2026 NBA Draft Thread

[Arthur Shelby]

Twitter scouts went crazy extreme

DP adidas AAU team was created for him and ran by his dad everything was clear out let him do everything / HS seasons wasn’t much different

Best guard since talk was wild slander to Ant & Cade

Ant was the best player in a loaded class 2020 went up to 2019 just to go Number 1 sooner

Cade was elite elite in HS his last 2 seasons was special

 

[addict4sneakers]

Twitter scouts went crazy extreme

DP adidas AAU team was created for him and ran by his dad everything was clear out let him do everything / HS seasons wasn’t much different

Every kid with his talent level has the same pull on their HS and AAU teams. Like you can say the exact same thing about Utah prep

 

[addict4sneakers]

It’s just hard to believe the same kid that routinely split pick and rolls and created dunks in the half court all of a sudden is Ray Allen (no shame in it. ) something isn’t adding up but I’m sure we’ll see what’s the word in a few months.

Even still, there’s been flashes of greatness. Baylor is a bad defensive team but that three level scoring was there.

 

[JMB10215]

Every kid with his talent level has the same pull on their HS and AAU teams. Like you can say the exact same thing about Utah prep

Cade definitely was a better prep and college prospect to me. He was damn near a sure thing.

 

[addict4sneakers]

Cade definitely was a better prep and college prospect to me. He was damn near a sure thing.

And that’s fair. You won’t hear me say anything about Cade negatively. I’m just saying Peterson pre Kansas wasn’t some hyperbole created by Twitter.

 

[JMB10215]

It’s just hard to believe the same kid that routinely split pick and rolls and created dunks in the half court all of a sudden is Ray Allen (no shame in it. ) something isn’t adding up but I’m sure we’ll see what’s the word in a few months.

Even still, there’s been flashes of greatness. Baylor is a bad defensive team but that three level scoring was there.

Ray Allen was pretty athletic at UConn. Also it’s easy to split pick and rolls and dunk in the half court against HS athletes. Especially when you are a pro. That’s why using HS footage at this point is setting him up for failure

 

[Arthur Shelby]

Every kid with his talent level has the same pull on their HS and AAU teams. Like you can say the exact same thing about Utah prep

The style of basketball being played was what I wanted to highlight

Elite players having pull isn’t an issue

Anywhere AJ went AAU or HS he played with talent and played team ball not just iso dominant basketball

Even Copper Flagg local EYBL team was team basketball

 

[Arthur Shelby]

And that’s fair. You won’t hear me say anything about Cade negatively. I’m just saying Peterson pre Kansas wasn’t some hyperbole created by Twitter.

Sure but it wasn’t a clear separation between him and dybantsa / boozer

Or any guard prospect in the past 15 years somewhere between the season the talk got extreme

 

[addict4sneakers]

The style of basketball being played was what I wanted to highlight

Elite players having pull isn’t an issue

Anywhere AJ went AAU or HS he played with talent and played team ball not just iso dominant basketball

Even Copper Flagg local EYBL team was team basketball

Going to disagree here. He was a pick and roll combo guard that projected to have the ability to be a full time primary in the league.
AJ 1000000% played is ball at Utah prep. All elbow catches. Not saying AJ can’t play another way cause he definitely did at the U19s.

I just don’t think Pete has all the juice in his legs right now.

 

[addict4sneakers]

Sure but it wasn’t a clear separation between him and dybantsa / boozer

Or any guard prospect in the past 15 years somewhere between the season the talk got extreme

I agree with the first part. Second part I will continue to say that pre ncaa tape was special

 

[ballinsam23]

It'll be funny to revisit all this once he's in the NBA.

I do think we'll quickly realize why all this #1 talk was there once he's in an NBA uniform.

 

[HOU$TON]

Still a huge fan of Darryn but you can’t take him at #1 based on this season. He will end up being a steal at #3 though.

 

[B Sox]

He looks like he’s strictly a 2 that can maybe be a connective passer. Should absolutely play off ball. Good defender.

Pretty easy to see a path to him being a good, all-star level player. Just think there’s a big gap between that, and the perennial all-pro that some are projecting.

Have no problem taking him 3. Don’t see the argument at all for top 2.

 

[ill steelo]

It'll be funny to revisit all this once he's in the NBA.

I do think we'll quickly realize why all this #1 talk was there once he's in an NBA uniform.

Yea if the prep tape was real and he’s just injured right now, we’ll see it.

But absolutely no reason to roll that dice in this particular draft

 

[B Sox]

He doesn’t LOOK injured, at least recently. Playing 30+ MPG. Seems to be moving fine. Just doesn’t jump off the screen athletically. Has some trouble creating separation.

 

[JMB10215]

Im always weary of tough shot makers at the HS level for that very reason. If you have to take tough shots at that level, they are gonna be even tougher looks in the NBA. Rivers, Bacon, and dariq whitehead all looked like elite athletes at the HS level and dipped once they went to the next level. Ant is a truly explosive athlete at the pro level for reference. If he was a PG it wouldn't matter, but he looking like a Beal/Mccolumn type of player right now to me.

 

[B Sox]

I watch a lot of Arizona games, and DP honestly doesn’t seem like he’s a particularly better basketball player than Brayden Burries. Seem to have the same athletic profile. Good shooters. DP just launches more shots.

 

[addict4sneakers]

I watch a lot of Arizona games, and DP honestly doesn’t seem like he’s a particularly better basketball player than Brayden Burries. Seem to have the same athletic profile. Good shooters. DP just launches more shots.

That year and a half age gap though.

 

[B Sox]

That year and a half age gap though.

Which is why I would draft him higher. But the on court product is more or less the same.

 

[pmatic]

Not hindsight, but I thought Fultz was the best guard prospect of the last 10-15 years. At least since DRose (I didn't have an opinion on Kyrie since he barely played at Duke). But alas.

 

[ballinsam23]

Kyrie and Cade for me. Cades fundamentals and poise as a 16/17 year old was insanely advanced.

 

[JMB10215]

Not hindsight, but I thought Fultz was the best guard prospect of the last 10-15 years. At least since DRose (I didn't have an opinion on Kyrie since he barely played at Duke). But alas.

100% the same for me. Fultz, and Cade probably the best guard prospects in the past decade. Fultz had it all man

 

[JMB10215]

I was high on Lonzo coming out of UCLA as well. I thought he would be what Hali is now. I was high on D.Fox and he is legit a all star

 

[ill steelo]

He doesn’t LOOK injured, at least recently. Playing 30+ MPG. Seems to be moving fine. Just doesn’t jump off the screen athletically. Has some trouble creating separation.

I didn’t get Ray Allen at all from anything I saw from DP at Prolific.

Either way, in about 7 months we’ll see what’s real.

 

[Manny Fernandez718]

Moreno from UK would probably get drafted if he declared