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Have you ever watched a cartoon scuffle evolve into a swirling cloud of dust, stars, limbs, and onomatepea? With the participants jostling, wrestling, and tackling at such a high speed, the animators are physically incapable (or occupationally unwilling) of sketching at a quick enough rate to keep pace with the escalating kerfuffle.
Dust and dirt fuse into an opaque mist that masks everything within. Like a dogpile or a rugby scrum cross-bred with a buzzsaw, if you were to brazenly stick your hand into the whirlwind, you’d certainly pull it out to see nothing but a bleeding stump where an extremity once existed. It’s chaos. It’s madness. It’s comedy.
Most of all, though, that’s exactly how I envision the battle for the number one pick in the upcoming NBA Draft class.
The tank race didn’t feel quite so intense and crowded when Victor Wembanyama was up for grabs. Nor did it when Cooper Flagg headlined the 2025 batch. But with a top-three as loaded as 2026 promises, nearly one-third of the NBA has opted to slam the self-destruct button in hopes of diving to the bottom of the standings and securing a franchise-altering talent.
Utah was dinged for half a million dollars for their role in the tank race. Indiana was fined $100k. But the damage done by those lashings will be mere footnotes should those teams find the favor of the ping pong balls and walk away with a top-three pick. After all, when money can’t buy hardware, what’s the damage from a tanking fine?
But I keep referring to the top three prospects of the class as if everyone knows exactly who I’m talking about. If you’re an avid reader of a Utah Jazz blog (hi, there), these three players need no introduction. The mere words “NBA” and “Draft” should be all you need to begin fantasizing about these future superstars in Utah. Salivating all over the celestial surface of your neon yellow Bojan Bogdanovic jersey. If you find yourself in the “normal” cross-section of the population, however, and have no idea what I’ve been talking about for the past 350 words or so, allow me to set your mind at ease.
AJ Dybantsa. Darryn Peterson. Cameron Boozer. Ask anyone with skin in the NBA game who they’d pick with the number one selection, and you’ll hear one of these names. If you get a different response, you should consider searching for new, less hipster friends. If you find yourself going all-in on Caleb Wilson, Darius Acuff Jr., Mikel Brown Jr., or (heaven forbid) Keaton Wagler, I plead with you to seek intensive psychiatric care and forgiveness from whatever deity you worship. Yes, yes, you’re very avant-garde for going against the grain. Now consider why you will never be a decision-maker in an NBA front office.
The big three are this year’s headliners — Dybantsa, Peterson, and Boozer in no particular order. Each brings their own distinct strengths, weaknesses, and a hoard of fans anxious to preach their gospel of greatness to the NBA Draft debate.
Each of these freshman phenoms possesses all-NBA DNA, but only one can be the number one pick this summer.
So who’s it going to be? Who should it be? And why, oh why, is the bottom half of the NBA actively self-sabotaging for the chance of acquiring their services?
AJ Dybantsa | 6’9” F | BYU
2025-26 stats: 24.9 PPG (leads NCAA), 6.8 RPG, 3.7 APG, 53.0% FG, 36.3% 3PT
The most physically gifted and dynamic player in the draft, AJ Dybantsa, is like a cross between Tracy McGrady, Kevin Durant, and Plastic Man.
His footwork and unpredictable movement pattern often force defenders to guess which way he’s going as he carefully and confidently backs them down before lurching to the side and elegantly dropping the ball through the nylon from mid-range. He’s stretchy and lanky, and he uses his size to his advantage as he elevates just out of reach for a comfortably contested jump shot.
He’ll play above the rim, from the perimeter, and from his timeshare in the midrange, and is deadly from nearly every spot on the court.
An underrated distributor and leader of his BYU team, Dybantsa has gradually become the injury-plagued Cougars’ only offensive option as he’s assumed the role of the team’s sun offensively. He’s had to do it himself for much of the season, playing all 40 minutes in several contests following the foundational loss of Richie Saunders, to varying degrees of success. It’s tough to say if his shot selection has been poor by circumstance and necessity, or if he simply forces bad looks, or foul-baits too often when backed into a corner.
