- 10 hours ago
Paul Biancardi joins The Sports Junkies to preview the 2026 NBA Draft.
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00:00Oh, thank you guys for having me.
00:02Exciting time in Washington, D.C. for the Wizards.
00:04Yeah, super exciting.
00:06It's a big deal.
00:07Yeah, I mean, what do you make of this recent news
00:10that Darren Peterson has basically said,
00:12I'm only working out for the Wizards.
00:13I've worked out for them on both coasts here in Washington and L.A.
00:18He's not going to go work out for the Jazz
00:19or any of the other teams near the top of the NBA draft.
00:23Do you think that's a smart move?
00:24And do you also think that there might be like a secret,
00:27you know, a handshake deal under the table
00:29basically saying, Darren Peterson, you're our guy.
00:31We are going to select you at number one overall.
00:33You don't need to work out for the Utah Jazz.
00:37I think it creates a narrative that, in his mind,
00:41he's the number one pick, and it also sends a message
00:44that he doesn't want to be number two,
00:46and he doesn't want to go to Utah in case, you know,
00:50they may want Cameron Boozer,
00:53and he'll know that he can't slip past three anyway.
00:57So I think that he's just trying to send a message
01:00that he's the number one pick.
01:01I don't think there's something already done.
01:04I just think he's trying to send a message
01:06and saying he's not going to, you know,
01:08work out for anybody else, doesn't want to go to Utah,
01:11and knowing that he can't slip past three anyway.
01:15Well, who has the third pick?
01:17Memphis.
01:18Memphis.
01:19Nobody wants to go to Memphis, though.
01:20Memphis.
01:21Right?
01:21Nobody wants to go to Memphis.
01:22Everybody says Memphis is like the worst spot.
01:24Wasn't Memphis the leading city that no one wanted to play?
01:27By a large margin.
01:28Yeah.
01:29Who the hell wants to go there?
01:30But if you guys remember this,
01:32Ace Bailey did this last year.
01:34Yeah.
01:34He made it clear.
01:36He didn't want to go certain places,
01:38and Utah was one of them.
01:39That didn't stop Utah from drafting him.
01:41For sure.
01:42These guys and their agents and their advisories,
01:46they can do what they want,
01:47but the NBA ultimately is going to pick who they want.
01:50I believe that 100%.
01:51So you don't believe that he got good vibes
01:55and he feels like the Wizards are going to take him?
01:59I'm sure he got good vibes.
02:01I don't think he got a promise.
02:02Yeah.
02:03But I don't know that,
02:04but I don't think that Washington or anyone else
02:09between the lines would make that promise at number one
02:11with so much talent on the board.
02:13I think that's a hard promise to make this year.
02:16All right.
02:17So let's break down your top two guys.
02:18And I have to tell you,
02:19the fan base here has been all in on the Bonsa from day one.
02:23It's been like 85-15,
02:24the Bonsa, the Bonsa, the Bonsa, the Bonsa.
02:26I personally think it's way closer than that.
02:28I think Peterson has a great shot at going one,
02:30but who cares what I think?
02:32That's just the vibe I'm getting.
02:35How do you break the two down?
02:38Well, I've seen both of them since high school,
02:41sophomore years of high school.
02:42So they're elite talents, first of all.
02:44And they're both number one picks.
02:47As Cameron Boozer is the number one pick,
02:49and you can make a case that Caleb Wilson
02:51is the number one pick in many drafts.
02:54But I'm an A.J. DeBonsa voter,
02:58but number one in this draft,
03:00or just about any draft,
03:01when I look at his background, his upbringing,
03:05I look at a very diligent kid
03:08who's really been training to be a professional
03:10for a long, long time.
03:13He has all the physical measurables you want.
03:15You've heard those numbers.
03:17His game is much deeper
03:20than a guy who scores the ball.
03:22He scored a ton of points, most by a freshman.
03:25I believe in college basketball,
03:26he had over 800 points.
03:28So it's his unselfish approach,
03:31but he knows when to be selfish.
03:34And you look at his measurables and his talents,
03:39and you see, I see a young Tracy McGrady athletically.
03:43I said that on a broadcast at ESPN
03:45when he was in high school,
03:46and that kind of took off.
