The 2026 NBA Draft is less than three weeks away, and sifting through the speculation is especially intriguing this year.
There's a consensus top four of AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer and Caleb Wilson, but no consensus on what order in which they will be chosen. Dybantsa remains the trendy pick to go No. 1 in recent mock draft updates, but there is little agreement on the pecking order for the group of guards expected to be picked beginning as early as the fifth pick in the first round. Potential choices diverge even more from there now that the withdrawal deadline for prospects to return to college has passed.
AI is trying to figure out what's what just like the humans that feed its information capabilities, based on the latest mock draft curated by USA TODAY Sports using Microsoft Copilot's artificial intelligence chatbot. Though its top-four stayed the same, the rest of the first round is almost completely different from its ****** ysis last month after the conclusion of the NBA draft scouting combine. It's a reflection of the changing perception of draft experts as workouts continue and new intel emerges.
Here's a breakdown of Microsoft Copilot AI's latest 2026 NBA mock draft, including the chatbot's reasoning for making each first-round pick:
HIGH SCHOOL: How projected NBA draft first-round picks ranked as recruits
There's a consensus top four of AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer and Caleb Wilson, but no consensus on what order in which they will be chosen. Dybantsa remains the trendy pick to go No. 1 in recent mock draft updates, but there is little agreement on the pecking order for the group of guards expected to be picked beginning as early as the fifth pick in the first round. Potential choices diverge even more from there now that the withdrawal deadline for prospects to return to college has passed.
AI is trying to figure out what's what just like the humans that feed its information capabilities, based on the latest mock draft curated by USA TODAY Sports using Microsoft Copilot's artificial intelligence chatbot. Though its top-four stayed the same, the rest of the first round is almost completely different from its ****** ysis last month after the conclusion of the NBA draft scouting combine. It's a reflection of the changing perception of draft experts as workouts continue and new intel emerges.
Here's a breakdown of Microsoft Copilot AI's latest 2026 NBA mock draft, including the chatbot's reasoning for making each first-round pick:
HIGH SCHOOL: How projected NBA draft first-round picks ranked as recruits
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