Who is No. 1 pick in new 2026 NBA mock draft? AI predicts first round
Mark GiannottoThe clock is ticking for potential 2026 NBA draft prospects. The early entry deadline for underclassmen to declare for the draft is Friday, April 24 and the draft lottery to determine the exact order of picks is less than a month away.
Most of the top players have already made their decisions known, although several have elected to enter college basketball's transfer portal and test the NBA draft waters to keep their options open within the NIL landscape. But artificial intelligence, like the various mock draft experts around the country, can already predict how the first round of this loaded draft class stacks up.
USA TODAY Sports once again queried the Microsoft Copilot chatbot for its version of a 2026 NBA mock draft based on information and analysis currently available on the internet, and it continued to have BYU's AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson of Kansas and Duke's Cameron Boozer as the top-three picks. But the order was slightly different than the most recent USA TODAY Sports NBA mock draft, and selections varied even more further down the draft order.
How the order settles is likely to depend on the pre-draft process if the current variety in mock drafts are to be believed. Here's Microsoft Copilot's latest 2026 NBA mock draft, as curated by USA TODAY Sports:
2026 NBA mock draft by USA TODAY Sports
You can compare AI's picks to the latest USA TODAY 2026 NBA mock draft by clicking here.
2026 NBA mock draft: AI picks first round
USA TODAY Sports asked Microsoft Copilot AI to generate a mock draft for the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft featuring only players who could be eligible this year, with an additional prompt to include players that had either already declared for the NBA draft or not announced a return to college.
Microsoft Copilot assigned the draft order based on regular-season NBA records and recent draft lottery tiebreakers, with the worst record getting the No. 1 pick and the best record getting the No. 30 pick. It used current mock drafts from reputable websites, as well as team needs, prospect analysis and potential pick swaps/protections, to determine the first-round selections for each team in this exercise.
AI models still have issues with accuracy as seen in the mock draft below. Of particular note, Microsoft Copilot had several picks inaccurately assigned to teams based on previous trades and pick swaps.
Here's a 2026 NBA first-round mock draft, according to Microsoft Copilot AI, as of April 22.
1. Washington Wizards: AJ Dybantsa, BYU
2. Indiana Pacers: Darryn Peterson, Kansas
3. Brooklyn Nets: Cameron Boozer, Duke
4. Utah Jazz: Caleb Wilson, North Carolina
5. Sacramento Kings: Darius Acuff Jr., Arkansas
6. Memphis Grizzlies: Mikel Brown Jr., Louisville
7. Atlanta Hawks (via New Orleans): Kingston Flemings, Houston
Note: The Hawks receive the better pick between the New Orleans Pelicans and Milwaukee Bucks through a trade during the 2025 NBA draft. The Bucks get the lesser of the two selections.
8. Dallas Mavericks: Brayden Burries, Arizona
9. ChicagoBulls: Nate Ament, Tennessee
10. Milwaukee Bucks: Labaron Philon Jr., Alabama
11. Golden State Warriors: Jayden Quaintance, Kentucky
12. Oklahoma City Thunder (via LA Clippers): Hannes Steinbach, Washington
13. Miami Heat: Isaiah Evans, Duke
14. Charlotte Hornets: Karim Lopez, New Zealand Breakers (NBL)
