Jayden Quaintance headlines Kentucky players in 2026 NBA mock drafts

Jayden Quaintance - Marissa Gilchrist, UK Athletics

It’s never too early to start looking ahead. And now that the 2025 NBA Draft is behind us, preparations for next year’s event have already begun.

After a pair of Kentucky players were taken in the second round on Thursday night — Koby Brea going to Phoenix at No. 41 and Amari Williams headed to Boston at No. 46 — draft experts immediately began releasing their mocks for the 2026 cycle. Could Mark Pope, who was unable to claim he coached a draft pick until less than 24 hours ago, have even more Wildcats hear their names called this time next year?

After looking at several 2026 mocks, it’s definitely possible. But one thing is certain, despite us still being months away from the start of the 2025-26 college season: Jayden Quaintance is expected to be a lottery pick. Mock drafts from ESPN, CBS Sports, Bleacher Report, SB Nation, USA Today, and On3 all have Quaintance ranked as a top 14 prospect in next year’s draft, believing he’s worthy of a top 10 pick. And that’s accounting for his ACL injury, which the Arizona State transfer continues to recover from with hopes of being ready to play around the season-opener. Quaintance, still only 17 years old, is that level of special talent.

Get the Daily On3 Newsletter in your inbox every morning

By clicking "Subscribe to Newsletter", I agree to On3's Privacy Notice, Terms, and use of my personal information described therein.

“While Quaintaince is quite raw from a skill perspective, particularly his jump shot,” ESPN’s Jeremy Woo wrote. “And has a lot to learn with his overall technique and ability to process the floor, his extreme youth for the college level earns him benefit of the doubt, and NBA scouts will be eager to see whether he can take another step forward after transferring to Kentucky. He’ll have a major platform there to try and solidify himself as a lottery talent, but there’s a lot of refinement that has to happen before he’s NBA-ready.”

But Quiantance wasn’t the only Wildcat mentioned in these mocks. Kam Williams, a very young 3-and-D prospect who transferred over from Tulane, cracked a couple of these lists. Ricky O’Donnell at SB Nation even has Williams as a potential first-round selection. O’Donnell is also high on incoming freshman guard Jasper Johnson as a possible first-rounder. Otega Oweh, who returned to Kentucky for a senior season in hopes of developing into a first-round lock, was spotted as the 27th-best 2026 draft prospect by On3’s James Flecther III.

ESPN (two-round mock)