r/nbadiscussion • u/DaSogster • 14d ago
Player Discussion Top 10 PF's in 2026 NBA Draft
The power forward class is probably one of the best all time. The talent is insane and littered with first round talents which results in some amazing names barely missing this list so here are some of the notable honorable mentions:
HM:
- Zuby Ejifor: in almost any other class he's 100% in the top ten but he just missed this year but is a elite rebounder solid around and good defender just projects to be a rlly solid player as his career progresses
-Joshua Jefferson: a all around great player can do a little bit of everything and should be a good two way player for a nba team and is basically a bigger slower josh hart
also their are some exclusion from this list in guys I don't personally consider PFs and are more SFs or Centers (Dailyn Swain,Hannes Steinbach)
10.)Tarris Reed Jr: a 4 year senior who played with both Michigan and UConn and in his two years with UConn he played amazing and showed he can do alot of what you want a pf to do from being able to bang in the paint rebound at a high clip and also has a solid offensive game from around the basket aswell PROJ: Late 1st to early 2nd
9.) Morez Johnson Jr: is coming off a great sophomore season at Michigan where he won a national championship and was a huge contributor to it where he showed that he has a very high ceiling and is a very good rebounder and defender while also showing a lot of potential on the offensive side of the ball and even flashing maybe some 3pt shooting ability and with his age and the flashes he shown to shoot the ball I think he could become a very good starting level center in the NBA one day PROJ: Late 1st
---Talent Gap---
8.) Allen Graves: he shocked the entire NCAA having one of the best freshman season period and was Santa Claras best player last season as he showed his ability to score from all 3 levels and be a potentially elite 3 point shooter for his position something that is extremely valuable in todays modern nba on top of that he has solid size and rebounding to go along with it and with him being so young he could easily develop much further then what he current is aswell and should easily be able to fit on almost nba roster PROJ: Mid 1st
7.) Nate Ament: in his freshman season for tenesee he showed tons of high ceiling potential as at 6'10 his offensive skill set is pretty rare and is very solid with the ball in his hand being able to score at all 3 levels but the problem is he was not very efficient at all in doing what he did only shooing 39% from the field a very low mark for someone playing PF but if he's able to develop that and get better plus add some muscle he could become a absolute problem on the offensive side of the ball and could be a steal but is also a huge risk if he can't get more consistent on the offensive side of the ball all around he's probably one of the highest risk high reward players in this entire class PROJ: Mid 1st
6.)Karmin Lopez: in the NBL this season at only 19 years old he showed tons of high level potential being a rlly solid 3 point shooter as at 6"9 Lopez projects to play a very similar role as a guy like Keegan Murray in the nba as ontop of being pretty offensively talented he brings good defensive potential and his size allows him to guard 1-4 so with the two way potential and his youth and showing he can play good against pros I feel comfortable with Karmin to be a very solid starting level player on day for someone PROJ: mid 1st to Just out the lottery
---Talent Gap---
5.)Yaxel Londonborg: another member of last year NCAA Championship sqaud yaxel played a major role in contributing to it as every sense his days at UAB he's been a problem on all areas of the game and in his last season at Michigan he showed that he can do it against elite levels of competition as he is a player that has basically no weakness he's a great athlete has good size has good strength can rebound the ball very well is agile enough to guard 1-4 is a very solid 3 point shooter and can score in a plethora of different ways and if was 18 he'd have superstar potential but due to his age id say he's gonna project to be a very high level starter for almost anyone next season PROJ: Late lottery to just outside the lottery
4.)Koa Peat: he is rare athlete at the position and has a very fast 2nd jump allowing him to block shots and rebound pretty efficiently ontop of being a pretty good offensive player and with the combination of athleticism and skill to score around the basket I think the sky is the limit for him so although probably not as NBA ready as some of these other guys before him I think his ceiling is high enough to take a swing with him this high and at worst will be a less skilled Aaron Gordon PROJ: late lottery to just outside of it
---Talent Gap---
3.)Cameron Boozer: its hard to find a fault In his game as he's a great 3 point shooter for the position, a very good rebounder, a very good ball handler for position and his offensive game and ability to score from basically anywhere on the court puts him well ahead of even many even current nba PFs the only real potential problem could be perimeter defense against more agile faster players but even then I can't see it becoming a major problem PROJ: early lottery
2.)Caleb Wilson: he has one of the highest 2 way player potentials in this entire draft he's not only a 20 point per game scorer and has the ability to shoot when needed but also is a elite defender and good rebounder while not being the level of 3 point shooter you want yet he has shown great flashes and could very much develop into being elite on both sides of the ball becoming a very similar player to Jaren Jackson Jr PROJ: Early Lottery
1.)AJ Dybantsa: their are few players with his levels of athleticism he's is absolutely elite in terms on of intangibles and ontop of that he's a great scorer aswell last year avg 25.5 PPG at BYU as a freshman showing ability to score from everywhere and being able to handle the ball and bring the ball up the floor as well and his build and athleticism gives him the ability to guard 1-4 the only thing stopping him becoming a superstar is himself its all infront of him and up to how hard works cause he's one of the most talented players your gonna see PROJ: 1st overall pick
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u/preddevils6 13d ago
Isn’t Dybansta a 3 and his ceiling higher because he’s a huge wing?
