College freshmen dominate first round of 2026 NBA Draft as NBA reforms lottery
College players, especially freshmen, filled the top selections of the 2026 NBA Draft, while the league prepares to change its lottery rules next season.
Washington selected BYU freshman AJ Dybantsa with the No. 1 pick, followed by Kansas forward Darryn Peterson at No. 2 to Utah, Duke forward Cameron Boozer at No. 3 to Memphis, North Carolina forward Caleb Wilson at No. 4 to Chicago and Illinois guard Keaton Wagler at No. 5 to Los Angeles. Nine of the first ten selections were college freshmen, tying the record for most freshmen in the top ten, and the first twenty picks all came from the college ranks – the first such occurrence since 1994.
Seven teams entered the draft with two first-round selections, including the Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets, Chicago Bulls, Dallas Mavericks, Memphis Grizzlies, Milwaukee Bucks and Oklahoma City Thunder. The Hawks added guard Kingston Flemings at No. 8 and forward Zuby Ejiofor at No. 23; the Hornets took big man Hannes Steinbach at No. 14 and guard Christian Anderson at No. 18; the Bulls selected Caleb Wilson at No. 4 and guard-forward Dailyn Swain at No. 15; the Mavericks chose Michigan big man Morez Johnson Jr. at No. 9 and acquired Spain’s Sergio De Larrea in a trade; the Grizzlies picked Cameron Boozer at No. 3 and added Mexico’s Karim Lopez at No. 21; the Bucks added Arizona guard Brayden Burries at No. 10 and will acquire Tennessee forward Nate Ament with the 13th pick; the Thunder selected Michigan center Aday Mara at No. 12 and added guard Bennett Stirtz at No. 16.
Seven franchises – Houston, Indiana, Miami, New Orleans, Orlando, Phoenix and Portland – did not have a first-round pick. Michigan, the 2026 NCAA champion, saw three players go in the top twelve: Morez Johnson Jr. (No. 9, Dallas), Yaxel Lendeborg (No. 11) and Aday Mara (No. 12). The Big 12 set a conference record with nine first-round selections, four of them in the top ten, while the Big 10, SEC and ACC each contributed six, five and four players respectively.
The NBA Board of Governors approved a lottery reform that will take effect for the 2027 draft. Under the new system, the three worst-record teams will no longer receive the highest odds, and no franchise may receive a first-overall pick in consecutive drafts or a top-five pick in three straight drafts. > "The changes are designed to eliminate incentives for teams to prioritize draft position over winning," the league said.