New 2026 NBA Mock Draft from Kevin O'Connor Reveals Surprising Nets, Pacers, Jazz Picks
Yahoo Sports' Kevin O'Connor is shaking up what is generally considered the consensus top three 2026 NBA draft picks in his latest mock.
O'Connor projected the Washington Wizards would start out the 2026 draft by selecting BYU's AJ Dybantsa before the Indiana Pacers snagged Duke's Cameron Boozer at No. 2.
"[Boozer] could play with Ivica Zubac and Pascal Siakam, or with just one of them by sliding to center in certain lineups," O'Connor wrote about the Pacers.
O'Connor then projected it would be UNC's Caleb Wilson— not Kentucky's Darryn Peterson— who goes No. 3 to the Brooklyn Nets.
"When [Wilson's] flying above the rim, finishing through contact, and chasing down every shot in his area code, he looks like a future franchise cornerstone. That's exactly what the Nets need," O'Connor wrote.
O'Connor added that the Nets' 2025 draft, during which the franchise used four of their five picks on guards, could play into the team's decision to theoretically choose a big man like Wilson over another guard in Peterson.
That decision then has Peterson falling to the Utah Jazz at No. 4 in O'Connor's mock.
O'Connor compared the Jazz choosing Peterson, who missed significant time during his freshman college season due to injury issues, as a "big swing" similar to their choice to draft Ace Bailey in 2025. Bailey went on to average 13.8 points while starting 61 games as a rookie.
The order in which teams will ultimately get to select from these top players will be determined Sunday when the 2026 NBA lottery takes place at 3 p.m. ET.
The Wizards, Pacers and Nets are heading into the lottery with even 14 percent odds of getting the top pick, per Tankathon. The Jazz and Sacramento Kings each have an 11.5 percent chance of ending up at No. 1.
The Dallas Mavericks, who won the chance to draft Cooper Flagg after heading into the 2025 lottery with 1.8 percent odds at the top pick, hold a 6.7 percent chance of earning another No. 1 selection.
