The beginning of the 2026 NBA Draft went as was widely expected, as AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer and Caleb Wilson came off the board in succession on Tuesday night. Then the guard frenzy began. The Los Angeles Clippers used the No. 5 pick on Keaton Wagler, the Brooklyn Nets grabbed Mikel Brown Jr. at No. 6, the Sacramento Kings happily scooped up Darius Acuff Jr. at No. 7 and the already dangerous Atlanta Hawks snagged Kingston Flemings with the No. 8 selection.
This portion of the festivities could be the one that commands thorough analysis years from now. Longtime ESPN reporter Brian Windhorst specifically believes that the Nets’ decision to take the versatile Brown over the explosive Acuff will be a huge talking point moving forward.
“We’re gonna remember this night on who took these guards where,” he told Scott Van Pelt on SportsCenter. “The rubber met the road at the sixth pick here with the Brooklyn Nets. They could have taken Mikel Brown out of Louisville, they could have taken Acuff or they could have traded the pick back. They take Brown. That choice — Brown or Acuff — I honestly believe will be one of the legacies of this draft.”
.@WindhorstESPN breaks down the biggest storylines from Round 1 of the NBA draft
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— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) June 24, 2026
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