2026 NBA mock draft: AI predicts every pick from the first round

There might still be a debate about the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. The early consensus centered around BYU’s AJ Dybantsa. The analytics reportedly favored Duke’s Cameron Boozer. The speculation has now shifted to Dybantsa or Kansas guard Darryn Peterson, or perhaps all three still being considered, with less than a week until the Washington Wizards are officially on the clock with the first selection of the draft.

But AI hasn’t wavered in terms of the top of the 2026 draft class. Since the draft lottery was conducted last month, and the Wizards, Utah Jazz and Memphis Grizzlies wound up with the top three picks, Microsoft Copilot’s AI chatbot has consistently churned out the same prospects for those first three choices when prompted by USA TODAY Sports.

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The same is not true for most picks outside of the top four prospects (Dybantsa, Peterson, Boozer and North Carolina’s Caleb Wilson). There was again a shift in selections made in the first AI mock draft since the conclusion of the NBA Finals, particularly in the latter half of the first half, based on the latest intel.

Here’s a breakdown of Microsoft Copilot AI’s latest 2026 NBA mock draft, including the chatbot’s reasoning for making each first-round pick:

1 / 26

NBA draft No. 1 picks since 1990: From Derrick Coleman to Cooper Flagg

2025: Cooper Flagg, Dallas Mavericks

(Brad Penner, Imagn Images)

1 / 26

NBA draft No. 1 picks since 1990: From Derrick Coleman to Cooper Flagg

2025: Cooper Flagg, Dallas Mavericks

(Brad Penner, Imagn Images)

2 / 26

NBA draft No. 1 picks since 1990: From Derrick Coleman to Cooper Flagg

2024: Zaccharie Risacher, Atlanta Hawks

(Brad Penner, USA TODAY Sports)

3 / 26

NBA draft No. 1 picks since 1990: From Derrick Coleman to Cooper Flagg

2023: Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs

(Wendell Cruz, USA TODAY Sports)

4 / 26

NBA draft No. 1 picks since 1990: From Derrick Coleman to Cooper Flagg

2022: Paolo Banchero, Orlando Magic

(Brad Penner, USA TODAY Sports)

5 / 26

NBA draft No. 1 picks since 1990: From Derrick Coleman to Cooper Flagg

2021: Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons

(Brad Penner, USA TODAY Sports)

6 / 26

NBA draft No. 1 picks since…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/2026-nba-mock-draft-ai-100329830.html

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Publish date : 2026-06-18 10:03:00

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