Apricot's NBA Draft Tourney Group 1: Mikel Brown Jr., Allen Graves, Hannes Steinbach

You vote, I count, they draft

Here are all the Draft Tournaments and Live Draft Day threads since 2020. The 2026 page describes how the field was chosen, analyzes the relevance of BPM and other gory details.

Why do we do this Draft Tournament?

The tournament is designed for people who are not draft experts to catch up at a casual pace on prospects in the Warriors range. For this reason, I have sliced it up into a series of smaller votes instead of a massive 16+ player scouting report. These will be spaced out over the next few weeks until the NBA Draft.

The ultimate goal is for you to develop opinions and attachments about the different prospects, so you can

• argue with others,

• dream about the future,

• enjoy the draft with more suspense and emotional investment,

• be angry that your favorite wasn’t selected,

• and then in the future tell everyone how you had it right and the drafters were a bunch of idiots.

Despite our stellar track record, it’s unlikely we’ll guess exactly whom the Warriors will draft.

And yes yes everyone always wants to trade the pick for someone ready to contribute. Please don’t be obvious and boring and suggest that.

The reason we don’t contemplate this possibility is that there is absolutely no good way to tell trades are possible and what is fan fantasy. I have a low opinion of people making up trades and complaining they haven’t happened.

How To Vote

Read the scouting reports below, and then simply vote in this embedded poll.

If you are moved, you can make a COMMENT VOTE that counts as 10 votes. However, I will not count any vote unless it has

• some justification of your vote

• exactly one hashtag with the last name of your candidate, like #CURRY, #GREEN, #THOMPSON.

  • I know many of you are very creative, but any deviations from these instructions will make my life harder and annoy me. Please channel your creativity elsewhere.

The scouting reports

Mikel Brown Jr.

Avg: 7.86 | Range: 6–9 | Draftballr | B-Ref

Height: 6’5” | Position: PG | College: Louisville | PPG: 18.2 | RPG: 3.3 | APG: 4.7

Bleacher Report Pick 5

Mikel Brown Jr. had a positive showing at the NBA combine, measuring 6’3½” barefoot and a 6’7½” wingspan before putting on a Pro Day shooting clinic—directly in front of Clippers owner Steve Balmer and President Lawrence Frank.

After acquiring Darius Garland, the Clippers may have to think about fit when evaluating the top guards on the board. That could give Brown an edge over Darius Acuff Jr., whose tools and defensive limitations could seem problematic next to a smaller ball-handler like Garland.

With superior three-point shotmaking firepower and rim pressure compared to Flemings, and quicker-twitch movement and playmaking than Wagler, Brown could have the best case for L.A. at No. 5.

ESPN Pick 9

Dallas is entering a new era with top executive Masai Ujiri and GM Mike Schmitz signing on to build the team around 19-year-old Cooper Flagg. This might be the Mavericks’ most valuable selection for some time, as they don’t control their own pick until 2031. But it’s still unknown how they view their own needs and competitive timeline with the presumed healthy returns of Kyrie Irving and Dereck Lively II giving them internal reinforcements. The presence of 34-year-old Irving shouldn’t stop them from targeting a guard if they deem it the best route, with Brown’s offensive upside worth considering.

Brown measured well at the combine and registered a plus-4 wingspan, giving him good size for a lead guard. His back injury made it difficult for him to boost his in-season stock, making the predraft process critical for showing teams he is healthy and reminding them of his significant offensive talent. He will receive looks higher than this, but his range could run toward the back of the lottery as teams await clarity on his long-term health coming off an inconsistent season.

The Athletic Pick 8

Brown’s best flashes were those of a top-five pick. He dropped 45 points with 10 made 3s in a game against NC State, then followed it up with 29 points, six assists and three rebounds against Baylor and 29 points, five rebounds and four assists against SMU. When Brown had it rolling, there was no more dynamic ball-screen playmaker in college basketball. He has range out to 30 feet, and his vision as a playmaker for others exceeds everyone in the class when playing in a screen. If anyone in this deep draft class could average nine or 10 assists per game in the NBA, it’s Brown.

So why does he slip to No. 8? Some negative aspects of his game resemble the issues LaMelo Ball has, while he’s not quite as dynamic as Ball is in his best moments. First and foremost, Brown is extremely wild. The turnovers are an issue. He hasn’t figured out how to moderate his decision-making. Second, his defense is a work in progress. He’s a serious negative in switch situations against stronger players, and his off-ball instincts are hit or miss. Brown’s back injury recurred later in the season, too, causing him to miss the postseason. He got very little time off from the end of his high school season to the start of his college season, going from the all-star circuit directly into the under-19 World Cup and then into Louisville’s preseason. Scouts want to know if Brown’s back is merely a short-term issue from overuse or if it could be a long-term problem.

