Teams thought so highly of the 2026 NBA Draft class that we saw historic levels of tanking last season — in the final months of the campaign, nine teams were actively not looking to win games, hoping to improve their lottery odds (even slightly). It bothered Commissioner Adam Silver and the teams' owners so much that they changed the Draft Lottery rules. Again.
All that begs the question: Is the 2006 NBA Draft Class worth it? Where does this class rank historically?
It's impossible to answer that properly without a time machine, but it has the high-end talent to rank among the best. Let's break it down — and consider where the top picks like AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson and Cam Boozer would rank against other recent high draft picks.
It's unfair to ask if the 2026 Draft Class to live up to what are considered the two greatest draft classes in NBA history:
1984: Michael Jordan, Hakeem Olajuwon, Charles Barkley, John Stockton, plus a lot of players who had good careers (Sam Perkins, Kevin Willis, Otis Thorpe, Michael Cage, Jerome Kersey).
All that begs the question: Is the 2006 NBA Draft Class worth it? Where does this class rank historically?
It's impossible to answer that properly without a time machine, but it has the high-end talent to rank among the best. Let's break it down — and consider where the top picks like AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson and Cam Boozer would rank against other recent high draft picks.
It's unfair to ask if the 2026 Draft Class to live up to what are considered the two greatest draft classes in NBA history:
1984: Michael Jordan, Hakeem Olajuwon, Charles Barkley, John Stockton, plus a lot of players who had good careers (Sam Perkins, Kevin Willis, Otis Thorpe, Michael Cage, Jerome Kersey).
3 months ago
