The first week of the college basketball season is over, which means it’s time to take a look at who lived up to the hype in what is a highly anticipated 2026 NBA Draft class — led a consensus monster top three in Darryn Peterson, AJ Dybantsa and Cameron Boozer. The good news for scouts? The freshmen did not disappoint, with many posting dominant performances, adding to the perceived depth of this class.
Here’s what you need to know from Week 1 of the season from an NBA Draft perspective. (Team scouts and executives spoke on the condition of anonymity to speak freely about the prospects.)
Biggest winner: UNC’s Caleb Wilson
North Carolina’s Caleb Wilson was considered by many scouts to be one of the true swing players in the 2026 draft. On one hand, the 6-foot-10 forward was always known as an exceptionally high-level defender and athlete with immense upside throughout his high school career. But his skill level was a bit hit or miss at times, from a shaky jumper to his ability to create in half-court settings. Moreover, NBA scouts who had done some early due diligence weren’t totally sure about his competitiveness. They didn’t have negative reports by any stretch, but they wondered about his willingness to take over when the moment required.
Here’s the good news for Wilson: I spoke with three separate NBA executives/scouts who said some version of the following after the Tar Heels beat Kansas and potential No. 1 pick Peterson 87-74 on Friday, when Wilson had 24 points, seven rebounds and four assists.
“I didn’t know he had that kind of dog in him.”
To say that Wilson met the moment would be an understatement. His boundless enthusiasm and effort brought the North Carolina fans into the game in a big way, with no better example than when he helped force a 10-second half-court violation and flexed to an already raucous crowd. He chased loose balls and created second chances with offensive rebounds regularly, with his tip-dunk setting the tone within the first minute of the game.
GET UP!!! 🗣️ @CalebWilson2025
💻 https://t.co/DdnTobBIni (ESPN) https://t.co/WdbkpWARNf pic.twitter.com/8eXz09cxDg
— Carolina Basketball (@UNC_Basketball) November 8, 2025
After the game, he let everyone know the driving force behind the inspiring performance.
“I put stuff on the wallpaper of my phone before I play to make sure I’m p—–,” Wilson told reporters. “My wallpaper today was my feeling after the McDonald’s All-American game, where I didn’t touch the ball. And Darryn Peterson was on my team.”
Don’t sleep on the skill level Wilson showed, either. He hit a nasty jab-step midrange jumper over a tough contest and drilled three impressive mid-post fadeaways in which he re-aligned in midair from 15 feet. He had a slick jab-step drive to open up an angle before stopping short and hitting a sweet little floater and also created easy opportunities off the glass. His passing was on point and included a couple of nice high-low looks to center Henri Veesaar that showcased touch, and he also found Kyan Evans darting to the rim with sweet timing in a set play. Defensively, Wilson wasn’t quite as active as he was at lower levels, but he was timely and sharp in his rotations, and his ability to switch onto multiple player types stood out.
I’m not sure I’ve seen an early-season game that so thoroughly answered NBA scouts’ questions in a long time. It was remarkably impressive. The only thing he didn’t do was hit a 3, something that scouts will want to see at some point. However, his midrange shots sated scouts’ appetites just enough and showed, at the very least, there is touch to work with.
It’s hard to find competitive two-way wing/forwards who are listed at 6-10 and possess this kind of athleticism. Unsurprisingly, the consensus from scouts after the game was that Wilson is clearly shaping up as a top-10 player in the class, with a couple noting that they felt the top five was attainable if he continues at this pace. He’ll need to round out his overall offensive repertoire if he’s going to enter that top echelon, but no one is limiting Wilson’s ceiling after Friday’s remarkable performance.
Koa Peat dominates Florida
Speaking of monster performances, Arizona’s 6-8 forward Koa Peat had arguably the best opening game of any freshman. He turned in a monster 30-point, seven-rebound, five-assist opening-night win over No. 3 Florida, which returned its entire starting frontcourt from last season’s national championship team.
Peat showcased some serious scoring ability from the midrange and at the rim while pairing tremendously well with lead guard Jaden Bradley. After Florida jumped out to a lead, Arizona’s coaching staff figured out that Peat had a massive advantage in short-roll settings out of ball screens.
With 11:15 left in the first half, Florida led 28-16. Peat only had three points in the first seven and a half minutes before the coaching staff adjusted and had him set side- and middle-ball screens that resulted in him short-rolling into the foul line area against Alex Condon. From that point forward, Peat and Bradley took over the game. Over the next five minutes, Peat had six points and three assists, consistently finding his teammates for opening jumpers or dumpoffs at the rim. In the second half, he had eight points in the first seven minutes, with most of them coming off short rolls following pocket-passes as Condon got lost on defense between the roller and the guard. Peat drew a ton of fouls as well, ending with 12 free-throw attempts.
