The developmental corps survey ahead of the 2026 NBA Draft continues! We previously examined the Western Conference; now it’s time for the Eastern Conference.
The 2026 NBA Finals offered two extremes in roster construction. The San Antonio Spurs arguably have the league’s best developmental corps. The champion New York Knicks, meanwhile, had only two draft picks in their 10-man playoff rotation: reserves Miles McBride and Mitchell Robinson, both second-round selections from more than four years ago.
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Ironically, San Antonio waived former lottery pick Jeremy Sochan in February, and he finished the season at the end of New York’s bench. The Knicks traded out of the 2022 draft and later moved multiple first-round picks to acquire the final pieces of their championship starting lineup in Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns. As Josh Hart, another Knicks starter acquired at the cost of a first-round pick, put it: “Forget them picks dawg, we’re here!”
This survey looks at every player from the 2023, 2024 and 2025 draft classes who finished the 2025-26 season on a roster, including undrafted players and two-way contracts. Players who finished the season on hardship exceptions are excluded unless they were later signed to standard contracts. This will also denote which players could be 2026 free agents (FA).
Here’s a team-by-team look at the Eastern Conference’s developmental corps and how it may shape each team’s draft strategy. (Look back at the Western Conference here.)
Atlantic Division
Boston Celtics
2023 draft: PF Jordan Walsh (FA)
2024 draft: SG Baylor Scheierman
2025 draft: SF Hugo González, C Amari Williams (FA), SG John Tonje (2W, FA), PG Max Shulga (FA)
Undrafted since 2023: N/A
Analysis: Other than Jayson Tatum, Boston had a strong season of player availability. There were several young players who took advantage of available minutes. Scheierman started 20 of 77 games and shot nearly 40 percent from 3. Walsh also improved his 3-point shooting to 38.4 percent while starting 25 of 68 games. González wasn’t asked to do much offensively beyond hitting the occasional 3, but the 20-year-old got in 74 games and held up well defensively; he was the only non-lottery rookie to reach 1,000 minutes for a playoff team. Williams and Shulga both earned promotions from their two-way contracts during the season.
2026 draft picks: 27, 40
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Draft need: Boston traded Jrue Holiday last offseason for Anfernee Simons, then flipped Simons at the trade deadline for center Nikola Vučević, who fell out of the rotation by the postseason and is now a free agent. It makes sense for Boston to target a defensive-minded small guard and center depth.
Brooklyn Nets
2023 draft: PF Noah Clowney, PF Jalen Wilson (FA)
2024 draft: N/A
2025 draft: PG Egor Demin, PG Nolan Traoré, SG Drake Powell, PG Ben Saraf, PF Danny Wolf
Undrafted since 2023: PG Malachi Smith (FA)
Analysis: Eleven players played more than 900 minutes for the Nets this past season, including all five first-round picks from last year’s draft. It didn’t go great. Clowney failed to build on his promising sophomore season, while Demin, Wolf and Traoré all struggled with efficiency in large roles. Demin started 45 of 52 games but averaged only 3.3 assists per game while shooting 39.9 percent from the field, raising questions about whether he’s best suited as a lead guard. Powell has the tools to be a strong defender, but his offensive game remains a work in progress. Saraf’s shooting (21.1 percent from 3) remains a major concern, while Wilson is a capable shooter and defender whose athletic limitations cap his upside. Smith took advantage of late-season opportunities when Demin missed time with plantar fasciitis and played quite well.
2026 draft picks: 6, 28, 33, 43
Draft need: Brooklyn is about as talent-starved as any team in the league, and it still didn’t land a top-five pick. No team was worse offensively this past season, and they finished last in field-goal percentage. Demin may ultimately be better served as a shooting guard than a true ball-dominant point guard, so another high-upside ballhandler could make sense. Brooklyn needs help almost everywhere except power forward, especially after trading Nic Claxton for Julius Randle, making center and wing depth targets logical after the lottery.
