CHICAGO (AP) 鈥� is calling it already: The in his mind, is one of the best in the history of the league.
And nobody has even been drafted yet.
If there is one characteristic that the players expected to be at the very top of next month’s draft share, it is confidence. They know they’re good, and they don’t mind telling you that they’re good. And for the teams now in position to get those top players 鈥� Washington at No. 1, Utah at No. 2, Memphis at No. 3 and Chicago at No. 4 鈥� the next few weeks are going to be teeming with promise.
鈥淪ince I鈥檓 in this draft class, I鈥檓 going to say we鈥檙e one of the best draft classes,鈥� said Dybantsa, who led Division I men’s college basketball in scoring this past season. “We鈥檒l see how that pans out and how our careers pan out, but if you ask me right now, I think we鈥檙e one of the best draft classes.鈥�
Fair enough.
An unforeseen trade or something popping up in the medical exams that will take place over the next few weeks could change things, but for now, it seems like the first four names Commissioner Adam Silver will call on June 23 will be BYU’s Dybantsa, Kansas’ Darryn Peterson, Duke’s Cameron Boozer and North Carolina’s Caleb Wilson.
They are not the only four good players in this draft. Far from it, it seems. But there does seem to be a significant amount of star power at the top, which made Sunday’s draft lottery feel perhaps a bit more consequential than others.
鈥淚 feel like it can be the best ever,” Wilson said when asked how good the Class of 2026 can be. “We have a deep draft and I feel like everybody wants to play hard and prove themselves. And it鈥檚 just a matter of time before we can do that.鈥�
Indiana was devastated not to get a pick after having the league’s second-worst record this season. The Pacers 鈥� who made the NBA Finals a year ago 鈥� surrendered the No. 5 pick to the Los Angeles Clippers to help pay off the trade made this season for center Ivica Zubac, who surely is going to help Indiana when Tyrese Haliburton returns from his torn Achilles.
But to miss out on grabbing some of the talent available this year, put simply, that hurt Pacers President of Basketball Operations Kevin Pritchard.
鈥淭oday, it stings,鈥� Pritchard said. 鈥淏ut wait 鈥榯il next season. Let鈥檚 give this group an opportunity to go compete for a championship, because they’ve proven they can do it.鈥�
Wizards President Michael Winger likes to get into the math of things, and he knows a 14% chance isn’t exactly great. But it was as good as anyone else in that draft lottery, and in the end it was good enough to get Washington that No. 1 pick.
But why?
鈥淚 don鈥檛 have a compelling answer for that. I think that ultimately it was just our time. I think it was time to get that pick,” Winger said. “Whether it鈥檚 because there鈥檚 a special athlete at the top of the draft that we want or organizationally we鈥檙e ready for a player like that, whatever the case may be … the basketball gods decided that this was our year.鈥�
The Wizards were the big winner. They weren’t the only winner.
Oklahoma City gets a lottery pick in this draft because of the years and years and years that general manager Sam Presti spent on collecting both good players and draft capital. That means the reigning champions 鈥� maybe back-to-back champions by draft time 鈥� will only get even better.
The Clippers got a top-five pick, Memphis gets a No. 3 pick, Chicago’s rebuild will see the Bulls land an extremely good player, and Utah 鈥� which was fined $500,000 this year for sitting some players in the fourth quarters of games 鈥� is sitting at No. 2.
鈥淎gree to disagree,鈥� is what Jazz owner Ryan Smith famously wrote when the NBA hit him for the half-million-dollar fine. The credo now might be wait and see; the Jazz have a lot of young talent, and now will get even deeper on that front.
Jazz guard Keyonte George was at Sunday’s lottery. He said the Jazz are keeping the receipts 鈥� his way of saying yes, Utah has taken note of all the tanking talk that dogged the team this season.
鈥淲e鈥檙e going to make sure we go at our own pace, understand we鈥檙e a new group and we鈥檙e on our journey to something special,” George said. “But yeah, as a group, we鈥檒l have a chip on our shoulder for sure.鈥�
There’s a lot of basketball left to be played this season. New York is in the NBA’s final four already, awaiting Cleveland or Detroit in the Eastern Conference finals. Oklahoma City can get back to the Western Conference finals on Monday, and if the Thunder get there they’ll be waiting for either San Antonio or Minnesota.
But draft talk is picking up speed. And given how much talent is out there, that’s understandable.
鈥淎 lot of people are saying we鈥檙e the best class in the last 10 years,鈥� Peterson said. “So, we鈥檙e going to try our best to be that.鈥�
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