It’s Lottery Day!
At long last, we will can start to make sense out of the NBA Draft.
RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 2: Cameron Boozer #12 of the Duke Blue Devils defends a shot by Scottie Ebube #12 of the NC State Wolfpack in the first half at Lenovo Center on March 2, 2026 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images) | Getty Images The annual run-up to the draft is impressively idiotic: everyone draws out mock drafts and figures who is going where, and why…all before the lottery is set. Why bother?
You can’t know anything prior to that. It’s fun speculation, and it’s good content, but it’s just speculation. One of the great examples of this is last year’s chase of former Blue Devil Cooper Flagg.
How many people had Dallas sneaking in at #1 with a 1. 8% chance? So the real draft speculation starts this afternoon a little after 3:00, when we know the draft order.
Currently, the Top 5 picks are usually projected to be, in some order, AJ Dybantsa of BYU, Darryn Peterson of Kansas, UNC’s Caleb Wilson, Darius Acuff of Arkansas, and Duke’s Cameron Boozer. Their strengths and weaknesses are well-known; now we’ll see how they match with team needs and priorities. The Thunder Will Get an NBA Lottery Pick This Year.