NBA Mock Draft 4.0: Breaking down every pick ahead of the NBA Draft Lottery

Here’s my final mock ahead of the NBA Draft Lottery on Sunday (3 p.m. ET, ABC), when the final draft order will be determined. Be sure to check out our 2026 NBA Draft Guide, which features full scouting reports on all 60 of these prospects, player comparisons, and multiple big boards.

NBA mock drafts: 4.0 • 3.0 • 2.0 • 1.0

AJ Dybantsa, 6-9, BYU freshman forward

Dybantsa could become one of the NBA’s most unstoppable shot-creators. At 6-foot-9, he has a special blend of athletic tools with the way he bends, shifts, and explodes with the ball in his hands. Dybantsa led the nation with 25.5 points per game while breaking Danny Ainge’s 48-year-old BYU freshman scoring record with a 43-point eruption. He gets to the rim at will, cooks in the midrange, draws fouls at a high rate, and displays point-forward potential. With these scoring skills, he’d be a perfect complement to Alex Sarr in Washington’s frontcourt and likely elevate the existing talented ball-handlers like Kyshawn George and Tre Johnson. But what will determine Dybantsa’s upside is whether he can become a knockdown 3-point shooter, as well as a more impactful defender to take full advantage of his physical tools. But the native of Brockton, Massachusetts, has a tremendously high floor with his scoring skill alone.

Advertisement

At 6-foot-9 and 250 pounds, Boozer is the most polished player in the class. He scores from the post with both footwork and power, hits 40% of his 3s on high volume, and has enough handle to run offense as a point forward. He shifts between those modes based on what the defense gives him, and that adaptability led to a 35-win season at Duke and the Naismith Player of the Year. That’s why he would be so appealing to the Pacers. He could play with Ivica Zubac and Pascal Siakam, or with just one of them by sliding to center in certain lineups. The worry is that he’s not a vertical athlete and the foundation of all that production — overpowering smaller defenders — gets diminished against NBA length. Plus, he’s a modern tweener on defense, lacking the explosiveness and size to protect the rim full-time and…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/nba/article/nba-mock-draft-40-breaking-down-every-pick-ahead-of-the-nba-draft-lottery-170350782.html

Author : Kevin O'Connor

Publish date : 2026-05-08 17:03:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.