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New York Knicks
2023 draft: N/A
2024 draft: SF Pacôme Dadiet, SF Dillon Jones (2W, FA), PG Tyler Kolek, SG Kevin McCullar Jr. (2W, FA), C Ariel Hukporti (FA)
2025 draft: PF Mohamed Diawara (FA)
Undrafted since 2023: C Trey Jemison III (2W, FA)
Analysis: None of New York’s developmental corps reached 100 minutes this postseason. That doesn’t mean that the group was without value. Diawara played 69 games and outplayed Guerschon Yabusele and Jeremy Sochan. Hukporti never touches the ball, but he does his job as a third center. Kolek had a memorable NBA Cup cameo. Dadiet didn’t play more than 11 minutes in a game until the regular-season finale.
2026 draft picks: 24, 31, 55
Draft need: The Knicks used a first-round pick on Dadiet, but they could still benefit from adding another wing defender with shooting upside. The midseason interest in Sochan would also suggest that New York could target a power forward in the first round.
Philadelphia 76ers
2023 draft: N/A
2024 draft: C Adem Bona
2025 draft: SG VJ Edgecombe, C Johni Broome
Undrafted since 2023: SG Justin Edwards
Analysis: This is one of the thinner developmental corps in the league, but the 76ers have a legitimate building block in Edgecombe, a Rookie of the Year finalist and the only rookie starter for a playoff team this season. Edwards didn’t see as many minutes as he did as a rookie last season, but he remains a decent shooter. Bona is a bouncy shot blocker who appeared in 71 games. Broome played only 55 minutes after suffering a torn meniscus.
2026 draft picks: 22
Draft need: The 76ers would probably be thrilled to use their first-round pick on a player who proves as impactful as Jared McCain, who Philadelphia traded away at the deadline. Power forward is thin, especially if Dominick Barlow or Trendon Watford aren’t back, and the 76ers were a bottom-five defensive rebounding team. A glass eater would make plenty of sense in the first round.
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Toronto Raptors
2023 draft: SF Gradey Dick, C Trayce Jackson-Davis (FA)
2024 draft: SG Ja’Kobe Walter, PF Jonathan Mogbo (FA), PG Jamal Shead (FA)
2025 draft: C Collin Murray-Boyles, SG Alijah Martin (2W, FA)
Undrafted since 2023: SF Jamison Battle, PG Chucky Hepburn (2W, FA)
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Analysis: The Raptors returned to the postseason and had a second unit largely built around players on rookie contracts. Shead played in all 82 games and wound up starting at both the beginning and the end of their series against Cleveland because of injuries to Immanuel Quickley and Brandon Ingram. Walter wound up taking Shead’s starting spot in the playoffs after shooting 40.9 percent from 3 and providing solid defense. Murray-Boyles was the best rookie big man contributing to a playoff team and earned All-Rookie Second Team honors. Dick played in 76 games, but his 3-point shooting plummeted to 30.1 percent. He was omitted from the playoff rotation. Murray-Boyles’ presence buried Mogbo, while Jackson-Davis had just one 15-minute game after being traded from Golden State. Battle is quite one-dimensional, but 41 percent shooting from 3 earns him spot minutes.
2026 draft picks: 19, 50
Draft need: The Raptors could stand to add another shooter despite Walter and Dick on the roster. Toronto’s depth at power forward would also take a hit if Sandro Mamukelashvili isn’t back.
Central Division
Chicago Bulls
2023 draft: PF Leonard Miller (FA)
2024 draft: PG Rob Dillingham, PF Matas Buzelis
2025 draft: PF Noa Essengue, C Lachlan Olbrich (2W, FA)
Undrafted since 2023: PG Yuki Kawamura (2W, FA)
Analysis: For a team that has won just one playoff game in the last nine years, this is a relatively barren developmental corps. The lone bright spot is Buzelis, an athletic forward who can block shots and make 3s as he figures out how to play with the ball in his hands and get stronger. Miller was quite productive after arriving from Minnesota, but Dillingham has yet to establish himself. Essengue essentially redshirted after suffering a season-ending shoulder injury six minutes into his rookie season.
