Comparing Disneyland Rides to 2026 NBA Draft Prospects
A trip to Disneyland got me thinking about the 2026 NBA Draft class. What if instead of Pro Comps for NBA Draft prospects, we used the rides at the park? Well, let's get magical.
Having a kid is an adventure. No matter what you do before, no one is ready for it. When you’re about to have your world changed forever, you may have friends and family that try to give you some guidance or advice before a tiny human enters your world.
The truth is, none of that matters. Everyone’s journey into parenthood is different. Your child is special, and so are the memories you’re about to make.
The early days of being a new father have been a rollercoaster. The highs are sensational, and the lows mainly involve realizing you have to re-program your usual “routine” because something more important has taken its place at the top of the totem pole.
As time goes by in the early years, an inevitable question from your partner starts to close in on you like a freight train with each passing day.
“When are we going to Disneyland?”
So, I recently took the crew on the first official Disneyland family vacation. Before the trip, I promised my wife I wouldn’t work or think about basketball while on the trip…
I lied.
Disneyland is a fun place full of chaos and magic. While I was locked in on doing the best to create the best possible vacation for my family, I couldn’t help it when a spark of basketball ideas suddenly came to me.
There’s a lot of fun rides or experiences at Disneyland…I wonder if that could somehow play into the 2026 NBA Draft class?
So, I started to brainstorm comparing prospects to Disneyland rides.
Let’s get magical.
Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride: Darryn Peterson
One of the most underrated rides of the entire park, Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride is an experience in which you hop in your vehicle and enter a world of pure chaos. There are rapid turns, animations flying all over the place, and before you realize what happened, you find yourself debating making your way to get back in line for another round.
Side note, this ride has some of the funniest scenes of all time. You’re constantly turning, and stuff is just flying out at you that makes no sense. I can’t help but burst out laughing every single time the Police Officer (above) is just suddenly thrust into your point of view. No matter what you do, it seems as if Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride surprises you with every turn.
That’s sort of been the perfect way to explain Kansas freshman Darryn Peterson this year. Peterson has all of the goods to be the top selection in the 2026 NBA Draft. He’s one of the best combo guard prospects in recent memory and is a walking bucket when he’s on the court. Unfortunately, Peterson has been dealing with a hamstring injury that has continued to limit his ability to really hit the ground running. When Peterson has been on the court, there have been plenty of flashes that showcase just how special a talent he has been.
Just like Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, there’s no denying that something magical is happening when we have the green light. But the hope is that Peterson can return, and we can somehow figure out a way to slow down the experience for a longer time.
Space Mountain: AJ Dybantsa
Space Mountain continues to be one of those rides that you just always feel the need to gravitate towards. It’s basically a rollercoaster in complete darkness. The only bit of light you see is when you’re waiting to be unleashed into space, and the whole room just continues to flash as if you’re about to enter hyperspeed. Somehow, you always forget how nasty it can get, and somehow, it’s a little more intimidating and moves quicker than you previously remembered.
The same could be said for BYU freshman AJ Dybantsa. If you’re an NBA fan or draft fan in general, you’ve surely taken in as much film and highlights as you can handle when it comes to the talented forward. But somehow, each time AJ takes the court, he does something that consistently reminds us of how dangerous a prospect he can be moving forward. Dybantsa continues to offer sensational upside and looks to be finding another gear in his recent stretch of plays. Just like Space Mountain, maybe it’s time we start remembering just how vicious a talent he is on the court.
Tower of Terror: Cam Boozer
I refuse to acknowledge that some of the legendary rides at Disneyland have undergone a “rebrand.” The legendary Tower of Terror has since been redesigned around the Guardians of the Galaxy movie franchise. I’m a fan of the classics, though, so we’re going to go play the oldies.
For the young bucks out there, the Tower of Terror ride was a legend. It was themed around a “Twilight Zone” type of vibe. You’d experience multiple “chilling” videos before an elevator operator, who was extremely creepy, would have you sitting on a ride. After climbing to a very high height, you’d suddenly see a door open up, showcasing just how high you were before suddenly free-falling.
