The opening week of the regular season brings the highly anticipated debut of the 2026 NBA Draft class, with nearly all of the lottery picks set to make their official rookie appearances. Twelve of the fourteen lottery selections are scheduled to take the floor on Wednesday night, showcasing a freshman group that has already turned heads throughout the summer and preseason.
Oklahoma City Thunder center Aday Mara became the first lottery pick to see regular-season action, stepping onto the court Tuesday in a 116-104 victory against the San Antonio Spurs. Mara logged nearly 12 minutes of play, finishing with seven points, two rebounds, one assist, and one block. The highlight of his debut came when he stuffed a dunk attempt by Victor Wembanyama on an alley-oop play, immediately answering on the other end by finishing an alley-oop dunk for the Thunder on the subsequent possession.
While Mara has already broken the ice, the rest of the lottery selections face various circumstances heading into Wednesday’s slate. Washington Wizards guard AJ Dybantsa, selected with the No. 1 overall pick, will be forced to wait for his debut. Dybantsa is listed as day-to-day with a sprained left ankle and has been ruled out for a third consecutive game to open the campaign. Despite the injury, expectations remain high for the top pick, who scored in double figures across all four of his preseason appearances while filling out the stat sheet with rebounding, stealing, and passing.
Memphis will host a compelling matchup between top selections when the Utah Jazz visit the Memphis Grizzlies. Darryn Peterson, the No. 2 pick out of Utah, opens his career on the road following a preseason that included a 23-point outing and a 13-point, six-rebound, six-assist performance in his final tune-up. Across the floor stands Cameron Boozer, the No. 3 pick for the Grizzlies, who enters the league with a polished physical frame and an all-around skill set. Boozer posted at least 10 points, four rebounds, and two assists in four preseason games, earning him the nod from NBA general managers to win the league’s Rookie of the Year award in the annual preseason survey.
In Chicago, No. 4 pick Caleb Wilson of the Bulls prepares to face the Toronto Raptors. Wilson flashed considerable scoring and playmaking upside during the preseason, averaging 21.4 points on 43.5% shooting, 6.2 rebounds, and 3.8 assists on a per-36-minute basis while displaying comfort attacking the basket. Meanwhile, the LA Clippers will ease No. 5 pick Keaton Wagler into action against the Sacramento Kings, placing him in an environment where he can develop without immediate pressure to chase victories.
The Brooklyn Nets introduce No. 6 pick Mikel Brown Jr. against the Charlotte Hornets. Brown tallied 15 points, three rebounds, three assists, and two steals in his sole preseason appearance, benefiting from the veteran mentorship of Julius Randle. Facing the Clippers on the opposite side of the Sacramento matchup, No. 7 pick Darius Acuff Jr. brings an aggressive scoring profile after putting up 19 points against the Los Angeles Lakers and 25 points, eight assists, and four rebounds against the Golden State Warriors, alongside an 8-for-19 preseason mark from beyond the arc.
Atlanta Hawks No. 8 pick Kingston Flemings has earned praise for his work ethic and court awareness, recording at least five assists in three of five preseason contests while committing just two turnovers across his final four games. In Dallas, Mavericks head coach Dusty May will integrate No. 9 pick Morez Johnson Jr. into the rotation after the rookie played limited minutes in two preseason games.
Milwaukee Bucks rookie Brayden Burries, selected at No. 10, was voted by league general managers as the biggest steal of the draft. Burries demonstrated a complete statistical profile in the preseason, highlighted by a 19-point, five-rebound, five-assist, and four-steal performance against Chicago. His teammate, No. 13 pick Nate Ament, is listed as probable to play against Washington after a preseason ankle sprain limited him to 23 minutes across two games.
Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr confirmed that No. 11 pick Yaxel Lendeborg will earn consistent minutes in the rotation. Lendeborg justified that confidence in the preseason by scoring at least 17 points in four of five games, capped by a 23-point, 10-rebound, six-assist, two-steal, and one-block effort in just 24 minutes against Sacramento. Rounding out the lottery group, Charlotte Hornets No. 14 pick Hannes Steinbach enters his debut against Brooklyn following a 19-point, 10-rebound, and three-steal performance in his final preseason outing.