2026 draft picks: 4, 15, 38, 56
Draft need: Despite the presence of Buzelis, Miller, and Essengue, Chicago could still use the fourth pick on a power forward like Caleb Wilson or Cameron Boozer. The Bulls were a bottom-five team on the offensive glass, and there’s room for another active big. Buzelis can play small forward, Chicago has a team option on Miller, and Essengue is going to need another year to develop. The Bulls could also use another center even after acquiring Nic Claxton, and they have no big guards in the developmental corps.
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Cleveland Cavaliers
2023 draft: N/A
2024 draft: SF Jaylon Tyson
2025 draft: SG Tyrese Proctor
Undrafted since 2023: PG Craig Porter Jr. (FA), PF Nae’Qwan Tomlin, SF Tristan Enaruna (2W), PF Riley Minix (2W)
Analysis: Cleveland needed its young players to get through the regular season, even if their run to the conference finals didn’t quite reflect that once the playoffs started. Tyson started 42 of 66 games and shot 44.6 percent from 3, though that shooting didn’t carry over to the playoffs in a reduced role. Tomlin is a good athlete who was promoted from a two-way contract before the All-Star break, but he didn’t shoot well and his defense leaves him unplayable in the postseason. Porter was needed with Darius Garland missing so much time this season, but he ended the season behind veteran trade acquisitions James Harden and Dennis Schröder on the depth chart. Proctor scored in double figures in all five of his 20-minute games.
2026 draft picks: 29
Draft need: The Cavaliers were average defensively and below average on the defensive glass. Their first-round pick could go toward a developmental big.
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Detroit Pistons
2023 draft: SF Ausar Thompson, PG Marcus Sasser
2024 draft: PF Ron Holland II
2025 draft: SG Chaz Lanier
Undrafted since 2023: PG Daniss Jenkins (FA), C Tolu Smith III (FA), PF Isaac Jones (2W)
Analysis: The Pistons got to 60 wins, but their developmental corps is in an interesting spot now that they’re firmly out of the lottery. Thompson put it all together defensively and became a First Team selection on the All-Defense team after averaging a league-leading 2.0 steals per game. Jenkins was promoted from a two-way contract in February and wound up being Detroit’s lone reserve to average more than 20 minutes per game in the playoffs. On the flip side, Holland went from playing 78 games in the regular season to logging only 58 minutes in the playoffs; there just aren’t enough minutes to go around if he doesn’t improve offensively. Sasser can shoot (41.5 percent on 3s), but a right hip injury was his latest impediment toward establishing himself among Detroit’s depth. Smith was promoted from a two-way contract in April. Lanier made only 28.4 percent of his 3s as a rookie.
2026 draft picks: 21
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Draft need: Detroit was a bottom-10 team in turnover percentage. Another guard who can make plays and shoot could be an option here, although the free agency of starting power forward Tobias Harris may lead to the Pistons getting more insurance at that spot as well.
Indiana Pacers
2023 draft: SF Jarace Walker, SG Ben Sheppard, PF Kobe Brown (FA), PF Jalen Slawson (2W, FA)
2024 draft: SF Johnny Furphy
2025 draft: PG Kam Jones, SG Taelon Peter (2W)
Undrafted since 2023: N/A
Analysis: This was a mess of a season for Indiana, and the developmental corps was rather quiet overall. Walker played more minutes than any Pacer outside of Pascal Siakam, and he led the team in made 3s, connecting on 37.4 percent of his attempts. Brown went from a 26.5 percent 3-point shooter with the Clippers to a 43.3 percent 3-point shooter after being included in the Ivica Zubac trade. Sheppard plateaued in his role as a 3-and-D wing. Furphy tore his right ACL in February. Jones averaged 3.2 assists in just 16.6 minutes per game, but he struggled to score and attempted eight free throws all season.
2026 draft picks: N/A
Draft need: The lottery was a disaster for the Pacers, as they did not get a top four pick and had to send the No. 5 pick to L.A. They could have used a Bennedict Mathurin replacement. Whether it’s a priority undrafted free agent or acquiring a second-round pick, Indiana could use another developmental big man with an appetite for offensive rebounding.