Personally, I’m absolutely terrified of heights or the general motion of falling at rapid speeds multiple times. True story, I once was begged by my high school girlfriend to go on the ride despite saying no 56 times in a row. After going on the ride and looking like I just had the scariest moment of my life, an eight-year-old kid was basically talking trash to me after the ride. Fun times.
That’s a lot like watching Cam Boozer on the basketball court. Boozer is a productive monster who continues to keep coming after you. If you’re watching a game, you might think Boozer isn’t doing much before you suddenly look down and realize he’s got a double-double in the first half. Boozer won’t wow you with the highlight mixes. But when you watch the film, you realize that no matter what you do, it seems inevitable that he’s going to ruin the opposing team’s life.
Dumbo the Flying Elephant: Cameron Carr
I started this article by saying that I got the chance to take my little one to Disneyland for the first time. Seeing her face light up during the Dumbo ride was probably an all-time moment for me. It was like seeing all of the joy and happiness come out at once, and you suddenly felt like time was in slow motion for a moment.
That’s a perfect way to describe the year that Baylor redshirt-sophomore Cameron Carr is having. If you’re an absolute NBA Draft sicko, you should have been familiar with Carr over the last couple of years. He was a fascinating talent coming out of high school due to his beautiful outside shot and his upside. Carr initially committed to Tennessee before struggling to get consistent minutes. After two seasons with the Volunteers, Carr decided to transfer to Baylor, and plenty of scouts were dreaming that Carr could become a “pleasant” surprise in the 2026 NBA Draft class.
But not even a place like Disneyland could project this type of dream. Carr has been awesome to watch this year. He’s a bucket-getting MONSTER who has been playing with relentless passion and joy on the basketball court. If you can even consider Carr a sleeper anymore, he’s a big-time talent that has the legit attention of NBA scouts moving forward.
Mad Tea Party: Labaron Philon
Dizziness is probably one of the all-time fears or symptoms that none of us realizes is truly the absolute worst. If you’ve ever felt yourself feeling dizzy, it’s something that immediately puts you out for the count. You have to stop everything you are doing and try to “re-gain” your composure. The Mad Tea Party ride at Disneyland is basically a torture chamber. You spin around in Tea Cups, and the ride even challenges your will to not turn up the “spin cycle” that you’re trying to stop.
That seems to sum up Alabama guard Labaron Philon perfectly. Too many times on the court, defenders look confident that they have a fighting chance with Philon. That’s until he hits them with a couple of hesitations and counters before spinning his way through traffic and finishing a layup that will be replayed on SportsCenter. This one just fits perfectly.
Pirates of the Caribbean: Kingston Flemings
Pirates of the Caribbean is probably one of the most enjoyable and yet somehow underrated rides in Disneyland. You find yourself riding on a boat on smooth waters in the pitch black before a couple of sudden drops increase the excitement. Then, when you’re in a pitch black “cave,” a loud voiceover repeats “Dead Men Tell No Tales.” That, I must say, is probably still one of the coolest things in the entire park.
Throughout numerous candidates to be compared to the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, I couldn’t help realizing that “Kingston Flemings” legit sounds like a Pirate. Chances are that Flemings would be a part of the Black Pearl crew. That means he’s basically a skeleton when it’s a full moon, and there’s nothing you can do to slow him down. So far, all of this checks out at an alarmingly high level. There’s even a scene in the ride in which Captain Barbossa is barking out commands on a pirate ship, in the middle of an all-out battle with cannons firing rapidly. I swear, if you look close enough, Kingston Flemings is right next to him.
Flemings has been unreal for the Houston Cougars this year and is soaring up NBA Draft boards. He’s got sensational tools on the offensive side of the ball and is an assassin when it comes to generating steals on defense. Yep, this one fits like a glove.
Haunted Mansion: Caleb Wilson
Haunted Mansion is legit the best ride at Disneyland. Argue with a wall. I’m a fan of the classics, okay? The Haunted Mansion is great. You find yourself starting the ride with a group of strangers trapped in a room with photos on the wall. Before you know it, you start to descend downward while noticing all of the photos start to “stretch.” Each of those photos starts to display a much darker image than you were originally expecting.
