Draft Notes: Combine, Peterson, Stojakovic, Momcilovic
Baylor wing Cameron Carr, North Carolina State guard Matt Able and UConn center Tarris Reed Jr. are among the prospects who boosted their stocks at this week’s draft combine, per Jeremy Woo and Jeff Borzello of ESPN.
The stocks of Arizona’s Koa Peat and Vanderbilt’s Tyler Tanner may be trending in the opposite direction after their time in Chicago, Woo writes. Peat struggled during shooting drills, while diminutive but explosive point guard Tanner didn’t play very well in the scrimmages on Tuesday or Wednesday.
Texas wing Dailyn Swain is leaning toward keeping his name in the draft, according to Borzello, but two other early entrants — Florida center Rueben Chinyelu and Louisville commit Flory Bidunga — seem more likely to return to college for their respective senior and junior seasons.
Here’s more on the 2026 NBA draft:
- Projected top-four pick Darryn Peterson expected to receive questions about his health during interviews at the combine, but he said that hasn’t necessarily been the case, writes Sarah Todd of The Deseret News. “Actually, surprisingly, not a lot,” Peterson said when asked if teams were interested in the topic. “I think what I did with ESPN kind of gave people some answers. I haven’t got a lot of questions about it all.” As Todd details, NBA evaluators are certainly keen to learn more about Peterson’s health, but they’ll receive his medical evaluations this week and have spent the interviews learning more about who he is as a person. The Kansas star also clarified that he’s open to playing on or off the ball after saying Sunday that he views himself as a point guard, and said he looks up to NBA stars like Anthony Edwards, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Devin Booker and Donovan Mitchell, Todd adds.
- While junior wing Andrej Stojakovic said this week that he has “both feet in” the draft process, that doesn’t mean he has ruled out a possible return to Illinois, according to Colleen Kane of The Chicago Tribune. The son of former NBA All-Star Peja Stojakovic said he has worked out for the Grizzlies and Celtics so far and plans to use the next couple weeks leading up to the May 27 withdrawal deadline to continue gathering information. “The more I move forward, the more we go closer to that deadline, I’ll know more,” the younger Stojakovic said. “The group around me has done a really good job of evaluating and staying level-headed no matter what kind of feedback we hear. I’m very thankful for the situation I’m in because going back to school is also a really, really good option for me.”
- Iowa State sharpshooter Milan Momcilovic says he’s “still focused on the draft” rather than returning to college, as James Madden of ZagsBlog.com relays. Momcilovic, who plans to transfer if he does return to for a senior college season, suggested a guaranteed contract might be the deciding factor on whether he remains in the draft or withdraws. “If there’s guaranteed contracts, that’ll be good,” Momcilovic said (Twitter video link via Isaac Trotter of CBS Sports). “If it’s the later second round, those are usually two-way contracts, so then I’ll probably go back (to college). I want to go to the NBA, that’s the goal. I want to go this year.”
Draft Notes: Dybantsa, Lewis, G League Combine, Mock
Many mock drafts seem to suggest BYU forward AJ Dybantsa has become the frontrunner to be selected No. 1 overall in the 2026 NBA draft. The 19-year-old says the market size of the team that picks him isn’t important, according to Jason Jones of The Athletic.
Dybantsa noted that he’s from Brockton, Massachusetts, a city with a population of 106,000, and played his college ball in Provo, Utah, which has approximately 115,000 residents.
“When it came down to BYU, I just wanted to create my own paths, and I thought that BYU was just the right choice from a coaching standpoint, from just helping me be a better person, better player,” Dybantsa said. “It wasn’t really about the market size. Everything’s that’s coming, when it comes to marketing, comes if I do me on the court.”
Here are a few more notes on the 2026 draft:
- International prospect Malique Lewis didn’t receive medical clearance to participate in the G League combine due to a preexisting heart condition, agent Omar Samham told Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress (Twitter links). Lewis, a 6’8″ forward from Trinidad and Tobago, has spent the last two seasons with South East Melbourne Phoenix in Australasia’s National Basketball League. According to Givony, the 21-year-old’s condition has been known for years — he has previously gained clearance to play in Spain, the G League (with the Mexico City Capitanes) and the NBL. Lewis, who participated in the 2024 and 2025 G League combines, is optimistic he’ll be cleared for future events, Givony adds.
