Hornets may have another winner.

I know it’s super early, but who are some names to watch that will be in the 27 draft who are guards with good vision and passing?

Who would you rather have of these 2025 & 2026 draft picks and why: Cedric Coward, Mikel Brown, Darius Acuff, Keaton Wagler, CMB, Ace Bailey and Egor Demin. How would you rank them?

I think from who i would want the most to least top to bottom would be:

Mikel Brown
Coward
Wagler
Demin
CMB
Ace Bailey
Acuff

But it’s very tough and could see anyone be #1

The combine tests explosiveness, size measurables and skills. Do the players get tested for VO2 or anything that relates to endurance. It seems like effective 2-way players need substantial endurance to perform on both ends of the floor as well as the ability to be effective into the 4th quarter without a substantial decrease in efficiency. Is there any type of endurance test or is it just assumed by their workouts and work ethic? Guys like Steph Curry, Jaden McDaniels or Cooper Flagg give me the impression that their endurance ability sets them apart, where somebody like Luka or Harden seem to be only able to play one side of the game and breakdown at the end of the year.

I think it’s hard to say now, but there’s going to be some sleepers in this draft. Lot depends on the team and how much the player gets to play

Ron Holland just turned 21 two weeks ago. As a Pistons fan, I am curious where he will be drafted in the 2026 Draft as the player he is today (not as a prospect).

Who will you rank 1 to 4 if the NBA Draft 25 and 26 are combined? You already have knowledge of how the 2025 draftees performed on their 1st year.

2025 Draft

1. Cooper Flagg
2. Dylan Harper
3. VJ Edgecombe
4. Kon Knueppel

2026 Draft

1. AJ Dybantsa
2. Darryn Peterson
3. Cam Boozer
4. Caleb Wilson

Based only on Summer League performances, I'm curious to see where everyone stands on this year's guards.

Instead of ranking them, how would you separate them into tiers with what you've seen so far? You can weigh SL as much or as little as you want, along with their pre draft evaluations and long term upside.

Darryn Peterson: 20.7 pts, 3.0 reb, 4.0 ast, 4.7 tov on 30.8/23.1/76.2

Keaton Wagler: 18.0 pts, 3.3 reb, 3.0 ast, 2.3 tov on 38.6/33.3/80

Mikel Brown Jr: 16.7 pts, 1.7 reb, 4.0 ast, 2.7 tov on 39.5/33.3/100

Darius Acuff Jr: 19.0 pts, 1.3 reb, 5.3 ast, 4.7 tov on 36.5/26.3/64.3

Kingston Flemings: 7.0 pts, 4.0 reb, 6.5 ast, 3.5 tov on 33.3/33.3/0.0

Brayden Burries: 23.5 pts, 4.5 reb, 4.3 ast, 0.8 tov on 50.0/36.4/66.7

Feel free to include other guards as well. Has anyone else moved up or down your tiers since the draft?

Were there concerns that his wingspan was too small,and that he had poor lateral speed which meant that he's too slow to guard 1-4 yet too small to guard 5s?

Were there concerns about his lack of motor, mental lapses and low offball BBIQ on defense?

Was that all brushed off or ignored because of being viewed as unstoppable at the rim and because of highlight blocks?

21 / 10 / 2 while shooting 50% (9/18) his the final game of the 2026 summer league. Huge 2nd half, big plays on Cam Boozer, clutch in 4th on both ends of the floor. He just celebrated a ring ceremony 3 months ago with michigan. He’ll celebrate another in vegas on the last game of the summer. Not bad for an old man

Judging high school prospects tends to get me into trouble from a scouting perspective. The games are much looser, so you get a better sense of raw talent and athletic potential than you do of their basketball IQ and game management. For that reason, I overrated Nate Ament and underrated Cam Boozer coming into last year.

I'll take another swing this year with some of my initial thoughts.

HIGHER ON THAN CONSENSUS

SF Bruce Branch III, BYU : Among the players that I "studied", Bruce Branch was my favorite of the bunch. He tends to be ranked in the 3-6 range, but he's about a full year younger than the kids ahead of him like Tyran Stokes, Caleb Holt, and Jordan Smith Jr. Given that, I'll excuse the fact that his skill set and aggression isn't quite on the same level yet. He may get there. He may not. But if he does "not," then there's still a lot ot like. His frame (6'7", 7'1" wingspan) and solid jumper made him one of the safest projections as an NBA starter. I also liked his interviews, which made me suggest that the arrow is pointing up and that we may see some "star" potential down the road. Right now I'd have him as high as # 2 in the class.

PF Cameron Williams, Duke : One of the first things that I look for (rightfully or wrongly) is "movement skills". For a big man, Williams moves with fluidity. Like Bruce Branch, Williams gets flak for not being assertive enough, so I'm expecting him to have a modest year in terms of stats given Duke's stacked frontcourt. He may get dismissed as a softy, a la Chris Cenac for Houston this year. Still, I liked Cenac and I liked Williams because mobile bigs are hard to find and easy to fit in a lineup. He'd be on the fringe of the top 5 to me right now.

