Southeast Notes: Hawks’ Draft Picks, Jakucionis, Magic
The Hawks will likely have at least a couple top guard prospects available to choose from when they’re on the clock with the eighth overall pick, writes Michael Cunningham of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (subscriber link).
Atlanta found success in the second half of last season without using a traditional point guard, but if the team wants to find a play-maker to replace Trae Young, Darius Acuff, Kingston Flemings, Keaton Wagler, Mikel Brown and Brayden Burries are among the players who could still be on the board.
If the Hawks decide to go with a wing or a big man, Nate Ament, Aday Mara, Yaxel Lendeborg and Jayden Quaintance could be options, as Cunningham and his Atlanta Journal-Constitution colleague Lauren Williams suggest (subscription required).
Here’s more from around the Southeast:
- In the same story, Williams lists a handful of players the Hawks might consider with their second first-round pick at No. 23 overall. Houston big man Chris Cenac, Iowa guard Bennett Stirtz and Texas Tech guard Christian Anderson are a few of the prospects mentioned. Atlanta also controls a late second-round selection (No. 57), Williams notes.
- Kasparas Jakucionis opened his rookie season in the G League, but he became a Heat rotation regular about a third of the way into 2025/26, per Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. The Lithuanian guard, who turns 20 years old later this month, impressed head coach Erik Spoelstra with his work ethic and competitiveness. Now the 2025 first-round pick is trying to level up his game this offseason. “Just get stronger in the weight room,” said Jakucionis. “And then on the ball and off the ball, just work on my handles, try to get tight on my handles, get into the paint with two feet, try to make the right read from there. Get some more paint touches, for sure. And off the ball, it’s just about spacing, shooting, and running basically.”
- Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel examines what moves the Magic might make this offseason aside from hiring a new head coach to replace Jamahl Mosley. Pulling off another major trade might be more complicated since the Magic have fewer draft assets at their disposal after last summer’s Desmond Bane blockbuster, Beede observes, and their free agent additions might be limited to minimum-salary players due to their financial situation.
Draft Notes: Top Prospects, Measurements, Ament, Kings
No one from the 2026 class has even been drafted yet, but the top prospects certainly aren’t lacking for confidence, writes Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press. Expectations are already “sky-high” for the incoming rookies in a class that’s viewed as being exceptionally strong both in terms of top-end talent and depth.
“Since I’m in this draft class, I’m going to say we’re one of the best draft classes,” said AJ Dybantsa, who led Division I men’s college basketball in scoring this past season. “We’ll see how that pans out and how our careers pan out, but if you ask me right now, I think we’re one of the best draft classes.”
In addition to Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer and Caleb Wilson — widely viewed as the top four prospects — also discussed what they’ll bring to the table to their future NBA teams, according to Michael Wallace of Grind City Media.
“My résumé speaks for itself, man,” said Boozer, the NCAA Player of the Year. “So, if a team wants to hang a (championship) banner in the rafters, I’m definitely their guy. All of these guys here, we’ve been playing against each other since eighth grade. People have been talking about how special this class is and we showed it. We’re going to keep showing it at the next level.”
Wilson, who’s recovering from surgery on his right thumb, confirmed he’ll be available to play Summer League in July, Wallace adds.
“Me being at one, two, three or four, I feel great,” said Wilson. “I’m excited to show my talent and skills in these coming months, starting with summer league. Whatever team is there that needs what I bring to the table, they’ll see. I’m going to keep working to be a great player for whichever team selects me.”
We have more notes on the 2026 NBA draft:
- Prospects went through anthropometric measurements at the draft combine on Monday. The official measurements won’t be finalized until Tuesday, notes Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress (via Twitter), but some early winners include Michigan’s Aday Mara (7’3″ and 260 pounds with a 7’6″ wingspan and a 9’9″ standing reach, tied with Mark Williams for the second-longest in combine history), Jayden Quaintance and Chris Cenac, while Christian Anderson and Amari Allen were among the measurement losers, according to James Fletcher III and Jamie Shaw of On3.com.
- Tennessee forward Nate Ament was among On3’s other measurement winners, coming in at 6’9.5″ and 211 pounds, with a 6’11.5″ wingspan and a 9’1.5″ standing reach. The standout freshman told Marc J. Spears of Andscape that he was informed by a doctor after undergoing X-rays that he could still grow another two inches (Twitter link).