03:48He has the offensive face-up perimeter game
03:51of a Paul George type.
03:54And he can shoot it, he can score it,
03:57and the thing about him is he can playmake,
03:59and he loves to playmake.
04:01And you're looking at 6'9",
04:03with over a 7-foot wingspan,
04:05with an unselfish approach,
04:07but knows when to be selfish,
04:10to score.
04:11He did that at BYU in his first year.
04:13He'll have plenty of, I think,
04:15scoring talent around him,
04:17but he won't have all the pressure.
04:19He also has the charisma
04:21to be the number one pick,
04:23to be the face of the Wizards in time.
04:26And I think that goes a long way
04:28when you're making a pick like this.
04:29He's tremendous in the community.
04:32He's everything you want
04:34in a number one pick,
04:35and he has the least amount of questions
04:37in my mind.
04:38And one of the greatest assets that he has
04:41is he's durable,
04:43and he's available.
04:44He doesn't miss playing basketball.
04:46He doesn't sit down,
04:47he doesn't sit out.
04:49When he's hurt,
04:50he takes care of his injury,
04:51and he comes right back.
04:53And I think those are some of the questions
04:54with Darren Peterson
04:56that could make him the number two pick.
04:59Yeah.
04:59So you still think that's a legitimate concern
05:02for Darren Peterson,
05:04was what happened at Kansas?
05:06I do.
05:06Yeah, yeah.
05:07Okay.
05:07Well, I mean, you have to know,
05:08number one,
05:09there's medicals involved.
05:11With A.J. DeBonsa,
05:12there's no medicals involved.
05:13With Darren Peterson,
05:15there was times that he was supposedly healthy
05:18and didn't play.
05:19So what is that all about?
05:21So those things got asked,
05:23I believe,
05:23and I know they got asked in the interviews.
05:26And I'm sure that those questions were answered.
05:29But when you're spending all this money
05:31and you're making a huge pick,
05:33you try to make a pick
05:35that has the least amount of question marks
05:37when the talent is relatively even.
05:39I mean, they're both superstars.
05:41All right, so let me ask you this, Paul.
05:42I'm not leaving DiVance on the board.
05:45So if Peterson did not have the cramping issues
05:49and did not sit out 11 games
05:50and exit another 10 or so early,
05:54would you have Peterson won?
05:57I would consider it more
06:00if I watched those performances.
06:02Because those performances,
06:04when he played,
06:05we all saw it.
06:06They were spectacular.
06:07And he's a great shooter.
06:09He's a great scorer.
06:10He's a big two-guard.
06:11And that's what he does.
06:14DiVance is a better defender in my mind.
06:17When I watched him go head-to-head in high school,
06:20Peterson, more of a guard type.
06:23I think he laid 63 against DiVance's team
06:26and DiVance had 48.
06:28So I don't want to speculate
06:30whether or not I'd take him one,
06:32but I would have to see how the season unfolded.
06:35You know, how he played the body of work.
06:38But I tell you this,
06:40it would be a much closer decision in my mind.
06:42So, okay.
06:43So even though that we are reading the reports
06:46that the NBA guys don't seem concerned
06:49with the medicals,
06:50that they've all seen it, right?
06:52They now have it's available to all of them.
06:54To you, it's still a question mark.
06:57Well, it's a question that I don't have answered
06:59because I didn't do an interview.
07:01But yes, I'm walking in with questions
07:03about the medicals.
07:04I'm walking in with questions about
07:05were you healthy and did not play?
07:08And if you didn't play, why didn't you play?
07:11I saw Darren Peterson sit on the bench
07:14quite a bit this year.
07:15And then I saw him in a half score 20 points
07:18in 19 minutes.
07:20So it's a little bit of a head-scratcher.
07:22So without knowing everything involved,
07:25A.J. DiVance has no question marks
07:27in that same category.
07:29He's always been available.
07:31He's always been durable.
07:32And his talent is amazing.
07:35His charisma is one of number one pick.
07:38And he's an unbelievable, in my mind,
07:41two-way player.
07:42You know, he's productive
07:43and he has a ton of upside,
07:45as does Peterson.
07:47Paul, I'm intrigued by a line
07:49from one of your tweets from two days ago
07:51at Paul Biancardi on X.
