NBA Draft
2026 NBA Mock Draft: Where college stars like Cameron Boozer, Caleb Wilson figure to go
In our latest mock draft, we imagine a Duke-North Carolina combo in Dallas that would instantly help fans forget about Anthony Davis.
www.cbssports.com
#6:
"Atlanta lands its lead guard of the future in Wagler, who brings positional size, shooting and a deliberate pace that should complement Jalen Johnson. He joins a promising young group that includes Dyson Daniels, Zaccharie Risacher, Jonathan Kuminga and Asa Newell, while also benefiting from playing with or behind Nickeil Alexander-Walker, who is under contract through 2027-28."
NBA Mock Draft: First-Round Projections Following the Trade Deadline
The NBA's trade deadline has officially passed, with some teams league-wide grabbing fresh faces in hopes of making a push for the postseason. Other organizatio
www.si.com
#6:
"The Pacers and Clippers made one of the more interesting deals in recent memory this deadline, with Indiana sending out their 2026 first projected No’s 1-4 and 10-30 in a package centered around grabbing Ivica Zubac. Indiana currently has the second-best draft odds, meaning it would be an essential coin flip to send it to LA.
The Clippers, now without Zubac and new Cavalier guard James Harden, finally seem ready to punt on the Thunder trade and simply garner future assets. They let go of reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander after just one season, making their selection of a spindly, 6-foot-6 handler all the more interesting here.
Illinois guard Keaton Wagler has been likely the fastest-rising player in the class, coming in as just a four-star on few radars. He’s now averaging 17.8 points for the fifth-ranked Illini, shooting a blistering 43% from three while dishing 4.2 assists per game.
Wagler could stand to show a little more separation while creating and shore up his defense, but his body of work, which includes a 46-point outing at Purdue, seems to have driven him into tier two."
#5:
"Considering how little scouts knew about Keaton Wagler before the season, they'd been waiting for a larger sample size at Illinois to decide how seriously to take him. It's looking big enough over 20 games in, particularly after his 46-point eruption against Purdue and 28-point, five-assist game against Nebraska.
Kylan Boswell's hand injury and departure from the lineup unlocked more of Wagler's creativity and shotmaking confidence. In a higher-usage role, he's done a convincing job selling himself as a 6'6" lead guard who's getting to spots off the dribble and separating into clean jumpers without needing exciting burst or explosion."
NBA mock draft 4.0: Projecting the first round post-trade deadline
New 2026 first-round projection: Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer, AJ Dybantsa headline a board reshaped by Anthony Davis, Trae Young and James Harden.
www.usatoday.com
#6:
"After trading James Harden to the Cleveland Cavaliers and receiving a protected first-rounder from the Indiana Pacers for Ivica Zubac, the Clippers could find a backcourt running mate if this pick conveys. They will look at the highest riser in the 2026 NBA Draft cycle, who is cerebral guard and secondary playmaker Keaton Wagler. He continues to exceed all expectations as a one-and-done breakout star. The 18-year-old guard scored 46 points while shooting 9-of-11 on 3-pointers against No. 12 Purdue on Jan. 24 and he is now shooting 44.4 percent from beyond the arc on 5.8 attempts per game."
Dan
Admin
2026 NBA draft big board rankings: Top 100 prospects
Here is the updated top 100 big board for the 2026 class after an exciting college season.
Whole lot of
2026 NBA draft big board rankings: Top 100 prospects
Here is the updated top 100 big board for the 2026 class after an exciting college season.www.espn.com
'Nuff said
Epsilon
M tipping over
- Pdx
Looks like five Illini are in the top 75 board per SI, but Wagler is heads and shoulders above the rest…
www.si.com
ESPN Names Five Illinois Players Among Top 75 Prospects for 2026 NBA Draft
The Illini have turned into an NBA factory, producing prospects on a yearly basis – and the latest evidence is overwhelming
www.si.com
2026 NBA Draft Big Board: 50 Top Players to Watch for Fans of Tanking Teams
Keaton Wagler is among the biggest risers in a deep class for NBA lottery teams outside of the top five picks.
www.si.com
No. 7:
“Since our last board, Wagler has gone from trending toward being a one-and-done to now being a clear top-10 and potential top-five pick. He’s having one of the most impressive freshman seasons in Big Ten history, shouldering an impossibly large role for around a month with backcourt mate Kylan Boswell out and largely shredding some of the best teams in the league. His 46-point outburst at Purdue was memorable, but that game wasn’t that big an outlier in the grand scheme. NBA teams love how he always seems to make the right play and his ability to make shots off the dribble. How he handles teams getting increasingly aggressive and physical guarding him down the stretch will be interesting to watch especially given his lack of true straight-line speed, but Wagler is clearly an elite-level prospect in this class at this point.”
