2026 NBA Draft: Brayden Burries Scouting Report
Evaluating the Arizona Wildcats guard ahead of the 2026 NBA Draft.
DRAFT EVALUATION: No. 6-14
LAST BIG BOARD: No. 11
NBA ROLE: Scalable and efficient guard
REMINDS ME OF: Jamal Murray, Donte DiVincenzo, Cason Wallace
BOX SCORE STATS: 16.1 PTS, 4.9 REB (0.5o), 2.4 AST to 1.5 TOV, 1.5 STL, 0.2 BLK, 2.1 PF in 29.8 MINS over 39 games on 49.1 FG% / 56.2 2P% / 39.1 3P% / 80.5 FT%
ADVANCED STATS: 10.4 BPM, 21.6 USG%, 61.6 TS%, 2.1 OREB%, 14.5 DREB%, 1.7 A/TO, 14.2 AST%, 12.7 TOV%, 2.8 STL%, 0.7 BLK%, 39.5 FTr, 8.6 3PA/100, 41.8 3Pr
Height w/o shoes: 6-foot-3¾
Wingspan: 6-foot-6
Standing reach: 8-foot-2½
Weight: 215 pounds
Draft day age: 20.9 y/o
Birthday: September 18, 2005
Background:
Dad is Bobby Burries, who played basketball at San Bernardino Valley Junior College and Cal State San Bernardino.
Mom is Hannah Low-Burries, who played softball at Tennessee and basketball at Cal State San Bernardino.
Older brother Robert “BJ” Burries was a graduate assistant coach for Arizona this season. Was previously a player himself and high school coach. Other siblings are Brianna, Brealani and Brielle.
Started high school career at Riverside Poly (CA) and averaged 18.2 PTS as a freshman, but then sat out his sophomore year because of his school’s administrative issues.
Transferred to Eleanor Roosevelt High School (CA) afterwards.
JR: 24.8 PTS, 7.9 REB, 3.5 AST to 2.2 TOV, 2.7 STL, 0.5 BLK
SR: 29.7 PTS, 8.8 REB, 3.4 AST to 1.8 TOV, 2.9 STL, 0.5 BLK
Played AAU ball for Strive For Greatness in the Nike EYBL circuit.
2024 Peach Jam first-team averaging 21.8 PTS, 9.7 REB, 1.8 AST, 1.8 STL
Committed to Arizona over USC, Tennessee, Oregon and Alabama.
Evaluation:
Arizona freshman Brayden Burries has very few holes in his game, which is why I think he could go as high as No. 6 in this year’s draft.
Burries has proven that he can score at the rim, from the midrange, from three, on the ball, off the ball, and on lower and higher usage.
He has a really strong frame that he puts to use on both ends, and he should be a pretty competitive defender that can guard 1 through 3 at the NBA level.
Burries is also a capable playmaker, though he’s not a standout passer. Still, he’s a smart, winning player, and I trust him to make the right reads.
The biggest question marks about Burries are probably his seemingly limited upside given his below average explosion, as well as his older age for a freshman.
But I think there’s too much to like given all the different ways Burries can add value even if he only hits his floor.
And things get really interesting if you unlock his ballhandling and self-creation on higher usage.
Pros:
Incredibly well-rounded four-level scoring profile. Not twitchy but strong, sturdy, compact, thick frame. Always good balance. Loves to play off two feet…
Likes to use funky, low gathers to attack the rim.
Knows he can maximize his strength more than his burst. Combines that with his handle to turn the corner.
63.4 FG% (97/153) at the rim with 17 dunks in 39 games
60.3 FG% (79/131) on just layups.
45.0 FG% (18/40) on runners. Really trust his touch.
39.0 3P% (39/100) on catch-and-shoots; 38.2 3P% (26/68) on guarded looks, 40.6 3P% (13/32) on unguarded looks
Has great balance as a spot-up shooter with his jumper always looking the same.
Not exactly a movement shooter, more so covers shorter spaces, but organizes himself into his shot efficiently and reliably.
Can attack space from there, though he can get walled off by longer and bigger defenders.
40.3 3P% (31/77) on pull-up threes.
