Looking to the future, five top talented players gather in 2026. No matter who has the potential to build a team

Although people are looking forward to high-potential rookies in the annual NBA draft, the quality of players in each draft may be very different. For example, the 2024 draft was recognized by the media as the New Year of the draft. As of now, there may be only Castle, who has the possibility of becoming an All-Star in the future.

In contrast, the overall talent of the players in the 2025 draft is much higher than that of the 2024 class. In addition to the No. 1 pick Flagg, who seems to have booked an All-Star position, high-ranking rookies such as Dylan Harper, Es Bailey, and VJ Edgecom are all seen as having All-Star potential in the future.

However, if you want to say that the player's potential is high, perhaps next year's rookie potential is truly coveted. As early as a year ago, the media said that if these top rookies in the 2026 class enter the 2025 class, even the No. 1 pick Flag may not be stable. It is worth mentioning that Flag, the No. 1 pick selected by the Dallas Mavericks this year, was originally a newcomer to the 2026 class, but before he chose to skip the level before he came to the 2025 draft. This is also the reason why he is only 8 days older than James in the draft.

Next, let’s take a look at what are the rookies that are expected in 2026. First of all, Darren Peterson, a Kansas player who has been rising rapidly in recent times. As a 1.98-meter backcourt player, Peterson may be the most anticipated No. 2 position in the league after Edwards.

His independent offensive ability is currently very mature, and he also has a very good sense of passing and smell. Unlike the second-place champion Dylan Harper, who prefers to use pick-and-roll to launch an offense. Peterson can completely use his own speed to get rid of defense, but it should be remembered that Peterson is not a player who relies on physical talent to play, but he still relies more on rhythm. This is the real reason why people have high expectations for him.

The second place is Cameron Boozer from Duke University. Boozer had become famous two years ago, and his momentum was even surpassing Flag. Boozer won almost all the championships he could win in high school. As a big 2.08-meter player, he performed quite well in holding balls, shooting and passing balls. Relying on his outstanding dynamic talent, Boozer can even switch to 5 positions on the defense field. You can imagine Bancero, who is stronger and better shooting, is almost what people say about Boozer.

The third place is Nate Emont, a player recruited by the University of Tennessee. Compared with the above two people, he did not have very impressive data in the first two years of high school. However, as his height continues to soar in the past two years, Emont has shown some traits that other players do not have. Because I have been playing in the backcourt since I was a child, Emmett has a natural advantage in ball control. And after growing taller, his movement rate was almost unaffected. He can not only eat his opponent alone when the team opens up space, but also handle the "take-up ball" given to his teammates very well. He is not inferior to the 25th rookie Es Bailey. Among this rookie, perhaps he is the highest-limited one. Compared with the above three, Jayden Quintens from Arizona State University entered the NCAA College League one year earlier, and Quintens, who is less than 18 years old, has become the core of Arizona State University's team. Especially on the defensive end, Kuntans, who has the top moving talent, is already the best franchise protector in the college league. If he can improve his skills at the basket, perhaps people can look forward to the next "World of Warcraft".

The last player is AJ Dibansa from Brigham Young University. He is 2.06 meters tall but he is in a swaying position, which makes him in a misaligned state when facing most defenders. As a core scorer, he has the ability to score anywhere in the half court and has a good passing vision. And he is very professional in his attitude towards the competition, which is the main reason why he can occupy the top spot in the 2026 draft simulation list for a long time. Everyone thinks, who among the above will eventually become the No. 1 pick in the draft in 2026? Welcome to leave a message for discussion!