Brand new B/R mock, Wagler No. 6:
6 is far and away the most common number right now in mock drafts (for Wagler).
6 is far and away the most common number right now in mock drafts (for Wagler).
2026 NBA Draft Big Board: 50 Top Players to Watch for Fans of Tanking Teams
Keaton Wagler is among the biggest risers in a deep class for NBA lottery teams outside of the top five picks.
No. 7:
“Since our last board, Wagler has gone from trending toward being a one-and-done to now being a clear top-10 and potential top-five pick. He’s having one of the most impressive freshman seasons in Big Ten history, shouldering an impossibly large role for around a month with backcourt mate Kylan Boswell out and largely shredding some of the best teams in the league. His 46-point outburst at Purdue was memorable, but that game wasn’t that big an outlier in the grand scheme. NBA teams love how he always seems to make the right play and his ability to make shots off the dribble. How he handles teams getting increasingly aggressive and physical guarding him down the stretch will be interesting to watch especially given his lack of true straight-line speed, but Wagler is clearly an elite-level prospect in this class at this point.”
I'm going to block anyone who does the 6/7 "Joke"
Updated B/R mock, Wagler now up to #5 (Will Riley’s teammate in Washington):
Just boggle that he was playing for a state title last year as a relative unknown and now he's projected 6th in the NBA draft.
Boswell’s also at 46 here.
Not sure if this is the right place or if this has been noted before. Extensive article on Keaton
Looks like five Illini are in the top 75 board per SI, but Wagler is heads and shoulders above the rest…
ESPN Names Five Illinois Players Among Top 75 Prospects for 2026 NBA Draft
The Illini have turned into an NBA factory, producing prospects on a yearly basis – and the latest evidence is overwhelming
Nice to see so many guys getting consideration. Not sure I see Andrej as having the kind of season that would get him drafted. He's been good, but not elite getting to the rim, and his 3 pt shooting isn't a strength. Kylan similar. Curious if Tomi or Big Z get drafted. A good post-season always helps the draft stock --go get em!
#4!
www.cbssports.com
“There's no consensus No. 4 prospect in this class beyond the big three, but for my money I like Wagler -- and I like his fit here in Washington -- over Caleb Wilson and Kingston Flemings, who should also get consideration. Wagler's a point guard with the frame of a wing who can shoot the lights out and has great playmaking instincts.”
2026 NBA Mock Draft: BYU's AJ Dybantsa is top pick, edging out Duke's Cameron Boozer, Kansas' Darryn Peterson
With the college basketball season winding down, here's the projected order for how the NBA Draft could go
www.cbssports.com
“There's no consensus No. 4 prospect in this class beyond the big three, but for my money I like Wagler -- and I like his fit here in Washington -- over Caleb Wilson and Kingston Flemings, who should also get consideration. Wagler's a point guard with the frame of a wing who can shoot the lights out and has great playmaking instincts.”
Brand new Vecenie mock:
man, i know this goes against all the talking heads, but I think there's a possibility that Wagler's stock falls after the combine (if not sooner). Clearly super-skilled, and will play in the league as a high pick eventually, but when he has faced teams with length/athleticism, he has not been effective. I think that, as much as he is a great story ("nobody recruited him", etc), the NBA will see him as having significant issues to develop before teams are going to lay out a lottery pick on him.
Looking at Michigan, Mich St, Tennessee, Uconn, Alabama, and even throwing in UCLA as a long/athletic team (although obviously flawed in some ways), these are Keaton's numbers:
16.4% from the field
32.4% from 3 (which includes 3/6 against Michigan, sub-30% if you take those out)
14.2 PPG
5 RPG
3 APG
1.8 TO
That is obviously leaving Purdue out, but that's a prime example of why he has had such success through a stretch where we played a bunch of teams that were going to have big time match-up issues against us. With Purdue, they obviously have a lot of talent, but their fatal flaw is there bigs are vulnerable to switching, and Smith/Loyer are not defensively intimidating. Texas Tech is another team with NBA talent that he played well against, but that's not a team like Uconn or Michigan that have like 6-8 NBA bodies to throw at him.