If you haven’t been during Christmas time, the Haunted Mansion gets an overhaul and is themed after the legendary “Nightmare Before Christmas.” I’m a massive fan of the film, so I was pretty stoked to see what all the hype was about. It didn’t disappoint. When you’re being lowered in the “Stretching Room,” Jack Skellington all of a sudden just breaks the ceiling and starts laughing maniacally downward with his Ghost Dog Zero in the background.
That’s basically what North Carolina freshman Caleb Wilson has been this season. We all expected an athletic wing with raw tools. We didn’t expect an absolute lunatic around the basket who literally tries to break the backboard every game with his tenacity and vicious slams. Wilson seems like he could legit be one of the horror characters on display during the ride. Maybe he’s just Jack Skelton? Did we just make the perfect comp? Yes, I believe we did.
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad: Koa Peat
Thunder Mountain Railroad is the glue guy of Disneyland. It’s a ride you can always depend on to get the juices going. If you’re walking around and realize that the line is suddenly not a disaster, it’s a no-brainer. It’s a train that goes at high speeds and presents plenty of thrills, including a dark canyon sequence with TNT. Desert terrain and a wild locomotive? What’s not to like? It’s a winning recipe.
I got the chance to see Arizona Wildcats freshman forward Koa Peat in person in their recent outing against San Diego State. Seeing Peat in person, the frame weirdly does remind me of a train. It’s not difficult to see why his family tree consists of multiple NFL offensive linemen. Peat is a walking boulder of physique. He’s got some good athleticism that can get around the court with relative quickness, and if he wants to get to his spots, you cannot stop him when it comes to a battle of strength. This one fits together too easily.
Indiana Jones: Mikel Brown Jr.
Every time I’ve gone to Disneyland, I tend to say that I don’t have much of a preference when it comes to which ride would be near the top of the power rankings. And each time I say that, I feel like I’m lying to myself. It’s not a Disneyland experience without getting a taste of the Indiana Jones ride. Indiana Jones is a legendary movie franchise, and the OG films were some of the absolute best.
As you get older, you realize that riding the Indiana Jones ride is basically the same as going to a chiropractor. You get thrown around so much in the car that you’re basically getting a spine adjustment, and you just don’t realize it. There’s also a part of the ride in which an Indiana Jones figure is hanging from the ceiling, and I’m always convinced that one of these times, he’s actually going to let go and drop into the vehicle.
Defending Louisville freshman guard Mikel Brown Jr. could be the same type of experience. Brown has the tools to be every bit of a franchise-altering piece at the point guard position. The efficiency hasn’t come around as we’d hope, but that’s even a scary fact, knowing that Brown’s best basketball stretch hasn’t even been on display yet.
Side note, Brown has missed the last couple of games while recovering from a back injury. There’s a chance he also just rode the Indiana Jones ride, and it caused him some discomfort. The jokes sometimes just write themselves, folks.
Alice in Wonderland: Yaxel Lendeborg
Alice in Wonderland is a film I geek out on. In another life, I probably could have been a Mad Hatter—so I don’t take this nomination lightly. The ride features plenty of anarchy. You find yourself dealing with a lot of madness. There’s the chesire cat, the room with the Red Queen; a lot of versatility is on full display during this ride. That’s a perfect way to explain Michigan senior forward Yaxel Lendeborg.
The ride starts off with you passing through a talking door. After the door opens up, you immediately see the white rabbit running away while Alice is trying to chase him and keep up. That’s basically Yaxel chasing his dream to get to the NBA.
Like Alice, Lendeborg probably traveled down a rabbit hole when it comes to his journey from UAB to now as a focal point on a Michigan Wolverines team that looks like a national championship contender. It seems only a matter of time (no pun intended) before NBA teams are trying to figure out a way to add Yaxel to their roster as well. Imagining Yaxel in a Mad Hatter outfit while walking up on stage to shake Adam Silver’s hand on draft night is too perfect (please happen).
