NBA Draft 2026 best players available for Round 2: Updated big board, picks order for Wednesday night

NBA Draft 2026 best players available for Round 2: Updated big board, picks order for Wednesday night originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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The first day of the draft is over, and the biggest names are off the board. There are still some first round talents that have slipped onto Wednesday’s second round though, and the teams with selections within the first 10 picks have some interesting options to choose from. 

The board starts to drop off precipitously after that point. This second round has been decimated by college players choosing NIL money over a non-guaranteed NBA deal. Still, there are always one or two diamonds in the rough that become rotation players in that range. 

Here are the best players available for the second round, along with the full order after a number of trades on Tuesday that shook things up. 

NOH: First-round grades | Winners and losers

NBA Draft best players remaining for Round 2

1. Isaiah Evans, SF, Duke

Evans was a surprise faller in the draft. He’s a great movement shooter who should bring that skill directly to the NBA. While he’s limited as a decision-maker, he has good size and projects as a quality 3-and-D wing if he can improve his defensive technique.

MORE: Top landing spots for Duke’s Isaiah Evans

2. Meleek Thomas, SG/PG, Arkansas

Thomas is the JR Smith of this draft class. While his shot selection can be suspect, he has real talent as a gunner, hitting 42 percent of his 3’s last season. Defense was an adventure for him at Arkansas, where he was caught ball-watching way too often, but he has the size to potentially not be a liability. 

3. Henri Veesaar, C, North Carolina

Veesar was the best stretch 5 in this draft class. He’s a talented offensive player who shot 43 percent from deep for UNC last season and also had good skill as a passer and nice touch at the rim. He doesn’t project as a good defender and he needs to get stronger, but he can be a backup that thrives in the right matchups. 

4. Richie Saunders, SG, BYU

Saunders fell to the second round due to a lack of upside. He’s 24 years old and coming off an ACL injury. He’s not a great athlete. But he profiles as a strong role player who can defend with effort, rebound, hit 3’s at high volume, and make the right decisions with the ball. He’s the type of high-feel player that finds a way to stick in a rotation. 

5. Bruce Thornton, PG, Ohio State

If Thornton were a few inches taller, he’d be an easy first-round pick. His 6-0 height dropped him into the second round.

Thornton is the best scorer left in the draft. He finds ways to finish at the rim at an extremely high efficiency despite that size thanks to a wonderful floater. He’s a great midrange shooter with a deadly pull-up game, and he hit 40 percent of his 3’s last season. He’s also very careful with the ball.

Thornton is a small guard, but he’s very strong. That should help him compete on the defense end. 

6. Ugonna Onyenso, C, Virginia

Onyenso has at least one NBA skill. He’s an unbelievable rim protector who led Division-I with 2.9 blocks per game last season. The rest of his game is very limited. He can catch lobs, finish at the rim, and grab offensive rebounds. There is still value in having that type of defensive specialist coming off the bench. 

7. Izaiyah Nelson, PF/C, USF

Nelson is an undersized big who has the length to compete at center. He’s a good defender who offers some scheme versatility and plays with a high motor. He’s a limited offensive player, but he can finish around the rim and is a twitchy athlete. 

8. Baba Miller, SF, Cincinnati

Miller is a late bloomer who has great tools but hadn’t been able to put them together much until recently. He’s 6-10.5 without shoes and moves fluidly. He can rebound and pass well, and he could one day be a great defender. He hasn’t shot the ball well in college.

9. Emanuel Sharp, SG, Houston

Sharp is an older combo guard who can shoot and defend with toughness at the point of attack. He doesn’t have great size and he doesn’t offer much on offense aside from spacing the floor, but has a shot to stick as an undersized 3-and-D specialist. 

10. Maliq Brown, PF, Duke

Brown is undersized as a big, standing at just 6-8. He makes up for that with a decent wingspan and a great motor. He’s a disruptive defender but a limited scorer who can screen, pass, and hit the offensive glass.

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1. Otega Oweh, SG, Kentucky

2. Ryan Conwell, SG, Louisville

3. Quadir Copeland, G, NC State

4. Jaden Bradley, PG, Arizona

5. Dillon Mitchell, SF, St. John’s

6. Lamar Wilkerson, SG, Indiana

7. Jack Kayil, SG, Alba Berlin

18. Braden Smith, PG, Purdue

1. Ja’Kobi Gillespie, G, Tennessee

2. Aaron Nkrumah, SG, Tennessee State

3. Alexandros Samodurov, C, Panathinaikos

4. Nick Boyd, PG/SG, Wisconsin

5. Tyler Bilodeau, PF, UCLA

6. Felix Okpara, C, Tennessee

7. Trevon Brazile, PF, Arkansas

8. Nick Martinelli, SF, Northwestern

9. Noam Yaacov, PG, BC Oostende

10. Tyler Nickel, SF, Vanderbilt

11. Nolan Winter, PF/C, Wisconsin

30. Nate Bittle, C, Oregon

NBA Draft full order for Round 2

PickTeam31Rockets32Grizzlies33Wolves34Cavs35Nuggets36Clippers37Thunder38Bulls39Knicks40Celtics41Heat42Spurs43Nets44Spurs45Kings46Magic47Knicks48Mavericks49Nuggets50Raptors51Wizards52Clippers53Knicks54Warriors55Rockets56Lakers57Hawks58Pelicans59Wolves60Wizards