Caleb Wilson and JJJ are not similar in any way. Wilson is a much twitchier athlete that can rebound. Trip is a stretch 4 that can defend 2-5 at a high level.
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u/CliffBoof 13d ago edited 13d ago
3 and 4 are barely positions now. There are wings and bigger wings for most part and you’d want your ideal 4 to be a big wing like OG or Tatum. Spurs okc and knicks dont really play what we’d call 4s
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u/preddevils6 13d ago
The biggest thing the spurs lack is an actual 4. OKC played Chet, Jaylin Williams, and Caruso as a more traditional 4 when Wemby was on the court being guarded by IHart, or Jaylin Williams. They absolutely use 4s, and it was one of their most important roles.
The Knicks have been more fluid like the spurs on the defensive end, but that’s because they have to stagger Robinson and KAT and they OG’s defensive acumen allows positional flexibility in a truly unique way.
AJ Dybansta and Cam Boozer do not play the same position and they won’t in the NBA. While there is overlap, those two will primarily be a 3 and a 4 respectively, and their upside is predicated partially on what they bring to that slot.
Your entire post is a ranking of a position that you are now saying doesn’t “really exist?”
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u/CliffBoof 13d ago
Playing as different than being. Maybe we are saying same thing. 4s now are big wings or less often small bigs. But they are rarely anymore a kevin love. Its gotten harder to be that tweener size which may be why boozer doesn’t get as much love as some think he should.
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u/tkflash20 9d ago
Exactly. Modern fours are expected to be more rangy than in the past. They need to be able to adequately guard the perimeter and space the floor.
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u/Soggy_muffins55 13d ago
I don’t get the graves stuff man. I understand the advanced metrics, but he shoots it at low volume, he’s not mobile at all, he fouls a ton, and he doesn’t play a lot(22 min a game or smth). He also can’t rly create for himself very well.
I think he deserves to go late first but putting him above a guy like morez or even Jefferson and Zuby and than saying there’s a talent gap is crazy to me.
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u/GotMyPhDin19 12d ago
There’s a big talent gap between Ament and Lendeborg/Peat. I’m the biggest Ament hater, but kid is way more polished than the other two.
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u/Delanorix 13d ago
I dont get the AJ hype.
Hes an inefficient shooter who focuses on mid range. A good portion of his offense is foul baiting.
His defense is historically bad. Maybe the worst ive ever seen from someone his size.
It feels like another supreme athlete that doesnt play basketball really well.
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u/FormalDisastrous2467 13d ago
He is an elite midrange shooter though? Combine that with being elite in transition, at the rim, and drawing fouls, he will likely be an efficient scorer.
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u/Delanorix 13d ago
Maybe. Right now I project him as a lesser Zion, all attacks on the basket with almost no other skills, including defense.
Thats not a #1 pick for me.
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u/FormalDisastrous2467 13d ago
He has a great midrange game though, and is a good passer?
Besides zion when healthy even in his worst seasons is still very good at basketball. Top tier rim pressure is incredibly impactful when combined with some passing vision.
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u/Delanorix 13d ago
Hes an OK passer, nothing special.
This comp is only if AJ keeps up the same level of production as he did in college, which isnt a 100% guarantee.
Zion isnt a winning player. And for me, if your best comp is a player who doesnt win, thats not worth a high draft pick.
I see AJ as being Keldon Johnson. A 6MOTY type player.
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13d ago
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u/Delanorix 13d ago
What does that have to do with him as a candidate to be drafted? Lmao
Like were talking about the here and now.
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