Matterhorn Bobsleds: Hannes Steinbach
True story, I have a night away solo during my vacation while the family sleeps, and I am just mobbing through the park with so much adrenaline. I think to myself, perfect; I’ll get after it on some rides. Surprisingly, Matterhorn Bobsleds isn’t shut down for maintenance for the first time in about a decade. So, I decided to go have myself a good time on that.
Side note…if you’re older and have ever felt the need to go to a chiropractor, save yourself some time and just go on the Matterhorn Bobsleds ride at Disneyland. You get thrown around so much that you’ll get a spine adjustment in a hurry.
I don’t know why, but this was the easiest prospect-ride comparison to put together. The Matterhorn Ride features a Swedish voiceover talking about the ride while you wait for your turn. It’s hilarious, and the entire time I laughed, thinking, what if it was just Hannes Steinbach talking the whole time? Seriously, I know he’s not Swedish, but it just was perfect, and I know you agree with me.
Another reason why Steinbach is a perfect comparison here: There’s a part of the ride in which you’re zooming through the mountain, and a possessed Abominable Snowman suddenly jumps out and scares the crap out of you. Now, some of you might be familiar with this part. Some of us forgot about that part and rode the ride during the nighttime when it was pitch black.
I’ll let you figure who that person was.
But if there’s one prospect I’m probably trusting to have to go toe-to-toe with an evil Abominable Snowman, it’s easily going to be Hannes Steinbach.
Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin: Darius Acuff Jr.
Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin is another experience of madness. Before you’ve even gotten a chance to prepare for what is about to happen, you are shown Roger Rabbit, who is being spun around in a taxi cab at high speeds, battling for his life to get the vehicle under control. This would be frightening enough for anyone, but the taxi cab has a full-on face. I can’t think of a more perfect way to explain what it must be like to deal with Darius Acuff Jr. as a defender.
Arkansas Razorbacks freshman Darius Acuff Jr. has been absolutely outstanding with his play so far this year. Acuff is a bully with the ball in his hands, and he’s got a great ability to use his shiftiness when it comes to getting in traffic.
Acuff is a rim pressure monster who can play with change of gears and set up defenders with sudden chaos. At one point, you think you’ve got him under control before a sequence of events happens, and you’re watching the ball go through the hoop. Sometimes, the comparisons are just perfect, folks.
Peter Pan’s Flight: Keaton Wagler
We’re all familiar with Peter Pan. It’s also hilarious how quickly the Peter Pan ride at Disneyland is a moshpit in the morning, as every kid and family tries to knock it off their list. Peter Pan is definitely a ride for the younger crowd, but it’s a respectable one. You find yourself “flying” through the city, soaring in the sky, and all is perfect for a slight moment.
Illinois freshman guard Keaton Wagler is Peter Pan, folks. He’s soaring up NBA Draft boards, and I’m convinced he’s got a Tinker Bell on the basketball court, helping him become an efficient monster on the court. It’s also fitting that the Peter Pan ride is located in “Fantasyland,” because Keaton is becoming an absolute fantasy of a prospect as of late.
Wagler continues to impress, and he’s going to be a big-time darling in this class if he keeps this up. If he starts to struggle, perhaps Captain Hook will have him waiting for 2027. I doubt it, but there was no chance I wasn’t getting a Captain Hook reference in here.
Pinocchio’s Daring Journey: Neoklis Avdalas
When you finally board your ride to begin Pinocchio’s Daring Journey, you are immediately greeted by Pinocchio on stage singing “An Actor's Life for Me.” That is then followed by an encounter with The Great Stromboli, showcasing Pinocchio trapped in a cage while Stromboli demonstrates his evil laugh.
No ride in Disneyland has such a rapid change from happiness to immediate torture. I can’t get the idea of Neoklis Avdalas out of my head when it comes to Pinocchio. Avdalas generated some buzz last year overseas with his play in Greece. After an impressive showing at the NBA Draft combine, he decided to head to the States and committed to play for Virginia Tech.