Through that stretch in the end of jan through mid-feb, we just hunted mismatches (Purdue being the best example), and Wagler (among others) exploited them. But I think that's more vindication of the Underwoods identifying a way to build a super-efficient college offense that it is an indication of Wagler's hypothetical success playing at the next level next year. Not many NBA teams are going to have someone with Oscar Cluff's capability and body, let alone let Wagler switch on to him. and even if they do, they will have at least 3 other guys on the court with enough length and athleticism that he won't be able to exploit that.
I love that this kid is an Illini, and stoked to have another freshman, along with Mirk, that has national attention. And for sure it would be real surprising if he doesn't get a decent run in the NBA, but I think NBA teams will see the limitations of his game. I know the draft is all about potential, but there is a looooooot of potential in this years draft class. If he goes 5 through 10 in the draft, good on him, take the money and do the work, but he also has a level of clear raw talent that he could be in the sort of Dybantsa vs Boozer vs Peterson discussion that is happening this year.
My logic is obviously clouded by delusional hopes that we have 6 or 7 of these guys running it back next year (including Ty in that mix), and feeling like we have a team that will be in the type of top tier that Michigan/Arizona/Duke are in this year, but I think that the feel-good story of small-town kid that got overlooked and then dropped 46 at Mackey is what is driving all the top-5 talk around Wagler, not what real NBA evaluation is going to shake out in the end.
Looking at Michigan, Mich St, Tennessee, Uconn, Alabama, and even throwing in UCLA as a long/athletic team (although obviously flawed in some ways), these are Keaton's numbers:
16.4% from the field
32.4% from 3 (which includes 3/6 against Michigan, sub-30% if you take those out)
14.2 PPG
5 RPG
3 APG
1.8 TO
That is obviously leaving Purdue out, but that's a prime example of why he has had such success through a stretch where we played a bunch of teams that were going to have big time match-up issues against us. With Purdue, they obviously have a lot of talent, but their fatal flaw is there bigs are vulnerable to switching, and Smith/Loyer are not defensively intimidating. Texas Tech is another team with NBA talent that he played well against, but that's not a team like Uconn or Michigan that have like 6-8 NBA bodies to throw at him.
Through that stretch in the end of jan through mid-feb, we just hunted mismatches (Purdue being the best example), and Wagler (among others) exploited them. But I think that's more vindication of the Underwoods identifying a way to build a super-efficient college offense that it is an indication of Wagler's hypothetical success playing at the next level next year. Not many NBA teams are going to have someone with Oscar Cluff's capability and body, let alone let Wagler switch on to him. and even if they do, they will have at least 3 other guys on the court with enough length and athleticism that he won't be able to exploit that.
I love that this kid is an Illini, and stoked to have another freshman, along with Mirk, that has national attention. And for sure it would be real surprising if he doesn't get a decent run in the NBA, but I think NBA teams will see the limitations of his game. I know the draft is all about potential, but there is a looooooot of potential in this years draft class. If he goes 5 through 10 in the draft, good on him, take the money and do the work, but he also has a level of clear raw talent that he could be in the sort of Dybantsa vs Boozer vs Peterson discussion that is happening this year.
My logic is obviously clouded by delusional hopes that we have 6 or 7 of these guys running it back next year (including Ty in that mix), and feeling like we have a team that will be in the type of top tier that Michigan/Arizona/Duke are in this year, but I think that the feel-good story of small-town kid that got overlooked and then dropped 46 at Mackey is what is driving all the top-5 talk around Wagler, not what real NBA evaluation is going to shake out in the end.
This is legitimately NEVER the case. In fact, being so overlooked is probably what hurts his case, for that the spotlight is such a limited sample size. All the 5 star guys (Boozer, Dybantsa, Peterson, Acuff, etc) have been scouted ever since they were 15.
Also, the mock drafts you see IS NBA evaluation. They are based off of the buzz around NBA circles - not just some guy flipping through names.
If the draft were today, he’s a lock top 10 pick AT WORST. Obviously he could have a substandard end to the season and tank his stock. Or even worse, god forbid, injury.
