NBA News NBA News, Match Reports and Updates
Just two players were selected directly from mid-major programs in the 2026 NBA Draft. Santa Clara’s Allen Graves was the No. 19 pick to the Toronto Raptors, and the draft rights of South Florida’s Izaiyah Nelson, the No. 51 pick, were traded to Orlando.
However, according to the Mid-Major Reacts survey, despite Graves being a top-20 pick and Nelson being one of the final 10 selections, the two will be equally impactful in the ongoing NBA Summer League, as each player received 50% of the votes.
While Graves enters the NBA with higher expectations, there’s likely more at stake for Nelson in Las Vegas. Graves recently inked a four-year, $19.7 million contract with more than $8 million guaranteed. Nelson, too, earned a contract, but it was a two-way deal.
Advertisement
Graves burst onto the draft scene in just one season at Santa Clara. His redshirt freshman was headlined by WCC Sixth Man and Freshman of the Year honors, and the Broncos’ first trip to the Big Dance in 30 years. Despite coming off the bench in his lone season of collegiate action, Graves skyrocketed up draft boards thanks to his defensive versatility and offensive consistency, marking Herb Sendek’s third first rounder in the last five seasons.
He backed up the first-round label in his Summer League debut and scored 22 points, shooting 9-for-16 and 3-for-8 from deep. Arguably more impressively, he hauled in 13 rebounds, five of which were offensive, blocked two shots and had three steals. He showcased his upside as a do-it-all defender, and if he brings this sort of offense along with his defensive abilities, he’s in for a long NBA career.
Obviously, it’s way too early to formulate real conclusions about his NBA future, but his first showing was about as good as you could ask for.
On the contrary, Nelson doesn’t have as obvious of an NBA path, but he has the physical tools to be a rotational big if he finds the right situation. He doesn’t offer hardly anything offensively on the perimeter, but he got better each of his four college seasons and played himself into the draft after averaging 15.9 points, 9.6 rebounds, 1.6 steals and 1.4…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/mid-major-mid-major-madness-135800855.html
Author :
Publish date : 2026-07-11 13:58:00
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
