By JAMES MADDEN
Kansas freshman forward Tyran Stokes is the preseason betting favorite to be the No. 1 pick in the 2027 NBA Draft, according to BetOnline.
Kansas head coach Bill Self said Stokes is a blend of Andrew Wiggins and Josh Jackson, two former Kansas stars and top-5 picks, due to his explosiveness and “dog” mentality.
Outside of Stokes, the 2027 NBA Draft class is also headlined by BYU’s Bruce Branch III, Arizona’s Caleb Holt, Arkansas’ Jordan Smith Jr., Florida’s Thomas Haugh and Duke’s Cameron Williams, who all round out the top six in odds to go No. 1 in next summer’s draft.
Here are the odds:
2027 NBA Draft #1 Pick
| Tyran Stokes | 1/1 |
| Bruce Branch III | 4/1 |
| Caleb Holt | 6/1 |
| Jordan Smith Jr. | 6/1 |
| Thomas Haugh | 7/1 |
| Cameron Williams | 10/1 |
The 2025 draft was headlined by Cooper Flagg, Dylan Harper, VJ Edgecombe and Kon Knueppel, while the historically deep 2026 draft class was headlined by AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer, Caleb Wilson and Darius Acuff Jr.
Coming off those two stacked draft classes, experts believe the 2027 NBA Draft class is likely to be a much weaker one compared to those in the past.
BetOnline’s list of top-six draft prospects isn’t necessarily predictive of how he NBA Draft will pan out with. Last year, Illinois’ Keaton Wagler and Houston’s Kingston Flemings went in the lottery but were not projected to do so when the season began.
With Stokes viewed as the top draft prospect entering the 2026-27 season, the former top-ranked high schooler will see his first college action on Oct. 21 when Kansas hosts Louisville in its first exhibition game of the season. Stokes’ first official in-game action will take place on Nov. 2 however, when the Jayhawks open their season against Fordham at Allen Fieldhouse.
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