NBA DRAFT COMBINE: Who tested, measured the best?

The anticipation for this 2026 draft class, and the belief that next year's draft class would not be nearly as good, led to historic levels of tanking this past season. NBA commissioner Adam Silver said as much when he announced there would be drastic changes to the draft lottery system on the horizon during the All-Star break.

But now that the 2026 draft process is in motion – with this week's scouting combine followed by a month of prospect workouts at team facilities – the perception of this class has gotten more complicated before the Wizards officially go on the clock.

There is no clear cut No. 1 pick yet like last year when the Dallas Mavericks selected Cooper Flagg. Dawkins noted Tuesday the Wizards have "a lot of players we have to spend some time on."

There is also a growing trend created by the explosion of NIL money in college basketball, as players projected to be late first-round picks and international prospects increasingly choose to remain in college longer due to the equivalent salaries of a rookie-scale contract and a star player at a Power Four conference school.

"The top 15 is off the charts," said ESPN analyst Seth Greenberg of the 2026 draft class, "but I think what's happened is the bottom of the first round, because guys are coming back (to college) because of pay for play, whether guys don't think they're mature enough yet, or guys that are going to be towards the end of the first round, with next year's draft not being as strong at the top, they can basically double their money."

There is nonetheless a sense that multiple future stars could be produced from this draft. In addition to Dybantsa, Peterson, Boozer and North Carolina forward Caleb Wilson at the top of draft boards, there's a wealth of quality guards expected to be sifted through among teams with picks in the 5-10 range.

Dawkins referred to the class as "really deep in the top 10."

"It'll overwhelm you with depth," said former NBA player and LIFT Sports management agent Mike Miller, whose clients this year include projected first-round picks like guards Labaron Philon (Alabama) and Ebuka Okorie (Stanford) and forward Jayden Quaintance (Kentucky). "You're going to get players the whole first round who are going to be all-stars."

The Wizards planned for that when they embarked on their lengthy rebuild under Dawkins and team president Michael Winger. Because nobody has tanked quite like the Wizards in recent years. They had a combined record of 50-196 the last three seasons. They also were among the teams with the best odds to get the No. 1 pick in 2025 and wound up at No. 6.

After years of preparing for this moment, Dawkins said he likes the uncertainty all of a sudden, too. So long as he's in control of it.

"The best part about getting No. 1 in any year's draft is you have the power of choice," Dawkins said. "This year there's a lot of top candidates and we know we're choosing from a very talented bunch."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How 2026 NBA draft class is perceived by experts, teams after lottery