PF Miika Muurinen, Arkansas : Once considered a candidate for the top 5 himself, Miika Muurinen's had a rocky last few seasons. He's gotten criticism for his play on the court and his demeanor off it. However, that can sometimes be a wakeup call for a kid with NBA dreams. I suspect he'll lock in and show off his physical talent. The Razorbacks have a strong lineup so Muurinen won't have to force the issue either. He doesn't have to be the alpha dog to justify a top 10 pick; if he shows he can be a good 3rd/4th starter that's enough.

SIMILAR TO CONSENSUS

SF/PF Tyran Stokes, Kansas : The projected # 1 pick, most people label Tyran Stokes as a power athlete with solid playmaking and a mediocre shot. Based on what I saw, I'd label him the same. His path to being an All-Star may be in the Scottie Barnes/Jimmy Butler mold. Of course, getting the most out of that archetype often depends on your demeanor and work ethic so Stokes will be a TBD there. I'm not holding his high school flakiness against him. It's hard to be motivated in the absurdity of high school basketball. But if Stokes can't be a good soldier for Bill Self at Kansas then we may have a reason to raise the red flag.

SG Caleb Holt, Arizona : When I watched Caleb Holt, I came away... whelmed. He checks all the boxes, but didn't have any special standout skill to me (aside from perhaps being able to guard 1-3). That makes him a "safe" bet to be a starter, but not someone that I'd build a franchise around. The reason I'm saying that he's still similar to consensus rankings is because THAT expectation (of an above-average starter) may still be worth a top 3 pick in this class.

SF Anthony Thompson, Ohio State : Some sites (like tankathon) are higher on the upside of Anthony Thompson than others. Tankathon lists him as high as # 5. He's very long (7'4" wingspan) and young, which always projects that "upside!" argument. It's the same one that I used for Bruce Branch. However, watching Thompson, he seems further away to me so I'd like to see more before buying in.

LESS IMPRESSED THAN CONSENSUS

SG Jordan Smith Jr., Arkansas : If Jordan Smith Jr. was a few inches taller, I could co-sign the idea of him as a Donovan Mitchell/Anthony Edwards type and even the potential # 1 pick in the class. But watching him, my first thought was: "man, he looks short." He's listed at 6'3" but I'm not even sure he gets there. The wingspan (6'8") may make that OK, but I'd still prefer him to be able to start at PG if I'm betting on him in the top 3. Otherwise, a short SG makes team construction more difficult.

SG Stefan Joksimovic, Slovenia : I came away similarly unsure about top 3 prospect Stefan Joksimovic after watching him. Is he a PG? Or wing? The height (6'7") theoretically makes either possible, but there's a limited wingspan here. There's also a limited data set of production. Sure, Luka Doncic was such an outlier that he may have skewed all reasonable expectations, but I'd like to see a little more before trusting Jok with a top 3 pick. I could see him rallying for the # 1 spot or tumbling out of the top 10.

PF Thomas Haugh, Florida : I defender the over-aged Yaxel Lendeborg in the draft because there were reasonable excuses for his late start. He missed 2 seasons in high school. He transferred twice in college. The late breakout is understandable. I'm less merciful with Haugh (now age 23). He's going into his 4th season at Florida and I'd like to see some actual dominance by now. I'm struggling to get on board with him as a lottery pick.

AJ, DP, Boozer, and Wilson is an insane top 4 but we may have seen an even better one in Flagg, Harper, VJ and Kon with how their rookie years played out. Which group would you take?

I see a ton of Sarr supporters on this board saying he was held back last season because the team was so bad. So go ahead and make your predictions now — no excuses after the season starts. For the record, I think the Wizards will improve quite a bit next year, but I don’t see him being ahead of Dybantsa, AD, or Trae Young.

Baba Miller is an older rookie that is still packed with potential. His freakish size, length, bounce, and speed are tools that allow him to dominate the glass and wreck games defensively. Offense is still a question for Baba, but he has taken strides in recent years. His shooting and ball handling are continuing to progress, and his impact is slowly morphing away from just being an around-the-rim play finisher. I think the Clippers picked up the perfect complementary piece for their future. I hope you enjoy my video. New videos every week featuring your favorite prospects.

Seems like he's really rounding into form, but I've only gotten to watch a couple of his earlier SL games sadly. I'm curious what everyone's outlook on him is in the long-term?

ASSESSING THE 2026 FIBA U20 EUROBASKET

My favorite tournament in the summer cycle. After watching a large chunk of the event, here is an in-depth article on the must-watch names per country with a focus on some less-coveted names! https://edemirnba.substack.com/p/assessing-fiba-u20-eurobasket-2026?r=aj7d

s/o LALPerformance on twitter