[NBA Draft]: 2026 Mock Draft Comparison, February

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February has come and gone (quickly!) and we’re right in the heart of college basketball season and in-conference play. It’s time to analyze a new batch of mock drafts from Jonathan Wasserman (Bleacher Report), the No Ceilings crew, two from Ricky O’Donnell (SB Nation), Tankathon, and yours truly.

We’re fortunate to have a draft loaded with talent and intrigue. As March Madness approaches, the hot takes are reaching a boiling point. The biggest question—who goes No. 1—has turned into a daily debate, with every possession dissected and every game nitpicked for separation at the top.

In my view, Darryn Peterson has taken on an unfair wave of negative press centered around effort and availability. At the same time, there are whispers that his camp may prefer a situation where he can walk in as the clear alpha from Day 1.

Meanwhile, AJ Dybantsa and Cam Boozer continue to stack dominant performances and drive winning. Boozer’s impact feels very Tim Duncan–esque—steady, surgical, inevitable—while Dybantsa brings more of a Tracy McGrady–style flair, blending highlight-reel scoring with takeover stretches.

Personally, I have Boozer at No. 1. I think there’s a real possibility Peterson and Dybantsa would resist landing in Sacramento and could attempt to influence their destination. Boozer, on the other hand, feels more likely to embrace whatever situation he’s drafted into.

Fit matters, too. And it matters more than most years, with little separation between the three. I’m not sold on Dybantsa in Indiana; he can be ball-dominant, which doesn’t align too well with how the Pacers’ offense flows through Tyrese Haliburton. Peterson, however, would slot in seamlessly as a backcourt scorer to complement Pascal Siakam’s frontcourt production. Meanwhile, Brooklyn feels like an ideal landing spot for Dybantsa, allowing him to be alpha dog while shifting MPJ further into an off-ball role.

And for anyone who watched that electric Nolan Traore–VJ Edgecombe–Dybantsa wing trio for the World Team in the 2024 Nike Hoops Summit, it’s easy to imagine just how devastating Dybantsa could be in an up-tempo system surrounded by shooters.

The other raging debate is which lead guard has elevated themselves into the top 5 or 6 conversation. Kingston Flemings has been taking over stretches with dynamic shot-making, Mikel Brown looks fully reloaded and is carving defenses with three-level scoring post-injury, Darius Acuff continues to stuff the stat sheet for Arkansas, and Keaton Wagler has been on a scoring tear for Illinois. LaBaron Philon is dictating tempo and delivering efficient offense, while Christian Anderson is steering Texas Tech to statement wins without JT Toppin. Bennett Stirtz has been outstanding for Iowa as well, but he remains just a step below that top tier—for now. And on top of all that, I still ask myself if Nate Ament could be developed into a full-time point guard at the next level.

I’ll be back each month with updated mock draft and big boards comparisons through Draft Day 2026, so bookmark the site, keep coming back at your leisure, and follow me @hoopsdistillery on Twitter, where you can search #mockdraftcomp for all updates.

