Virginia Tech Five-Star Could be 2026 NBA Draft’s Wild Card

The 2026 NBA Draft is already shaping up to be one of the best we’ve seen in some time.

Darryn Peterson, AJ Dybantsa and Cameron Boozer offer three truly top-tier prospects. And it has the usual depth in the lottery and beyond that should infuse the NBA with talent.

Even still, the class is sure to offer surprises. And Virginia Tech wing Neoklis Avdalas could very well end up a big surprise, and the ’26 draft’s biggest wild card.

Ranked the No. 2 international recruit per most experts, Avdalas played his last two seasons in the HEBA A1 league in Greece, spending his most recent season with Peristeri BC. At just 18, the 6-foot-8 guard-slash-wing was able to rack up 7.7 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.4 assists while shooting 44% overall and 36% from three.

Avdalas’ numbers were solid, but his true value lies in the eye test. He has premier skill and feel for his size, operating as a scorer and play-maker with the ball in-hand. In watching him navigate the pick-and-roll, or rise for smooth, high-arcing jumpers, it’s easy to envision stardom.

He did plenty of the same across two draft combine scrimmages earlier in the year, adding 21 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists in total.