2026 NBA Draft Round 2 sleepers: Duke's Isaiah Evans, UNC's Henri Veesaar among best players still available
Several high-profile college players weren't selected in the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft
Day 1 of the 2026 NBA Draft is in the books. Tuesday night began with the Washington Wizards selecting AJ Dybantsa at No. 1 and ended with the Phoenix Suns taking Koa Peat at No. 30. Between those picks, NBA fans saw mostly chalk in the early portion of the lottery, which resulted in the top players in the draft going to the places they were connected with throughout the cycle.
Although the first round of the NBA Draft was defined early by predictability, several projected first-round picks fell out of the first round entirely. The headliners included North Carolina's Henri Veesaar, Arkansas' Meelek Thomas and Duke's Isaiah Evans. Those players will likely hear their name called early on Day 2.
Veesaar, Thomas and Evans -- who all could've returned to college for a big NIL payday -- were surprise omissions in the first round. All three players were ranked inside the top 30 of our CBS Sports draft rankings.
Instead of getting drafted in the first round, they will have to wait a little longer to hear their name called. Here is who to watch for on Day 2 of the draft.
Henri Veesaar | C | North Carolina
CBS Sports NBA Draft Big Board ranking: 23
Veesaar notably bypassed a return to North Carolina to play for first-year coach Michael Malone. He's a stretch big man who had a breakout season at UNC this past season. He was projected to go somewhere in the 20s. Instead of playing another season of college basketball -- where he would've likely been one of the highest-paid players in the sport -- he will have to wait at least one more day to get drafted.
Isaiah Evans | F | Duke
CBS Sports NBA Draft Big Board ranking: 26
This was surprising. Evans was also projected to get drafted somewhere in the 20s. Evans went from almost strictly a pure catch-and-shoot 3-point specialist at Duke during his freshman year to a legit No. 2 scoring option on the No. 1 overall seed in college basketball. Evans almost doubled the amount of 3-pointers he took from this year to last and still knocked them down at a 36.1% clip. He will be a solid second-round addition for someone in the early-to-mid 30s.
Meleek Thomas | G | Arkansas
CBS Sports NBA Draft Big Board ranking: 32
Thomas waited until the final day of the stay-or-go deadline to announce his intention to stay in the draft. Thomas was a solid second option this past season at Arkansas, next to fellow freshman Darius Acuff Jr. He held his own throughout the year and provided valuable scoring for a young Arkansas squad. It made logical sense to return to school for another season, where he would've been featured as potentially Arkansas' top scoring option.
Braden Smith | G | Purdue
CBS Sports NBA Draft Big Board ranking: 33
This one wasn't all that surprising. Despite being one of the best point guards in the sport and college basketball's all-time assist leader, Smith was a logical candidate to hear his name called on Day 2. He should offer a team picking in the 30s a veteran point guard who can run the second unit. It wouldn't be surprising to see him get significant minutes as a rookie.
Richie Saunders | G | BYU
CBS Sports NBA Draft Big Board ranking: 34
If Saunders didn't tear his ACL late during the 2025-26 season, he would've been a strong candidate to go at the end of Day 1. Although Saunders is still recovering from that injury, he should be one of the most coveted players in the second round. He's a knockdown shooter and would provide valuable minutes off the bench for anyone in the 30s. If Saunders is healthy, he will make a serious impact.
NBA Draft: Henri Veesaar, Isaiah Evans top best available in Round 2
Cameron Salerno 3 min readNBA Draft: Henri Veesaar, Isaiah Evans top best available in Round 2
