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The 2026 NBA Draft is less than two weeks away, and the latest batch of national mock drafts suggest there is no consensus yet on how the picks will fall outside of the top four. BYU’s A.J. Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson of Kansas, Duke’s Cameron Boozer and UNC’s Caleb Wilson are the odds-on favorites to go in the top-four in some order, with Dybantsa still the trendy choice to go No. 1 overall to the Washington Wizards.
But predictions for what happens from there remain unsettled, and the changes are perhaps best reflected through the latest mock draft curated by USA TODAY Sports using Microsoft Copilot’s AI chat bot. Artificial intelligence adjusted its take on the draft only one week after its previous run-through with this mock draft exercise.
So Illinois guard Keaton Wagler, Michigan’s Aday Mara and Baylor’s Cameron Carr moved up based on Microsoft Copilot’s analysis of the latest mock drafts, prospect analysis, team needs and rumors and intel related to pre-draft workouts and front office discussions. Koa Peat of Arizona and Houston’s Chris Cenac Jr., meanwhile, saw their stock drop in the eyes of AI.
The real answers are likely to be shrouded in mystery until the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft begins on June 23.
Here’s a breakdown of Microsoft Copilot AI’s latest 2026 NBA mock draft, including the chatbot’s reasoning for making each first-round pick:
You can compare AI’s picks to the latest USA TODAY 2026 NBA mock draft by clicking here.
USA TODAY Sports asked Microsoft Copilot AI to generate a mock draft for the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft featuring only players eligible this year now that the NBA draft withdrawl deadline passed for college players. The chatbot was asked to base its selections on current mock drafts from reputable websites, as well as the latest intel on team needs, prospect analysis, pre-draft workouts and the most up-to-date draft withdrawal news.
Note: AI models still have issues with accuracy as seen in the mock draft below. Of particular note, Microsoft Copilot needed additional prompts after several picks were inaccurately assigned to teams. The average mock draft pick referenced for each player was compiled by USA TODAY Sports using 13 of the latest mock drafts from national websites around the country, including USA TODAY.
