Just two players were selected directly from mid-major programs in the 2026 NBA Draft. Santa Clara’s Allen Graves was the No. 19 pick to the Toronto Raptors, and the draft rights of South Florida’s Izaiyah Nelson, the No. 51 pick, were traded to Orlando.
However, according to the Mid-Major Reacts survey, despite Graves being a top-20 pick and Nelson being one of the final 10 selections, the two will be equally impactful in the ongoing NBA Summer League, as each player received 50% of the votes.
While Graves enters the NBA with higher expectations, there’s likely more at stake for Nelson in Las Vegas. Graves recently inked a four-year, $19.7 million contract with more than $8 million guaranteed. Nelson, too, earned a contract, but it was a two-way deal.
Graves burst onto the draft scene in just one season at Santa Clara. His redshirt freshman was headlined by WCC Sixth Man and Freshman of the Year honors, and the Broncos’ first trip to the Big Dance in 30 years. Despite coming off the bench in his lone season of collegiate action, Graves skyrocketed up draft boards thanks to his defensive versatility and offensive consistency, marking Herb Sendek’s third first rounder in the last five seasons.
He backed up the first-round label in his Summer League debut and scored 22 points, shooting 9-for-16 and 3-for-8 from deep. Arguably more impressively, he hauled in 13 rebounds, five of which were offensive, blocked two shots and had three steals. He showcased his upside as a do-it-all defender, and if he brings this sort of offense along with his defensive abilities, he’s in for a long NBA career.
Obviously, it’s way too early to formulate real conclusions about his NBA future, but his first showing was about as good as you could ask for.
On the contrary, Nelson doesn’t have as obvious of an NBA path, but he has the physical tools to be a rotational big if he finds the right situation. He doesn’t offer hardly anything offensively on the perimeter, but he got better each of his four college seasons and played himself into the draft after averaging 15.9 points, 9.6 rebounds, 1.6 steals and 1.4 blocks.
He made the move from Arkansas State to South Florida with Brian Hodgson, and it resulted in being drafted. Now, starting with the Summer League, he’ll need to prove he belongs at the next level. Without much of a perimeter game, he’ll need to play to his strengths, continuing to be an energetic, high-level rebounder and versatile defender, ideally finding his footing offensively through solid screens and athletic finishes around the rim.
There’s a path for Nelson to stick in the NBA, it’s not as clear as Graves’, but he’s got his foot in the door now. He got off to a rather uneventful start in his first Summer League game on Thursday but flashed what he’s capable of. He scored just two points, but grabbed six rebounds, two offensive, and added a steal and a block in 15 minutes off the bench. Ideally, as Summer League progresses, he’ll see more minutes to prove he can be a high-volume rebounder and stocks guy.
Nelson also picked up five fouls in the contest, so he’ll need to show he can be sound defensively and be impactful without fouling to earn a real NBA opportunity.
Summer League action runs through July 19, and both players will continue to get game reps and show why mid-major players belong on NBA courts, but through one game each, it’s been Graves with the strongest showing.
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