Milwaukee Bucks
2023 draft: SF Jaime Jaquez Jr., SF Andre Jackson Jr. (FA)
2024 draft: C Kel’el Ware
2025 draft: PG Kasparas Jakučionis
Undrafted since 2023: PF Pete Nance, SG Cormac Ryan (2W)
Analysis: This was the most impoverished developmental corps in the league, and it was not even close. Nance (42 percent on 3s) was promoted when the Bucks waived Cam Thomas. Jackson gets steals when he plays, but he had only five 20-minute games all season because he struggles to score. But trading Giannis Antetokounmpo bolstered the developmental corps significantly, as they are set to add Jaquez, Ware, and Jakučionis to the roster. Ware has the skills and physical tools to be an impact player, but his defensive awareness and inconsistency are maddening at times. Jaquez bounced back from a sophomore slump and finished second in Sixth Man of the Year voting. Jakučionis had a slow start to his rookie season but wound up making 42.3 percent from 3 while compiling nearly three assists for every turnover.
2026 draft picks: 10, 13
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Draft need: Best player available is a cliche, but the Bucks could really use help at any position. Now they have an extra lottery pick as a silver lining for parting ways with the best player in team history. A power forward is needed, not just in the wake of Antetokounmpo’s departure, but also with Bobby Portis departing as well. A big guard makes sense even after acquiring Tyler Herro, given the potential free agencies of Kevin Porter Jr., Ousmane Dieng, Gary Trent Jr. and Gary Harris.
Southeast Division
Atlanta Hawks
2023 draft: PF Mouhamed Gueye (FA)
2024 draft: SF Zaccharie Risacher
2025 draft: PF Asa Newell
Undrafted since 2023: PG RayJ Dennis (2W), PG Keshon Gilbert (2W)
Analysis: Risacher was the top pick in the 2024 NBA Draft and was the Rookie of the Year runner-up. He retained his starting job for his second NBA season, though he did not progress much. Things unraveled after the All-Star break. Risacher lost his starting job before the end of February, then was firmly out of the rotation in the postseason. He is headed for as much of a make-or-break third NBA season as any top pick over the last decade. Gueye played in 77 games as a regular in the second unit. Newell showed flashes of finishing ability inside and outside of the paint, but Atlanta won only one of the seven games in which Newell played more than 20 minutes (November against the Lakers).
2026 draft picks: 8, 23, 57
Draft need: Atlanta gladly traded out of last year’s lottery to acquire Newell and a 2026 first-round pick from New Orleans, which became the eighth pick. With Risacher failing to establish himself as an on-ball option, Atlanta holding a team option on Jonathan Kuminga and midseason trade acquisition CJ McCollum entering unrestricted free agency, the Hawks could use another shot creator. The Hawks could also prioritize more size at center at some point in the first round.
Charlotte Hornets
2023 draft: SG Brandon Miller
2024 draft: PF Tidjane Salaün, SG Antonio Reeves (2W, FA)
2025 draft: SF Kon Knueppel, SF Liam McNeeley, SG Sion James, C Ryan Kalkbrenner
Undrafted since 2023: SF Tosan Evbuomwan (2W), C PJ Hall (2W)
Analysis: The only teams younger than the Hornets this season were the 60-loss Nets and Wizards. Charlotte missed the playoffs again but finished with their best record in a decade, and their outstanding draft class was a major reason for the improvement. Knueppel barely missed out on Rookie of the Year after leading the NBA with 273 3s. James played in all 82 games and was a solid 3-and-D guard off the bench. Kalkbrenner didn’t get many touches offensively but he led all rookies with 101 blocks. McNeeley only had two 20-minute games but he did make 40 percent of his 3s. Miller stayed healthy long enough to hit 204 3s; LaMelo Ball, Knueppel, and Miller were the fourth trio of teammates to make at least 200 3s each in a season. Salaün improved his 3-point shot to 43.4 percent, but he still has work to do to be a reliable defender.