07:53You say, when it comes to winning,
07:55this year's Jalen Brunson in the NBA draft
07:58is Cameron Boozer.
08:00So teams like the Grizzlies and Bulls
08:02sitting at three and four,
08:03they have to be thrilled
08:04that it looks like Boozer
08:06is going to fall into that range,
08:08where in other drafts,
08:10if there weren't guys like Peterson
08:11and DeBonsa in the mix,
08:13like Boozer would probably be
08:14close to a clear-cut number one.
08:17So those teams have to be just pumped
08:18that they're going to get a guy like Boozer
08:20at three or four.
08:22No question about it.
08:23In the evaluation game,
08:25the mock draft game,
08:27NBA scouts even,
08:29everybody looks at the obvious.
08:31They look at the physical measurables.
08:32Okay, if you're 7'2",
08:33you have to prove that you can't play, right?
08:36If you're 6'2",
08:37you have to prove that you can play.
08:40And you look at quickness, speed, power,
08:43all the things that the NBA is made of.
08:45Now we look a little bit heavier at shooting,
08:49three-point shooting in particular,
08:51ball handling, passing.
08:52It's such an offensive game.
08:54And so when you look at those things,
08:56you start to mark what a player does
08:58and then what he's capable of doing in the future.
09:01That's the potential.
09:02That's the projection.
09:03But what we forget a lot of times
09:05is the productivity.
09:07And in my time at ESPN,
09:09it's been 17 years now.
09:12They're two of the best winners
09:13that I've seen in my time
09:15from high school to college
09:17and NBA.
09:19Boozer hasn't got there yet,
09:20but Brunson was one of the best winners
09:22I've ever seen.
09:23He did it in high school,
09:24state championships.
09:26He did it at Villanova.
09:28We all know that.
09:29And now what he's done with the Knicks,
09:31I see Cameron Boozer
09:32as that same type of player.
09:34You can't quantify
09:35how a player can help a team win.
09:38And that's what all these franchises
09:40are trying to do.
09:41They're trying to win.
09:42They're trying to get into the playoffs.
09:44They're trying to move deeper into the playoffs.
09:47They're trying to win it all.
09:48Cameron Boozer makes you win.
09:50He also has an enormous amount of talent.
09:53He has an IQ that's second to none
09:55in this draft.
09:56And if I was picking in any other draft
09:59and DeBonser and Peterson
10:01were not in the draft,
10:03I would clearly take Cameron Boozer number one.
10:06I've never seen anybody win
10:08as much as he has.
10:09And not just championships,
10:11but he gets MVPs.
10:12Two-time national Gatorade player of the year.
10:15National.
10:16I mean, I'm on that board.
10:18It's hard to accomplish the things that he has,
10:20and he's done so since a young age.
10:22So you probably just answered my question,
10:24but would you be shocked
10:25if Boozer went in the top two?
10:27You think there's a chance that happens?
10:31I think there's a chance,
10:32and I would not be shocked.
10:33No, I would not be shocked at all.
10:36And I wouldn't be shocked
10:37if Caleb Wilson went three.
10:40Because, you know,
10:41we talk so much about the top three guys,
10:44but let's not forget
10:45the enormous talent this kid has.
10:47High character.
10:48All these kids have great character,
10:50by the way.
10:50And Peterson, don't get me wrong,
10:52Peterson's a sweet kid.
10:54But when you're making a business decision,
10:56you have to look at everything.
10:58And so for me,
10:59the medicals and not playing
11:00are question marks.
11:02But Caleb Wilson has a world of upside.
11:05As much upside maybe
11:06as A.J. DeBonser and Peterson
11:08and Boozer.
11:09So if he goes at number three,
11:11I wouldn't be shocked.
11:12But I think the draft starts at five.
11:14I think those are the top four picks.
11:16So Paul was a former coach.
11:18You know, he was a head coach.
11:19He was an assistant coach
11:20at Boston College in Ohio.
11:23So some big programs.
11:24Did a lot of recruiting.
11:25Probably a lot of recruiting
11:26in the D.C. area.
11:28I'm just kind of getting your take
11:29on the kids that are coming
11:31into college this year, Paul.
11:32If you can talk about a couple of them.
