Cooper Flagg gave the 2025 NBA Draft the superstar it needed at the top of the class when he decided to reclassify in Aug. 2023 to essentially skip his senior year of high school at Florida prep powerhouse Montverde Academy. Flagg was originally slated graduate high school in 2025, which would have had him ticketed for the 2026 NBA Draft. While Flagg’s reclassification balanced out the elite young talent soon to enter the NBA, it also took away from what was — and still might be — an all-time strong incoming draft class.
The talent in the 2025 NBA Draft has been getting hyped for more than a year — partially because of the depth of the current freshman class, partially because of the presence of an elite No. 1 prospect like Flagg, partially because it is comparatively so much stronger than the uninspiring 2024 draft class. That hype hasn’t subsided much during the college and international season, but it has been sobering in some ways as no obvious No. 3 prospect has emerged and several projected top picks have underwhelmed.
Maybe it’s only natural to always think the incoming talent a year out looks a lot more intriguing, but there’s almost no way to deny it as it pertains to the 2026 draft. NBA Draft classes are typically judged by their top-end talent, and the 2026 class is the rare group with three potential No. 1 overall picks.
A.J. Dybantsa, Cameron Boozer, and Darryn Peterson are all special prospects who can help define the next generation of NBA talent alongside Flagg. Here’s how we’d rank the three players 16 months out from the 2026 NBA Draft.
1. Darryn Peterson, G, Prolific Prep (Kansas commit)
Peterson has ascended to become a legitimate candidate for the No. 1 overall pick after a ridiculous run out-playing his top peers over the last 12 months. There is no prospect in the world better suited to be the primary initiator of a good offense at the next level, and Peterson is the rare prospect who also projects to be a plus defensively while carrying such a big offensive role.
Peterson is a 6’5 guard with a 6’10 wingspan with a strong and wiry frame. He’s spent his senior year destroying everything in his path, with a ridiculous 33-point performance against the Boozer twins in Nov., 32-point, 10-rebound, and eight assist game against Dybantsa in Dec., and a 31-point performance against Nate Ament at Hoophall Classic in Jan. In each of these settings, Peterson has showed how his unreal two-way versatility scales up against elite competition.
Peterson is a gifted tough shot-maker, but his game is so much deeper than that. He’s uniquely positioned to hit contested shots inside of the arc with incredible body control and soft touch even while off-balance. He can make floaters and layups with either hand, and he does a great job hanging in the air and squaring himself to the basket when he attacks the rim.
Peterson creates chances for himself with his special driving ability. He has the ball on a string as a handler, and can dust defenders with his quickness or plow through them with strength. He always seems to have a counter to what the defense throws at him, and he doesn’t force his own offense despite the ability to hit shots all over the floor.
Peterson’s motor and physicality is just as striking as his touch. While he’s not a Thompson twin-level athlete, he shows fantastic burst both as a ball handler attacking the paint and as a defender closing in on the ball. His defensive awareness is impressive, and it just feels like he gets the ball when he wants it.
Players as gifted as Peterson offensively typically don’t bring this much value on defense. He’s going to an awesome off-ball defensive playmaker, and he’ll be able to lock up on the ball when he’s called upon.
Peterson is like a souped-up Devin Booker with more ability to be a primary handler and better athletic gifts. He might be the best recruit Bill Self has ever landed at Kansas, ahead of Andrew Wiggins and Josh Jackson (Joel Embiid became the best pro Self ever coached, and Peterson will have to win an NBA MVP to match that). There’s a real chance he goes No. 1 in June 2026.
2. Cameron Boozer, F/C, Columbus Prep (Duke commit)
I already wrote a full deep dive on Boozer when he committed to Duke. In short, his winning pedigree is unmatched among any recent prospect to enter the NBA, and his combination of power, intelligence, and skill gives him real superstar upside despite some speed and leaping limitations.
At 6’10 with a strong frame, Boozer brings tremendous offensive versatility. On one possession, he’ll hammer the opposing defense as an interior scorer on post-ups, putbacks, and rolls to the rim. On the next, he’ll initiate the offense on the perimeter like a wing. He’s a good driver and handler for someone so big, and he can dislodge defenders on his way to the basket with his huge frame.
Boozer’s overall feel for the game is one of his best attributes, and it shows up all over the tape in his passing ability. He has great court vision to deliver dimes on time and on target all over the floor. It feels like he has a rare ability to map the floor and know where everyone is, so he can always think one step ahead of the defense. His scoring gravity and passing ability gives him the potential to be the hub of an offense in the halfcourt. With Boozer at the controls, it feels like the offense is always getting a good shot.
Boozer has won at every level against top competition while putting up unmatched production ever since entering high school. He hasn’t had a meteoric breakout like Peterson and he doesn’t have elite physical traits like Dybantsa, but he’s been steadily performing at an elite level throughout his four years of prep ball. While he’s the slowest player and worst shooter of the three in this story, he’s also the strongest and the smartest. He’s above-average in just about every facet of the game, including his three-point shot. How could he not be with how much he’s won at the high school level?
Be skeptical of Boozer’s NBA translation at your own risk. His level of winning and production is too impressive to bet against.
3. A.J. Dybantsa, F, Utah Prep (BYU commit)
If you could create an NBA wing with superstar traits in a scientific lab, it would look a lot like Dybantsa. A 6’9 jumbo wing, Dybantsa has an overwhelming combination of length and athleticism and that gives him the best physical gifts of any prospect not currently in the NBA.
Dybantsa is going to be able to score inside the arc with his physicality alone. His strength, length, and open floor speed is a lethal combination that will still be elite at the highest levels. He’s going to be a force attacking closeouts and getting out in transition, giving him a pathway to easy buckets that don’t generate highlight reel clicks like his tough shot-making does.
Of course, Dybantsa doesn’t just win with his tools. His incredibly advanced as a ball handler and long-range shooter for his age and his size, giving him takeover scoring ability on any given night. Right now, he’s the best three-point shooter among the top prospects in the world: he has deep range and a quick release on his jumper, and he’s equally capable of hitting triples off the dribble or off-the-catch. It feels like there’s a chance Dybantsa grows into one of the better shooters in the world, and if that happens, there’s no cap on his long-term upside.
Dybantsa has major upside on the defensive end too with his tools, but needs to stay locked in mentally on that end. There’s no doubt Dybantsa is the most naturally talented of the three, but for now he might have the least amount of polish. It feels like he over-dribbles at times, and he doesn’t have the craft drawing fouls that the other two do. He’s not the playmaker Boozer is, and he doesn’t have the ultra fine-tuned skill that Peterson shows. Still, Dybantsa’s combination of size, shooting, handling, and athleticism is the stuff No. 1 overall picks are made of.
He might be third on my list, but he still feels like the favorite to go first overall in 2026.
