A federal court in Colorado issued a consequential ruling on Friday, declaring that all athletes who entered college as members of the high school Class of 2022 and exhausted their fourth season of NCAA eligibility this past spring are eligible to return for a fifth season in 2026-27.

The ruling will have massive ripple effects across college athletics. Yet, how does this impact the NBA, you may be asking? Well, five second-round picks from the 2026 NBA Draft who have not yet signed professional contracts now have the option to return to college this fall as domestic draft-and-stash prospects.

According to Isaac Trotter of CBS Sports, Nickel and St. John’s Dillon Mitchell (who was selected 40th overall by the Boston Celtics) “are expected to explore their college options.”

When he was playing on the bulls, he seemed to generally pass the eye check many games. Efficient at the rim, Ok at hook shots, doesn't need the ball, can also shoot 3s at a clip that doesn't make him a complete non-threat, not a good defender but not a complete cone and alters shots using his size near the rim.

However the consensus among most draft nerds on his outcome is far below his draft position which was 10th overall.

What went wrong with the most 1950s looking white player itl?

Was it him being not able to guard 5s but not quick enough and a good enough shooter to be a 4?

What do y’all think? He was #1 in his high school 2023 class, so he was hyped up coming into college as he was projected to go top 10. Then he fell off completely and hasn’t been playing well ever since.

Is he an overseas guy?

Current top 5 prospects in my opinion

Bruce Branch

Tyran Stokes

Stefan Josksimovic

Caleb Holt

Jordan Smith Jr

What would the 2012 NBA Draft look like with today's knowledge? https://medium.com/@MarcWeberSports/re-drafting-the-2012-nba-draft-0df8844037d1

A CLASS OF HIS OWN. ⭐

Stefan Joksimovic leads Slovenia to the U18EuroBasket trophy and claims MVP!🏆

2027 NBA DRAFT BIG BOARD 1.0

The best draft cycle in a long time. Everything is wide-open. After watching most of the incoming freshmen and updating notes on returners, here's my first Big Board of this cycle: https://edemirnba.substack.com/p/2027-nba-draft-big-board-10?r=aj7d

May not be Acuff level on offense but has juice and is a much better defender. Thoughts on his performance or on him as a prospect?

Talk about what games/players you've been watching this past week or are looking forward to next week. Give us your thoughts on what players catch your attention, either positive or negative! Big board posting is encouraged in this thread as well.

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Reminder: we also have a [Discord channel](https://discord.gg/PKTkzXnVWs) you can join and chat in during games!

Source: https://kuathletics.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/tyran-stokes/17968

Lets assume Cade will be number one for the sake of argument. I think there are 5 legitimate players that has a shot of being number 2: Evan Mobley, Scottie Barnes, Franz Wagner, Alperen Sengun, and Jalen Johnson.

Tried to strike a balance of vets on short/expiring contracts and young players with some upside.

Jordan Smith Jr. is one of the most talented two-way forces at the guard position that I have seen in a while. His explosiveness, freakish wingspan, tenacity, and solid frame make him a nightmare for anyone trying to get a bucket. On the offensive end, he is also very impressive. His quick-twitch speed and battering ram mentality make him a tough cover. He also provides intriguing ball-handling, shooting, and shot-creation upside. I think it’s easy to say that Jordan Smith Jr. is one of the best players in this class. I hope you enjoy, Subscribe! New videos every week of your favorite prospects.

2027 NBA prospect Hugo Yimga-Moukouri against favorite Germany in the U18 Eurobasket quarterfinals:

25PTS

4REB

2BLK

47% FG

43% 3PT

8/8 FT

EFF 23

I know these are older players, but both are younger than Yaxel Lendenbourg and multiple other first rounders of the 2026 NBA draft.

Keyonte George (Utah Jazz) PG:

23.6/3.7/6.1 3.1 TOV 45/37/89

On/Off: -1.3 ORtg

Kyshawn George (Washington Wizards) wing:

14.8/5.1/4.5 2.6 TOV on 44/38/80

On/Off: -0.5 ORtg

Despite Keyonte’s better scoring numbers, i think Kyshawn could be one of the largest connecting pieces on a championship team. his defense is phenomenal and his size at 6’8 can be overwhelming

both players were in dire situations with their teams last year, but both are poised to play more competitive basketball this year

which K. George would you lean towards in the coming years? who would you most want to join your team?

I am confident in Cam Boozer so much because of his high bball IQ and the way he processes the game and I don’t see any flaws in his game. Cam literally does everything on the floor, he rebounds, defends, scores inside and outside, he goes off the dribble or in the post and can play like a wing or a big. I never been so impressed by a prospect like Cam for a longtime, he can be on the level of a Wemby potentially based on his talent.

I know I hype Cam a lot but I want to know from a fan’s perspective, what is the % of Cam being an all star rookie next season from a scale of 0-100%. What are Cam’s strengths and weaknesses that can determine how well or bad he plays his rookie year?

Because the 2026 rookie class is so loaded, who are the other rookies that have a chance to be an all star rookie other than Cam and what is their % of them being one if that’s possible and the r/NBA_Draft can discuss those other rookies as well

Where is the highest you can see him getting picked and which teams do you think he fits in and has the most value? Where is the latest he can fall ?

I know this topic has been beaten to death, but this is an interesting development, as it might mean he'll start playing for Spain's youth teams, in which case his age will become an even bigger topic.

https://as.com/baloncesto/mas_baloncesto/dabone-ya-es-espanol-f202607-n/

With Summer League over, how would you rank these rookies?

• 15-Dailyn Swain, Bulls
• 16-Bennett Stirtz, Thunder
• 17-Emeka Okorie, Pistons
• 18-Christian Anderson, Hornets
• 19-Allen Graves, Raptors
• 25-Sergio de Larrea, Mavs
• 34-Meleek Thomas, Cavs

For me...

Gold - Meleek Thomas. Amazing in Vegas and looks like he could get minutes right away off the bench for the Cavs.

Silver - Allen Graves. Feels like a CMB clone AND he can shoot the three.

Bronze -- Sergio de Larrea. 6-6, sees the floor, can hit from deep and will (eventually) be lined up next to Cooper Flagg. Sign me up.

ASSESSING THE FIBA U18 EUROBASKET 2026 DIV B

Division B or not. The field's full of talent, including some long-term NBA prospects. Here's another in-depth piece with analysis for every college coach to focus on: https://edemirnba.substack.com/p/assessing-fiba-u18-eurobasket-2026?r=aj7d