Key Points
- The 2026 NBA Draft begins June 23, with Washington holding the No. 1 pick.
- ESPN's final big board ranks Darryn Peterson (Kansas) first, AJ Dybantsa (BYU) second.
- Peterson visited Washington; a reassessed medical clearance swung him back to No. 1.
- Cameron Boozer (Duke) and Caleb Wilson (North Carolina) complete the top tier.
For the first time in a few cycles, the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft is a real argument rather than a formality. The 2026 draft opens June 23, and with hours to go the top of the board is split between two players who have traded the top spot all season: Darryn Peterson, the Kansas combo guard, and AJ Dybantsa, the BYU wing who arrived as the most hyped recruit in the class.
Dybantsa vs. Peterson
Dybantsa was the consensus No. 1 for most of the cycle, and the case is straightforward: he was the top-rated recruit in the 2025 class, led all of college basketball in scoring at 25.5 points per game, and dropped a 43-point game that broke BYU's freshman record. He is the prototype modern wing — size, shot creation, and the charisma to anchor a rebuild around.
Peterson reclaimed the top spot on ESPN's final big board after analysts reassessed his medical clearance and the season-long health issues, including cramping, that had clouded his stock. He visited Washington to meet with the front office, and the read is that his ceiling as a two-way lead guard is worth the perceived risk. The debate, in other words, is talent everyone agrees on versus a guard whose value swings on his body holding up.
The rest of the top tier
Behind the two guards, the board firms up around Cameron Boozer, the Duke forward who rewrote his family's college record book, and North Carolina's Caleb Wilson. It is a strong top four with genuine star projections — the kind of class a team picking first wants to be choosing from.
Washington's call
The decision belongs to the Wizards, who won the lottery and hold the No. 1 pick entering the draft. A franchise mid-rebuild has to weigh the safer star projection against the higher-variance one, and whichever way Washington leans sets the order for everyone behind it. The draft airs Tuesday on ESPN and ABC from Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
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