NBA Draft Day in 2026 is going to have a very different feel for the Kentucky Wildcats

This NBA Draft is coming up this evening with the first round, and the second round will take place tomorrow evening. It isn't very often that Big Blue Nation isn't paying close attention to the first round of the NBA Draft, but that will be the case tonight.

Former Wildcats Koby Brea and Amari Williams are hoping to hear their names called in the second round, but there won't be any first-round selections for Mark Pope's team.

Fans have no reason to be upset at Pope as he only had a few months to put a roster together, but things are going to be changing in the future. This season, the Wildcats could have a bunch of players going in the first round of the 2026 draft. The first name that comes up is Jayden Quaintance, a player who many experts have going in the first ten picks. The elite defender is a surefire lottery pick, but he could have a few teammates joining him.

The names that could be taken in the first round are Kam Williams, Jasper Johnson, and Otega Oweh. If Malachi Moreno is able to find his way into a legit role, this could happen, but that is still to be seeded.

Some of the other Wildcats, like Denzel Aberdeen, Mo Dioubate, and Brandon Garrison, could also work their way into a spot in the draft if they exceed expectations.

The message is the Wildcats are going to have a ton of talent in next year's draft to continue the Kentucky to the NBA pipeline.