Wagler, Steinbach, More: The Raptors need to target these players in the 2026 NBA Draft
It’s a bittersweet time to be a Raptors fan. The regular season success is starting to come back into the picture for the franchise, but there is a looming sense of unease. Some of the pieces of this puzzle don’t fit together cleanly. The team very clearly has some bad salary, and it’s a little uncertain how the roster can improve without taking unappealing and risky money in return or by offloading assets that are still needed in order to realize long-term success. The team’s current play is great for developing the pieces already on the team, provided they are given appropriate opportunities (please Darko, start trusting Gradey Dick more), but it would be foolish to say that the team should start dismissing the importance of the draft and developing youth in order to make more win-now moves; we’re just simply not there yet from a competitive standpoint.
We need only look as far as the reigning NBA Champions to understand the importance of continuing to build through the draft, even as a team with championship aspirations. Sam Presti’s genius may be difficult to replicate in today’s current stingy trade market, where the value of draft picks are skyrocketing; it is becoming increasingly rare to see multiple first round picks moved even in trades for other stars. However, the importance of finding cost-controlled, high-ceiling talent should not be understated.
The Raptors remain active in trade talks for star players such as Anthony Davis, Domantas Sabonis, and Ja Morant, but there is a part of me that hopes they hold on to their draft capital with respect to any moves they may make at the deadline. Not only is the 2026 NBA Draft arguably the best draft class in years, but it realistically has the chance to be one of the best draft classes of all time. Even if the Raptors are picking in the late teens to early twenties of this class, the chances they could come away with an instant high-ceiling contributor (we all love CMB, right?) are too high to ignore.
This piece will serve as a preview of this year’s insanely talented draft class, with more detailed scouting reports coming at a later date, so stay tuned.
Top of their Class
There is an undeniable big three in this year’s class, any of them would be a shoo-in to be a first overall pick in most other years and I would be remiss to write a draft preview without mentioning them in some degree so people understand just how talented this class is. If you want to move on to Raptor-specific targets, scroll down.
Kansas’ Darryn Peterson has been number 1 from the jump, and despite a couple injury bouts, he’s handily held onto that position. Athletic, lightning-fast, capable of making difficult shots from anywhere on the floor with elite efficiency, Peterson is a surefire bet to be a do-it-all guard with minimal weaknesses in his game.
Duke’s Cam Boozer is a force of nature, putting up impact stats similar to that of Zion Williamson. Boozer is another prospect with very few weaknesses in his game, though if I had to nitpick, his handle and off-the-dribble shooting will need to improve to propel him to superstar status.
BYU’s AJ Dybantsa is an athletic phenom with unreal scoring ability and playmaking chops from his time running the point in high school. Dybantsa’s benefited from weaker competition and looked like he still had much to prove in his most recent game against Peterson and the Jayhawks. Dybantsa’s the streakiest shooter of the top three, and he’s a fair amount more ball dominant. He will likely lock himself into third place on my personal board barring any unexpected changes, but that’s not meant as a slight against him; this draft is just that good at the top.
Raptor Range
We’re at a point in the draft cycle where really only the top of the class have cemented themselves. The Raptors figure to pick anywhere in the 15-25 range of this year’s class, which is a pretty wide net of prospects to choose from. I don’t think that decision will get any easier as we get closer to draft night, but there are prospects who are starting to separate themselves, and there are a handful of potential future stars in this group.
How much things have changed in such a short amount of time, as I had planned on writing brief summaries for Illinois’ Keaton Wagler and Arkansas’ Darius Acuff. Both players are now firmly lottery locks, much to my dismay. Nonetheless…
If the appetite for a big man still hasn’t subsided by the time the draft rolls around, there are really only a few options who would be worth considering in this range, as it’s a very guard/forward heavy class.
I almost shouldn’t be writing about Washington’s Hannes Steinbach, since he also seems to be cementing himself in lottery conversations, but the German big man would fit like a glove in Toronto. The Raptors love bigs like Steinbach who possess high feel and can move the ball around (see Poeltl, Gasol… the rumours around Sabonis are only fanning those flames). Steinbach is a monster on the glass and he shoots 37% from deep on just under two attempts per game. He is rather slow-footed on the perimeter and his defensive impact stats aren’t where you would want them to be, but his tenacity on the glass and interior presence means he isn’t a total zero on the defensive end.
