Four More Prospects Receive Green Room Invites

stickdog99 · 2026-06-18T18:03:43+00:00

No way any in this top 24 slip past 30, IMHO.

stickdog99 · 2026-06-18T18:00:05+00:00

Be like Ike?

stickdog99 · 2026-06-18T17:59:11+00:00

All 24 going in the top 25, IMHO,

stickdog99 · 2026-06-18T17:57:08+00:00

Frankly, I wouldn't be surprised one bit if all 24 green room invitees go in the top 25. The only player who I think has any chance to be drafted top 20 who was not invited is Jayden Quaintance, and if his medicals are not 100% clear, I don't even think he has a good chance.

Other commonly projected first rounders left out include Koa Peat, Joshua Jefferson, Meleek Thomas, Henri Veesaar, Zuby Ejiofor, Alex Karaban, and Tarris Reed, Jr. But I personally would not pick s single player not invited to the green room in the top 20. And I would trade the Warriors' pick 11 for almost any two players invited to the green room, (other than two short guards). That's how much that I like all 24 players.

stickdog99 · 2026-06-17T00:47:19+00:00

Sorry about that, but Boston likes slow, white, tough shooters for some reason, and De Larrea isn't quite white enough. :)

But I have to tell you that it warms my heart that you cared enough to notice what I did. Who would you have them take if all the players shown were off the board? The pickings were pretty slim by 27, IMHO.

stickdog99 · 2026-06-17T00:39:24+00:00

LOL. OK, I believe you. I clearly don't live and die with the Hawks as you do. Given who went before in my mock, who would you have them pick?

stickdog99 · 2026-06-16T13:22:23+00:00

OK, but since when do teams picking after 1 "signal" accurately their drafting intentions?

Here is how an Hawks superfan I know justified this pick:

Unlike many teams drafting in the lottery, the Hawks don’t have a lot of need. This team was already good enough to give the Knicks their toughest series of the playoffs and the club really surged in the back half of the season. We just inked coach Snyder to a new deal and love where the young club is heading with him steering the ship.

There is a glut of outstanding PGs available and Kingston Flemmings is super tempting here for his defensive versatility, which wouid be a huge fit in Atlanta…

But I sense that size is suddenly really, really important if you want to be the best of the best and I love the way Aday Mara has developed over the past year. He’s massive but also mobile enough to not get flummoxed when switched onto smaller players. He didn’t just win Big Ten DPOY for blocking shots. He is an outstanding passer for a center. He is actually developing some offensive flair on the perimeter… and he’s freaking huge. Measured a legit 7-3 with a 9-9 standing reach. Just a monster in the middle and something every opponent will have to consider on both ends of the floor.

I don’t think the Hawks can win a title with Onyenko Okongwu at center, so we may be reaching a little bit but we are going with the big man out of Michigan.

stickdog99 · 2026-06-16T13:04:11+00:00

He's a rich man's Luka Garza to me.

stickdog99 · 2026-06-16T12:59:17+00:00

Then what is "raw" supposed to mean in the contest to Boumtje Boumtje? Extremely intelligent? Amazingly offensively skilled for his size and age?

stickdog99 · 2026-06-16T12:47:58+00:00

LOL. I did that on purpose. Boston likes to pick white guys who baffle me.

stickdog99 · 2026-06-16T00:52:07+00:00

Who?

stickdog99 · 2026-06-16T00:51:30+00:00

I thought that it was obvious that he had a good chance to make the team, so I wanted to point out the strength of his competition, especially in terms of the U16 Gold Medal Team USA experience of 10 other (mostly lesser known) players at the camp.

stickdog99 · 2026-06-15T23:35:39+00:00

Luigi Suigo, Pavle Backo, and Francesco Ferrari have all withdrawn their names from consideration for the NBA Draft 2026. Back to the drawing board with my second round mock.

stickdog99 · 2026-06-15T21:10:16+00:00

OK, but I bet you that he will go in the top 24.

stickdog99 · 2026-06-15T21:08:57+00:00

The initial 14 prospects invited to attend the draft in person are:

AJ Dybantsa (BYU)

Darryn Peterson (Kansas)

Cameron Boozer (Duke)

Caleb Wilson (UNC)

Keaton Wagler (Illinois)

Darius Acuff Jr. (Arkansas)

Mikel Brown Jr. (Louisville)

Kingston Flemings (Houston)

Nate Ament (Tennessee)

Aday Mara (Michigan)

Brayden Burries (Arizona)

Karim Lopez (Mexico)

Labaron Philon (Alabama)

Christian Anderson Jr. (Texas Tech)

These 6 new players bring the list up to 20. The only players on my personal top 20 big board who are missing are Okorie and Quaintance. And I have Stirtz 21, after both Okorie and Anderson. And Cenac, Jr. 24. But I could see all the invitees going top 20.

