What happened: A group of beat writers assembled a mock draft for The Athletic ahead of tonight's 2026 NBA Draft. The exercise gathers each team's local reporter to project how the first round could unfold. The LA Clippers enter the night holding the No. 5 pick.

Why it matters: Beat-writer mock drafts carry weight because the reporters covering each franchise daily tend to have the sharpest read on a team's needs and front-office thinking. With the draft just hours away, projections like this offer a last look at how those closest to each club expect the board to fall.

What to watch: The first round begins tonight, when the actual selections will show how closely the beat-writer projections matched the order teams ultimately followed, starting with where the Clippers go at No. 5.