Wisconsin basketball starter appears in ESPN's early 2026 NBA mock draft
Wisconsin basketball starting center Nolan Winter appeared in the second round of ESPN's early 2026 NBA mock draft on Friday.
In the outlet's way-too-early look at the 2026 draft, the Minnesota native is projected to be selected at No. 53 overall. Coincidentally, Winter's former Badger teammate John Tonje was handpicked at No. 53 of the 2025 NBA draft by the Utah Jazz on Thursday evening.
While he didn't test the NBA waters following the conclusion of the 2024-25 season, Winter's development suggests that he could wind up in a professional setting, whether it be in the NBA or overseas.
The 6-foot-10 forward averaged 21.1 minutes, 9.4 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.1 assists per contest across 37 starts during the 2024-25 slate. The season was his second under Greg Gard, his first as a full-time starter. Those tallies also included a 56.4% shooting rate from the field, a Big Ten-best 71.5% from inside the three-point line and 35.8% from outside.
The 2026 NBA draft's top-end talent may rival what the 2025 cycle provided. The upcoming cohort will be headlined by Kansas guard Darryn Peterson, BYU wing A.J. Dybantsa, Duke forward Cameron Boozer, Tennessee wing Nate Ament and Louisville point guard Mikel Brown Jr.
While Winter is far from becoming a lottery pick, his draft stock could rise with a strong performance during his junior season. With the departures of Max Klesmit, Seven Crowl and Tonje, Winter will serve as one of UW's top two-way options alongside guard John Blackwell and transfers Andrew Rhode, Austin Rapp and Nick Boyd.
With high-profile games scheduled against programs including Villanova, Providence and Marquette, in addition to a gauntlet Big Ten schedule, Winter could attract even more eyeballs with stellar outputs.
As of June 27, Winter is sandwiched in between Louisville shooting guard Ryan Conwell and San Diego State sophomore Magoon Gwath at No. 53. Like Tonje, who didn't generate a ton of NBA buzz before the 2024-25 season, Winter could watch his name scale that hierarchy as the season progresses.
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