KOA. PEAT. 😤😤😤 @kpeat10 pic.twitter.com/q4NMmIP4Qi
— Arizona Basketball (@ArizonaMBB) November 4, 2025
But it wasn’t all off short rolls, as Peat had two massive dunks out of ball screens when he got behind Condon and threw down, as well as a nice little empty-side isolation mid-post bucket for a midrange jumper. The question for scouts coming into the year about Peat was whether Arizona would utilize him more as a wing or as a big. At least in Game 1 (much like he did when he coached him at the Under-19 World Cup), Tommy Lloyd used Peat essentially as a mismatch big who finishes plays out of screens and makes high-level passing reads when he already has an advantage, as opposed to a perimeter playmaker who is trying to separate on his own, like Peat did on the AAU circuit.
That offensive versatility is what makes Peat such an intriguing prospect. His intelligence in ball screens as a roller and passer gives him a ready-made NBA role. However, his ability to handle the ball in mismatch situations and to score from 15 feet and in also gives him some potential upside as a secondary scoring threat. The name that multiple scouts have brought up when discussing Peat is Detroit Pistons forward Tobias Harris, who has carved out a tremendous career — averaging 17 points, six rebounds and three assists over the last 13 years. To reach that level and go beyond it, Peat will need to start shooting 3s at a better clip (right now, he’s just not taking them). But it also took Harris time to become comfortable as a shooter.
Scouts see Peat as a potential top-10 pick and will be paying special attention to how his shooting settles in, as well as how he moves laterally on defense. Peat has more juice athletically than he often gets credit for, particularly when he can load up and leap with space. However, scouts want to see how his lateral agility and ability to stop-and-start look against high-level guards. Undeniably, though, he helped himself a lot in the first week.
Did Texas expose Cameron Boozer’s flaws?
Boozer is considered one of the consensus top-three prospects in the class largely because of how consistently productive the 6-9 forward is. In his first collegiate game, Boozer scored 15 points, had 13 rebounds, dished out two assists and had a block and three steals in a 75-60 win over Texas. Then against Western Carolina on Saturday, Boozer went for 25 points, eight rebounds and five assists in just 23 minutes.
Yet, the Texas game was also potentially one of the worst games he’ll play this season. He didn’t score in the first half and shot 3 of 12 from the field while missing all four of his 3-point attempts. It was the way the shots looked that gave some scouts pause. Boozer didn’t separate from his man all that often and regularly took contested attempts at the rim. Texas forward Nic Codie did a great job dealing with Boozer’s physicality and staying in front of him, forcing him into tough spots. This miss was pretty indicative of his night, as he just didn’t quite get free enough to get clean looks.
Should scouts have been impressed that Boozer was productive despite a bad game against a tough defensive opponent? Or did it raise red flags that the largely below-the-rim Boozer struggled on the interior against length?
Boozer’s finishing on the interior will be a factor that scouts track throughout the year, now that he will be less capable of bullying interior opponents with his power and footwork before going up for lay-ins and mini-hooks like he did in high school. Against Texas, Boozer went just 2-of-7 at the rim in half-court settings, according to Synergy. He also seemed sped up in ball screens and didn’t use any pace with his handle, something he’s very capable of doing on his drives, both as a roller or as a ballhandler in those settings.
I’m good chalking up Boozer’s offensive ineffectiveness to first-game jitters. He missed all of his 3s short and never seemed totally comfortable. However, the process behind how he got to those 3s, with two coming after off-ball actions where he hopped right into them fluidly, was impressive. On defense, Boozer was wildly impressive with his communication and hand activity, almost always seemingly getting into the right places. And he dominated the glass and ended possessions on defense.
Still, Boozer needs to clean up his footwork and be more efficient with his chances around the basket. The team’s showdown with Kansas in the Nov. 18 Champions Classic will be another fun test, although I don’t think the Jayhawks’ interior matches up quite as well with Boozer as Texas’ did from a size and rim protection standpoint.
Avdalas impresses with massive Providence game
Virginia Tech guard/wing and potential first-round pick Neoklis Avdalas had one of the most impressive performances of the first week: 33 points, five rebounds and six assists in Saturday’s defense-optional game against Providence. I’m not sure anyone posted better highlights than Avdalas did, as his pace, comfort level snaking through ball screens, finishing, shooting and passing all turned scouts’ heads.
