New mock draft has Otega Oweh getting drafted, Jayden Quaintance to the Knicks

The 2026 NBA Draft is only a few weeks away. A couple of Kentucky Wildcats hope to hear their names called — and a new mock believes it’ll happen.

Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo! Sports dropped a fresh update to his NBA mock draft on Thursday morning. In it, he projects Jayden Quaintance as a late first-round pick and Otega Oweh as a late second-round pick.

• Quaintance –> Rd. 1, No. 24 overall, New York Knicks
• Oweh –> Rd. 2, No. 50 overall, Toronto Raptors

His detailed mock includes player comparisons, in-depth scouting reports, and each player’s top attributes. It’s actually pretty fancy to look at. Other former Wildcats, such as Virginia center Ugonna Onyenso and St. John’s forward Bryce Hopkins, are also projected to get picked. O’Connor has Onyenso going to the Celtics (40th) and Hopkins to the Nuggets (49th).

New mock draft with all the latest intel around the NBA, including news that four potential lottery picks had a group workout with the Bulls this week. https://t.co/r6UCn9RrjM

— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnor) June 4, 2026

O’Connor labels Quaintance as a paint protector and lob threat with player comparisons to Mitchell Robinson and Robert Williams III. O’Connor writes that Quaintance could potentially replace Robinson, who is currently playing in the NBA Finals with the Knicks but will be a free agent this summer. Quaintance’s injury history is the reason he’s gone from projected lottery pick to late in the first round, but his natural talent will likely be good enough to keep him within the first 30 picks on day one of the draft.

“The Knicks are in the NBA Finals, but with Mitchell Robinson entering free agency this summer it would make sense for them to bolster the frontcourt,” O’Connor wrote. “As a freshman at Arizona State, Quaintance was blocking everything in sight, showing defensive instincts and mobility that players his size aren’t supposed to have. And he was 17 years old doing it.

“Then came the ACL, the meniscus, the fractured knee, the transfer to Kentucky, persistent swelling, and a shutdown for the remainder of his sophomore season. Much like Robinson, he’s also a borderline-hackable free-throw shooter. But he brings some intriguing skill as an open floor ball-handler too. The Knicks figured it out with Mitch, and maybe they could with JQ too.”

As the BBN knows very well at this point, Quaintance only played four games at Kentucky before his knee issues sidelined him for good. His impressive debut against St. John’s was among the top highlights of the Wildcats’ 2025-26 season. He’ll be one of the biggest mysteries in the rookie class, but one with a ton of potential.

As for Oweh, O’Connor labels the All-SEC performer as a downhill attacker who “got that dawg in him”. His player comparisons are Doug Christie (the current head coach of the Kings) and Josh Okogie. Replicating his impressive college scoring numbers in the NBA will be a challenge for Oweh, but he has intangibles that could allow him multiple opportunities to stick in the league. Starting his rookie season at 23 years old isn’t going to do him any favors, though.

“As a 6-4 wing with a strong frame, Oweh became one of the best slashing wings in college basketball and had one of the great games of the season with 35/8/7 against Santa Clara in the opening round of March Madness with a buzzer-beater to force overtime,” O’Connor said. “At the next level, though, he doesn’t project to be a primary creator because of his shaky handle and jumper, so the odds are he’ll need to adapt as a role player. Fortunately, he has a ton of those skills as a cutter, connective passer, and versatile defender.”

Oweh has benefited from so many potential draft picks returning to college for more money. He went from being on the outside looking in not long ago to now regularly appearing in second-round mocks. The Kings hosted Oweh, who had an impressive run at the NBA Draft Combine, for a workout last week. Sacramento has a couple of second-round picks to use this draft.

The 2026 NBA Draft is scheduled for June 23-24 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY.