Jay Bilas Reveals Peterson, Dybantsa, Boozer, Caleb Wilson's Superlatives Ahead of NBA Draft 2026

This year's NBA draft class is filled with talented players who can make an immediate impact on the next level, and one expert dropped his evaluations ahead of Tuesday's first round.

ESPN's Jay Bilas unveiled his 2026 NBA draft superlatives for the top prospects in this year's class, and he declared Kansas guard Darryn Peterson as the "most talented" player available.

Peterson was mired by cramping issues and other injuries during his lone season with the Jayhawks, but Bilas described him as "the most fluid, smooth and athletic scorer in the draft," and he boldly stated that he would select the sharpshooter with the No. 1 pick if he were running the Washington Wizards.

"The decision on Peterson requires getting over the little voice of doubt in the back of your head due to the stop-start nature of his season," Bilas stated. "Once you get over that, there is little doubt that Peterson is the most talented player in a draft of outstanding talent."

BYU wing AJ Dybantsa, whom B/R's Jonathan Wasserman predicted would be the No. 1 pick by the Wizards, was awarded "most built for the NBA." The 19-year-old led the nation with 25.5 points per game during his freshman season with the Cougars, and Bilas described him as "the prototype who fits the NBA suit."

Duke big man Carlos Boozer has long been viewed as a top-three player in this year's class behind Peterson and Dybantsa, but Bilas named him as the "best pure basketball player."

"This category is meant to underscore that Boozer has a distinctive skill set alongside an advanced understanding of the game, team dynamics and processing game situations in real time -- not to say that others in this draft are lacking in those areas, but Boozer stands out in this talented crowd," Bilas stated. "From an analytics standpoint, which is not dispositive of the issue, Boozer is the best player in the draft."

UNC forward Caleb Wilson could push to crack the top three, and Bilas declared him as the "most dynamic athlete," thanks to his 7'0" wingspan and a 39.5-inch vertical.

All of these players are projected to have a bright future in the NBA, so it will be exciting to see where they land in the draft during Tuesday's first round.