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Arkansas basketball will have three representatives at the 2026 NBA Draft.
Darius Acuff Jr., Meleek Thomas and Trevon Brazile will hear their names called at some point from June 23-24, officially beginning their NBA careers. Acuff and Brazile were always draft-bound, but Thomas was a candidate to return to the Razorbacks for the 2026-27 season.
In the end, Thomas kept his name in the draft, while Billy Richmond III decided to come back to school for his junior year. Richmond will try to become a first-round pick for the 2027 draft.
John Calipari had a 17-year streak with a first-round draft pick end in 2025, but Acuff and Thomas will likely start another streak for the Hall of Fame coach in a few weeks.
Here are the latest mock draft predictions for the three Arkansas players.
*CBS Sports and The Ringer have only done one-round mock drafts.
The skinny: Acuff turned himself into a consensus lottery pick after beginning his freshman season toward the back-half of the first round. The SEC Player of the Year is under consideration to be the first point guard picked thanks to an elite ability to create offense for himself and his teammates. He averaged 23.5 points and 6.4 assists while shooting 48.4% overall and 44% on 3-pointers. The only area holding Acuff back from being a potential No. 1 pick are some weaknesses on the defensive end and a lack of height compared to top prospects like AJ Dybantsa and Darryn Peterson.
The skinny: Thomas had an interesting decision this offseason after he declared for the draft but maintained his college eligibility. A return to Arkansas could have been parlayed into better position in the 2027 NBA Draft, but the pro buzz was undeniable after an impressive freshman campaign. The Pittsburgh native shot 41.6% on 3-pointers and averaged 15.6 points per game. He improved as a defender and took on a bigger role in shot creation for his teammates as the season wore on.
The skinny: At one point in his career, Brazile was viewed as a potential lottery pick. That hype faded, but he could still make an NBA roster next year with a rare combination of size, athleticism and 3-point shooting. Brazile is 6-foot-10 and stretched defenses by hitting 34.1% of his 3-pointers this season. He also has a library of highlight dunks, and Brazile averaged 13 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.6 blocks and 1.5 steals for the Hogs.
Jackson Fuller covers Arkansas football, basketball and baseball for the Southwest Times Record, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at [email protected] or follow him @jacksonfuller16 on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: NBA mock draft 2026 | Arkansas prospects projections
Continue reading...
Darius Acuff Jr., Meleek Thomas and Trevon Brazile will hear their names called at some point from June 23-24, officially beginning their NBA careers. Acuff and Brazile were always draft-bound, but Thomas was a candidate to return to the Razorbacks for the 2026-27 season.
In the end, Thomas kept his name in the draft, while Billy Richmond III decided to come back to school for his junior year. Richmond will try to become a first-round pick for the 2027 draft.
John Calipari had a 17-year streak with a first-round draft pick end in 2025, but Acuff and Thomas will likely start another streak for the Hall of Fame coach in a few weeks.
Here are the latest mock draft predictions for the three Arkansas players.
Arkansas Basketball NBA Mock Draft Projections
*CBS Sports and The Ringer have only done one-round mock drafts.
Darius Acuff Jr.
- ESPN: No. 6, Brooklyn Nets
- CBS Sports: No. 6, Brooklyn Nets
- Tankathon: No. 6, Brooklyn Nets
- The Ringer: No. 6, Brooklyn Nets
- Yahoo! Sports: No. 7 Sacramento Kings
- Bleacher Report: No. 6, Brooklyn Nets
The skinny: Acuff turned himself into a consensus lottery pick after beginning his freshman season toward the back-half of the first round. The SEC Player of the Year is under consideration to be the first point guard picked thanks to an elite ability to create offense for himself and his teammates. He averaged 23.5 points and 6.4 assists while shooting 48.4% overall and 44% on 3-pointers. The only area holding Acuff back from being a potential No. 1 pick are some weaknesses on the defensive end and a lack of height compared to top prospects like AJ Dybantsa and Darryn Peterson.
Meleek Thomas
- ESPN: No. 28, Minnesota Timberwolves
- CBS Sports: No. 28, Minnesota Timberwolves
- Tankathon: No. 28, Minnesota Timberwolves
- The Ringer: No. 30, Dallas Mavericks
- Yahoo! Sports: No. 21, Detroit Pistons
- Bleacher Report: No. 24, New York Knicks
The skinny: Thomas had an interesting decision this offseason after he declared for the draft but maintained his college eligibility. A return to Arkansas could have been parlayed into better position in the 2027 NBA Draft, but the pro buzz was undeniable after an impressive freshman campaign. The Pittsburgh native shot 41.6% on 3-pointers and averaged 15.6 points per game. He improved as a defender and took on a bigger role in shot creation for his teammates as the season wore on.
Trevon Brazile
- ESPN: No. 45, Sacramento Kings
- CBS Sports: N/A
- Tankathon: No. 38, Chicago Bulls
- The Ringer: N/A
- Yahoo! Sports: No. 57, Atlanta Hawks
- Bleacher Report: No. 36, Los Angeles Clippers
The skinny: At one point in his career, Brazile was viewed as a potential lottery pick. That hype faded, but he could still make an NBA roster next year with a rare combination of size, athleticism and 3-point shooting. Brazile is 6-foot-10 and stretched defenses by hitting 34.1% of his 3-pointers this season. He also has a library of highlight dunks, and Brazile averaged 13 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.6 blocks and 1.5 steals for the Hogs.
Jackson Fuller covers Arkansas football, basketball and baseball for the Southwest Times Record, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at [email protected] or follow him @jacksonfuller16 on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: NBA mock draft 2026 | Arkansas prospects projections
Continue reading...
