The Headliners: Inside the Tier-One Race for the 2026 NBA Draft’s No. 1 Pick
Scouting reports and podcast takes on Peterson, Dybantsa, and Boozer—the faces of the 2026 draft.
Scouting Miles – A New Chapter
This summer was unlike any other. I spent 31 out of 36 days on the road, crisscrossing the globe to scout and evaluate the next wave of basketball talent. And for the first time, I decided to bring people along for the ride through a vlog series I’m calling Scouting Miles.
The journey started in New York City at the NBA Draft in late June, before heading straight to Lausanne, Switzerland, for the FIBA U19 World Cup. From there, it was back to the States for NBA Summer League in Las Vegas. After a quick stop at home—where I was blessed to witness my wife ring the bell, officially cancer-free—I was right back on a plane, this time to Athens, Greece, for the Trenchworks Sports Camp featuring NBA players Fred VanVleet and Norm Powell. My last stop was Belgrade, Serbia, for the FIBA U18 EuroBasket, where some of Europe’s brightest young prospects took center stage.
This vlog is going to be transparent. It’s not just highlights and gym clips—it’s the wins, the losses, the grind, and the real-life struggles that come with chasing a dream as an independent scout.
Episode One of Scouting Miles is coming soon. Hopefully you enjoy the ride.
Why the 2026 Draft Could Be One of the Most Debated in Years
All of those miles, all of those gyms, and all of those hours in transit ultimately came back to one thing: seeing the future of basketball up close. Along the way, three names have continued to surface as the potential top picks in the 2026 NBA Draft—prospects who not only carry the weight of expectation but also the intrigue of what they could become at the next level. As we turn the page toward that draft, these three stand out as the early headliners.
College basketball is still months away, but Kansas’ Darryn Peterson, BYU’s A.J. Dybantsa, and Duke’s Cameron Boozer are already widely considered the favorites to compete for the number one spot in 2026. These three are consistently viewed as tier-one prospects—players who project as franchise-level cornerstones or top-three selections.
Louisville’s Mikel Brown Jr. and Nate Ament are also in the mix, adding more depth to what’s shaping up to be a talented class, especially at the top. With the rise of NIL, we’ve seen a handful of players bypass the 2025 draft to return for 2026, strengthening the overall pool of talent.
What excites me most about this class is the genuine debate at the top. Between Peterson, Dybantsa, and Boozer—perhaps with Ament or Brown pushing into the mix—this could mirror the 2022 NBA Draft, when Paolo Banchero, Jabari Smith Jr., and Chet Holmgren battled for months before Orlando made its decision on draft night.
A draft with multiple players in legitimate contention for the top pick always makes the process that much more fun to cover, and the 2026 cycle has the same feel.
To go deeper, I’ve attached my personal scouting reports on each of these players, along with a video segment from the NBA Draft Junkies podcast where my brother and I shared our thoughts on their games. Let’s start with Darryn Peterson at Kansas.
Darryn Peterson – Kansas
One of the players I’m most excited to watch this season is Kansas freshman Darryn Peterson, who enters a rare situation in Lawrence where he’ll have the ball in his hands from day one and the freedom to put up numbers we typically don’t see from Kansas stars. The Jayhawks haven’t made it out of the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament since winning the national title in 2022, and Peterson is expected to be the focal point offensively as he looks to showcase why he’s a legitimate candidate for the top pick in 2026. Out of the three projected headliners, Peterson emerged a little later as a potential number one option, but his fierce competitiveness, ability to score in bunches, and potential for explosive scoring performances make him one of the most intriguing players in the class.
Adding to the excitement is his renewed rivalry with BYU’s A.J. Dybantsa, who he famously battled last season in a matchup where the two combined for over 100 points, and with both schools in the Big 12, fans will get to see the top prospects face off in conference play.
A.J. Dybantsa – BYU
Dybantsa has been a household name among scouts since his freshman year of high school, and he enters college as my personal favorite to go number one in 2026 thanks to his blend of skill, physical tools, shot-making, athleticism, and two-way potential. He’ll be playing under coach Kevin Young in an NBA-style system, and Dybantsa now has the opportunity to make BYU a rare program that delivers back-to-back lottery picks, coming right on the heels of Egor Demin being selected eighth overall by the Brooklyn Nets this past June.
Between his high ceiling, his polished scoring arsenal, and his potential to impact the game on both ends, Dybantsa checks nearly every box you want in a modern franchise cornerstone.
Cameron Boozer – Duke
Then there’s Duke’s Cameron Boozer, one of the most decorated high school players ever with a résumé that includes four state championships, three Nike EYBL Peach Jam titles, two Gatorade National Player of the Year awards, Mr. Basketball USA honors, two gold medals, and MVPs at the FIBA U16 Americas and U17 World Cup. Following in the footsteps of his father Carlos Boozer, Cameron arrives at Duke as the centerpiece of another Final Four contender. While he may not command the same immediate spotlight as Cooper Flagg, his dominance, maturity, and all-around impact give him a strong case to contend for National Player of the Year. With his proven track record of winning and his ability to impose his will on both ends, Boozer has as strong a case as anyone to be the number one pick in 2026.
The 2026 NBA Draft is shaping up to be one of the most fascinating classes in years, with legitimate debate at the top and a handful of other names waiting to force their way into the conversation. Whether it’s Peterson’s scoring firepower at Kansas, Dybantsa’s elite shotmaking at BYU, or Boozer’s winning pedigree at Duke, the battle for number one promises to keep scouts, front offices, and fans engaged all season long.
Over the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing my personal scouting reports on other top prospects who could impact the 2026 draft picture, leading up to the start of both the college and international basketball seasons. The journey is just getting started, and this draft cycle is already setting up to be a fun one to cover.