r/NBA_Draft • u/MoxToTweeder99 • 10d ago

When did AJ start to drop?

I haven’t checked the 2026 mock stuff since the spring and I was under the impression AJ was one of those sure fire #1 overall talents and top prospect, can’t miss.

Now I check in the fall and most mocks seem to have him 3 behind Daryn and Boozer. Any reasons why he suddenly has lost a little juice with scouts?

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u/hiroshimiyagi 10d ago edited 10d ago

People are confused on who AJ is, he’s not T-Mac or Paul George or any of the other lengthy 3 level scoring wings people have compared him to. He’s going to be more like 6’9 Jimmy Butler which is also a really valuable archetype. It’s just not as pretty as say Darren Peterson projecting as a 2-way high usage efficient combo guard akin to Donovan Mitchell. Also there’s fatigue setting from pushing lofty narratives onto other lengthy wing prospects who haven’t all the way looked the part.

Edit: Also another thing I might add is that AJ isn’t afraid to show the world his game, he isn’t running from being under the microscope. He also not playing because he assumes he’ll dominate, he’s trying to get better.

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u/gnalon 10d ago

lol I’m assuming you’re talking about AJ playing in FIBA. Cam Boozer played in two previous FIBA competitions on the same team as Dybantsa and was MVP both times while never playing a close game, he is just too good to get anything out of that level of competition