Essentially playing as the Hokies’ point guard, Avdalas got regular paint touches and open 3s against a passive Friar defense that gave up 107 points on 89 possessions five days after allowing 79 points on 78 possessions to a Holy Cross team projected to be among the bottom 15 in the country by KenPom. Still, the 6-8 Avdalas was wildly impressive out of ball screens, consistently playing off two feet and keeping defenders guessing as to whether he would continue his drives to the rim, get to a stepback or make a hair-trigger pass to an open teammate. His willingness to let plays develop around him while maintaining control of the ball in the lane was outstanding, as you can see in this one when he puts a defender in jail on his hip after a screen, lets his screener roll to the rim to seal off the big defender and calmly gets to a lefty layup.
This is the big difference between him and someone like Egor Demin, the former BYU lead guard who went No. 8 in this past draft but who I had ranked No. 25 on my board. Demin often felt sped up when he got into the lane because, while he had even better vision than Avdalas, he couldn’t maintain his position and hold his spot with his lack of strength. Avdalas has put on some serious size and strength since the last time scouts saw him at the NBA Draft Combine, when he weighed 200 pounds. He’s currently listed at 215 and has defenders bouncing off him as they try to recover back in front of him out of ball screens. Additionally, Avdalas’ footwork is much more polished and comfortable, as he constantly plays on balance.
The keys for Avdalas are threefold. First, what will he look like when he struggles to shoot it?. Throughout his career, he has been a very inconsistent marksman from deep. Against Providence, he went 5-of-8 from 3. In the prior 108 games that RealGM tracked for Avdalas, he’d never made more than three 3s. There is nothing inherently wrong with his mechanics, and I would bet on him shooting well long term. But he’s simply never made shots consistently before this season. On opening night against Charleston Southern, he went 3-of-13 from the field and missed five of his six 3-point attempts.
Second, what will Avdalas look like against teams that play more aggressive defensive coverages than Providence? Can he get by opposing players? Can he deal consistently with athletic defenses putting two defenders on the ball against him? If he struggles to get by opponents, will that make him more of a wing than a guard in the NBA (something that, at his size, would be completely fine)?
Finally, what will Avdalas look like on defense? I did not think he defended well against Providence, getting beaten backdoor a couple of times, as well as struggling to hold up at the point attack. Will teams take advantage of him? Will he tighten it up as he gets more experience within Virginia Tech’s scheme? NBA teams had concerns about his defense throughout the pre-draft process last year in regard to his lateral movement and strength. The latter has been addressed, but we need a bigger sample to see how the former has been impacted.
Overall, scouts were very excited by the Providence game and thought it showed growth in his game. But they want a larger sample with Avdalas before skyrocketing him into top-10 discussions.
Other Notes
Dybantsa and Peterson did nothing to hurt their standing among the NBA crowd. Dybantsa led BYU to an opening-night win over Villanova and showcased growth and patience as a ballhandler and driver late in the game. Peterson dropped 22 points on 8-of-14 from the field against North Carolina and made some truly ridiculous attempts, including a midrange jumper directly off a curl that resulted in an and-1, as well as a fun Euro step floater that looked exactly like an NBA move. They’re still the two names I get most often from scouts about the most likely No. 1 pick.
Scouts were excited to see Arkansas’ freshman backcourt of Darius Acuff Jr. and Meleek Thomas go against Michigan State on Saturday following terrific preseasons from both players. However, they had to watch a remarkably stagnant Razorbacks offense that featured an awful lot of dribbling up top. Acuff showcased some positive passing moments, but they tended to come on his terms after dominating the ball. Thomas and Acuff also struggled on the defensive end with reads and rotations. It’s worth noting that this was an early road game for young players in a hostile environment. Additionally, without a fully healthy Karter Knox, the Razorbacks’ spacing was an abomination, as Michigan State sold out to pack the paint without any recourse. Don’t be surprised if it takes those two more time to get into the freshman bonanza.
One name on the tip of scouts’ tongues this week is Baylor’s Cameron Carr, a redshirt sophomore guard who transferred from Tennessee following two developmental years in which he didn’t play much. Largely, that was because of a lack of strength, as he entered college under 170 pounds. However, he’s long been seen as a “once he puts on the strength and can take bumps, watch out” player with his skill level and shooting ability. A sharp scoring guard coming out of Link Academy, Carr was a consensus top-50 player in his recruiting class and finally seems to have turned the corner. He was the Bears’ best player in Sunday’s win over Washington in a big prospect matchup against potential first-round picks Tounde Yessoufou and Hannes Steinbach. Carr also dropped 28 points and showcased a nice, multi-level scoring attack in the Bears’ opener against UT Rio Grande Valley. With exceptionally long arms plus the ability to dribble, pass and shoot with fluidity, Carr could become a first-round pick despite little offseason hype.
