2026 NBA Mock Draft Slots Isaiah Evans at No. 31, Meleek Thomas at No. 33
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jun 24
2026 NBA Mock Draft Slots Isaiah Evans at No. 31, Meleek Thomas at No. 33
2 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jun 24
Summary
Isaiah Evans, the only green-room invitee left out of Round 1, is projected to go No. 31 to the Knicks in Harper and Moore’s 2026 NBA second-round mock.
Meleek Thomas is forecast at No. 33 to Minnesota, with the mock arguing his elite shooting upside is offset by poor team defense, shaky shot selection and limited vision.
The projection opens with Jack Kayil at No. 32 to Memphis and notes the Grizzlies’ pick could be auctioned because the team already has a full roster.
Harper and Moore say NIL-driven return-to-school decisions and pre-draft dealmaking have made the second round more volatile, increasing the odds of two-way picks and late stash selections.
After 28 of the writers’ 30 first-round projections hit and no top-25 players remained on their board, the second round is framed as a search for role-player shooting, defense and developmental upside.