11:35First of all,
11:36is there any kid coming out this year
11:40who will be a freshman
11:41that you see as a legit one-and-donner?
11:45Specifically, maybe the Jordan Smith Jr. kid
11:48out of Paul VI
11:49who's going to go play for Coach Cal.
11:51I'm just looking at it on a ranking here.
11:53They have him three.
11:54They've got the Stokes kid
11:55that's going to Kansas one.
11:57Caleb Holt, two,
11:58who's going to Arizona.
11:59But I never got to see
12:00Jordan Smith play.
12:01I know I heard some great things
12:02about him.
12:03He's a smaller guard,
12:04but he apparently is legit.
12:07So is there anybody
12:08coming out of this class
12:10that you really think
12:11is going to be a superstar in college
12:13and then go right to the pros?
12:15Well, I have Jordan Smith
12:17at number two on my board at ESPN.
12:19He finished number two
12:20in the class.
12:20Tyron Stokes.
12:22That's a name you guys need to know.
12:23He's a legitimate one-and-done.
12:25He's the number one player
12:26in the class.
12:27Went to Kansas.
12:28You'll see him under Bill Self.
12:30He's a 6'8", 6'9".
12:33Powerful.
12:35Powerful point-forward type.
12:36Skilled and powerful.
12:38He's an easy one-and-done.
12:40He's most likely the number one pick
12:42in the draft next year.
12:43Wow.
12:44If he can have a good year
12:45at Kansas, yes.
12:47Now, Jordan Smith Jr.,
12:48again, when we talk about winners,
12:50when I talk about Brunson
12:52and Cameron Boozer,
12:53Jordan Smith is in that category.
12:55What he did at Paul VI,
12:57what he did at the team takeover,
12:59USA Basketball,
13:00he makes his team win.
13:02He's got a burning desire
13:04to do whatever it takes.
13:05Only 6'2",
13:06but a 6'9 wingspan.
13:09Powerfully built,
13:10much improved skill level.
13:12He's going to be exciting next year
13:14at Arkansas.
13:15They have the number two class
13:16in the country.
13:17And then Duke has a couple of guys
13:20that are really intriguing.
13:21They have Cameron Williams,
13:226'11 three-point shooter
13:24and shot blocker
13:25coming in from Arizona.
13:27On top of that, guys,
13:29they have a 17-year-old
13:30coming in from Barcelona.
13:33Boomshay, boomshay.
13:35Oh, yeah.
13:36Okay.
13:36His father played at Georgetown.
13:38Yeah.
13:38Right up the street.
13:39Yeah, remember him.
13:40You guys.
13:40Mm-hmm.
13:41Yep.
13:41And his dad played in the NBA.
13:43This kid has to be in college
13:44for two years.
13:46I just scouted him out
13:47at the Adidas Euro Camp
13:48in Italy.
13:49He's an amazing talent.
13:51Not the greatest athlete
13:53on the board,
13:54but a guy who has
13:55a high skill level,
13:57processes the game quickly.
13:59He's 17 years old
14:00and seven feet tall.
14:02His second year at Duke,
14:03I think,
14:04will be a breakout year.
14:05His first year at Duke
14:06will be really exciting.
14:08We don't rank
14:09international kids,
14:10but I did give him
14:11a five-star grade.
14:12And if he was to be ranked
14:14in this country,
14:15he would be the number
14:16one or two high school player
14:18going into college basketball
14:20this year.
14:20So that's how good he is
14:22and how good he can be.
14:24Paul, thanks so much
14:25for the time.
14:25We know you're super busy
14:26heading into the NBA draft.
14:27We appreciate it.
14:28Thanks, buddy.
14:29Thanks, Paul.
14:30One last nugget, guys.
14:31Yeah.
14:32I coach Brian T for Boston College.
14:34Ah.
14:35Very nice.
14:36Okay, local connection.
14:37There you go.
14:37You got a hell of a coach there.
14:39He's a great guy,
14:40great player development coach,
14:42knows the X's and O's.
14:43Yeah.
14:43Yeah, he's a good dude.
14:45Yeah, we have him on
14:46every week during this season.
14:46He's going to have
14:47a ton of talent next year.
14:48That's a good nugget.
14:48Yeah.
14:49Thank you, buddy.
14:50Appreciate it.
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