The 2026 NBA Draft class has the ‘best’ and ‘deepest’ crop of freshmen, ESPN broadcaster says

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TheNBA Draftbegins on Tuesday, and ESPN college basketball broadcaster Jay Bilas has high hopes for it.

Bilas, 62, called this year’s draft class the “best” and “deepest” he can remember.

“It’s the best and deepest crop.When I say best, I mean deepest crop of super talented freshmen in one draft that I can remember.And I think it is the best crop of star-caliber freshmen.Freshmen are going to dominate the first round,”

ESPN analyst Jay Bilas standing courtside at Madison Square Garden

ESPN analyst Jay Bilas before the game between the Illinois Fighting Illini and the Florida Atlantic Owls at Madison Square Garden in New York City on Dec.5, 2023.(Porter Binks/Getty Images)

Bilas noted that a lot ofNBAteams tanked this season in order to get a premier selection in the draft.

“One of the reasons that you saw so many NBA teams jockeying for position to try to get into the lottery, which people call tanking, is because of the quality of this draft.And you can be picking at six, seven, and eight and go, ‘Man, we’re going to get a starter out of this?’” Bilas said.

Bilas said the top of the draft has superstar potential.He listedBYU’s AJ Dybantsa,Kansas’ Darryn Peterson, Duke’s Cameron Boozer and North Carolina’s Caleb Wilson as players who could be future All-Stars.

TheWashington Wizardshold the No.1 overall pick, the Utah Jazz hold the No.2 pick, the Memphis Grizzlies have the No.3 pick, and the Chicago Bulls have the No.4 overall pick.Dybantsa has widely been mocked to be the No.1 overall pick in the NBA Draft.

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BYU forward AJ Dybantsa dribbles the ball against Clemson in a basketball game

BYU forward AJ Dybantsa dribbles the ball against Clemson in New York on Dec.9, 2025.(Noah K.Murray/AP Photo)

In his lone season at BYU, Dybantsa averaged 25.5 points, 6.8 assists and 3.7 rebounds in 35 games.He was a consensus All-American and made the All-Big 12 team.

Whothe Jazzselect at No.2 overall has been the subject of much debate.Peterson, Boozer and Wilson have all been mocked to Utah.Bilas said he would not bat an eye if Wilson were the Jazz’s pick because of how talented he is.

In 24 games with North Carolina in his freshman year, Wilson averaged 19.8 points, 9.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game.Like Dybansta, the forward was also a consensus All-American in addition to being named to the All-ACC team.

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North Carolina forward Caleb Wilson reacting after being fouled during a basketball game

North Carolina forward Caleb Wilson reacts after being fouled by Michigan State in Fort Myers, Fla., on Nov.27, 2025.(Mike Carlson/AP)

Boozer, the son of two-time NBA All-Star Carlos Boozer, shined in his lone season with Duke.In 38 games, Boozer averaged 22.5 points, 10.2 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.4 steals per game.He won the Wooden Award, which is awarded to college basketball’s most outstanding player, in addition to being a consensus All-American.

Peterson, in 24 gameswith Kansas,scored 20.2 points, recorded 4.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game.He was named to the All-Big 12 team, but was not a consensus All-American, unlike Dybansta, Wilson and Boozer.

Bilas will be playing in the American Century Championship from July 10-12 at Edgewood Golf Course in Lake Tahoe.The tournament will be broadcast on NBC and Peacock.