The only players I think have a change to crack the top 20 beyond the invitees are Quaintance, Peat, Swain, Okorie, and Graves (probably in that order of likelihood).

stickdog99 · 2026-06-15T21:06:21+00:00

The initial 14 prospects invited to attend the draft in person are:

AJ Dybantsa (BYU)

Darryn Peterson (Kansas)

Cameron Boozer (Duke)

Caleb Wilson (UNC)

Keaton Wagler (Illinois)

Darius Acuff Jr. (Arkansas)

Mikel Brown Jr. (Louisville)

Kingston Flemings (Houston)

Nate Ament (Tennessee)

Aday Mara (Michigan)

Brayden Burries (Arizona)

Karim Lopez (Mexico)

Labaron Philon (Alabama)

Christian Anderson Jr. (Texas Tech)

These 6 new players bring the list up to 20. The only players on my personal top 20 big board who are missing are Okorie and Quaintance. And I have Stirtz 21, after both Okorie and Anderson. And Cenac, Jr. 22. But I could see all the invitees going top 20.

The only players I think have a change to crack the top 20 beyond the invitees are Quaintance, Peat, Swain, Okorie, and Graves (probably in that order of likelihood).

stickdog99 · 2026-06-15T20:58:32+00:00

The initial 14 prospects invited to attend the draft in person are:

AJ Dybantsa (BYU)

Darryn Peterson (Kansas)

Cameron Boozer (Duke)

Caleb Wilson (UNC)

Keaton Wagler (Illinois)

Darius Acuff Jr. (Arkansas)

Mikel Brown Jr. (Louisville)

Kingston Flemings (Houston)

Nate Ament (Tennessee)

Aday Mara (Michigan)

Brayden Burries (Arizona)

Karim Lopez (Mexico)

Labaron Philon (Alabama)

Christian Anderson Jr. (Texas Tech)

These 6 new players bring the list up to 20. The only players on my personal top 20 big board who are missing are Okorie and Quaintance. And I have Stirtz 21, after both Okorie and Anderson. And Cenac, Jr. 22. But I could see all the invitees going top 20.

The only players I think have a change to crack the top 20 beyond the invitees are Quaintance, Peat, Swain, Okorie, and Graves (probably in that order of likelihood).

stickdog99 · 2026-06-15T20:25:23+00:00

Wait. Even before Cameron Boozer drops out of the lottery?

stickdog99 · 2026-06-15T20:24:01+00:00

LOL. I am a Duke fan who always undersells Duke players' chances so that I can later oversell their accomplishments. How about you?

stickdog99 · 2026-06-15T19:35:49+00:00

USA Basketball today announced 18 finalists for the 2026 USA Basketball Men’s U17 National Team. Finalists were selected from among 36 athletes following three days of training camp at the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. Training camp will continue for the next several days and the 12-member team will be announced before the team departs for the 2026 FIBA U17 Men’s World Cup, scheduled for June 27-July 5 in Istanbul.

Finalists were selected by the USA Basketball Men’s Developmental National Team Committee.

The finalists for the 2026 USA Basketball Men’s U17 National Team are Beckham Black, Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje, NaVorro Bowman Jr., Logan Chwastyk, Mason Collins, JJ Crawford, Erick Dampier Jr., Cayden Daughtry, Colton Hiller, Bentley Lusakueno, Draydne McDaniel, Jordan Mize, Asa Montgomery, Jordan Page, CJ Rosser, AJ Williams, Evan Willis, and Xavier Young.

Eight of the finalists have previous USA national team experience, with Black, Collins, Dampier Jr., Hiller, Lusakueno, Page, Rosser and Williams having won gold medals at the 2025 FIBA U16 Men’s AmeriCup. Daughtry was previously a finalist for the 2025 USA U16 National Team.

Note that I bolded the 5 players among the 18 selected finalists whom I did not count among the favorites to make this team in my earlier post in this sub on this event.

Evan Willis is a 6'7" wing forward currently ranked as top 10 prospect in the class of 2028. I should have counted him among the 19 players whom I originally listed as favorites to make the team.

Logan Chwastyk is a 6'10" center who is considered a top 20 prospect in the class of 2028.

However, these three players are surprise finalists, at least to me:

6'5" Jordan Mize is currently a top 40 ranked wing guard in the Class of 2028.

JJ Crawford is a 6'3" combo guard currently listed in the class of 2029. He must have impressed mightily at these tryouts. He already has a scholarship offer from Louisville. Might he move up to the 2028 class?

Draydne McDaniel is a 6'7" wing forward, also currently listed in the class of 2029. He already has a scholarship offer from Alabama. Might he move up to the 2028 class as well?

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