Every year in late May or early June I take a look ahead at next year’s draft class in a more comprehensive way (here’s my super early 2026 look from last year). It’s a good time of year to take stock of the upcoming draft class. By this time of the year we’ve seen all of the early entry decisions be made and we know which prospects are returning to school. And we have a decent feel for the international players that are likely to be available next draft season.
Here are my insanely early thoughts on the 2027 draft class:
The 2027 NBA Draft Went From “Weak” To “Wow!”
OK, a bit of an overstated title here but it’s been awesome to see all the potential first round-prospects decide to stay in school and add a ton of depth to next year’s class. While there’s still no clear-cut superstar at the top of the 2027 draft the overall talent pool is now much deeper and way more interesting, thanks to the dozens of high-level prospects who decided to skip the 2026 draft.
Stokes To Kansas And The Race For No.1
Tyran Stokes gave Bill Self yet another no.1 recruit who will be in the running to be the top pick in next year’s draft. After the weird season that Darryn Peterson had we’ll see if the Jayhawks get a better showing from their newest freshman superstar.
In my current mock draft I’ve got Jordan Smith Jr. at no.1 but that’s very open to change. Basically there’s no clear no.1 prospect in the 2027 draft and the race for the top pick is wide open.
We’ll see if Stokes or Smith or one of the European prospects can emerge as the clear choice over the coming year but my guess is that it’ll be a “beauty is in the eye of the beholder” type thing, were various mocks will have different projections for the top spot.
Other guys that I expect to get some hype as the potential no.1 pick next year include Bruce Branch III (BYU) and possibly a couple of international guys in Stefan Jokismovic and Hugo Yimga Moukouri (see below). One other name to watch is Cameron Williams from Duke. I think he’ll be just after the top 3 or 4 guys in the class but he has the tools to be the best of the bunch.
A Loaded International Class
While the 2026 recruiting class is widely considered a bit weaker than average the international prospects in this class are tantalizing. Some of these guys have committed to playing college ball next year, while some of the top prospects are still overseas. UNC got a commitment from Sayon Keita, a wiry and athletic 7-footer from Mali who has been playing in Spain. He’s got a lot of development left to do but has really intriguing upside thanks to his awesome size and athletic ability.
In my book the top true international prospect for next year’ draft is Slovenian big guard Stefan Joksimovic. The 6-7 lefty is a very high-feel player who can orchestrate the offense, see over defenses, make plays off the bounce and score from three levels. He’s got good positional size and solid athleticism. At this point I wouldn’t say he’s an elite prospect but he’s got the makings of being a high level starter and maybe a star at the NBA level.
Hugo Yimga Moukouri should also be in the running to be at top 10 pick and could be the first international prospect off the board.
Other good looking guys from overseas include Cameron Houindo (France) and Cheickh Niang (Italy). Houindo is a powerfully built forward with great tools and Niang is the type of explosive athlete that instantly passes the eye test when you see the way he moves on the court…but he has a lot of development left to do.
NILionaires
This past April and May we saw an unprecedented number of high level prospects forgo the relative riches of the NBA Draft and choose the NIL millions instead. These NILionaires have added an awesome amount of depth to the first and second round of next year’s draft.
I won’t go over the entire list here but a few names that really surprised me include: Thomas Haugh, Mo Krivas, Braylon Mullins, Alex Condon, and, to a lesser extent, Alijah Arenas.
Traded Draft Picks
As usual there are a handful of traded first round picks next year, some of which are straight forward unprotected picks, while others come with various protections and conditions.
The most interesting picks are the Hornets getting the Mavs pick (top 2 protected) and also the Heat pick (lottery protected). Along with their own first round pick. This could give the Hornets three first rounders!
The Nets will get the Knicks first round pick, unprotected.
Houston has the rights to a potentially valuable pick swap with the Suns.
Three First Rounders From Florida
With all of Thomas Haugh, Alex Condon and Rueben Chinyelu deciding to return, the Gators will be a favorite to win it all next season and could have three first round frontcourt players in next year’s draft.
