While the exact order of which players go where is to be determined, it is pretty clear who will go one through four in the 2026 NBA Draft. AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer, and Caleb Wilson are atop big boards and are the main reasons why scouts are calling this one of the best draft classes in recent memory.
While there is plenty of talent projected to go in the rest of the lottery, there is a steep drop-off in potential come pick five, and it is unclear what the Los Angeles Clippers are going to do with that pick. As of now, it looks like Keaton Wagler or Mikel Brown Jr. could be the choice.
“[Darius] Garland’s lack of size has prompted various rival teams to forecast that the Clippers won’t use their No. 5 overall selection on Arkansas’ [Darius] Acuff or Houston’s Kingston Flemings,” Jake Fischer reported. “Such deductive reasoning has likewise sparked a belief that Illinois’ Keaton Wagler or Louisville’s Mikel Brown Jr. is the Clippers’ likely choice. Provided they keep that pick.”
While Acuff and Flemings are limited to being pure point guards because of their size, Wagler and Brown are both capable combo guards. At 6-foot-6, Wagler is a jumbo guard who did a little bit of everything at Illinois. He can knock down 3-point shots or play make for his teammates. Brown is a score-first player who can but the basketball in the bucket from all three levels. He even had a 45-point outburst at Louisville.
Fischer confirmed that the two guards have gone about their pre-draft process in very different ways. Brown has exclusively been holding 1-on-0 workouts in Orlando. Wagler, meanwhile, recently faced Flemings in a head-to-head workout at the Clippers’ facility, which he came out of looking like the better prospect.
If the Clippers’ decision does come down to Wagler vs. Brown, the Illinois product’s recent workout success could tip the scales in his favor. ClutchPoints’ Brett Siegel has reported that Los Angeles has real interest in Brown, though. Brown was mocked there in Siegel’s mock draft 3.5, too. Fans likely won’t know who the Clippers have settled on until the pick is officially in.
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