Early look at the 2026 draft

[DefenseWinsChamps]

I'm firmly in the "Darryn Peterson is the next Jalen Green" camp.

I also can't shake the comparisons in my mind with Ben McLemore.

I would take Dybantsa, Wilson, and Boozer over him, in that order.

I might take Acuff and Flemings over him as well, depending on how interviews and general vibes went with him pre-draft.

The on court product is just so much better for Peterson already than it ever was for Mclemore or Green.

I don't really agree with that.

Jalen Green didn't go to college. He played for the Ignite team, but he was widely regarded as a high level atheltic prospect. 18-4-3 in the g-league.

Ben McLemore's stats were pretty similar to Peterson's in college. His PPG were a little less, but his percentages and assists were higher. I don't think Peterson will be a bust like McLemore, but I also can't get that bias out of my head.

I legit think the hype around Peterson is getting out of hand. I think he's a really good prospect, but the athletic comparisons to guys like Kobe or Edwards are a bit hyperbolic. He's a good not great shooter. He's an ok playmaker. His driving was a bit disappointing in his one college season given what he looked like in high school. He was "injured" alot, and there are definitely questions around his body language. That whole Kansas team had weird vibes, which isn't all on him, but I don't think his "injuries" helped anything.

[slamtheking]

I'm firmly in the "Darryn Peterson is the next Jalen Green" camp.

I also can't shake the comparisons in my mind with Ben McLemore.

I would take Dybantsa, Wilson, and Boozer over him, in that order.

I might take Acuff and Flemings over him as well, depending on how interviews and general vibes went with him pre-draft.

The on court product is just so much better for Peterson already than it ever was for Mclemore or Green.

I don't really agree with that.

Jalen Green didn't go to college. He played for the Ignite team, but he was widely regarded as a high level atheltic prospect. 18-4-3 in the g-league.

Ben McLemore's stats were pretty similar to Peterson's in college. His PPG were a little less, but his percentages and assists were higher. I don't think Peterson will be a bust like McLemore, but I also can't get that bias out of my head.

I legit think the hype around Peterson is getting out of hand. I think he's a really good prospect, but the athletic comparisons to guys like Kobe or Edwards are a bit hyperbolic. He's a good not great shooter. He's an ok playmaker. His driving was a bit disappointing in his one college season given what he looked like in high school. He was "injured" alot, and there are definitely questions around his body language. That whole Kansas team had weird vibes, which isn't all on him, but I don't think his "injuries" helped anything.

this kid has been giving me Ben Simmons vibes --> likes the allure of the fame and money that comes from being an NBA player but without a real competitive spirit to play hard and improve their game once they get there.  Could be very wrong but there's been more than just a little concern about how little it takes to keep him off the court.

[Who]

I'm firmly in the "Darryn Peterson is the next Jalen Green" camp.

I also can't shake the comparisons in my mind with Ben McLemore.

I would take Dybantsa, Wilson, and Boozer over him, in that order.

I might take Acuff and Flemings over him as well, depending on how interviews and general vibes went with him pre-draft.

The on court product is just so much better for Peterson already than it ever was for Mclemore or Green.

I don't really agree with that.

Jalen Green didn't go to college. He played for the Ignite team, but he was widely regarded as a high level atheltic prospect. 18-4-3 in the g-league.

Ben McLemore's stats were pretty similar to Peterson's in college. His PPG were a little less, but his percentages and assists were higher. I don't think Peterson will be a bust like McLemore, but I also can't get that bias out of my head.

I legit think the hype around Peterson is getting out of hand. I think he's a really good prospect, but the athletic comparisons to guys like Kobe or Edwards are a bit hyperbolic. He's a good not great shooter. He's an ok playmaker. His driving was a bit disappointing in his one college season given what he looked like in high school. He was "injured" alot, and there are definitely questions around his body language. That whole Kansas team had weird vibes, which isn't all on him, but I don't think his "injuries" helped anything.

