The 2026 NBA Draft is creeping up on us, and the hype is going through the roof. Darryn Peterson, AJ Dybantsa, and Cameron Boozer are the leading trio in what’s shaping up to be a loaded class.
Hype hit a fever pitch today. Dybantsa dropped 43 points, a BYU freshman record, while Cam Boozer put up 32 points, nine rebounds, four assists, and three steals in a win over Wake Forest. The race for the number one pick is on, and the DraftKings odds are shifting rapidly.
Here’s a look at the current odds for the number one pick on the DraftKings Sportsbook:
Peterson is understandably the favorite here. The 6-foot-6, uber-athletic guard is scoring 21.6 points per game in impressive fashion. He’s knocking down 2.9 threes per game on a sterling 42% efficiency. t’s been a great season for Kansas, and Peterson has been fantastic. He’s the kind of scoring guard that so many teams are chasing.
Dybantsa fits a similar mold. At 6-foot-9, he’s the kind of scoring forward that creates a lot of mismatches. His shooting and playmaking leaves some to be desired, but the flashes have been there all season long.
That leaves Boozer as something of an outlier.
He also has plus NBA size at 6-foot-9 and a hulking 250 pounds, but his game is the least traditional of the three. He loves to work in the post, using his size to bully opposing wings. If you throw a big on him, he’s shiftier and highly skilled. He has been highly efficient, leading the ACC in scoring at 23.2 PPG. What’s more impressive is that Boozer is shooting 66.7% on two-pointers, despite a tough diet in the paint. He’s also pitching in 9.9 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 2.5 stocks (steals plus blocks) per game.
Boozer may be unconventional, but he’s the kind of skill set that the NBA is starting to value again. Nikola Jokic has opened many eyes, showing that a skilled post-up big with defensive question marks can be the crux of a title winner. There are more than a few teams at the top of the lottery that are capable of prioritizing a talent like him. I think Boozer is a value in this three-man race to the top.
