No. 1 pick in 2026 NBA Draft far from certain with trio of deserving stars at top

AJ Dybantsa expects to be the No.1 pick.Darryn Peterson believes he should be the No.

1 pick.Cameron Boozer said he deserves to be in the conversation for the No.1 pick. There might not be a right answer for the Wizards in Tuesday’s loaded NBA draft at Barclays Center — three impressive prospects who all have an argument to be selected first. “There’s definitely competition.

You see what they did.Great players who averaged the same amount of points,” Dybantsa said Monday, as the draft green room invitees met members of the media at Lotte New York Palace in Midtown.

“But I’m gonna bet on myself.”The general expectation is that the 6-foot-9 Dybantsa will go first, followed by the 6-5 Peterson and the 6-8 Boozer.A Western Conference executive broke it down this way: Dybantsa is a safe choice with upside, and the Wizards need a No.

1 scoring option.The Jazz, at No.

2, aren’t afraid of taking risks, and finding an elite guard like Peterson is difficult.That leaves the Grizzlies and Boozer at No.

3.That’s not a consolation prize. “He will be a stud,” the executive said. Boozer had the most successful season of the three, leading Duke to the Elite Eight and the ACC regular-season and postseason crowns.

He became the sixth freshman to be the consensus National Player of the Year after averaging 22.5 points, 10.2 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and shooting 39.1 percent from 3.If not for injuries to his supporting cast, Boozer might have been the first freshman to lead his team to a national championship since Duke’s freshmen in 2015.Experts, however, see Dybantsa as the top talent in this draft.

In his lone year at BYU, he produced 25.5 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists, and has been considered the front-runner for quite some time.As early as eighth grade, he was ranked No.

1, and he never lost that spot. “He’s the best guy.He’s the most well-rounded player in the first five.

There aren’t people who do what he does,” an NBA scout...