Still, he draws more fouls than any player in college basketball, and that’s become a necessity for the NBA’s superstars. Looking at you, SGA, Doncic, and Jokic.
He projects as a generational scorer and perhaps a top-25 player in the NBA within his first three seasons, but he has plenty of rough edges to smooth out before he can make the leap. Specifically, can he secure his handle and cut down on turnovers?
He’s got the competitive drive and proven willingness to learn from his mistakes that should have NBA suitors very secure in their hopes for AJ as a prospect.
Darryn Peterson | 6’5” G | Kansas
2025-26 stats: 19.7 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 1.5 APG, 46.5% FG, 40.3% 3PT, 1.1 SPG
Your assignment is Darryn Peterson, the Jayhawks’ freshman point guard, and your directive is simple: guard him from end to end, stay between him and the basket, and for the love of Dr. James Naismith, keep an eye out for his pull-up jumpers. But it’s no use. He’s dropped 20 points on your head, it’s not even halftime, and worst of all, the guy hasn’t even broken a sweat. But he’s sure broken your spirit.
There may be nothing more discouraging than watching Peterson stoic and unbothered as he tears your team apart. He’s deliberate. He’s polished. And he may be one of the most gifted score-first guard prospects since Kyrie Irving. He can be a bit averse to distributing — one or fewer assists in 12 of his 18 appearances — but the ball is going through the rim, regardless of his teammates’ involvement.
But effortless is beginning to be the operative word for both sides of the Peterson dilemma. He’s become notorious in the second half of the season for his unwillingness — or inability — to finish basketball games for head coach Bill Self. He’ll check himself out of games long before the final buzzer, looking around and seemingly declaring, “I think I’ve made my point” before planting himself on the sideline.
He’s dealt with a hamstring issue for much of the season, but refuses to elaborate as to why he can’t finish basketball games with Kansas. His high school tape shows a player more aggressive and driven to put pressure on the rim. He’s a touch more cautious against the onslaught of the Big 12 Conference. So how do you account for this: is Peterson cautious of injury, preserving himself for the NBA, or simply a touch halted by his lingering hamstring issues?
What he does well, he does incredibly well. But the unpredictable nature of his freshman season could give NBA GMs reason for concern.
Cameron Boozer | 6’9” F | Duke
2025-26 stats: 22.6 PPG, 10.0 RPG, 4.0 APG, 58.3% FG, 40.4% 3PT, 1.6 SPG
Cameron Boozer is a carbon-neutral basketball player. Absolutely no wasted movements, no needless energy-burning, and everything he does is driven with purpose.
Sure, Dybantsa and Peterson may be better dancers with the ball in their hands, but Boozer is a metronome. Steady, reliable, and sets the pace for his teammates whenever he steps onto the floor — on either end of the floor. So if the issue comes down to fireworks vs production, few produce more consistently than Boozer.
A powerful inside game, combined with the grit to get his hands dirty and rebound, oh yeah, and he’s hitting 40% from distance this season. Add to the mix that he’s an incredibly underrated distributor, and Boozer is likely the most well-rounded player in the class.
But how high can he climb? His game is incredibly dependent on physicality, where he dominates at the collegiate level, but absent of game-breaking athleticism, there’s a non-zero chance that his impact becomes somewhat muted as a pro. He’s plug-and-play for any team in the league, and I don’t expect him to skip a beat even with the increased size and athleticism of NBA-level competition, but what is his ceiling? Does he stand to be the primary option on Finals-aspiring roster, or would he be better suited as a 1B — the second head of the dragon?
That’s speculative. We already know today, however, that Boozer’s potential to be a dud in the NBA is microscopic. He’s the safe choice — do you want to go safe if you hold the number one pick, or do you swing for the fences? Who knows, maybe Boozer offers a chance for both.
Calvin Barrett is a writer, editor, and prolific Mario Kart racer located in Tokyo, Japan. He has covered the NBA and College Sports since 2024.