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2026 NBA Draft: CBS Sports releases post-lottery mock draft

FaceProfileby: Thomas Goldkamp05/12/26

Sunday’s NBA lottery helped clarify the draft order and helped fans and analysts alike get a better handle on what the 2026 NBA Draft might hold. It also gave experts a chance to tweak their mock draft with the new changes.

So what has changed? CBS Sports’ Gary Parrish has a new mock draft that includes some surprises in the top five picks.

Of course, it figures to be a loaded draft class near the top, so what happens early will be fascinating. Let’s take a look at the complete updated CBS Sports mock draft below.

1. SF AJ Dybantsa, BYU – Washington

    After a lot of back-and-forth during the season, Dybantsa has emerged as the favorite to go No. 1 overall in most current mock drafts. Washington would do well to land the BYU standout, who had an incredible freshman season.

    During the year, scored an incredible 25.5 points per game. Meanwhile, he also filled the stat sheet in other ways, averaging 6.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.1 steals per game. He can do it all.

    2. PG Darryn Peterson, Kansas – Utah

      The big question about Peterson is his usage rate, which was very up and down at Kansas. His talent, though, is unquestionably at the top of the draft class along with the likes of Dybantsa and Boozer. Can he be a consistent every night presence?

      If so, the Jazz would be getting a monster. Peterson tallied 20.2 points per game, while also grabbing 4.2 boards per contest, dishing out 1.6 assists and snagging 1.4 steals per game. He has one of the best shooting strokes in the class.

      3. PF Caleb Wilson, North Carolina – Memphis

        Parrish has an interesting pick here, as Boozer remains on the board at Pick No. 3. In any case, he has Wilson going above Boozer in his mock draft, justifying that selection by saying that Memphis will be looking for a “swing-for-a-star” option.

        Wilson can certainly be that. In his one year at North Carolina, he went for 19.8 points, 9.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.4 blocks per game. The Tar Heels were never the same after his injury.

        4. PF Cameron Boozer, Duke – Chicago

          Boozer takes no longer to come off the board. Most view him as a very high floor player, though there are question marks about whether his ceiling is quite as high as some others at the top of the draft class.

          In any case, Chicago lands an instant-impact player here in the mock draft. Boozer averaged 22.5 points, 10.2 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.4 steals per contest as a freshman at Duke.

          5. PG Darius Acuff Jr., Arkansas – L.A. Clippers

            Acuff’s size won’t blow anyone away, and that’s the primary hurdle he’ll have to overcome at the next level. But his scoring ability is absolutely remarkable. He was a night-in, night-out threat in one of the toughest leagues in college basketball.

            He finished the year averaging 23.5 points per game, shooting 44.0% from 3-point range. That’s deadly. He also averaged 6.4 assists and 3.1 rebounds per game.

            6. PG Keaton Wagler, Illinois – Brooklyn

              Parrish points out in his mock draft that Brooklyn will be searching for the best prospect available at this point in the draft. For him, that’s unquestionably the freshman out of Illinois.

              Wagler was remarkably good in his lone season with the Fighting Illini. He was a floor captain who shot 39.7% from 3-point range. He also averaged 17.9 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game.

              7. PG Kingston Flemings, Houston – Sacramento

                In a deep point guard class, Sacramento dips into the well at this point in the mock draft to grab another insanely good one. Flemings has good size and has definite star potential at the NBA level should he continue to develop.

                He’s also coming from a Houston system where he knows how to play quality defense. Fleming shot 38.7% from 3-point range — quite good — and averaged 16.1 points, 5.2 assists and 4.1 rebounds per game.

                8. PG Mikel Brown Jr., Louisville – Atlanta

                  Parrish likes Brown as a potential top-five talent in the draft, available this late mainly due to injury concerns that limited him to just 21 games this season for Louisville. But when he was on the floor he was a huge difference-maker for the Cardinals.

                  Brown averaged 18.2 points per game, to go along with 4.7 assists and 3.3 rebounds. His shooting has room for improvement; he finished the year shooting 34.4% from 3-point range. Can he stay healthy?

                  9. SG Brayden Burries, Arizona – Dallas

                    The Arizona shooting guard is one of the best pure shooters in the class, and Dallas lands a quality piece in this mock draft just inside the top 10 picks. Because the Wildcats reached the Final Four, Burries also got some high-quality experience.

                    Can he turn that into production at the NBA level? He averaged 16.1 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. He also shot 39.1% from 3-point range during his freshman season with the Wildcats.

                    10. PF Nate Ament, Tennessee – Milwaukee

                      Ament is still a bit of a raw prospect but the tools are out of this world. He’s got excellent length and is just starting to understand how to use it. Milwaukee would be hoping to get him the rest of the way there.

                      The Tennessee star averaged 16.7 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. He also dished out 2.3 assists per game and shot 33.3% from 3-point range — respectable enough for a player with his length and the ability to do multiple things offensively.

                      Rest of the CBS Sports Mock Draft

                      1. PF Yaxel Lendeborg, Michigan – Golden St.
                      2. C Aday Mara, Michigan – Oklahoma City
                      3. PG Labaron Philon, Alabama – Miami
                      4. C Morez Johnson Jr., Michigan – Charlotte
                      5. PF Hannes Steinbach, Washington – Chicago
                      6. PG Christian Anderson, Texas Tech – Memphis
                      7. PF Karim Lopez, Mexico – Oklahoma City
                      8. SG Cameron Carr, Baylor – Charlotte
                      9. C Jayden Quaintance, Kentucky – Toronto
                      10. PF Chris Cenac Jr., Houston – San Antonio
                      11. PG Bennett Stirtz, Iowa – Detroit
                      12. PF Koa Peat, Arizona – Philadelphia
                      13. C Tarris Reed Jr., Connecticut – Atlanta
                      14. PF Allen Graves, Santa Clara – New York
                      15. SG Isaiah Evans, Duke – L.A. Lakers
                      16. PF Joshua Jefferson, Iowa State – Denver
                      17. C Henri Veesaar, North Carolina – Boston
                      18. SF Dailyn Swain, Texas – Minnesota
                      19. SF Tounde Yessoufou, Baylor – Cleveland
                      20. PG Ebuka Okorie, Stanford – Dallas