Early 2026 NBA Mock Draft: Before the New College Season Begins

21. Golden State Warriors - Bennett Stirtz

Iowa - 6'4" - Guard

It's either Stirtz or Avdalas here. If I'm Golden State, I think they are in pretty good shape with their roster but one thing they could use as a guy they can groom as the eventual replacement for Steph Curry at point guard.

As mentioned earlier, I think Avdalas may be more of a wing than a point guard. Stirtz is definitely more of a point guard. And when you watch Stirtz play, there are some flashes here and there where he looks like a player who's been influenced by Curry.

Jordan Poole learned a ton from Curry - playing with him helped Poole's development a lot. I can see something similar happening there with Stirtz. I also think that Coach Kerr would like Stirtz a lot. The way Stirtz reads the game, processes it on both ends - it's like he's a coach out on the floor.

With Kerr and Curry helping him along - plus Stirtz will be an older, more developed rookie with high basketball IQ - I think he could really succeed on the Warriors.

22. Oklahoma City Thunder - Alex Condon

Florida - 7'0" - Center

Again, the Thunder are loaded and have plenty of depth - especially after I drafted Khamenia for them earlier in this mock. With this pick, I figure why not grab another big man?

As I mentioned before, Hartenstein may eventually be lost in free agency. While they drafted Sorber this past June, he tore his ACL last month so adding some additional depth up front couldn't hurt.

OKC is a team that just won an NBA title and they are clearly gunning for another one this season. Why not draft a guy who just won an NCAA title? That way you know you're adding a winner to a winning organization.

While no one would tell you that Condon is as good as Chet Holmgren, if Condon can learn from Holmgren, watch him and practice against him, over time he could pick up on some things can at least help him be a solid backup to Holmgren. And even if he won't be quite as good as Holmgren, the hope is that eventually he can be a similar type of player and give you a lot of the same things on the floor that Holmgren does. In particular, a big who can block shots, hit some open threes and be a center hub running dribble handoffs, making connective passes to keep the offensive flowing, setting screens and catching some lobs.

If Condon can eventually contribute all of that off the bench, that's a good pick in the 20's.

23. Minnestoa Timberwolves - Neoklis Avdalas

Virginia Tech - 6'8" - Guard/Wing

Avdalas is definitely the best player available here. I also like the fit because one thing Minnesota could use is a guy who can give them some secondary ball handling and secondary playaking to help take the pressure off Anthony Edwards. Edwards is awesome but he has to carry things offensive too much for them - especially in terms of handling the ball and creating offense.

Julius Randle helps with that a bit but he is 30 years old now and it's unclear how much longer he'll be in Minnesota. Of course, Mike Conley is the starting point guard but is getitng very old. Rob Dillingham is hopefully the point guard of the future but he has been up and down so far at the NBA level.

That's why I like the Avdalas pick. If Dillingham ends up being a good point guard for them, it's not like you wasted a pick here on a guy who can only play point guard. Avdalas can play thw wing too. But if things don't end up working out with Dillingham as a starter level point guard, Avdalas gives you another option there - he gives you someone else who could possibly be that guy. He averaged 8 assists per game this past summer at FIBA U20, including 14 assists vs Israel.

24. Los Angeles Lakers - Johann Grünloh

Virginia - 6'11" - Center

The Lakers could use another big. While they added Ayton during the offseason, it's uncertain whether that is a long term solution for them at center. Things didn't end well for Ayton in Phoenix and they fizzled very quickly for him in Portland.

The Lakers are pretty well set at the other positions but with this pick I think they should swing on a center.

Grünloh is arguably the best player (and center) available here. The Lakers are building around Luka Donic. Doncic paired very nicely in Dallas with bigs like Dereck Lively and Daniel Gafford who culd catch lobs and protect the rim. Doncic has also made Mike Tobey look like a star at times with the Slovenia national team.

Grünloh fits that mold as a big who can catch lobs, bloc shots, set screens - who doesn't need the ball in his hands much - since the ball will be in Doncic, Austin Reaves or LeBron James' hands most of the time. Grünloh also has good upside as a shooter who can space the floor, knock down open threes - especiallt out of pick and pop situations which also pairs nicely with Doncic.

Once Grünloh has enough time to get adjusted to the NBA and develop chemistry with Doncic, I could see them pairing nicely together.

25. Charlotte Hornets - Hannes Steinbach

Washington - 6'9" - C/PF

I feel pretty good about this pick. Steinbach is in the conversation for the best player available. And at this point (especiallty after I took Ament for them earlier in this mock) the position where they have the greatest need at is center.

Best center available here is either Steinbach or Jaden Toombs. Or you could go with the higher upside (but riskier) pick in Chris Cenac Jr. although he's probably more of a four than a five. I'm not sure Toombs is going to have a big enough role at SMU this season to warrant a pick this high in the draft.

I look at what Charlotte is building (the culture, the identity) and the guys they drafted in 2025. They seem to be going for guys who play hard and with high feel, high IQ - who play smart, team oriented basketball. That describes Steinbach. He's young enough that he has a good amount upside (likely has a higher ceiling than the center they just drafted - Ryan Kalkbrenner) and he should start for Washington and have a pretty big role on their team this season. Taking him in the top 25 does not seem like a reach to me.