2026 NBA Mock Draft: Adam Finkelstein's projections for top picks as Sunday's lottery to determine No. 1 looms

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On Sunday at 3 p.m. ET we'll finally know the order teams will pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. The NBA Draft Lottery is right around the corner. And with lottery reform on the horizon, this may be the last year a team's odds of landing a high draft pick are directly tied to how many games it lost that season. This is also the most talented and stacked draft that franchises are forecasting for the next several years.

To put it plainly, the stakes have never been higher for NBA teams looking to fast-track their rebuilding process.

The top of the draft is undeniably loaded. We started the year with a perceived big three – Kansas' Darryn Peterson, BYU's AJ Dybantsa and Duke's Cameron Boozer. Those players remain at the very top, albeit now potentially in a slightly different order. Behind that trio are classmates who emerged in a big way during the 2025-26 college season and added real star power to this deep, talented and robust draft class.

There's a growing belief that North Carolina's Caleb Wilson could make this a big four. Then there's a quartet of one-and-done lead guards who are expected to be taken in the middle of the lottery. That includes Arkansas's Darius Acuff Jr., Houston's Kingston Flemings, Illinois' Keaton Wagler and Louisville's Mikel Brown Jr. Then there is a pair of Arizona freshmen who propelled the Wildcats to the Final Four. Put it all together, and the top 10 picks are all projected to come from the same star-studded freshmen class.

If history is any indication, the ping pong balls will almost certainly bear out some surprises on Sunday night. This mock draft, though, is based on what would happen if straight probability won out. It also takes team needs and drafting history into consideration and thus is not a total reflection of our latest CBS Sports Big Board.