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Mock Draft Comparison

	B/R 2/25		SB Nation 2/25		Tankathon 2/22		Hoops Distillery 2/21		SB Nation 2/12		No Ceilings 2/11
1. SAC	Darryn Peterson	1. SAC	Cameron Boozer	1. SAC	Darryn Peterson	1. SAC	Cameron Boozer	1. ATL	AJ Dybantsa	1. SAC	Darryn Peterson
2. IND	AJ Dybantsa	2. IND	AJ Dybantsa	2. IND	Cameron Boozer	2. IND	Darryn Peterson	2. MIL	Darryn Peterson	2. IND	AJ Dybantsa
3. BKN	Cameron Boozer	3. BKN	Darryn Peterson	3. BKN	AJ Dybantsa	3. BKN	AJ Dybantsa	3. BKN	Cameron Boozer	3. ATL	Cameron Boozer
4. ATL	Caleb Wilson	4. ATL	Caleb Wilson	4. WAS	Caleb Wilson	4. WAS	Caleb Wilson	4. CHI	Caleb Wilson	4. BKN	Caleb Wilson
5. WAS	Keaton Wagler	5. WAS	Kingston Flemings	5. ATL	Kingston Flemings	5. ATL	Kingston Flemings	5. SAC	Kingston Flemings	5. WAS	Keaton Wagler
6. UTA	Kingston Flemings	6. UTA	Mikel Brown	6. UTA	Mikel Brown	6. UTA	Keaton Wagler	6. LAC	Mikel Brown	6. UTA	Kingston Flemings
7. DAL	Mikel Brown	7. DAL	Nate Ament	7. DAL	Darius Acuff	7. DAL	Mikel Brown	7. WAS	Keaton Wagler	7. DAL	Mikel Brown
8. MEM	Darius Acuff	8. MEM	Dailyn Swain	8. MEM	Nate Ament	8. MEM	Nate Ament	8. UTA	Nate Ament	8. MEM	Nate Ament
9. CHI	Brayden Burries	9. CHI	Patrick Ngongba	9. CHI	Keaton Wagler	9. CHI	Darius Acuff	9. DAL	Hannes Steinbach	9. MIL	Jayden Quaintance
10. MIL	Jayden Quaintance	10. MIL	Yaxel Lendeborg	10. MIL	Labaron Philon	10. MIL	Brayden Burries	10. MEM	Jayden Quaintance	10. CHI	Koa Peat
11. CHA	Koa Peat	11. CHA	Darius Acuff	11. OKC	Hannes Steinbach	11. OKC	Thomas Haugh	11. CHA	Yaxel Lendeborg	11. POR	Braylon Mullins
12. OKC	Thomas Haugh	12. OKC	Keaton Wagler	12. POR	Braylon Mullins	12. POR	Karim Lopez	12. SAS	Patrick Ngongba	12. CHA	Yaxel Lendeborg
13. SAS	Nate Ament	13. SAS	Thomas Haugh	13. CHA	Yaxel Lendeborg	13. CHA	Yaxel Lendeborg	13. OKC	Brayden Burries	13. OKC	Karim Lopez
14. POR	Karim Lopez	14. POR	Karim Lopez	14. SAS	Patrick Ngongba	14. SAS	Koa Peat	14. POR	Braylon Mullins	14. SAS	Chris Cenac
15. GSW	Labaron Philon	15. GSW	Hannes Steinbach	15. MIA	Jayden Quaintance	15. MIA	Jayden Quaintance	15. MIA	Koa Peat	15. MIA	Darius Acuff
16. MIA	Braylon Mullins	16. MIA	Morez Johnson	16. GSW	Brayden Burries	16. GSW	Christian Anderson	16. GSW	Cameron Carr	16. MEM	Morez Johnson
17. MEM	Chris Cenac	17. MEM	Jayden Quaintance	17. MEM	Thomas Haugh	17. MEM	Braylon Mullins	17. MEM	Bennett Stirtz	17. GSW	Brayden Burries
18. OKC	Yaxel Lendeborg	18. OKC	Cameron Carr	18. OKC	Tounde Yessoufou	18. OKC	Chris Cenac	18. OKC	Chris Cenac	18. OKC	Hannes Steinbach
19. CHA	Hannes Steinbach	19. CHA	Koa Peat	19. CHA	Bennett Stirtz	19. CHA	Cameron Carr	19. CHA	Darius Acuff	19. TOR	Cameron Carr
20. TOR	Christian Anderson	20. TOR	Aday Mara	20. TOR	Christian Anderson	20. TOR	Labaron Philon	20. TOR	Aday Mara	20. CHA	Amari Allen
21. DET	Bennett Stirtz	21. DET	Braylon Mullins	21. LAL	Koa Peat	21. LAL	Aday Mara	21. DET	Tyler Tanner	21. ATL	Labaron Philon
22. LAL	Cameron Carr	22. LAL	Joshua Jefferson	22. ATL	Chris Cenac	22. ATL	Bennett Stirtz	22. LAL	Morez Johnson	22. DET	Thomas Haugh
23. DEN	Tyler Tanner	23. PHI	Allen Graves	23. DEN	Karim Lopez	23. DEN	Morez Johnson	23. ATL	Thomas Haugh	23. PHI	Dailyn Swain
24. ATL	Meleek Thomas	24. DEN	Labaron Philon	24. DET	Joshua Jefferson	24. DET	Amari Allen	24. DEN	Dailyn Swain	24. LAL	Patrick Ngongba
25. PHI	Aday Mara	25. NYK	Bennett Stirtz	25. NYK	Cameron Carr	25. NYK	Alijah Arenas	25. NYK	Labaron Philon	25. DEN	Christian Anderson
26. NYK	Morez Johnson	26. ATL	Chris Cenac	26. PHI	Amari Allen	26. PHI	Patrick Ngongba	26. PHI	Karim Lopez	26. NYK	Tounde Yessoufou
27. BOS	Dailyn Swain	27. BOS	Flory Bidunga	27. BOS	Aday Mara	27. BOS	Hannes Steinbach	27. BOS	Tounde Yessoufou	27. BOS	Joshua Jefferson
28. CLE	Tounde Yessoufou	28. CLE	Tyler Tanner	28. CLE	Tyler Tanner	28. CLE	Meleek Thomas	28. CLE	Joshua Jefferson	28. CLE	Bennett Stirtz
29. MIN	Alijah Arenas	29. DAL	Tounde Yessoufou	29. DAL	Alijah Arenas	29. DAL	Tounde Yessoufou	29. MIN	Alijah Arenas	29. MIN	Isaiah Evans
30. DAL	Patrick Ngongba	30. MIN	Amari Allen	30. MIN	Ebuka Okorie	30. MIN	Dailyn Swain	30. DAL	Meleek Thomas	30. DAL	Flory Bidunga

