We are in the dead of the offseason, so I thought it would be fun to look back at last year’s draft class and feature 3 players who were my favorite prospects of the class. This doesn’t mean I thought they were the best players of this class, but rather that I was much higher on them than most and had a fond attachment to them. I’ll also share honorable mentions, because there are way more than 3 prospects in each class that are my guys each year. I love a lot of players, okay? 2026 was the first year I actually shared my thoughts on an incoming class, but I promise I’m not making anything up. Without further ado, lets jump straight into it. They’ll be sorted by pick, in ascending order.

insert some amazing transition sound to seem cool idk maybe like doddodododoododoooo

My Guys: HMs: Jeremiah Fears, Liam McNeeley, Ryan Kalkbrenner, Rocco Zikarsky

Sion James, R2, #33 Rookie Stats: 82 GP, 5.4 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 2.0 APG, 37.1% FG, 35.2% 3PT

The stats might not show it, but Sion James was quietly one of the bigger reasons why Charlotte made their long awaited return to relevancy. As most of you should know by now, I love my defensive wings, and Sion James was exactly that. He was exactly the player I thought he would be, being a rugged 3-D wing contributing with low usage, with a bit of extra rebounding talent in there as well. I don’t know why people thought he was a second rounder; to me he was a clearly 10yrs in the league guy. Final review: maybe my best take on the draft, I was VERY high on Sion James. Also, why does Charlotte like the same players I like? They should hire me at this point wtf.

Jase Richardson, R1, #25 Rookie Stats: 54 GP, 4.4 PPG, 1.2 RPG, 1.1 APG, 47.3% FG, 35.4% 3PT

Okay, so, not the best start to his NBA career. Still, he didn’t look bad, more so the Magic, and specifically Mosley, didn’t feel like giving the rook meaningful playing time. I firmly believe he’s going to be a major part of the rotation this upcoming season, potentially as their 6th or 7th man, and be a microwave scorer off the bench. I normally shy away from smaller guards, so the fact that Jase became one of my favorite prospects last year should say a lot. It also may or may not help that I had Michigan State winning last year. Final review: not a miss yet, check back in one year.

Derik Queen, R1, #13 Rookie Stats: 81 GP, 11.7 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 3.7 APG, 47.3% FG, 26.1% 3PT; All-Rookie 2nd Team

I think it’s fair to say I hit on this take. Watching Queen at Maryland was an experience for sure. His offensive game is unique in a way few players have ever matched. It showed in flashes throughout the regular season, which shows in his two triple doubles he notched. The same issues he had in college remained with him and only got worse in the NBA, being his defense and his lack of an outside shot, but I believe that both aspects of bhis game can eventually turn into plus attributes. Even without those skills, he showed more than enough to make me feel confident in my take. Final review: No changes; still think he will turn into a star. Little concerned tho that the Pelicans of all teams were the ones who drafted Fears and Queen.

Not tryna farm points or anything, cough cough, I just genuinely want to know your guy’s thoughts. I promise. What players did you think were gonna turn out nice? And did they? I had a pretty good 2025 draft, but previous classes were definitely a bit rough for me.