- Head coach Doug Christie said finding a point guard was a top offseason priority for the Kings and they should be able to nab one after coming away with the seventh overall pick, according to Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee, who takes a look at five prospects the team might consider, including Darius Acuff, Keaton Wagler and Kingston Flemings.
- Brian Windhorst of ESPN shares his observations from inside Sunday’s draft lottery drawing room.
NBA Announces 73 Invitees For 2026 Draft Combine
The NBA announced today (via Twitter) that 73 prospects have been invited to attend this year’s draft combine, which will take place in Chicago from May 10-17.
In addition to those 73 players, a handful of standout players from the G League combine, which is also held in Chicago just before the combine begins, are expected to receive invites to stick around for the main event.
Not all of the prospects invited to the combine will end up remaining in the 2026 draft pool, since many are early entrants who are testing the waters while retaining their NCAA eligibility.
College players must withdraw from the draft by the end of the day on May 27 if they wish to preserve that eligibility, while non-college players face a decision deadline of June 13. The feedback they receive from NBA teams at the combine may be a deciding factor for players who are on the fence.
Here’s the list of players who have been invited to the 2026 draft combine:
(Note: For players in international leagues, the country listed is where they had been playing, not necessarily where they’re from.)
- Matt Able, G, North Carolina State (freshman)
- Darius Acuff, G, Arkansas (freshman)
- Amari Allen, F, Alabama (freshman)
- Nate Ament, F, Tennessee (freshman)
- Christian Anderson, G, Texas Tech (sophomore)
- Tobe Awaka, F, Arizona (senior)
- Flory Bidunga, F/C, Kansas (sophomore)
- Tyler Bilodeau, F, UCLA (senior)
- John Blackwell, G, Wisconsin (junior)
- Cameron Boozer, F, Duke (freshman)
- Kylan Boswell, G, Illinois (senior)
- Nick Boyd, G, Wisconsin (senior)
- Jaden Bradley, G, Arizona (senior)
- Trevon Brazile, F, Arkansas (senior)
- Maliq Brown, F, Duke (senior)
- Mikel Brown Jr., G, Louisville (freshman)
- Brayden Burries, G, Arizona (freshman)
- Cameron Carr, G, Baylor (junior)
- Chris Cenac, F/C, Houston (freshman)
- Rueben Chinyelu, C, Florida (junior)
- Ryan Conwell, G, Louisville (senior)
- Sergio De Larrea, G, Spain (born 2005)
- AJ Dybantsa, F, BYU (freshman)
- Zuby Ejiofor, F, St. John’s (senior)
- Isaiah Evans, G/F, Duke (sophomore)
- Jeremy Fears, G, Michigan State (junior)
- Kingston Flemings, G, Houston (freshman)
- Ja’Kobi Gillespie, G, Tennessee (senior)
- Allen Graves, F, Santa Clara (freshman)
- Keyshawn Hall, G/F, Auburn (senior)
- Juke Harris, G, Wake Forest (sophomore)
- Joshua Jefferson, F, Iowa State (senior)
- Morez Johnson, F/C, Michigan (sophomore)
- Alex Karaban, F, UConn (senior)
- Jack Kayil, G, Germany (born 2006)
- Toibu Lawal, F, Virginia Tech (senior)
- Yaxel Lendeborg, F, Michigan (senior)
- Karim Lopez, F, Australia (born 2007)
- Aday Mara, C, Michigan (junior)
- Nick Martinelli, F, Northwestern (senior)
- Baba Miller, F/C, Cincinnati (senior)
- Dillon Mitchell, F, St. John’s (senior)
- Milan Momcilovic, F, Iowa State (junior)
- Malachi Moreno, C, Kentucky (freshman)
- Izaiyah Nelson, F, South Florida (senior)
- Tyler Nickel, F, Vanderbilt (senior)
- Ebuka Okorie, G, Stanford (freshman)
- Felix Okpara, C, Tennessee (senior)
- Ugonna Onyenso, C, Virginia (senior)
- Otega Oweh, G, Kentucky (senior)
- Koa Peat, F, Arizona (freshman)
- Darryn Peterson, G, Kansas (freshman)
- Labaron Philon, G, Alabama (sophomore)
- Jayden Quaintance, F/C, Kentucky (sophomore)
- Tarris Reed, C, UConn (senior)
- Billy Richmond, G/F, Arkansas (sophomore)
- Richie Saunders, G, BYU (senior)
- Emanuel Sharp, G, Houston (senior)
- Braden Smith, G, Purdue (senior)
- Hannes Steinbach, F, Washington (freshman)
- Bennett Stirtz, G, Iowa (senior)
- Andrej Stojakovic, G/F, Illinois (junior)
- Peter Suder, G, Miami (OH) (senior)
- Luigi Suigo, C, Serbia (born 2007)
- Dailyn Swain, G/F, Texas (junior)
- Tyler Tanner, G, Vanderbilt (sophomore)
- Meleek Thomas, G, Arkansas (freshman)