Other teams that are loaded with potential 2027 draft picks include Arkansas, Michigan, USC, Kentucky, North Carolina, UConn, Louisville and of course Duke. The Blue Devils have a number of potential first rounders but probably don’t have a top 2 or 3 guy like they have in so many recent draft classes. Forward Cameron Williams has elite upside but I think he might not be as college ready and NBA ready as recent Blue Devil forwards.
My Preposterously Premature 2027 Lottery List
This will be fun to look back on in a year to see how many of these guys are still projected to be in the lottery. I feel good that about 10 of these guys will still be firmly in the lottery discussion, while a handful of them I’m far less certain about:
My 2027 Top 14 Prospects
- Jordan Smith Jr. – PG/SG – Arkansas – I don’t think he has the highest upside in this class but is all around game and ability to impact both ends, while still having scoring upside is very intriguing. A Donovan Mitchell type of player.
- Tyran Stokes – SF – Kansas – The one player in this draft class that could potentially be a guy who can take over a NBA game and be a true first option player. If things to well for him at Kansas he could be close to a consensus no.1 guy. But I’m just not fully there yet.
- Bruce Branch III – SF – BYU – Is he too one dimensional to be a top 3 pick? Maybe. But he instantly passes the eye test as a floor-spacing wing who should thrive playing off a high level creator.
- Stefan Jokismovic – PG/SG – Slovenia – It’ll be interesting to see how NBA teams value his combination of size/shot-making and passing skills but I’m certainly intrigued.
- Caleb Holt – SG – Arizona – A high energy two-way player who isn’t the most flashy guard out there but really gets it done on both ends and has a big impact on the game. He should be a key cog on a loaded Zona team.
- Braylon Mullins – SG – UConn – One of my favorite players in recent memory, I can’t get enough of watching Mullins shoot the ball. He’s maybe not the most versatile or multi-dimensional guy but he’s got a chance to be a specials shooter and just a really fun player to watch.
- Thomas Haugh – SF/PF – Florida – I’m expecting big things from Haugh next year. I think we’ll see him take on more of the scoring load and showcase some better on-ball creative juice. But is bread and butter will always be his high energy play and his versatile game, doing all the dirty work and being the ultimate glue guy.
- Mo Krivas – C – Arizona (Lithuania) – He’s not the most exciting guy in the world but has continued to get better and better and is looking like a solid starting center at the NBA level.
- Cameron Williams – PF – Duke – He seems to come and go too much and lacks consistency but if he manages to put it all together he has monster upside as a fluid and twitchy 6-11 forward with a modern game.
- Hugo Yimga Moukouri – SF – France – A really interesting athlete with a nose for the ball and great physical tools. Not the most refined game but has shown solid improvements with his handles and ball skills.
- Alijah Arenas – SG – USC – I still see Arenas as a boom or bust player. If he can improve his scoring efficiency I’d bet on the boom.
- Sayon Keita – C – North Carolina (Mali) – I wouldn’t be surprised if he ends up as a two-year college player but the upside he possesses is so immense that it’s hard for me to keep him out of my top 14.
- Cheickh Niang – SF – Italy – Niang flashes levels of athleticism that you only see once in a while, like from D.Wade or VJ Edgecombe. His game is still raw but the athletic tools are mesmerizing.
- Abdou Toure– SF – Arkansas – Speaking of tools, Toure has elite athletic traits and should be a weekly highlight reel at the college level. He’s a guy who is still raw but his arrow is very much pointing up.
Putting A Finer Point On The Outstanding Depth
I don’t think casual draft fans fully appreciate how much high-level talent decided to forgo the 2026 draft and return to school. This returning talent took the projected 2027 first round from having about 15 clear first round talents to nearly 30. And more will emerge throughout the course of the season. The depth of this class is probably the biggest story of the year.
I can’t wait to look back on these thoughts and predictions next year to see what I nailed. And what I totally whiffed on!
See all the latest action in my updated 2027 NBA Mock Draft
And now back to your regularly scheduled program: the 2026 NBA Mock Draft
Thanks for reading!