Photo: BYU Men’s Basketball/X

With the tip-off of the 2025–26 college basketball season drawing near, the conversation around the 2026 NBA Draft is already heating up – and early indicators point to a class loaded at the very top.

Draft analysts, including Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report, see a clear hierarchy emerging, with three standout prospects separating themselves as frontrunners for the coveted No. 1 overall pick.

AJ Dybantsa, Cameron Boozer, and Darryn Peterson have each made a strong case for that spot, impressing evaluators with their blend of elite physical tools, polished skills, and sky-high ceilings.

While the domestic crop is stealing most of the spotlight, the international scene is also producing high-caliber talent.

Wasserman’s top-ranked overseas player is Karim Lopez of the NBL’s New Zealand Breakers, a rising star benefiting from the Australian league’s increasingly respected Next Stars pathway – a program designed to prepare young prospects for the NBA by providing professional-level competition and development resources.

Rounding out the upper tier of Wasserman’s August top-50 list is the highest-ranked returning NCAA player, Kentucky’s Jayden Quaintance, at No. 4 overall.

Remarkably, Quaintance is coming off an age-17 season in which he started 24 games for Arizona State, demonstrating poise, versatility, and on-court maturity that belies his age.

Now in a new program and with an extra year of experience, he enters the season as one of the most compelling returning prospects in the draft pool – a player who could rise even higher with a strong sophomore campaign.

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