- Bruce Thornton, G, Ohio State (senior)
- Milos Uzan, G, Houston (senior)
- Henri Veesaar, C, North Carolina (junior)
- Keaton Wagler, G, Illinois (freshman)
- Caleb Wilson, F, North Carolina (freshman)
- Tounde Yessoufou, G/F, Baylor (freshman)
It’s worth noting that the NBA and the NBPA agreed to several combine-related changes in their latest Collective Bargaining Agreement. Here are a few of those changes:
- A player who is invited to the draft combine and declines to attend without an excused absence will be ineligible to be drafted. He would become eligible the following year by attending the combine. There will be exceptions made for a player whose FIBA season is ongoing, who is injured, or who is dealing with a family matter (such as a tragedy or the birth of a child). That player would be required to complete combine activities at a later date.
- Players who attend the draft combine will be required to undergo physical exams, share medical history, participate in strength, agility, and performance testing, take part in shooting drills, receive anthropometric measurements, and conduct interviews with teams and the media. Scrimmages won’t be mandatory.
- Medical results from the combine will be distributed to select teams based on where the player is projected to be drafted. Only teams drafting in the top 10 would get access to medical info for the projected No. 1 pick; teams in the top 15 would receive medical info for players in the 2-6 range, while teams in the top 25 would get access to info for the players in the 7-10 range.
Christian Anderson, Labaron Philon Among Prospects Entering Draft
Texas Tech sophomore point guard Christian Anderson is declaring for the 2026 NBA draft, agent Aaron Mintz tells Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress (Twitter link).
Anderson, who turned 20 last Thursday, played a whopping 38.4 minutes per game in 33 starts for the Red Raiders this season and enjoyed a breakout season, claiming a spot on the All-Big 12 first team and being named the conference’s Most Improved Player. He averaged 18.5 points, 7.4 assists, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game, with a strong shooting line of .472/.415/.805.
Anderson currently ranks 19th on ESPN’s big board for the 2026 draft, with Jeremy Woo writing in last month’s mock draft that NBA evaluators like Anderson’s “well-rounded” game, including his ability to play both on and off the ball.
Here are a few more of the latest draft decisions from NCAA prospects:
- Another breakout sophomore, Alabama guard Labaron Philon, is entering the draft pool, he announced on Instagram. Philon, the No. 21 prospect on ESPN’s board, more than doubled his scoring average, from 10.6 PPG as a freshman to 22.0 PPG in 2025/26. He also contributed 5.0 assists, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game, making 50.1% of his shots from the floor and 39.9% of his three-pointers. Philon has improved his draft stock after testing the waters and unexpectedly withdrawing a year ago.
- Texas junior wing Dailyn Swain is declaring for the draft, his agents at WME Basketball tell Givony (Twitter link). After transferring from Xavier to the Longhorns for the 2025/26 season, Swain emerged as an All-SEC second-teamer, scoring 17.3 PPG on 54.2% shooting to go along with 7.5 RPG, 3.6 APG, and 1.6 SPG. The 6’8″ swingman is viewed as a potential first-round pick, coming in at No. 29 on ESPN’s board.
- Wisconsin guard John Blackwell will test the draft waters on the heels of a big junior year that saw him make the All-Big Ten third team, he told Jeff Borzello of ESPN (Twitter link). Blackwell, the No. 65 prospect on ESPN’s board, isn’t a lock to be drafted and has also entered the transfer portal, so he may be playing for a new school if he returns to college for his senior season.
- Kentucky center Malachi Moreno, who started 30 games for the Wildcats as a freshman, is testing the draft waters this spring, agent George S. Langberg tells Jon Chepkevich of DraftExpress (Twitter link). Moreno averaged 7.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks in 22.6 minutes per contest across 36 total outings in 2025/26. If he decides not to go pro, the plan is for him to return to Kentucky, Chepkevich notes.