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Winners & Surprises from 1st Round of 2026 NBA Draft · Bleacher Report

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Biggest winner of Night one, I mnna.
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  Speaker 2: Have to go with, Okay, see the rich get Richard.
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  Speaker 2: They picked up a valuable big a maar, just knowing
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  Speaker 2: how everything played out for them in the conference finals
• 0:13
  Speaker 2: run the matchup problems more so came down to their bigs,
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  Speaker 2: adding that depth at the big position was great for them.
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  Speaker 2: And like I said, the rich get Richard. So I'm
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  Speaker 2: excited to see his development under Okay.
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: See, he's biggest winner.
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  Speaker 3: I would have said, okay see, I'll mix it up. Listen.
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  Speaker 3: I love cam Boozer. I think he's the best prospect
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  Speaker 3: in the draft, and they got him third overall, so
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  Speaker 3: I'd say Memphis. However, I didn't agree with the way
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  Speaker 3: they handled their next pick with Kareem Lopez. Interesting to
• 0:42
  Speaker 3: see what happens with him. But to me, Cam Boozer
• 0:45
  Speaker 3: will change your franchise. It's going to take some more pieces,
• 0:49
  Speaker 3: but he was my guy. So I gotta say Memphis.
• 0:52
  Speaker 1: Let's go to Fish next Fish, do you have a
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  Speaker 1: winner for us?
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  Speaker 4: I like san Antonio. I think the so I think
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  Speaker 4: I forget who said it earlier, but balancing out the
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  Speaker 4: Tarris reed, Jarrett Jaden Quainton's picks in the big in
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  Speaker 4: the front court. I think it kind of reminds me
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  Speaker 4: a couple of years ago of when the Clippers head
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  Speaker 4: back to back picks and went with Joan Robinson, like
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  Speaker 4: more of the reach and then Shay Obviously that became
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  Speaker 4: a Paul George crazy thing. So maybe that's not Maybe
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  Speaker 4: that's a back comparison, but I like kind of the
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  Speaker 4: hedge and going for the high upside guy and the
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  Speaker 4: high floor guy at the same position. So san Antonio,
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  Speaker 4: I think, continues to add to a bruising, huge young
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  Speaker 4: core with a really nice first round.
• 1:34
  Speaker 1: You guys took all the big ones, so I'll be quick.
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  Speaker 1: I think Chalk was a winner tonight. This went without
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  Speaker 1: many surprises early, and then I think Dusty May was
• 1:42
  Speaker 1: a winner tonight. He gets one of his guys at nine,
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  Speaker 1: He gets all three of his guys in the top
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  Speaker 1: twelve in this draft, and now he gets to coach
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  Speaker 1: Cooper Flagg. Nobody saw that coming. What about surprises and
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  Speaker 1: or I guess losers anything on the negative side, KRT,
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  Speaker 1: what's your biggest one from night one?
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  Speaker 5: I think I'm gonna go with the Chicago Bulls. And
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  Speaker 5: it's weird for me because I love the Kayleb Wilson pick,
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  Speaker 5: but then to follow it up with Dalon Swayn, I
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  Speaker 5: just don't think it adds enough shooting. I also think
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  Speaker 5: there's this weird dynamic that Dalan Swain probably thinks he's
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  Speaker 5: better than Kayler Wilson, where I think they need to
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  Speaker 5: know that Kayler Wilson's the star of that team. I
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  Speaker 5: just don't necessarily know if I like to fit I
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  Speaker 5: questioned the shooting. I love the Kayler Wilson pick, but
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  Speaker 5: I just think they could have done more at fifteen
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  Speaker 5: instead of a guy like Dylan Swayn at that spot.
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  Speaker 2: Bugie, I think I might goal with Milwaukee with Burds.
• 2:29
  Speaker 2: I'm not not a huge fan of that pick. I
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  Speaker 2: mean it made sense in the moment as far as
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  Speaker 2: just adding talent, but you know, fit wise, I mean
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  Speaker 2: talent wise, I think they could have got something a
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  Speaker 2: bit bigger, a bit better, but not absolutely mad at it.
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  Speaker 2: But I would say that bick.
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  Speaker 3: Was I think Dallas reaching on Marez Johnson Junior. Again,
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  Speaker 3: I like the fit. I wish they traded back a
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  Speaker 3: couple of spots, maybe to get Maree Johnson, who is
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  Speaker 3: like such a likable prospect, and he was true ending
• 3:00
  Speaker 3: a lot during the pre draft prospast after he got
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  Speaker 3: his measurables taken. Fun player contributed to winning in that
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  Speaker 3: Michigan team, But when you see who else was on
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  Speaker 3: the board, I thought that was a bit of a reach.
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  Speaker 2: Fish.
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  Speaker 4: I think Morez was definitely the biggest surprise. I was
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  Speaker 4: a little surprised to see Dalan Swain come off the
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  Speaker 4: board to Chicago number fifteen. It was weird to me,
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  Speaker 4: being that we all knew Kayleb Wilson was going for that.
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  Speaker 4: Chicago was linked to all these big band They were
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  Speaker 4: perceived as the floor for Steinbach, for Marez Johnson. But
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  Speaker 4: then like last Friday, I think it was they had
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  Speaker 4: a workout with Christian Anderson, Boogie's Guy, La Baron Filon
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  Speaker 4: and Malik Thomas. Swain was not one of the guard
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  Speaker 4: names that we heard, and his camp thought that he
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  Speaker 4: was really more in play with Philly twenty two, Detroit
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  Speaker 4: twenty one, Atlanta twenty three. So he went about eight
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  Speaker 4: spots higher than he was anticipating going tonight.
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  Speaker 3: So good for him.
• 3:57
  Speaker 1: All right, thank you, Phish. I think I'm looking at
• 4:00
  Speaker 1: that Abuco correer pick I know Wass had it highly graded.
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  Speaker 1: I think there were better guards on the board. I
• 4:05
  Speaker 1: don't think the Pistons needed to trade up there. I'm
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  Speaker 1: surprised we saw a couple of trades for both starts
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  Speaker 1: and a corrier when La Baron Phylon falls to the
• 4:13
  Speaker 1: Sixers