NBA Draft takeaways

Good morning! You made it to the weekend.

Let's get to Thursday’s college hoops news.

1. Notable undrafted players + more NBA Draft news

The NBA Draft’s second round never has the same pop as the first round, especially when it’s held on an entirely different day. Still, there was some interesting developments from Thursday.

• With Sion James (33rd to Charlotte) and Tyrese Proctor (49th to Cleveland), Duke became the 19th team to have at least five players drafted in a single year. The last to do so was 2021-22 Duke.

• After Walter Clayton Jr. was selected at No. 18 in the first round, Florida’s other two starting guards were drafted 39th to Toronto (Alijah Martin) and 56th to Memphis (Will Richard).

• Thanks to eight picks in the second round, the SEC finished with a conference-high 14 picks in the NBA Draft.

• John Calipari’s had a player drafted every year since 2007. Adou Thiero (36th to the LA Lakers) was the latest. However, this was the first time since 2009 that he didn’t have a player selected in the first round.

• Liberty 6th Man Taelon Peter (54th to Indiana) didn’t even start for the CUSA program.

• Here’s a list of every draft pick and trade.

Who were the biggest names that didn’t get drafted? Let’s start here.

The most consequential was probably Big East POY RJ Luis, who still had eligibility but opted to stay in the draft. He’s set to play for the Utah Jazz.

Here’s the list for the notable undrafted free agents and where they’re going this summer.

2. Which college players will be first-round picks in ‘26?

Six non-freshmen college hoops players were first-round draft picks, the highest being South Carolina’s Collin Murray-Boyles at No. 9. NBA teams still covet freshmen — a record 18 were selected in the first round — there are still benefits to returning to college hoops.

Here are six college players who should be first-round picks in the 2026 NBA Draft.

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