Much like Pinocchio, it’s been a journey for Avdalas, who has continued to do everything in his power to get the attention of NBA evaluators to cement himself as a big-time prospect for the upcoming draft. Avdalas has had his fair share of eye-opening performances in the first half of the college basketball season. With the schedule about to ramp up for the Hokies, we’re going to see if Avdalas can continue to surprise us.
Splash Mountain: Braylon Mullins
One of the biggest mistakes that Disneyland has ever made was their rebranding of “Splash Mountain.” I’m sorry, I just can’t get over it. Recently, the ride was re-designed around “Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.” But for this segment, as I said before, we’re going to play the classics.
On the previously legendary Splash Mountain, you find yourself going around in a wooden log, basically. The vibes are incredibly high. There’s water all around, and you’re shown some beautiful scenery before you get to the party. You eventually enter a room that’s full of singing animals that just keep repeating “How do ya do?” and it’s one of the catchiest jingles in the history of stuff that can get stuck in your head.
For about 95% of the ride, the vibes are sensational. Eventually, those vibes come to a complete stop as you come face-to-face with a pair of vultures who probably deserved their own horror movie franchise.
You suddenly then go up a large climb before a rapid drop earns you your reward of a “splash zone.” Before you know it, all those good vibes turned into you spending the next 30 minutes at the park walking around with your clothes soaking wet.
All of this perfectly explains UConn freshman Braylon Mullins. After a preseason ankle injury, Mullins had his debut delayed by about six weeks. Since then, Mullins has been starting to get the vibes rolling, but there’s been plenty on tape to get excited about. It seems as if Mullins is slowly starting to ramp up, and before we know it, the outside shot is going to start heating up in a hurry. He’s a legit big-time two-way talent who could be a rapid riser in the 2026 class.
Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance: Jayden Quaintance
The Star Wars part of Disneyland continues to bring out the inner nerd in all of us. Rise of the Resistance is an awesome experience that features one of the coolest visuals in all of Disneyland. After going through an “introduction” to the ride, you’re suddenly told to get out, and you walk into a room that’s literally full of Stormtroopers. It’s one of the dopest designs ever.
The 2026 NBA Draft class has a lot of firepower. But scouts, evaluators, and yes, the fans, were waiting for the “Rise” of one big-time prospect. Kentucky Wildcats sophomore Jayden Quaintance had been recovering from an ACL injury suffered last year with Arizona State. Quaintance has the tools to be a franchise anchoring type of big man due to his athletic tools and sensational defensive ability.
After missing the majority of the first half of the season, Quaintance finally returned to action recently against St. John’s and was sensational in his first game back. Time will tell if JQ can continue to put forth that type of performance. If he does, he’s going to be sniffing the Top 5 conversation in this draft rapidly. It felt too perfect to compare Quaintance to the Rise of Resistance. It’s also hilarious imagining JQ in a Stormtrooper outfit.
“It’s A Small World”: Tyler Tanner
I’ve saved the best for last. If you’re not familiar with Vanderbilt sophomore guard Tyler Tanner, then boy, are you in for a treat. Let’s start with the ride first. “It’s a Small World” is a ride that is slept on. The ride features an incredible experience of puppets and different rooms that are decorated to the extreme. The same song is basically sung throughout the entire ride, and I apologize to those reading this who now have the tune stuck in their head for the rest of the day.
It’s one of the longest rides, which also means that the song is most likely some sort of torture device for how you immediately can’t get rid of it, no matter what you do. That’s Tyler Tanner.
Listed at 6’0”, 175 pounds, Tanner doesn’t check the boxes on paper for an elite NBA floor general type of prospect. But when you watch his film, you find yourself wanting to throw out the “rulebook.” Tanner is a two-way monster who plays like a giant and isn’t afraid to get downhill and throwdown on challengers. We often tend to underappreciate “It’s A Small World” as a legendary ride. Tyler Tanner is here to show the same when it comes to undersized point guards.
This was so much fun to read, as someone who recently went to Disney 🫡