Pulls up and spots up in transition.
Can rise out of screens.
Strength really helps keep him on balance off his bumps and stepbacks.
44.2 FG% (23/52) on pull-up twos.
Likes to get to the elbows.
80.5 FT% (136/169) with a 39.5 FTr
Strength-based game with accompanying pull-up and spot-up gravity can offset athletic limitations.
Plays through contact and bigger than his size. Physical getting to the basket.
Solid playmaker with low turnovers…
14.2 AST% and 12.7 TO% with a 1.7 AST/TO.
Makes correct reads but nothing more most of the time.
Can read the nail help or two on the ball, but typically only hitting the first pass away.
More of a score-first guard going back to his high school days, but overall unselfish and about making the right play.
Doesn’t bend the defense as a facilitator, though he did not need to at Arizona. Pretty egalitarian basketball played there.
Competitive defender with off-ball instincts.
Body really helps at around 6-foot-5 in shoes with a 215 pound frame that should only keep improving once he’s in an NBA strength program full time.
Able to move his feet in space and absorb bumps.
Will be able to defend big guards and probably some 3s.
I honestly think he might be as functionally strong as some 4s in the future, but the length is probably too big of a difference maker against guys who can just shoot over him.
Reads the floor well on this end. Can anticipate passes.
Stays engaged with strong, active hands. Willing at the nail or in the gaps. 2.8 STL% shows up on tape.
Scalable and portable. Really fits modern NBA as a capable scorer/ballhandler/decision-maker with strength, three-point shooting, and a motor.
You’re probably happy if his current outlook ends up being his floor with some NBA polishing along the way, of course.
Second side actions coming off screens, hand-offs, pitch-offs, etc. with enough gravity as a shooter and decision maker to attack space and contribute in a variety of ways.
Will also add value in transition. Tenacious defensive rebounder for a guard. 14.5 DREB% is backed by the tape as he’ll pursue boards out of his area, secure them with his strength and hands, then push the pace in transition.
Can grab-and-go for himself, but also plays with his head up to find his teammates.
But has also shown enough at Arizona and before that to buy into him breaking out in the NBA on higher usage.
Things get interesting if you can really unlock his passing and pull-up shooting on higher volume. Saw some of this when he was without Jaden Bradley at Arizona.
Cons:
Really fundamental, but can struggle to create space because of his lack of twitch.
Really loves to play off two feet but maybe a bit too much. Sometimes wish he improvised a little more.
Separation is more about creating space off the bump or using his ballhandling/shooting threat than about blow-bys.
Advantage creation and finishing can be limited against defenders who match his strength and/or are noticeably faster than him.
I feel like he sometimes only sees the strong side as a passer.
Finishing against NBA length and size will be tougher, especially if he’s tasked with a heavier on-ball burden.
Wonder a little bit about the range on his three-pointer. Feels like he takes a lot of triples right next to the college 3p line, though he’s accurate whenever he takes deep bombs.
Athletic limitations can show up on defense, as well.
Screen navigation is still fairly inconsistent. Not great at getting skinny. Isn’t that nimble, though not problematically so.
Makes an effort but can find it a little tough to get back in front on time.
Defends more from the side than from the front plenty of times.
Doesn’t have much margin for recovery if he gives up his spot or isn’t in position since he isn’t overly long or bursty.
Reflected in his low block numbers (8 BLK in 1162 minutes, 0.7 BLK%)
If you draft him super high up, what is he great at? Might always be more of a complementary player, rather than a star.
Probably has a very high floor rather than a very high ceiling, though I’d argue the latter is deceivingly high.
Good at the rim, but not otherworldly.
Creates his own pull-up, but not an overly dynamic athlete and on relatively lower usage.
Great numbers from three, but volume can still be higher.
Pretty solid playmaker, but probably when he doesn’t have the main playmaking burden.
Would be fair to think that Mikel Brown Jr., Keaton Wagler, Darius Acuff, Kingston Flemings, etc. have more easily definable star traits (pull-up shooting for the first two, passing for the latter).
But really feels like this is a relatively minor question if he’s a winning player.
magnifico