The Brooklyn Nets unfortunately came away from the 2026 NBA Draft Lottery with the No. 6 overall pick after entering the event tied for the best odds of getting the No. 1 selection. Be that as it may, Brooklyn has to accept where its pick landed and operate accordingly, especially with the amount of talent in the class outside of the first tier.
With the No. 6 pick, the Nets will likely be missing out on the cream of the crop in the class in BYU forward AJ Dybantsa, Kansas guard Darryn Peterson, Duke forward Cameron Boozer, and North Carolina forward Caleb Wilson. However, it seems that the draft will officially start with the Los Angeles Clippers at the No. 5 spot given that they will probably have to choose between taking Illinois guard Keaton Wagler and Arkansas guard Darius Acuff Jr.
While the second half of the top-10 is mostly filled with guards, the Nets took four guards last year in the 2025 NBA Draft so they may have to weigh whether picking the best available player is better than addressed positional weaknesses on the roster. Either way, Brooklyn will be able to choose a talented player this year so here are the best players that the Nets could take with the No. 6 pick:
Darius Acuff Jr.
Acuff appears to be viewed as the guard that has the highest likelihood of being the kind of player that can be an offense unto himself if he reaches his ceiling. While Acuff has his fair share of questions with his profile related to his size and defensive weaknesses, there are teams, including the Nets, that could use someone with the ability to improve the offense tremendously.
Keaton Wagler
Wagler seems to be the best sharpshooting guard in his tier that also has the ability to impact the game in other ways thanks to his positional size and potential to exploit mismatches if he improves his handle. Wagler isn’t particularly athletic so that will pose an issue for him transitioning to the next level, but if his long-range shooting translates, he’ll be a productive player from the first time he steps on the floor.
Mikel Brown Jr.
Brown significantly improved his draft stock after going through drills at the Combine in May and showing that he’s as healthy as he said he was after dealing with a back injury this past season. Brown has great positional size, appears to be a better shooter than his college numbers indicate, and could have enough athleticism to be dynamic on both ends of the floor.
Aday Mara
Mara is another player that has significantly improved his stock after getting his official measurements that illustrate just how big of a player he is. Mara not only has the length, but he also has the size to hold his own while defending the rim and if his passing translates to the next level, he could be the kind of big that head coach Jordi Fernandez like to play with as a hub within the offensive scheme.
Brayden Burries
Burries hasn’t been talked about much when it comes to the Nets given that he seems closer to the end of the Lottery than No. 6, but his unique skillset is something that Brooklyn has to seriously consider during this rebuild. Burries appears to have the frame and athleticism to be an NBA-level defender from the first game and if he continues to hone his offensive game, he could be one of the bigger surprises in the entire first round.
This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: 2026 NBA Draft: best players for Nets to take with No. 6 overall pick
Reporting by Sharif Phillips-Keaton, Nets Wire / Nets Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
