The first round of the 2026 NBA Draft is in the books, and SB Nation draft expert Ricky O’Donnell graded every pick from the first round. A total of eight teams managed to nail the first round in his eyes, earning an A-grade or higher for their selections.
Grading was a blend of two factors: Where the player was on the NBA big board ahead of the draft, as well as the team fit. The perfect storm is this coming together to lead to an elite fit, which we saw last year as Cooper Flagg, Dylan Harper, and Kon Knueppel all earned A-grades a year ago, and turned into being pivotal players for their teams. So let’s dive into this year’s top picks and see if they can continue their path to NBA stardom.
Cameron Boozer to the Memphis Grizzlies, No. 3 overall
Grade A+
Best player in the draft. Boozer lacks vertical explosiveness and some shake in the middle of the floor, but he’s excellent at just about every aspect of basketball. He was unanimously considered the best player in college hoops, despite also being one of the youngest, which is the ultimate sign of star potential. This is reminiscent of Luka Dončić slipping to the third pick in 2018, though in this case, Dybantsa and Peterson are much better than DeAndre Ayton and Marvin Bagley. I still think Boozer was in a class of his own at this draft because of his special processing, knockdown three-point shooting, monster rebounding, powerful isolation driving, and ability to find open teammates as a passer all over the floor.
It’s astonishing that such a brilliant, do-everything facilitator from a proven Duke program fell to No. 3 overall solely because of a perceived lack of upside. This was a home-run pick for the Grizzlies, who not only get the best player in this class — but someone who can be a culture-shaping player in Memphis.
Caleb Wilson to the Chicago Bulls, No. 4 overall
Grade: A
This was the easiest pick in the draft. Wilson turned the big three into a big four during an electric freshman year at North Carolina, where he established himself as the draft’s most explosive athlete. Wilson dunked the hell out of the ball at every opportunity this past season with 67 slams in 24 games. His playmaking also looked far better than other freak athletes in his mold. If he can make any sort of leap as an outside shooter or ball handler, it could take his offense to the next level. It will also be fascinating to monitor his defense after a freshman year full of highlight reel takeaways that also included some ugly lapses of ball watching. Read my in-depth feature on his past, present, and future.
The thing you keep hearing raving about with Caleb Wilson is his character. A gym-rat with an endless desire to keep getting better, there’s unquestionably improvements that can be made to his game — but the drive to make it happen as well. It’s going to be so much fun to see Wilson and Matas Buzelis jumping out of the arena together.
Kingston Flemings to the Atlanta Hawks, No. 8 overall
Grade: A
Flemings lacks ideal length and strength for an NBA point guard, but he’s super athletic, super smart, and has an ability to play bigger than his listed size at both ends of the floor. Flemings is an awesome driver who can change directions on a dime, throw live dribble passes on the money, or rise-and-fire into mid-range attempts. He’s probably the best defender of this loaded point guard group despite his lack of size due to his disruptive hands, sharp instincts, and high motor.
This is a really interesting fit as the Hawks continue to move on from the Trae Young era. It gives them a player who can be an impact distributor to accompany Atlanta’s high-end scorers, and a great veteran in C.J. McCollum to help hone his game. It’s impossible to hate on this pick as need met value for Atlanta.
Yaxel Lendeborg to the Golden State Warriors, No. 11 overall
Grade: A
Lendeborg felt like the second best player in college basketball behind Cam Boozer this past season — and he probably should have been, considering he was a super-senior who is a month older than Josh Giddey. I usually don’t like older prospects, but I love Yaxel. He’s long and strong enough to play in an NBA front court and skilled enough to play on the perimeter on both ends of the floor. He probably could have put up monster scoring numbers at any other school, but instead he embraced his role as an floor spacer, connective playmaker, and versatile defender, and it led to a national championship. Read my feature on Yaxel’s stunning rise from JUCO player to NBA lottery pick.
The Warriors are desperately trying to push their window back open, and Lendeborg is a guy who can contribute immediately to achieve it. We don’t know what the future holds for Draymond Green, but it feels as though Lendeborg can come in and be a worse defender, but vastly better offensive player from the jump. That might be enough to get Golden State back in the picture if they can stay healthy.
Aday Mara to the Oklahoma City Thunder, No. 12 overall
Grade: A-
There are only so many humans in the world who stand 7’3 with a 9’9 standing reach. Mara was the single biggest stock-riser of March Madness, showing off his elite passing ability and trusty rim protection in drop coverage on Michigan’s run to the national championship. He’s not a shooter at the moment, and there are questions about his quickness on the perimeter, but I’m willing to bet on Mara’s size, passing, and shot-blocking. The Thunder just got another big body to throw at Victor Wembanyama in future playoff matchups. This is a great landing spot for him with so many ferocious perimeter defenders hounding the ball in front of his drop defense.
It’s really wild to think that teams in the West are already needing to strategize ahead to find their “anti-Wemby,” but it makes perfect sense. The Thunder are at a point now where they’re just looking to get specific tools to add to their toolbox, rather than needing complete stars. The fact they were able to do that at No. 12 overall is perfect.
Hannes Steinbach to the Charlotte Hornets, No. 14 overall
Grade: A
Best rebounder in the class. His offensive rebounding might be the best skill in this class, and he’s also major transition threat. I’m buying his shooting upside. He’s not exactly a defensive anchor, so he’ll probably work best in a twin-towers front court. The Hornets needed some more beef inside and they got it.
The Hornets were desperate to add size and consistent rebounding to complement Moussa Diabate, and they got it. This likely spells the end to Miles Bridges’ time in Charlotte, and trades athletic dunking, for a rim-hound who can mitigate the downside of LaMelo Ball’s volume shooting.
Ebuka Okorie to the Detroit Pistons, No. 18 overall
Grade: A
I love it. Okorie has star upside with the best first step in the class and the ability to extend the advantage with elite acceleration on his way to the rim. He took a lot of threes this year and looked good making them off the dribble. He’s small for a guard and he’s not the best playmaker, but who did he really have to pass to at Stanford? I like the idea of getting Cade Cunningham off the ball a little bit more. Okorie’s ability to generate paint touches could be super valuable for what was an ugly halfcourt offense at times.
Cade Cunningham had a major breakout season that caused the former No. 1 pick to ascend to a legitimate MVP-caliber player. Anything that helps him progress even more will be extremely fun to watch. Okorie’s ability to stretch the floor with teams needing to respect his shot is much-needed when the Pistons’ only reliable threat from beyond the arc is Duncan Robinson.
Jayden Quaintance to the San Antonio Spurs, No. 20 overall
Grade: A-
This is a major roll of the dice, but I love it. Quaintance seemed destined to be a top-5 pick coming into the season after an amazing freshman year at Arizona State where he looked like a special defensive big man. He tore his ACL at the end of that season, and he was never healthy at Kentucky, shutting it down after four games. His offense is a major question mark, but his power, length, and movement skills give him massive coverage versatility and a really high defensive ceiling. Wemby at power forward? You’re going to see it more and more if Quaintance reaches his potential.
Picking a big man to pair with your already MVP-caliber big man? Stop if you’ve heard this one before with San Antonio. The defensive prowess he brings to the middle will take pressure off Wemby to do everything on his own on both ends of the floor. We know he’s going to do that anyway, because it’s just how he plays — but it opens up opportunities to use the phenom in creative new ways.
