Tyran Stokes Is Already the Runaway Favorite for the 2027 NBA Draft Number One Pick
The 2027 NBA Draft is more than a year away. And Tyran Stokes is already the runaway favorite to go first overall.
Multiple mock drafts have Stokes at the top of their boards. ESPN Jonathan Givony has him locked in. The Athletic Sam Vecenie has him at number one. Bleacher Report Jonathan Wasserman put him there too. When every mock draft agrees, you pay attention.
Here is the case for Stokes.
He is 6 foot 7. He is a point forward. He can handle the ball in transition. He can score at all three levels. He has legitimate playmaking vision. He is a highly-rated defender for his position. Comparisons include everyone from Paul Pierce to a bigger Ron Harper. That is the range you get with a player who does not have a perfect NBA comp yet.
Stokes committed to Kansas last summer over Kentucky, Duke, and Arkansas. His decision to play for Bill Self was seen as one of the biggest recruiting wins for the Jayhawks in the last decade. And now the pressure is on Kansas to deliver both a Final Four run and a top pick.
The 2027 class overall is not considered strong. Multiple scouts have said it looks similar to the 2024 draft, which had no true consensus top pick and where teams were all over the board on how they valued talent. That environment is why Stokes has such a runaway lead. There is no one else close.
The other names to watch include Braylon Mullins at UConn, Thomas Haugh at Florida, Caleb Holt at Arizona, and Jordan Smith at Arkansas. All good prospects. None with the pure star ceiling that Stokes brings to the table.
Stokes biggest strength is his versatility. He can guard multiple positions. He can play in any offensive system. He fits with any style of team. That kind of positional flexibility is exactly what NBA teams pay premium prices for at the top of the draft.
The one concern is his shooting. Stokes hit about 36 percent from three during his final high school season. That is fine but not elite. If his jumper does not translate to the college level, he could slip.
Kansas has a track record of developing shooters. Bill Self has been an elite offensive coach for decades. If anyone can get Stokes three-point shot up to NBA levels, it is the Jayhawks staff.
The lottery race is going to be fascinating. The teams currently projected to have the worst records for the 2026-27 season are Brooklyn, Charlotte, Utah, Washington, and Toronto. Those five franchises are basically playing for Stokes and the rest of the top tier of the class.
Alijah Arenas, the son of former NBA star Gilbert Arenas, is another name to watch. He is committed to USC and has shown flashes of his father scoring ability. He could push Stokes for the top spot if he takes a big leap in his freshman year.
For now, though, this is Stokes race to lose. He has the size, the skill, the pedigree, and the platform at Kansas. The Jayhawks open the season as a top-five team. Their conference schedule will give Stokes plenty of chances to shine on national television.
Get familiar with the name. Tyran Stokes is going to be the story of college basketball this year.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
