Darryn Peterson's Draft Stock, Morez Johnson's Production, and More | Metcalf's 2026 NBA Draft Scouting Files 12/24 - 1/6
Things are always changing in the 2026 NBA Draft class and Tyler Metcalf shares his recent thoughts on Darryn Peterson, Aday Mara, Morez Johnson, Neoklis Avdalas, Johann Grunloh, and more.
Every week, I’m sharing my 2026 NBA Draft scouting notes on who I watched that week and my biggest takeaways. This week’s notes will mostly encapsulate the games from 12/24 – 1/6, with a sprinkling of games from previous dates. Let’s dive into why Darryn Peterson is still my top prospect, Morez Johnson deserves way more recognition, and so much more.
Aday Mara – Michigan 7’3” 255-pound Junior Center
Aday Mara continues to have a fantastic season, as he was terrific against USC. He didn’t put up monster numbers, but it’s all the little things that allowed him to dominate the game that really popped. Defensively, he’s rapidly turning into an absolute force. Ball handlers don’t even look at the rim when they meet him in the paint. Against USC, he did a great job of defending at the level of the screen as well. That was some of the best perimeter defense I’ve ever seen from him, and he was effective at moving his feet, hedging and recovering, while keeping his hands high for deflections. On top of that, he’s a beast on the boards, and his outlet passing is laughably good at this point. I historically have been a huge Mara skeptic, but he’s been so good this season. When we look at the jumbo bigs drafted in recent years and their impact, the optimism around Mara’s translation continues to grow.
Morez Johnson Jr. – Michigan 6’9” 250-pound Sophomore Forward
I still can’t wrap my head around why Morez Johnson isn’t getting more love. He absolutely bullied USC. His motor, size, and physicality were something they couldn’t deal with on either end of the floor. I’m not sure if people are seeing him as an undersized bully ball, energy big, but he’s so much more than that. His composure as an interior finisher has grown tremendously since last year. He’s still a monster on the boards on both ends. Johnson’s a good rim protector who can also sit down in his stance and slide his feet in space. His outside shot continues to look like a legitimate long-term tool. I get that he’s likely not going to be a major offensive hub, but he makes quick decisions, knows who he is as a player, and relentlessly produces winning plays on both ends of the floor. I’m not saying he’ll hit the heights of some of the guys below, but his production and efficiency on both ends of the floor put him with some pretty great company. I’ll stay on this island as long as I need to, but Morez Johnson is a very good prospect who deserves more recognition for this 2026 class than he’s getting.
The Penn State game was, unfortunately, a different story as Michigan narrowly avoided disaster. Johnson wasn’t great in that game, but the entire team came out incredibly flat. I’m not reading too much into that one for any of the Michigan players, as it felt more like a wake-up call rather than a red flag. However, we did see what can happen when Johnson gets a little too overeager and ends up in foul trouble. That could be a hindrance to him down the road.
Neoklis Avdalas – Virginia Tech 6’9” 215-pound Freshman Guard
Neoklis Avdalas’s game against Virginia was fascinating. It covered the entire spectrum of good and bad. Let’s start with the positives. Avdalas’s shot continues to look reliable, especially in a long-term capacity. He also showed a lot of composure and patience creating out of the pick-and-roll (PNR) and some very encouraging on-ball defensive possessions.
Unfortunately, he also continued to really struggle to get to the rim, protect the ball in traffic, and handle physicality. For how big he is, it is very concerning how much Avdalas struggles with contact and getting to the rim. It’s far too easy for defenders to bump him off his spots or wall off his drives. Instead of battling through it, he is far too eager to kill his dribble, get off the ball, and abandon his attack. This is a recurring theme in Avdalas’s play and suggests he’s likely not the offensive engine at the next level we were hoping he’d be. As a complementary second-side creator, though, Avdalas has a ton of value, especially if the shot continues to improve as it has over the last few years.
Darryn Peterson – Kansas 6’6” 205-pound Freshman Guard
Yeah, the muscle injuries are annoying, but I really don’t care. It’s so apparent to me that Darryn Peterson is the best player in this draft class. He was tremendous against UCF with his scoring versatility, defensive impact, and passing. It also felt like his best defensive game with how he slid his feet and was disruptive off the ball. He also had a massive game against TCU. I get the injury stuff is frustrating, but if he really didn’t want to be out there, then why does he keep coming back? He could’ve easily shut it down a month ago and still had a great shot at being the number one pick. He’s such an effortless scorer and knows how to use his scoring gravity to create for others. If you have someone else at number one, I get it with how good this top three is. If your reasoning, though, is that he has these pesky injuries, then that’s where you completely lose me. It would be shocking if these turned out to be debilitating issues, and there’s no reason they should be the central issue in selling Peterson stock. He’s a star in the making.