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References:

Bleacher Report [Jonathan Wasserman]

No Ceilings

SB Nation [Ricky O’Donnell] – 2/12

SB Nation [Ricky O’Donnell] – 2/25

Tankathon

For reference: RealGM – future draft pick details

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Pick Variance

Player	Highest Pick	Lowest Pick	Range
Darryn Peterson	1	3	1–3
AJ Dybantsa	1	3	1–3
Cameron Boozer	1	3	1–3
Caleb Wilson	4	4	4–4
Keaton Wagler	5	12	5–12
Kingston Flemings	5	6	5–6
Mikel Brown	6	7	6–7
Darius Acuff	7	19	7–19
Nate Ament	7	13	7–13
Dailyn Swain	8	30	8–30
Brayden Burries	9	17	9–17
Jayden Quaintance	9	17	9–17
Patrick Ngongba	9	30	9–30
Hannes Steinbach	9	27	9–27
Yaxel Lendeborg	10	18	10–18
Koa Peat	10	21	10–21
Labaron Philon	10	25	10–25
Braylon Mullins	11	21	11–21
Thomas Haugh	11	23	11–23
Karim Lopez	12	26	12–26
Chris Cenac	14	26	14–26
Morez Johnson	16	26	16–26
Christian Anderson	16	25	16–25
Cameron Carr	16	25	16–25
Bennett Stirtz	17	28	17–28
Tounde Yessoufou	18	29	18–29
Aday Mara	20	27	20–27
Amari Allen	20	30	20–30
Tyler Tanner	21	28	21–28
Joshua Jefferson	22	28	22–28
Allen Graves	23	23	23–23
Meleek Thomas	24	30	24–30
Alijah Arenas	25	29	25–29
Flory Bidunga	27	30	27–30
Isaiah Evans	29	29	29–29
Ebuka Okorie	30	30	30–30

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Tankathon Draft Power Rankings:

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