If that’s what’s driving this comment… man, there’s more chance Illinois wins the national championship than Wagler being back next year (this is probably an understatement).
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Who is best freshman guard? Darryn Peterson, Darius Acuff, Keaton Wagler, Kingston Flemings form top tier
Inside the raging debate in basketball circles about which freshman guard has delivered the best season.
www.cbssports.com
Advanced stats: No. 3 in BPM among freshmen guards, per Bart Torvik. Second-best freshman, per Evan Miya's BPR rating. No. 1 freshman, per KenPom.com's Player of the Year metric.
Did you know: Wagler's 46-point game against then-No. 8 Purdue is the second-most points a freshman has ever scored against a ranked team in the last 20 years. Kentucky's Malik Monk (47 points vs. No. 7 UNC in 2016) is the only one better.
Scouting Wagler: It's Wagler's overlap of his positional size, skill, feel for the game, and particularly his shooting that makes him special. He never gets sped up, and he has this rare ability to see the game in a slower motion than those around him, so it looks like he is processing the game at a different ability than most others. Wagler's shooting is the first domino in his attack. He's not super quick, athletic or fast - so it's the shooting and the threat of the shot that allows him to do other things, whether it's play make off the dribble, or get into a ball screen where he can use his size to make all sorts of reads.
Wagler was ranked No. 150 by 247Sports
247Sports was the only national media outlet to rank Wagler. The reality is that no one expected him to be this good. There were questions about whether or not Illinoiswould redshirt him. That narrative quickly changed over the summer when he started to go head-to-head with Kylan Boswell, and according to all reports, outplayed him on a consistent basis. That changed the progression. After the UConn game, Illinois started to give him many more on-ball reps. He's a guy who has on-and-off-ball versatility. He's become more and more of the primary ball handler as the season has gone on too.
So much brainrot. 5 humongous paragraphs.
Keaton's gone man. We had this exact convo last year with KJ and Riley (20th and 21st overall).
And no I do not see his stock tanking. He's going to be an All American (at least 2nd or 3rd team).
We had a big NBA style lead guard taken in the draft just last year. KJ and KW will be almost the exact same age as of draft day, are basically the same size (KW a little taller, KJ a little heavier) and play the same position.
KW is quite clearly the better player now than KJ was at this same time last year. No matter how you want to evaluate them - eye test, baseline stats, underlying advanced stats, whatever.
KJ went 20th in the draft. KW will go higher. The fact this is a deeper draft than last year means KW will likely go 6-8 instead of 3-5. That’s not a reason to stay in.
Just enjoy him for the handful of games he’s got remaining as an Illini and be glad that he’ll be representing the O & B at the next level.
KW is quite clearly the better player now than KJ was at this same time last year. No matter how you want to evaluate them - eye test, baseline stats, underlying advanced stats, whatever.
KJ went 20th in the draft. KW will go higher. The fact this is a deeper draft than last year means KW will likely go 6-8 instead of 3-5. That’s not a reason to stay in.
Just enjoy him for the handful of games he’s got remaining as an Illini and be glad that he’ll be representing the O & B at the next level.
Just to further expand with facts -- here's every FRESHMAN that's been a 1st, 2nd, or 3rd team All American in the last 10 seasons and where they were drafted:So much brainrot. 5 humongous paragraphs.
Keaton's gone man. We had this exact convo last year with KJ and Riley (20th and 21st overall).
And no I do not see his stock tanking. He's going to be an All American (at least 2nd or 3rd team).
Cooper Flagg: #1
Brandon Miller: #2
Paolo Banchero: #1
Chet Holmgren: #2
Jabari Smith: #3
Cade Cunningham: #1
Jalen Suggs: #5
Evan Mobley: #3
Hunter Dickinson: N/A
Vernon Carey: #32
RJ Barrett: #3
Zion Williamson: #1
PJ Washington: #12
DeAndre Ayton: #1
Marvin Bagley lll: #2
Trae Young: #5
Lonzo Ball: #2
Justin Jackson: #15
Malik Monk: #11
Markelle Fultz: #1
Josh Jackson: #4
Lauri Markinnen: #7
Ben Simmons: #1
If this class wasn't as deep, Wagler would be surefire top 5. Most of the reputable mocks have him between 5-7. In totality I think he's being evaluated just fine.
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Keaton reminds me of a taller but less quick version of Trae Young.