Iowa’s Bennett Stirtz a 2026 NBA lottery pick in waiting? Mock drafters say yes.

I could easily be very wrong about this and probably am when I say I don’t think Iowa basketball fans realize the esteem in which new Hawkeye point guard Bennett Stirtz is held.

NBA mock drafts for 12 months from now are even more worthless than NBA mock drafts on the day of the draft. That said, such things are published and the consensus is Stirtz not only is a first-rounder in waiting, but a solid first-rounder.

This week, The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie had Stirtz No. 12 on his list and his highest-projected Big Ten player. Vecenie’s first 11 picks are from 18 to 20 years old. Stirtz is 22.

Monday, Gary Parrish of CBSsports.com put Stirtz at No. 14, his lone lottery pick from the Big Ten.

ESPN.com has Stirtz 15th, USA Today has him 16th.

I took a look at ESPN’s June 2024 mock draft for 12 months later, and it was pretty darn accurate. There were outliers, like picking Nolan Traore fourth (he went 19th) and Kon Knueppel 17th (he was 4th). But on the whole, it was surprisingly close.

Cooper Flagg, Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey were, pardon the expression, slam-dunks.

If everyone is right and Stirtz is a Top 16 pick, Iowa has something. His 31-4 record in Division I would also seem to be an indicator.