If you’re not a nightly hoops watcher, this might be news to you, but the race to tank for NBA Draft positioning is starting to ramp up.
It’s no secret that this year’s class is expected to be both deep and supremely talented at the top, specifically the top three. Kansas guard Darryn Peterson is the favorite to go No. 1 overall (-135), followed by BYU forward AJ Dybantsa (+120), and Duke big man Cameron Boozer (10/1).
All three are worthy of being selected first overall. Dybantsa and Boozer are tied for fourth in the nation, averaging 22.9 points per game. Peterson, who has played just seven games this season due to injury, is averaging 22.6 points and would rank eighth in the country if his stats qualified.
2026 NBA Draft Odds
| Player | No. 1 pick odds |
|---|---|
| Darryn Peterson | -135 |
| AJ Dybantsa | +120 |
| Cameron Boozer | 10/1 |
| Caleb Wilson | 50/1 |
| Dame Sarr | 150/1 |
| Jayden Quaintance | 150/1 |
| Koa Peat | 150/1 |
| Mikel Brown Jr. | 200/1 |
| Chris Cenac Jr. | 200/1 |
| Karim Lopez | 200/1 |
| Nate Ament | 200/1 |
| Tounde Yessoufou | 200/1 |
When you watch all three players, their impact jumps off the screen.
Peterson is a good on-ball defender, has a lightning-quick first step on his drives, and is a deadly shooter from beyond the arc, hitting 41.5 percent of his 3-point attempts.
Boozer has exceptional footwork as a big, is an underrated passer, and can stretch the floor as a 38.1 percent 3-point shooter. He’s also a relentless rebounder and has the ability to grab-and-go after getting defensive boards.
Dybantsa is the most explosive athlete of the group. With his 6-foot-9 frame, he has the ability to shoot over defenders and finish over them, too. Dybantsa’s 3-point shooting has been iffy, but his mid-range game is impressive.
Among the three, Boozer looks like the most complete college player, which is why he’s running away with the Wooden Award — he’s a -210 favorite to win it as of this writing.
It’s still way too early to make any proclamations on which player will be better 10 years from now, which is how scouts and NBA front offices typically judge these things in the draft room. That said, I get the feeling that Dybantsa will be the player taken first once the draft rolls around.
Betting on the NBA?
The race to the bottom happening across the NBA is ironically competitive. The Pelicans (who owe their pick to the Hawks), Pacers, Kings, Wizards, and Nets are the five worst teams in the league by record, and they have a decent lead on the next group of teams. Anything can happen in the NBA Lottery (just ask the Mavericks), but the bottom three teams all have the same odds to get the No. 1 pick.
The team picking No. 1 rarely goes for the player who fits best based on position; they tend to swing for the player with the highest upside. The team that ends up with the first pick will likely look at Dybantsa’s 6-foot-9 frame and make him fit on their roster, whether it makes sense right away or not.
The odds are bound to shift as we get deeper into conference play and the NCAA tournament, but I think Dybantsa will overtake Peterson on the odds board, and I’m grabbing him a +120 while I still can.
The Pick: AJ Dybantsa No. 1 Pick in 2026 NBA Draft (+120, bet365)
Why Trust New York Post Betting
Malik Smith has been immersed in the sports betting industry since 2017. He’s a data nerd with a particular focus on the NBA and combat sports. He spends his weeknights in the winter looking for edges on plus-money NBA player props.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