Patrick Ngongba from Duke is more of a boring-but-safe option here, as he fits the typical mold of a throwback big with a lower ceiling. Ngongba is efficient at the rim with good touch, he’s one of the best rim defenders in the class, and occasionally steps out to defend the perimeter. The mobility on the perimeter will be something to monitor at this point, as he still needs to improve his footwork, but I am a much bigger fan of Ngongba as a prospect than I was of the Duke big from last year’s class: Khaman Maluach. Ngongba is not the fastest player. He won’t beat you on the run in transition and it’s pretty rare to see him run the floor generally. The Raptors love their transition play, so it’s difficult to see a fit for a traditional interior big who doesn’t run. Ngongba’s assist to turnover ratio is encouraging for a big, but a lot of his passes are stationary and he lacks creativity. He’s somebody who knows how to keep the ball moving, but I wouldn’t count on him as an offensive hub or somebody who can bail the team out of tough situations. The shot is purely hypothetical, but with his touch, feel, and defensive instincts, I have faith he’ll be a suitable rotation big.
Aday Mara played two seasons at UCLA before transferring to Michigan, where the Spaniard has had a much-improved junior campaign. The pitch for Mara is his versatility. At 7’3″, one would correctly expect Mara to be an elite rim protector. Averaging 4.1 blocks per 36 minutes at Michigan, Mara projects incredibly favourably as a defensive anchor on the inside. What makes Mara more intriguing is his versatility as a playmaker, averaging 3.5 assists per 36 minutes. Mara struggles with conditioning (only averaging a touch under 23 minutes per game this year) and his touch is less than ideal. His height naturally gives him a big boost at the rim, but his shot is frankly nonexistent and he isn’t a free throw shooter (47% on 4 fta/g).
Moving more to the guards; it’s clear that Immanuel Quickley is not the long-term solution at point guard that many were hoping for. Jamal Shead is fantastic defensively, but his shortcomings on the offensive end combined with the fact that he will be 24 by the end of this season also means that the Raptors will most likely have to continue their search for the eventual Kyle Lowry successor.
Brayden Burries is an (older) Arizona freshman who is leading the Wildcats to a currently undefeated record. At 6’4″ and 205 lbs, Burries would be an ideal selection to hopefully get the Raptors some size and strength at guard, a position where they have historically been lacking in that department. Burries is a creative finisher who uses his stocky frame and smooth footwork to generate most of his looks and he’s one of the more efficient scoring guards in the class, shooting over 50% from the field. He has very good feel for the game, though I’d like to see Burries improve his playmaking and decision making a bit more since his size is much more suited for point guard (despite his style of play being more focused on self-creation).
On the other side of the guard spectrum we have Texas Tech’s Christian Anderson Jr., who has emerged as one of college basketball’s premier floor generals. At 6’3″-6’4″, Anderson provides ideal size and elite playmaking ability as a point guard, and he is someone who I believe is thoroughly slept on in this draft class. I can guarantee that there will be a more thorough scouting report on Anderson in the near future, just due to how much he’s rocketed up my board every time I’ve watched him play. A three-level scorer with advanced feel, shooting, and floor-general aptitude is rare in the late-first round of the draft, and the Raptors should really take a long look at the German-American point guard. His frame is rather lean, his impact on the defensive end leaves much to be desired, and he doesn’t possess the athletic pop of some other guards in this class, but his feel and overall IQ are second to none.
We’re still in the early days and naturally some of these guys are going to rise up or fall down draft boards as the season progresses, but this is just to help Raptors fans get a general feel for the prospects in their expected draft range. I expect things to stay rather dynamic as we see more of these players, but if you asked me to pick a favourite at this point in time, I’d probably be partial to Steinbach and Anderson. I’ve provided some highlight footage for your viewing pleasure, but keep in mind that highlights only tell some of the story; as previously mentioned, full breakdowns will be coming around the traditional later points in the draft cycle.
We’ll have another preview of this insanely talented class in the coming days, so be sure to chime in on your favourites at this point in the year as well.
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