The 2026 rookie class has cleared Summer League and the league’s orientation program. Training camp is next, and the lottery picks are walking into very different jobs: some have a rotation waiting, some have veterans to study, and some may be asked to carry more than a rookie usually should.
2026 NBA Draft Lottery Notebook: Roles Waiting for the Rookie Class
SEO Title: 2026 NBA Draft Lottery Rookies Enter Training Camp
SEO Description: A team-by-team notebook on the 14 lottery selections from the 2026 NBA Draft, their Summer League work, expected roles and roster situations entering camp.
From Las Vegas to training camp
- Summer League closed the first chapter for the incoming class, giving teams an early look at their new young pieces.
- The rookies then completed the NBA’s orientation program, another checkpoint before the regular-season grind begins.
- Now comes camp, where draft tiers matter far less than minutes, fit and how quickly a player can absorb an NBA playbook.
- The 2027 Wilt Chamberlain Trophy will go to one Kia Rookie of the Year, but that race is only the opening possession of careers that could run for another decade or more.
The lottery remains the usual starting point for that award chase. Thirty-nine of the past 40 Rookie of the Year winners came from the first 14 selections. Here is where those 14 rookies stand heading into their first camps.
The lottery board
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AJ Dybantsa, Washington Wizards
Washington landed Dybantsa at No. 1, making him the third top overall choice in franchise history after Kwame Brown in 2001 and John Wall in 2010. The BYU product scored at nearly a point-per-minute rate in Las Vegas. He joins a roster stocked with young players, while Trae Young and Anthony Davis are expected to provide the veteran direction around him.
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Darryn Peterson, Utah Jazz
Peterson arrives from Kansas with major expectations attached to a 6-foot-5 guard’s scoring package. Utah has more established help than he had in college, led by Lauri Markkanen, Keyonte George and Jaren Jackson Jr. To join names such as Darrell Griffith, Andrei Kirilenko, Derrick Favors, Donovan Mitchell and George among the franchise’s standout young players, Peterson will need to show more than buckets. Griffith remains Utah’s only Rookie of the Year winner.
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Cameron Boozer, Memphis Grizzlies
Memphis’ reshaped roster could give Boozer real runway in both playing time and touches. The 6-foot-9, 253-pound forward, son of two-time All-Star Carlos Boozer, was college basketball’s Player of the Year and made the Las Vegas Summer League first team. His decision-making and shooting drew attention there, and the Grizzlies’ ambitions could put him in a meaningful role quickly.
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Caleb Wilson, Chicago Bulls
Wilson has already drawn a wide range of comparisons, from Pascal Siakam and Tracy McGrady to Paul George, Shawn Kemp, Kevin Garnett and Kawhi Leonard. Leonard is Wilson’s own preferred comparison. The rookie recently returned to Chapel Hill for new North Carolina coach Michael Malone’s alumni weekend, then turned his focus back to Chicago. Wilson has said he wants to become a great player, win the Chamberlain Trophy and help lift a Bulls group that includes Matas Buzelis and Josh Giddey.
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Keaton Wagler, Los Angeles Clippers
Wagler was the first selection after the widely projected top four and steps into a Clippers transition. The 6-foot-6 Illinois shooting guard’s early test will be finding a backcourt rhythm with Darius Garland. Los Angeles also added Brandon Ingram and 2023 No. 13 pick Gradey Dick in the deal that sent Kawhi Leonard out.
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Mikel Brown Jr., Brooklyn Nets
Brown brings a 6-foot-5, 190-pound point guard frame and a Louisville background to Brooklyn’s developing core. He also received off-court tutoring from Rajon Rondo, the former All-Star and fellow Louisville native. Brown said Rondo welcomed him into his home for film study and chess, allowing the rookie to ask questions and learn. The message Brown took away was simple: make the easy read. Brooklyn needs that steady approach after winning 20 games last season.
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Darius Acuff Jr., Sacramento Kings
Sacramento’s backcourt has room for Acuff after DeMar DeRozan’s offseason departure. The Arkansas guard posted 19.0 points and 5.3 assists across three Summer League games. He will have experienced offensive options beside him in Domantas Sabonis, Zach LaVine and Malik Monk as the Kings try to end a three-year playoff absence.
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Kingston Flemings, Atlanta Hawks
Flemings arrives as a high-level athlete after averaging 16.1 points at Houston, producing a 3-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio and hitting 39 percent from deep. His immediate NBA education will come in a crowded Hawks guard room that includes CJ McCollum, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Dyson Daniels and Aaron Wiggins.
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Morez Johnson Jr., Dallas Mavericks
Johnson and Michigan coach Dusty May are both new to Dallas after helping the Wolverines win the NCAA championship in the spring. The power forward gives May a familiar piece in an NBA setting. May sees flexibility throughout the Mavericks roster and believes Johnson can fill several frontcourt spots while defending every position from one through five.
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Brayden Burries, Milwaukee Bucks
Burries is the most prominent young addition in Milwaukee’s rebuild, with the franchise entering an uncertain post-Giannis Antetokounmpo period. The 6-foot-4 California guard averaged 16.1 points at Arizona and is likely to receive considerable court time. He turns 21 on Friday, and Bucks followers will be watching to see whether comparisons to Jrue Holiday and Derrick White hold up. Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd praised Burries for pairing strong character away from the floor with a ruthless competitive edge on it.
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Yaxel Lendeborg, Golden State Warriors
Lendeborg will be 24 when camp opens, making him one of the older rookies in the lottery. The athletic 6-foot-9 Puerto Rican could be needed immediately in a Golden State rotation affected by injuries. Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody are unavailable, creating additional minutes and opportunity for Lendeborg through at least the first half of the season. He enters camp after winning Summer League MVP honors and contributing to Michigan’s NCAA title run.
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Aday Mara, Oklahoma City Thunder
Mara was the third Michigan championship player selected in the lottery. At 7-foot-3 and 260 pounds, the Spanish center has been discussed as Oklahoma City’s answer to San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama. His size gives the Thunder another large body to deploy alongside Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein when the schedule brings the Spurs.
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Nate Ament, Milwaukee Bucks
Milwaukee was the only club to place two players in the lottery. Ament, a raw 6-foot-10 prospect from Tennessee, arrived as part of the Giannis trade with Miami. His Las Vegas showing included uneven stretches, but he returned to offseason workouts late in the summer with a focus on adding strength and polishing his game. The Bucks are hoping his eventual impact can complement what they expect from Burries.
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Hannes Steinbach, Charlotte Hornets
Charlotte drafted Steinbach to add weight and size to its front line, and his summer work reflected his European professional experience. At Washington, he recorded 22 double-doubles in 30 games. In Las Vegas, the 6-foot-11, 248-pound big averaged 15.8 points while shooting 60 percent overall and 50 percent on 3-pointers. His most important early responsibility may be defensive support for Moussa Diabaté, Grant Williams and Ryan Kalkbrenner.
The minutes question
The first camp will sort out the real hierarchy. Dybantsa, Boozer, Acuff, Burries and Lendeborg appear to have the clearest paths to early opportunity, though every situation carries its own pressure. Peterson, Wilson, Wagler and Flemings will have to carve space beside established talent. Mara, Johnson, Ament and Steinbach enter more specialized frontcourt environments where defensive adaptability may dictate their early minutes.
The draft order is now just ink on a transaction sheet. Camp, preseason and the opening rotation will decide which rookies get enough floor time to make the first serious push toward the 2027 Rookie of the Year race.
