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Rob Dauster (left) and Jeff Goodman on The Field of 68 (Courtesy of YouTube).
The NBA draft starts on Tuesday, and it’s expected to be one of the best in recent memory. The headlining players include college stars such as Duke’s Cameron Boozer, Kansas’s Darryn Peterson, and BYU’s AJ Dybantsa. There is plenty of talent, but questions remain.
College basketball expert Jeff Goodman has watched many of these players and, alongside Rob Dauster, has broken down their strengths and weaknesses for The Field of 68. We recently caught up with Goodman to get his take on this draft class and to ask some college basketball questions.
Note: This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.
Is this draft class as good as the hype?
Jeff Goodman: “I think it’s going to depend on which Darryn Peterson we get out of this draft. I think he’s really good in the top 10 or 12, but is there a franchise-altering player? I think Peterson is your best bet for that, but I don’t have the same confidence I had this time a year ago. Two summers ago, I was the first to say he was the No. 1 player. After seeing him on the Adidas circuit, I felt he was the best player in the country. And now I just don’t know which Peterson we’re going to get.
“Physically, when he’s right, he could be a top-five player in the NBA. It’s so effortless for him. But last year, there were enough red flags. People I talked to have questioned his competitiveness, and that scares the sh*t out of me when I hear that.”
Is he the draft’s biggest boom-or-bust player?
“Yeah, I would say that’s fair. I don’t think he’ll be like a bust, like Markelle Fultz was. But boom, he’s again a top-five part in the NBA. A bust would be a top 75-player in the NBA who just isn’t available all the time. I want to believe that it was mostly his family this past year. He had full-body cramps in the preseason. And then it was the family and the camp saying, ‘Hey, if you feel anything, we can’t have something like that happening on the court. So tap out right away.’ And that’s what he did.”
Given all this, what will the Washington Wizards do with the top overall pick?
“I think they go with a safe pick, safer than Peterson, AJ Dybantsa. I don’t think you can screw this up if you’re the Wizards. AJ is going to be really good. He has a chance to be a top-10 player in the league as well. He was productive all last year. There were no issues. You can also sell AJ. AJ is a marketer’s dream, like the smile, the ability to crush it in every interview, to do every interview, and to know everybody. His dad, Ace, has done an incredible job marketing, putting them out there over and over for anybody to talk to. Darryn? Darryn did nothing.”
Where will Darryn Peterson end up?
“I think he goes (No. 2 overall) to Utah. I’ve known Danny Ainge for 25 years. They’re not passing up on a talent like that unless they found something. They’re not going to worry about his talent. But if they are concerned about his competitiveness, then I don’t know how you take him. I think ultimately, I know Danny well enough to know he does not want to pass up being in a small market like Utah. It’s different than when he was in Boston. You can’t pass up on a guy like that because you’ll never get another opportunity. This is probably their last shot to get like a top-two pick, a franchise-changer because you’re not getting that in free agency.”
Is Cameron Boozer the safest pick in this draft?
“A hundred percent. There’s no way Cameron Boozer fails. Now, can he be a top-5 or top-10 player in the NBA? I don’t know. But he’s not going to be worse than a top-50 player. He’s somewhere in the 10 to 30 range, which is where I’ve probably put him throughout his career. He’s just so steady and so smart, but there are some questions. Can he score over length? He had trouble at times last year at Duke. His perimeter shot has gotten much better since I first saw him play three or four years ago.”
Which player could, in the right circumstances, emerge as a star?
“Mikel Brown, for sure. He could end up going fifth, but his stock was at its lowest coming out of this year at Louisville because he had back issues and was in and out of the lineup. But he is 6-5, long, and athletic. He had a huge growth spurt over the last few years. He can shoot the crap out of it, get to the basket, and make people better. He is the consummate all-around, versatile point guard.”
Is there a small-school player to watch out for?
“Allen Graves of Santa Clara. All the analytics guys absolutely love him. It’s going to take some time for him. He came out of nowhere this year. He didn’t play two years ago. I remember talking to him midway through the season, and even he was shocked to be on NBA draft boards. So, it’s going to take some time for him. Santa Clara has put out some really good players lately. Jalen Williams and some of these other guys. Herb Sendek has done a great job of evaluating and developing them. This kid could be next.”
Where will Billy Donovan be in 2027?
“In a year, what if Bill Self retires? Would Billy want to get back into college now if he can’t get a good NBA job? Or is he still locked into, ‘Hey, I don’t want to do this college thing. It’s different. I don’t want to go back, even though a lot of people are trying to tell me I should.’ He’d get whatever he wanted. If something happens with Mark Pope at Kentucky? He turned that down multiple times before, when his kids were younger. He’d get another shot at that. If he wanted it, he’d get Kansas or one of those big-time jobs. I just think he’d probably prefer to be in the NBA.”
Will Michael Malone at North Carolina work?
“I think it will. Generally, it’s about money, and Carolina has enough money and resources. They haven’t put together a great roster. One of the mistakes they made was thinking Henri Veesaar, their big guy, would come back to school…
“Mike Malone has an NBA title, but he’s got to figure out the staff, the fit, and how he’s going to play. So much of it is about the off-season now, the portal, and how you navigate the portal. If you can’t figure that out, I don’t care how good a coach you are; you have no shot at winning at the highest level.”
Based on what we know, what are your early predictions for the 2027 Final Four?
“Florida brings back their whole front court, including Boogie Fland. They’re trying to get Denzel Aberdeen eligible. He played about 13 games his freshman year, but only about 40 minutes. I think UConn has reloaded. Silas Demary is healthy. They got Braylon Mullins back. I’ll go with St. John’s. St. John’s has Quinn Ellis, who played in the Euroleague in Italy, and he’s supposedly terrific. I’ve only seen tape of him. They got Donnie Freeman from Syracuse. They got Tounde Yessoufou from Baylor. They’ve got Babacar Sane, who’s supposedly terrific. He was productive in the top German league. My fourth right now? Let’s go with Michigan again. I know. I’m not going out on a limb with anybody.”
The post Jeff Goodman previews 2026 NBA draft loaded with talent and questions appeared first on Awful Announcing.
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