Could the 2026 NBA Draft Class Be the Best Class of All-Time?
There is, without a doubt, a certain buzz around the 2026 NBA Draft prospects. Some experts have described this upcoming draft class, specifically the freshmen in the class, as the strongest top-to-bottom draft in the past 15-20 years. With a mixture of elite freshmen and talented upperclassmen, there are far fewer head-scratching questions regarding this draft than many others in the past. As the 2025-26 season is set to tip off, the hype around this draft is deafening. This year's freshman class is stacked with some of the most talented prospects we have ever seen.
In a draft similar to last year’s, which featured players like Cooper Flagg, Ace Bailey, Dylan Harper, VJ Edgecombe, and Kon Knuepel, this draft boasts the same star-level players, if not more. Similar to the freshman spotlight Andrew Wiggins walked into at Kansas, projected number one overall pick Darryn Peterson has already shown he’s ready to take that leap and become arguably the most coveted freshman in Kansas history and easily one of the best prospects since LeBron James. At six-foot-six, Peterson has already shown his offensive firepower along with his defensive versatility in an exhibition game against Louisville. Peterson alone is enough to create genuine buzz around this class, but when you have a three-headed race for the number one pick, there’s going to be constant chatter regarding who should be first. In the race featuring Peterson, AJ Dybansta, and Cam Boozer, the son of former Duke legend Carlos Boozer, all three freshmen have shown in recent scrimmages and exhibitions that this race will take all season. Dybansta, in his first two exhibitions, put up a 30-point night and an 18-point, eight-rebound performance to lead BYU over North Carolina and Nebraska. While we’re on the topic of North Carolina, their star freshman and projected top ten pick Caleb Wilson poured in 22 points and ten rebounds to lead the way for the Tar Heels. Wilson proved that he can stretch the floor and be a versatile defender; he could be the best overall defender in this whole draft.
Cam Boozer has been utterly dominant for Duke in their first couple of exhibitions as well. Boozer had a monster performance of 24 points and 23 rebounds the other night when they faced off against Tennessee. Isaiah Evans also had 22 points for the Blue Devils, but it was Boozer who was the clear best player. Tennessee’s star freshman and projected top-five pick, Nate Ament, struggled in his debut. He shot five-for-19 from the field for 14 points and had ten rebounds, but missed all of his three-point attempts, which had people scratching their heads. Another freshman who struggled was Mikel Brown Jr from Louisville. The Cards faced Kansas in a recent exhibition game, and Brown’s shooting numbers are just painful to look at. Brown had a terrible shooting performance, going two-for-15, and ten of those attempts were from beyond the arc. Brown clearly was nervous and was forcing up contested shots all night against an intense Kansas defense. Peterson, Dybansta, Boozer, Wilson, Ament, and Brown are some of the best overall prospects we have seen in quite some time, and fans are already calling this the best college basketball season to come. While the freshmen might be grabbing all the attention, several upperclassmen are returning to college to boost their draft stock, and they could be pivotal in both March Madness and the 2026 NBA Draft. Darrion Williams from NC State is set to have a National Player of the Year season, and he’ll be viewed as one of the top upperclassmen. Other guys like Karter Knox from Arkansas, Labaron Philon from Alabama, Boogie Fland from Florida, and Bennett Stitrz from Iowa all have a chance to make some real noise in this year’s draft.