Quadir Copeland – North Carolina State 6’6” 250-pound Senior Guard
The other week, I wrote about how impressed I’ve been with Quadir Copeland, and that is still essentially the case. His playmaking, creativity, rim pressure, and defensive chaos remain very encouraging. However, there are still some red flags that keep popping up. As creative as Copeland is as a playmaker, he’s equal parts careless with his ball security, especially in recent games highlighted by his 18 combined in his last four games. He committed some avoidable turnovers against Wake Forest. On top of that, his defense is rapidly becoming an issue. He doesn’t contain drives, loses his man off the ball, and is reckless with his closeouts. I hope that his immense offensive creation responsibilities are sapping energy from that end of the floor. While I remain very intrigued by Copeland and have him as a top-50 guy, some of his concerns are quintessential shortcomings that drive NBA coaches insane.
Johann Grunloh – Virginia 7’0” 238-pound Freshman Center
I really enjoyed Johann Grunloh’s game against Virginia Tech. He didn’t put up monster offensive numbers, but it was a good illustration of how he can fit in a complementary role on that end of the floor. What I really enjoyed, though, was his defense. I thought he did a great job on rotations and as a primary rim protector. He had plenty of examples of high awareness and discipline with his verticality. Where he still needs a lot of work, though, and this has been a theme for most of the season, especially in the Texas game, is his strength and toughness in the post. That was a big reason he surrendered as many rebounds as he did. It also puts him at a disadvantage, as opposing post players can too easily establish deep post position against him before they even receive the ball. This results in either easy buckets or Grunloh having to foul in desperation. I was definitely impressed with his fundamentals and technical ability, but his strength and toughness as a defender still need some work.
These same issues popped up against NC State. Grunloh was very good with his defensive fundamentals and positioning. He also showed some encouraging complementary offensive skills with his passing and screening. However, the overall production, rebounding, and physicality feel a step behind where they should be if he’s planning on being a legitimate prospect for this year.
Quick Hits
Musa Sagnia (North Carolina State) didn’t put up monster numbers against Wake Forest, but I thought that was his best game of the season. The rebounding, movement, and defensive stuff that’s been interesting all season showed up. However, he was also showing off a much tighter handle and more competent passing reads. He wasn’t breaking defenders down, but the simple fact that he looked competent and comfortable with the ball was incredibly encouraging.
USC is just a brutal watch. I get that Michigan does that to everyone, but it’s been an ongoing trend with them. The team looks undisciplined and disconnected. They have some talent, but they’re just a rough watch pretty much every time I turn them on.
Ryan Conwell (Louisville) is still one of my favorite upperclassmen, but his limitations continue to get more pronounced with each game that Mikel Brown is out. Conwell is a terrific off-ball scorer and creator, but he desperately needs to be playing alongside a legitimate primary creator. He struggled against Stanford, a trend that continues when he is given more on-ball creation responsibilities.
Ebuka Okorie (Stanford) was fantastic against Louisville. I wish he were a little more eager as a playmaker, but his body control, tempo manipulation, and interior scoring are so impressive.
I was really excited for Matt Able (NC State) coming into the year, but he just hasn’t been able to find his footing. He struggled a lot against Virginia again. Unless there’s a big turnaround for him, Able looks like he may be more of a next-year guy.
Jayden Quaintance (Kentucky) looked a lot worse against Alabama than he did in his first game back the other week. It’s still early in his season, so I’m extending some grace. However, he looked absolutely gassed out there, which affected his defense. It was shocking how undisciplined and sloppy his fundamentals were at that end. He had lazy closeouts, was jumpy/lunging with his footwork, and was consistently in catch-up mode. It was a puzzling departure from what he showed against St. John’s.
Braylon Mullins (UConn) couldn’t buy a shot against Marquette, but it was his best cutting game of the year. He only scored directly off one of them, but his teammates missed him on a few great ones. He’s only registered four cuts all season, and that’s an area of his game that has to be way more prolific. Mullins is a good athlete who can attack the rim and create for others out of those situations. He’s such a good off-ball mover, but so far, it’s all been to generate shots on the perimeter. Hopefully, with more time and developed chemistry, we will start to see him get a few easy ones at the rim every game.
LJ Cason and Trey McKenney (Michigan) are two guys who keep getting better by the game. I’m still not convinced that either of them is a legitimate prospect for this year, but the game keeps getting slower for them as they continue to make some impressive strides.
Isaiah Evans (Duke) had a much-needed bounce-back game against Louisville. The sharpshooter had been struggling for the last month or so, but this was his best game in a while. It always helps when the shots fall, but I thought he did a much better job of being aggressive with his off-ball movement, attacking downhill, drawing fouls, and occasionally making a nice pass. Reasonable adjustment for him and for Duke, given how they were putting him in more actions, potentially a sign of resurgence for his draft stock.
Donnie Freeman (Syracuse) had a great game against Georgia Tech. He was effective on the boards, blocked a handful of shots, and showed some meaningful versatility as a play finisher. His defense and on-ball creation are still largely a mess. He also looked pretty stiff athletically, but he’s been battling injuries all season. Hopefully, that clears up as the season goes on, but this was an excellent outing for him.
Kiyan Anthony (Syracuse) continues to impress me with his off-ball creation, especially against Georgia Tech. He’s doing a good job of running off screens, relocating on the perimeter, and is improving as a cutter. He’s still mostly looking to score, but sprinkles in some nice passing reads now and then.