Round One of the 2026 NBA Draft was completed on Tuesday night at Barclays Center. Draft night is when players, families and teams’ futures change for the rest of their lives. It was definitely the start of that for everyone on Tuesday.
The Brooklyn Nets, who held two first-round picks today in the draft, selected freshman guard out of Louisville Mikel Brown Jr. with the No. 6 pick. Brown Jr. is the first Louisville guard drafted in the first round since Donovan Mitchell in 2017. Brown Jr. averaged 18.2 points, 4.7 assists, and 3.3 rebounds per game in his lone year in college. Back in February, he scored a career-high 45 points, setting a freshman single-game scoring record. Throughout Brown Jr.’s freshman year, he dealt with lower back injuries that affected his season, leading to missed games in the regular season and the NCAA Tournament. Now Brown Jr. will be added to one of the youngest teams in the NBA and join their young guard group.
With the No. 28 pick, the Nets selected Joshua Jefferson, a forward out of Iowa State. This pick was acquired on Monday from the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Nic Claxton-Julius Randle three-team trade. Jefferson spent two seasons at Saint Mary’s and two at Iowa State. In Jefferson’s senior year, he averaged 16.4 points, 7.4 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.6 steals per game. He was named Second Team All-American this past season.
The Philadelphia 76ers had the No. 22 pick in the draft, which they acquired from the Houston Rockets. With the pick, the Sixers selected Labaron Philon Jr., a guard out of Alabama. Philon Jr. adds to the Sixers’ guard rotation with All-NBA/All-Star Tyrese Maxey and rising young star V.J. Edgecombe. Philon Jr. spent two seasons at Alabama. In his sophomore season, he averaged 22.0 points, 5.0 assists, and 3,5 rebounds. He set the Alabama record for most points scored in a sophomore season, breaking out. Philon Jr. was named a Third-Team All-American and a First-Team All-SEC selection this past season. The Sixers used their only draft pick this year on Philon Jr. as guard Quentin Grimes becomes an unrestricted free agent this offseason.
The 2026 NBA Champions, the New York Knicks, initially had the No. 24 pick going into the draft. In the middle of the draft, ESPN’s NBA Insider Shams Charania reported the Knicks and the Los Angeles Lakers agreed to a trade as New York traded the No. 24 pick to the Lakers for the No. 25 pick. With the No. 25 pick, the Knicks selected swingman Sergio De Larrea. De Larrea played for Valencia Basket in the Spanish Liga ACB and the EuroLeague, splitting time between the two. This past season in the Spanish league, he averaged 8.9 points, 3.4 assists, and 3.1 rebounds, shooting 40.7% from three-point range.
After the conclusion of the draft, the Knicks were involved in more draft trades. New York will be receiving the No. 47 pick from the Phoenix Suns. On the second day of the draft, the Knicks will now have the No. 31 pick, No. 47 pick and the No. 55 pick. Charania reported they have already received offers for the No. 31 pick, as it is a possibility the team trades it before night two of the draft.
The first round of the 2026 NBA Draft is complete, with another jammed pack day going into night two of the draft.
