2026 NBA Draft Combine Day 1 Reactions

The crew shares their biggest takeaways from the first official day of the 2026 NBA Draft combine with their biggest winners, losers, and more.

The 2026 NBA Draft combine is officially underway, and there is already plenty to take away. Obviously, measurements and one day of drills shouldn’t completely change evaluations, but they also provide a lot of insight into upside and the results of the entire season. Here are some of our biggest takeaways from the first day of the combine.

Who won the day?

Metcalf: Morez Johnson Jr had an incredible day. The growth Johnson showed this year and his impact on the team's win are what matter most. His measurements and testing results today, though, couldn’t have gone better. Johnson measured big and had good length. On top of that, his athletic testing was extremely impressive. Johnson was one of the most explosive and agile athletes. The fact that he posted the best lane agility time by a good margin at 250 pounds is wild. It also adds up with his film over the last two years. In the shooting drills, Johnson was inconsistent. Specifically, during the spot-up drill, he couldn’t buy a shot and was getting frustrated. Once he got into the star drill, though, he didn’t have time to think, got in a rhythm, and was one of the better performers. Today couldn’t have gone much better for Johnson.