A basketball fans perspective

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Draft order

Due to the fact this account is written Saturday morning prior to Sunday afternoon at 3:00 p.m. ET you already have the answer. By the time you read this today you will be aware of the draft order and which team will receive the top pick in the 2026 NBA draft. No worry this time around there should be no drama with the Mavs sneaking in the back door similar to last year, as for this year the Wizards, Pacers and Nets have the best chance at 14% each. They are followed by the Jazz and Kings at 11.5%, of course a few teams will find themselves on the outside.

The Pelicans pick will be conveyed to the Hawks or Bucks, the Clippers pick goes to the Thunder since the SGA trade is still impacting the Clippers. Other teams in the lottery include the following, the Grizzlies, Mavs, Bulls, Warriors, Heat and Hornets. Last year we knew ahead of time Cooper Flagg would be the number one pick, the same could be said three years ago when Victor Wembanyama was considered the top prospect. We cannot be sure but it appears AJ Dybansta from BYU is most likely the top pick although I cannot make that statement with certainty. Darryn Peterson number one on mock draft sites all season could supplant Dybansta at the top. We shall discover the answer June 23.

Number 1 is number 1

I have no idea how the Spurs-Wolves series might eventually turn out. Friday evening Victor Wembanyama or The Wall of Wemby would prevail as his game could only be described as one for the ages in his team’s 115-108 victory over the Wolves. Last week prior to this series beginning I asked a friend, “What do you think about Wemby?” He said; “A friend of mine said,” and he began dialogue on some of the common complaints we’ve all heard about his game. I’m not going to detail them only repeat the line from the pop tune by The Heavy; “How you like me now?” Much later you are going to read an account where the discussion centers on generational talent, Wemby is certainly one of those generational talents.

As for the Friday victory it was 35 points 15 rebounds and 5 blocked shots, Wemby shot 72% from the floor with 60% of it from three. His block shot total for the three games stands at 19, the number of rebounds total 45. Rest assured there are probably aspects of his game that could be improved but to not recognize the talent in front of us is ludicrous. Over time following basketball at all levels I have attempted to see the BIG PICTURE. Getting buckets is only a portion of what one might do….its playing a complete game. Wemby does that in spades, does he shoot to many three’s over developing a low post game, perhaps but does that impact his overall bearing? Wemby versus the Blazers and Wolves thus far has pulled down a total of 80 rebounds and blocked 35 shots, the number of missed attempts altered by his presence is an unknown number. This game allowed Wemby to join a club with an exclusive list of members. 

The NBA first began officially tracking block shots in the 1973-1974 season, since then there have been only three players with at least 35 points, 15 rebounds and 5 blocked shots in a playoff game. They are Hakeem Olajuwon three times, Shaquille O’Neal who accomplished it three times and Kareem Abdul Jabbar with two games. What is most important to me besides his obvious talent, Wemby is analytical in his approach to the game. Only a portion of last off-season was spent strength training the other portion was further developing his mind. As for the headline, most are aware Wemby’s jersey number is 1 and he is the number one player in the NBA in my mind.

June 23

The date above is night one of the 2026 NBA draft, on that date we discover if the mock sites have been correct all along. We learn if Darryn Peterson is the number two pick or he is further down on the list of talent. Some might remember he arrived on campus last fall at Kansas, he was the potential top draft pick in the 2026 draft. He would hold the top slot until near the end of the college basketball season. An assortment of injuries or missed games caused this predicted number one draft pick to drop, as this is written Peterson is rated the number two pick on multiple mock draft sites. It should be of note, Peterson’s made news related to him missing time and games during the season.

He claims a medical check uncovered this, he was utilizing a supplement titled Creatine. This from the internet; “Creatine is a natural compound produced in the body and found in meat/fish that provides rapid energy to muscles during high intensity exercise, with 95% stored in skeletal muscle.” Peterson indicates the check indicated he was taking an excessive amount of Creatine thus producing cramping. Other than an injury this is what impacted Peterson’s play in his lone season at Kansas. The missed time (mostly due to cramping) continued a pattern of incomplete games. He is holding steady at the number two mock draft position, we shall see June 23 if he remains there when the evening is over. At this point we are left with numerous questions regarding Peterson which for now will remain just that….a question and mystery.

Says who     

From time to time I’ve read letters from fans, also heard this from a few in sports media. It starts out; “Nobody is watching the NBA,” it really never made sense to me. Why were broadcasters literally fighting one another to secure rights to NBA games? The proof is here in case you want to believe it, on the other hand maybe you don’t. With that here goes, the league claims viewership was up 86% as 170 million viewed games during the season. The number of viewers represent the best in 24 years.

As most are aware the league has four primary packages: ABC/ESPN, Amazon Prime, NBC/Peacock and NBA TV. I was somewhat surprise in that no TNT and with the focus on streaming the numbers would be at the level they were. The NFL was in a bragidous mood after their broadcast of games swamped the NBA’s on Christmas Day and evening. That’s easy to understand, the NFL remains the most popular. I have no desire to bore you with the balance of the details. Let’s just say “the glass is half full rather than half empty” as some of the doom and gloom folks would have you believe. Yes, just as with any organizations involving humans there are issues, there will always be issues. Are they serious enough to “sink the ship” of state….I doubt it.