The #23, #26, and #32 Ranked Prospects Are STILL on the Board, and Day 2 Is Set to Explode

Holy smokes, NBA fans! Day 1 of the 2026 NBA Draft is officially in the books, and if you thought it was going to be a predictable snoozefest after the first few picks, you were dead wrong. Yeah, the Washington Wizards snagged AJ Dybantsa at No. 1 and the Phoenix Suns closed out the round with Koa Peat at No. 30, with most of the lottery picks going exactly where everyone expected. But then, the absolute wildness started, and some seriously high-profile college players, guys everyone pegged for the first round, just didn't hear their names called. It's truly wild out there!

Top-Tier Talent Left Hanging After Round One

Seriously, how did this even happen? We're talking about players who were locks, guys ranked comfortably inside the top 30 of the CBS Sports draft board, who now have to wait until Day 2. The biggest head-scratchers of the night? North Carolina's Henri Veesaar, Arkansas' Meleek Thomas, and Duke's Isaiah Evans. Each of these studs could have gone back to college for a massive NIL payday, but they rolled the dice on the draft, and now they're in for an anxious wait. You know these guys are going to be absolute steals for whoever grabs them early on Wednesday. Henri Veesaar, the big man from UNC, was projected to land somewhere in the 20s. This dude bypassed returning to North Carolina, where he had a breakout season for first-year coach Michael Malone, and was set to be one of the highest-paid players in college hoops! He's a stretc

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h big who showed so much growth. Then there's Isaiah Evans, the forward out of Duke, another guy everyone had in the 20s. What a surprise! Evans transformed from a pure catch-and-shoot specialist as a freshman into a legit No. 2 scoring option for the No. 1 overall seed in college basketball. He nearly doubled his three-point attempts and still knocked them down at a super efficient 36.1 percent clip. Any team picking early on Day 2 is getting a serious scorer here.

Meleek Thomas' Big Decision Leads to a Day Two Wait

And let's not forget Meleek Thomas, the guard from Arkansas. This guy really had us on the edge of our seats, waiting right up until the final stay-or-go deadline to announce he was staying in the draft. Thomas wasn't just some role player, either. He was a solid second option for a young Arkansas squad this past season, right alongside fellow freshman Darius Acuff Jr., and provided valuable scoring when they needed it. It's a head-scratcher that he didn't go in the first, especially given how much he held his own throughout the year. For a guy who logically could've returned to school to be Arkansas' potential top scorer, this has got to sting a little. So, what's next? Day 2, baby! The draft continues, and with Veesaar, Evans, and Thomas still on the board, Wednesday is going to be absolutely electric. Teams that pick early in the second round are about to get some serious value. It's going to be wild to see where these guys land and how quickly they hear their names called. Get ready, because the action is just getting started!

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.