For a team that moved Trae Young at the deadline and has some pressing questions at the lead guard spot, Brown makes a ton of sense. He’d fit next to players like Dyson Daniels and Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and his shooting ability would help accentuate Jalen Johnson’s driving skills.

Allen Graves

Avg: 18.57 | Range: 20–22 | Draftballr | B-Ref

Height: 6’9” | Position: PF | College: Santa Clara | PPG: 11.8 | RPG: 6.5 | SPG: 1.9

Bleacher Report Pick 20

Scouts are anticipating first-round looks for Allen Graves based on his feel, analytics and specific versatility. He was never going to perform well at the NBA combine, as his athletic limitations are well-documented and mostly accepted. Graves will earn consideration from teams that see value in a strong power forward who shoots threes, thrives under the offensive glass, disrupts defensively and lights up analytic models.

ESPN Pick 22

Graves measured well for a power forward and looked to be in solid shape, but he wasn’t helped by the other elements of the combine, looking like one of the less athletic players in testing. His proponents around the NBA rave about his defensive instincts and feel, and his projection as a long-term NBA player is backed up strongly by analytic models. It remains to be seen where that will leave Graves with a week to make a final decision, with plenty of interest from teams in the first round, but also lucrative options in the transfer portal, with LSU considered to be the front-runner if he returns to college.

The Athletic Sleeper

Graves is the absolute, no doubt about it, No. 1 deep sleeper I have, and he’s increasingly becoming less of a deep sleeper as more teams look at their draft models and say, ‘Wait, what?! Who is this Graves guy?’ …

Graves also has a deeply funky game that doesn’t lend itself to an easy translation at the next level. He’s not a great athlete, he fouls with wild abandon (8.2 personals per 100 possessions) and his team brings him off the bench….

On the other hand, Graves’s feel and hands are off the charts. Despite lacking great athleticism and playing the frontcourt, he leads the WCC in steal rate (5.2 swipes per 100 possessions; small conference or not, that is utterly absurd for a non-guard) and rebounds at a high rate.

Hannes Steinbach

Avg: 15.71 | Range: 11–20 | Draftballr | B-Ref

Height: 6’11” | Position: PF/C | College: Washington | PPG: 18.5 | RPG: 11.8 | APG: 1.6

Bleacher Report Pick 18

Hannes Steinbach measured like an NBA center at 6’10” barefoot with a 7’2” wingspan. The question is how many teams will be confident playing him at the 5 without great shot-blocking or daunting rim protection.

Offensively, he’s too skilled to overthink in the mid-to-late first round. Unteachable instincts help maximize his advanced footwork and soft hands on post-ups and putbacks.

Shooting will unlock more upside, and he’ll try to show in workouts that his 18 made threes indicate potential.

The Athletic Pick 14

Steinbach is the next center on the board whom scouts feel strongest about. The best rebounder in the draft, Steinbach has massive hands that he uses to his utmost potential both in ball screens and on the glass. He averaged 11.8 rebounds per game this year, including a monstrous 4.2 offensive rebounds per game that would fit incredibly well with what the Hornets are building scheme-wise under Charles Lee, as they care immensely about the possession battle. Steinbach also moves very fluidly and has huge, broad shoulders that he uses well in screens and also has strong timing as a roller.

He averaged 18.5 points this year for Washington, a team that had horrendous point guard play and even less spacing around him, as they shot just 31.5 percent from 3. And yet still, Steinbach shot 62 percent from 2-point range and 58 percent from the field. He also showcases potential as a shooter, having made 34 percent of his two 3-point attempts per game. Defensively, Steinbach doesn’t move well laterally in space, and I didn’t think he was an overly impactful rim protector. His range seems to be in the No. 10 to No. 20 part of the draft.

ESPN Pick 18

Steinbach measured taller than some expected, helping answer concerns about how his frame would play up at center. Though not exceptionally long or explosive, limiting him somewhat as a rim protector, he's arguably the draft's best rebounder (11.8 per game at Washington) and will draw looks from teams considering bigs in the late lottery on down. He had a strong season in a bad team context and should be able to play useful rotation minutes next season.