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John Calipari's track record of developing NBA talent is about to officially add three names to his long list of pedigree.
The NBA Draft begins on Tuesday, June 23, and three Arkansas basketball players should hear their names called in Brooklyn. Darius Acuff Jr. is a lock to go in the lottery, and Meleek Thomas could be another first-round pick. Trevon Brazile hopes to kickstart his professional career as a second-round pick.
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, the freshman 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.
Calipari had a 17-year streak with a first-round draft pick end in 2025, but Acuff and maybe Thomas will start another streak for the Hall of Fame coach.
Here are the latest mock draft predictions for the three Arkansas players.
The skinny: Last week, there was a consensus that Acuff would call Brooklyn home to begin his NBA career. However, The Athletic and Yahoo Sports have gone in different directions projecting where the point guard from Detroit will land. Most experts say his floor is No. 7 to the Sacramento Kings, and most mocks believe he will be the second point guard taken behind Illinois' Keaton Wagler. Acuff turned himself into a consensus lottery pick after beginning his freshman season projected toward the back-half of the first round. The SEC Player of the Year showed 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, but his measurables at the NBA Combine helped calm some of those concerns.
The skinny: Most mocks believe Thomas will go with one of the final picks of the first round, but Tankathon and The Athletic have him sliding to a second-round selection. Thomas' off-ball brilliance could fit well with the defending champion New York Knicks, but he'll surely want to be a first-round pick after opting to skip his sophomore season in Fayetteville. He 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: The Ringer only has a one-round mock draft, so all available projections believe Brazile won't go undrafted. Otherwise, there are a wide variety of forecasts, with CBS Sports' San Antonio Spurs prediction providing the most intrigue. Brazile lining up in the same frontcourt as Victor Wembanyama would be a scary proposition for opposing offenses. At one point in his career, the 6-foot-10 stretch-four 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 basketball prospects projections
Continue reading...
The NBA Draft begins on Tuesday, June 23, and three Arkansas basketball players should hear their names called in Brooklyn. Darius Acuff Jr. is a lock to go in the lottery, and Meleek Thomas could be another first-round pick. Trevon Brazile hopes to kickstart his professional career as a second-round pick.
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, the freshman 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.
Calipari had a 17-year streak with a first-round draft pick end in 2025, but Acuff and maybe Thomas will start another streak for the Hall of Fame coach.
Here are the latest mock draft predictions for the three Arkansas players.
Arkansas Basketball NBA Mock Draft Projections
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. 5, LA Clippers
- The Athletic: No. 7, Sacramento Kings
The skinny: Last week, there was a consensus that Acuff would call Brooklyn home to begin his NBA career. However, The Athletic and Yahoo Sports have gone in different directions projecting where the point guard from Detroit will land. Most experts say his floor is No. 7 to the Sacramento Kings, and most mocks believe he will be the second point guard taken behind Illinois' Keaton Wagler. Acuff turned himself into a consensus lottery pick after beginning his freshman season projected toward the back-half of the first round. The SEC Player of the Year showed 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, but his measurables at the NBA Combine helped calm some of those concerns.
Meleek Thomas
- ESPN: No. 27, Boston Celtics
- CBS Sports: No. 29, Cleveland Cavaliers
- Tankathon: No. 31, New York Knicks
- The Ringer: No. 30, Dallas Mavericks
- Yahoo! Sports: No. 21, Detroit Pistons
- The Athletic: No. 33, Brooklyn Nets
The skinny: Most mocks believe Thomas will go with one of the final picks of the first round, but Tankathon and The Athletic have him sliding to a second-round selection. Thomas' off-ball brilliance could fit well with the defending champion New York Knicks, but he'll surely want to be a first-round pick after opting to skip his sophomore season in Fayetteville. He 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: No. 42, San Antonio Spurs
- Tankathon: No. 41, Miami Heat
- The Ringer: N/A
- Yahoo! Sports: No. 56, Chicago Bulls
- The Athletic: No. 43, Brooklyn Nets
The skinny: The Ringer only has a one-round mock draft, so all available projections believe Brazile won't go undrafted. Otherwise, there are a wide variety of forecasts, with CBS Sports' San Antonio Spurs prediction providing the most intrigue. Brazile lining up in the same frontcourt as Victor Wembanyama would be a scary proposition for opposing offenses. At one point in his career, the 6-foot-10 stretch-four 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 basketball prospects projections
Continue reading...