- USC forward Jacob Cofie, Purdue forward Trey Kaufman-Renn, and Israeli guard Noam Yaacov were among the standouts of Game 1 of the G League combine scrimmages, according to Givony and his DraftExpress colleague Jon Chepkevich (Twitter links).
- Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports has updated his 2026 mock draft, which sees Dybantsa, Cameron Boozer, Caleb Wilson, Darryn Peterson and Darius Acuff go in the top five, in that order. O’Connor seems a little higher than consensus on certain prospects (Dailyn Swain at No. 12, Allen Graves at No. 16) while being lower on others (Hannes Steinbach at No. 22, Jayden Quaintance at No. 29).
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.
Draft Notes: Dybantsa, Boozer, Pacers, Wilson, Guards, More
BYU’s NCAA tournament run ended early, with the West’s No. 6 seed knocked off by No. 11 Texas on Thursday. However, forward AJ Dybantsa did little to hurt his draft stock in the process, putting up 35 of his team’s 71 points in the losing effort.
According to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link), Dybantsa may have entered this week as the frontrunner to be the No. 1 overall pick in June due to some concerns related to Kansas guard Darryn Peterson‘s health over the course of his freshman year with the Jayhawks and skepticism about whether Cameron Boozer‘s “athletic profile” will limit his ceiling at the NBA level.
Fischer clarifies that no one expects any sort of draft-night fall for Peterson or Boozer, who have widely been considered top-three prospects alongside Dybantsa for months. In fact, he says some rival teams believe Boozer would be the Pacers‘ top choice if they got the No. 1 pick due to his potential fit with their current personnel.
However, Fischer also suggests that there’s been momentum toward UNC’s Caleb Wilson joining that top tier of prospects, despite the fact that hand and thumb injuries prematurely ended the forward’s season. Wilson has drawn comparisons to players like Chris Bosh and Evan Mobley, and there’s no sense that his thumb surgery will impact his standing as a top-five lock, Fischer adds.
“I don’t think anyone is taking Wilson No. 1 overall,” one NBA general manager said. “But I think every team is going to have him above one of those other three guys.”
Here’s more from Fischer on the 2026 NBA draft:
- One Eastern Conference scout recently predicted that there might be “an entire lottery of freshmen” this June, according to Fischer, who adds that the draft class is considered especially heavy on backcourt talent. Some scouts view it as the strongest group of guards since 2018, when Luka Doncic, Trae Young, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander entered the league, while one executive compared it to a 2008 class that was headlined by Derrick Rose and Russell Westbrook, Fischer writes.
- Illustrating the depth of the 2026 draft, Fischer notes that one veteran scout suggested that whichever team lands the No. 1 overall pick should seriously consider the idea of trading down to maximize the value of that selection. “There’s just too much opportunity to still get an All-Star caliber player and another future asset,” the scout said. According to Fischer, multiple executives have also expressed that there could be lottery-caliber prospects available in the 20s and a number of NBA-ready players available in the second round. “This might be a draft where more guys are getting guaranteed (NBA contracts) in the second round,” a Western Conference scout speculated.
- While the lottery will consist mostly of college freshmen, there are several “plug-and-play” upperclassmen who will appeal to teams later in the first round. Fischer identifies Iowa State forward Joshua Jefferson, Florida forward Thomas Haugh, Michigan center Aday Mara, Iowa guard Bennett Stirtz, and Texas wing Dailyn Swain as juniors and seniors frequently mentioned as intriguing targets in that range.
- Fischer also singles out Vanderbilt guard Tyler Tanner, Purdue guard Braden Smith, and Santa Clara forward Allen Graves as players who are “generating intrigue” among NBA evaluators, observing that Tanner and Graves in particular are analytics darlings.