I wonder if they are overshooting it on those comparisons as well.

I wonder if they shouldn't go down a tier on the comparisons to someone like Ray Allen. Fantastic player but you weren't taking Ray ahead of Dybantsa.

A perennial All-Star talent rather than an MVP talent.

[Celtics4ever]

These comparisons are lazy on many levels. I mean, how often are these comparisons right?  Almost never. It is a tool we use to understand but there are so many variables that make these comparisons impossible to get right.  Who they played, who they played with, differences in era and play as you can see it is nigh impossible.

Darryn Peterson struggled against St. John's high pressure D.  In fact, some of these ball pressuring teams did very well this weekend and teams struggled to advance the ball.  He did break Kansas' freshmen scoring record for a tournament game,  I read.   I don't think this is true given Wilt played there.  He is not the same league as Kobe or Michael athletically and struggled to get separation on shots.  He is very good but lacks elite explosion.

The on court product is just so much better for Peterson already than it ever was for Mclemore

McLemore was a mediocre pro at best, that is a low bar to surpass.

I don't think this is a super strong draft this year despite all the hype.   Is any of these players dominant?  AJ Dybantsa maybe....

The thing is, his dad was able to keep his physical edge, which made him an excellent NBA player.  Some undersized guys are like that; even after Elton Brand lost his athleticism he was a load, because he was built like a tree trunk.

I have a different definition of excellent, he was very good but I would not call him excellent by any means.   He was a two time all star,  all pro third team in 2008 would I have loved to have him on the Celtics during his era, of course.   

Strength can make up for some size.   But lack of vertical pop will be a limitation at times.  He has a lot of tools that can neutralize this weakness like high basketball IQ, strength, good positioning and skill level.  Cameron Boozer will be a good player, but I don't think rings will fall out of the sky for him.

[Who]

Kevin Love could be a good recent comparison for Cam Boozer. Both were among the most refined / skilled post players in the last 20 years. Great fundamentals. Passing ability. Decision making. Shooting. Great fundamentals. Both subpar athletes. Undersized bigs.

[DefenseWinsChamps]

These comparisons are lazy on many levels. I mean, how often are these comparisons right?  Almost never. It is a tool we use to understand but there are so many variables that make these comparisons impossible to get right.  Who they played, who they played with, differences in era and play as you can see it is nigh impossible.

Darryn Peterson struggled against St. John's high pressure D.  In fact, some of these ball pressuring teams did very well this weekend and teams struggled to advance the ball.  He did break Kansas' freshmen scoring record for a tournament game,  I read.   I don't think this is true given Wilt played there.  He is not the same league as Kobe or Michael athletically and struggled to get separation on shots.  He is very good but lacks elite explosion.

The on court product is just so much better for Peterson already than it ever was for Mclemore

McLemore was a mediocre pro at best, that is a low bar to surpass.

I don't think this is a super strong draft this year despite all the hype.   Is any of these players dominant?  AJ Dybantsa maybe....

The thing is, his dad was able to keep his physical edge, which made him an excellent NBA player.  Some undersized guys are like that; even after Elton Brand lost his athleticism he was a load, because he was built like a tree trunk.

I have a different definition of excellent, he was very good but I would not call him excellent by any means.   He was a two time all star,  all pro third team in 2008 would I have loved to have him on the Celtics during his era, of course.   

Strength can make up for some size.   But lack of vertical pop will be a limitation at times.  He has a lot of tools that can neutralize this weakness like high basketball IQ, strength, good positioning and skill level.  Cameron Boozer will be a good player, but I don't think rings will fall out of the sky for him.

Fair enough. I don't actually think Peterson will flame out like McLemore, but the comparisons gave me pause.

Player comps do two things in my mind:

1. They are fun to do.
2. Projecting what players may be in the next level is very abstract. Doing a player comp makes it a bit more concrete, even if it is at most only partially accurate.