2026 draft picks: 14, 18
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Draft need: The only free agents are point guard Coby White, shooting guard Pat Connaughton and center Xavier Tillman Sr. Charlotte could use a steal artist point guard as well as a center who could be more of a threat offensively.
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Miami Heat
2023 draft: N/A
2024 draft: SF Pelle Larsson (FA)
2025 draft: N/A
Undrafted since 2023: SF Myron Gardner, PF Keshad Johnson (FA), PG Jahmir Young (FA), C Vladislav Goldin (FA)
Analysis: Of the seven players to play at least 1,700 minutes for the Heat this season, three came from the developmental corps. But Larsson is the only one of those three left after Miami traded Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Kel’el Ware (along with 2025 first-round guard Kasparas Jakucionis) to complete the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade. Larsson started 54 of 70 games and took a real leap as a finisher while emerging as a tough defender, though his shooting is pedestrian. Johnson won the dunk contest. Gardner and Young were promoted from two-way contracts, with Gardner showing signs of being a 3-and-D irritant. Young played only 58 minutes all season.
2026 draft picks: 13, 41
Draft need: Miami has three starters who could be free agents in Larsson (team option), Andrew Wiggins (player option) and All-Star Norman Powell (unrestricted). The Heat could use another ball-hawking guard, especially given how fast they play. Miami could also use another developmental big after trading Ware.
Orlando Magic
2023 draft: SG Anthony Black, SG Jett Howard (FA)
2024 draft: SF Tristan da Silva
2025 draft: PG Jase Richardson, PF Noah Penda
Undrafted since 2023: C Colin Castleton (2W, FA)
Analysis: The Magic have been in the playoffs for three seasons now, and it’s about time for their developmental corps to take a meaningful step forward. Black starts when someone is hurt, which is quite often; his physical tools are awesome, but Black remains an underwhelming offensive player overall. Da Silva is a rare good shooter on this roster who has been a critical reinforcement for whenever Franz Wagner can’t play. Penda appeared in 59 games but made only 40.4 percent from the field. Howard’s shooting has yet to make up for his other deficiencies. Richardson didn’t get much of a chance to break out of the tweener label, playing 20 or more minutes just nine times.
2026 draft picks: 46
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Draft need: Orlando doesn’t have a first-round pick, but they do have Desmond Bane. The Magic could use a developmental center with their second-round pick, though they could always use more shooting.
Washington Wizards
2023 draft: SF Bilal Coulibaly, PF Cam Whitmore, C Tristan Vukčević
2024 draft: C Alexandre Sarr, PG Bub Carrington, PF Kyshawn George
2025 draft: SG Tre Johnson, SG Will Riley, SF Jamir Watkins (FA)
Undrafted since 2023: SF Leaky Black (2W), C Julian Reese (2W)
Analysis: Washington was the youngest team in the league last season, and the losses reflected it. Six of the seven players who cleared 1,300 minutes for the Wizards this season were 22 or younger. Sarr improved on his inefficient rookie season, but he also dealt with hamstring and toe injuries that limited him to 48 games and could still stand to be a better finisher and pick-and-roll defender. Now, Sarr will spend his offseason recovering from a right foot fracture. Coulibaly has also missed too much time due to injury while making only 42.5 percent from the field. Johnson shot well, which has been rare for Wizards rookies. George took a leap with his ability to make plays. Carrington has played in every game to begin his career, but he still has a long way to go to be an acceptable pick-and-roll orchestrator. Riley showed some on-ball juice to end the season. Watkins was promoted from a two-way contract at the end of February. Whitmore’s season was over in December due to deep-vein thrombosis. Vukčević was also promoted from a two-way contract.
2026 draft picks: 1, 51, 60
Draft need: The Wizards have the top pick in the draft for the first time in 16 years. Washington was the worst defense in the league last season and had pitiful rebounding. Just like Dallas picked Cooper Flagg when Anthony Davis was on the roster, AJ Dybantsa makes the most sense as a forward who can play at the three in the short term and move to the four long term. After Sarr’s foot surgery, Dybantsa might be at power forward right away.