie Irving in the fold for the foreseeable future. Burries is a strong and aggressive two-way guard who can get downhill with real force, provide a formidable three-point shooter to stretch the floor, and simultaneously defend his position. Burries is also more physically ready to make the transition to the NBA game than most of the other one-and-done guards in the draft.

Round 1 - Pick 9

Mikel Brown Jr.

PG

Louisville

• Fr • 6'5" / 190 lbs

Projected Team

Chicago

PROSPECT RNK

8th

POSITION RNK

5th

PPG

18.2

RPG

3.3

APG

4.7

3P%

34.4%

The Bulls have hired former Hawks' senior vice president Bryson Graham as their new Executive Vice-President of Basketball Operations. He takes over a roster that has 10 free agents, needs a new coach, and has only a couple of long-term pieces. Josh Giddey is one such player, and Mikel Brown Jr. might be a great fit alongside him. Brown is incredibly talented with the ball, has shooting potential that vastly exceeds his Louisville numbers, and would complement Giddey's playmaking beautifully, if they could co-exist defensively.

Round 1 - Pick 10

Nate Ament

PF

Tennessee

• Fr • 6'10" / 207 lbs

Projected Team

Milwaukee

PROSPECT RNK

9th

POSITION RNK

3rd

PPG

16.7

RPG

6.3

APG

2.3

3P%

33.3%

Ament is a fairly polarizing prospect with a potentially wide range on draft night. He's a late-blooming 6-foot-10 combo-forward with touch, natural skill, and fluidity. He needs to get stronger and more assertive in order to address the vast inconsistencies we saw this year, but overall, he's still a prospect who has made drastic improvements in recent years and has a wealth of untapped potential.

Round 1 - Pick 11

Aday Mara

C

Michigan

• Jr • 7'3" / 255 lbs

Projected Team

Golden St.

PROSPECT RNK

14th

POSITION RNK

2nd

PPG

12.1

RPG

6.8

APG

2.4

3P%

30%

Mara kept getting better as the college season went on and ultimately led Michigan to a national championship. At 7-foot-3, he's a giant, even by NBA standards, and a tremendous rim protector. He's also got sneaky mobility, good hands, and real passing ability that would make him all the more intriguing in Golden State's system.

From Los Angeles Clippers Round 1 - Pick 12

Yaxel Lendeborg

PF

Michigan

• Sr • 6'9" / 235 lbs

Projected Team

Oklahoma City

PROSPECT RNK

12th

POSITION RNK

5th

PPG

15.1

RPG

6.8

APG

3.2

3P%

37.2%

Lendeborg is one of the more versatile two-way players, and specifically defenders, in this class. At 6-foot-9 with a 7-foot-4 wingspan, he often guarded opposing point guards this year at Michigan, and simultaneously improved his shooting to 37.2% from behind the arc. That alone has the makings of a terrific role player, but Lendeborg is also very unselfish and a terrific passer.

Round 1 - Pick 13

Labaron Philon

PG

Alabama

• Fr • 6'3" / 175 lbs

Projected Team

Miami

PROSPECT RNK

15th

POSITION RNK

6th

PPG

22

RPG

3.5

APG

5

3P%

39.9%

Philon is one of the more gifted shot creators in this draft class. The focal point of opposing SEC defenses every night, Philon still produced 50/40/80 shooting splits and impressive offensive counting stats. We also know from his freshman year at Alabama that he's capable of being a better defender than we saw this year. With Miami's backcourt on the verge of some real potential change, they should have a role to plug Philon into from day one.

Round 1 - Pick 14

Koa Peat

PF

Arizona

• Fr • 6'8" / 235 lbs

Projected Team

Char

_Originally reported by [CBS Sports](https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/2026-nba-mock-draft-lottery-adam-finkelstein-draft-lottery/)._