Dylan Mingo sets the pace as the race for 2026's top point guard ignites ahead of July's live period
Point guard is getting very competitive at the top of the 2026 class. On3's Jamie Shaw breaks down the race for top PG in 2026.
Dylan Mingo has been On3’s top-ranked point guard in the 2026 cycle since the initial rankings were released. The 6-foot-5 Mingo is a rising senior at Long Island (NY) Lutheran School and is currently playing his summer ball with the PSA Cardinals program on Nike’s EYBL Circuit. Mingo has risen all the way up to No. 4 overall in the 2026 On3 150.
Singularly looking at the point guards in the 2026 class, there is a lot to like at the position. Five players at the position are ranked among the top 25 overall in the class. Following Mingo, Ikenna Alozie is No. 11, Deron Rippey at No. 17, Miles Sadler at No. 18, and Tay Kinney at No. 23. As we are coming down the final stretch for this class, exiting their junior high school years and entering their senior seasons, the race for the top spot is gearing up to be an interesting one.
So let’s discuss the top point guards in the 2026 recruiting cycle and some of the top storylines around the top players at the position.
Can Dylan Mingo hold top point guard status from start to finish?
Dylan Mingo appears to be improving each time we see him play. Not only is he producing, becoming comfortable with the ball in his hands, taking on an alpha role, but he is also producing at an alarming rate. This summer, on Nike’s EYBL Circuit, Mingo is averaging 18.5 points and 2.5 steals per game. He recently earned MVP honors of the NBPA Top 100 Camp in June, averaging 23.8 points and 6.8 assists. This camp also featured each of the other four point guards among 2026’s top 25.Mingo is more than nine months younger than the rest of the point guards ranked among the top 25, making him very young for his grade. Listed at 6-foot-5, he has a plus wingspan. He is a fluid athlete with excellent anticipation and instincts. Mingo has a slippery game; he uses excellent pace to get to his spots, and he is not afraid of contact, oftentimes getting to the free-throw line as he puts two feet in the paint.
Mingo is an excellent defender, one who simply collects deflections while guarding on or off the ball. He plays with a tenacity and a competitive nature while also showing some flair and craft. The thing with Mingo is that the jump shot will need to continue getting better. He is currently knocking it down off the catch when given time, but threes off the bounce can have an elongated motion, enabling quicker closeouts and disrupted flow.
His ability to dictate play at the point of attack, consistently get the first defender off balance, scramble a defense, and make the right reads against the defense’s help has provided Mingo with consistent production. He has a runway of upside to continue growing into, and his game continues to get better.
Mingo’s game is currently at an interesting intersection of physical tools and natural feel with current production and remaining upside.
Who has the best bet to challenge Mingo?
One player that is starting to surge is Deron Rippey. Just this June, he earned an invite to the USA Basketball U19 training camp, earned All-Adidas Eurocamp honors, and All-NBPA Top 100 Camp honors. Rippey is an electric athlete who plays with excellent pace, while sturdily putting two feet in the paint and making a play. Rippey is able to get on the rim in traffic, but he is able to run the pick and roll consistently at a high level.His reads are consistent, and he is a threat to score or deliver on target while getting downhill into the teeth of the defense. Outside of Mingo, Rippey is playing the best of the group. The thing with each of the other four point guards beyond Mingo is that they are all between 5-foot-10 and 6-foot-1, smaller for the position.
Rippey earned back-to-back state championships at Blairstown Township (NJ) Blair Academy this season. He also earned Gatorade’s New Jersey Player of the Year honors this season. Rippey is continuing to develop as a shooter, which is going to need to continue. At the NBPA Top 100 Camp, Rippey was 5-19 (26.3 percent) from beyond the arc, and on the Adidas 3SSB Circuit this summer, he is currently 11-33 (33.3 percent from three). His twitchy speed and explosive burst are top-level, can he continue to become a consistent pull-up threat shooting.
Along with Rippey, the point guard getting the most buzz in the class is Tay Kinney. A Newport, Kentucky native who played his junior year at Atlanta (GA) Overtime Elite. He has built a viral reputation online, but his play at the NBPA Top 100 Camp solidified him as a top target for college coaches in this cycle.
Kinney’s reputation as a point guard comes with an ability to shoot and play with excellent pace. Along with the pace, he has a very crafty handle and advanced footwork in a phone booth to get him to his spots in the half-court. What he lacks in top-end burst and twitchy explosion, he makes up for with the craft/pace, and IQ.
The interesting aspect of his game is the shooting. He tore it up at the NBPA Top 100 Camp, shooting 10-21 (47.6 percent) from three over the multiple-day event. He got to his spots and found his balance points very well. However, over the past seven or eight months, Kinney’s shot has been up and down. Through 21 OTE games this season – regular season plus one playoff game – Kinney finished 30-87 (34.5 percent). In his seven Adidas 3SSB Circuit games, two stops before the finals, Kinney is shooting 5-25 (20.0 percent), and in his three Adidas Euroleague games in June, Kinney finished 3-12 (25.0 percent) from three. So in the 32 games logged for Kinney, starting in November, heading into June’s NBPA Top 100 Camp, he has shot 38-124 (30.6 percent) from three.
The talent is clearly there for the 6-foot-2 lead guard; he is the second youngest player of the group, and his game is one that continues to improve, with his ability to put pressure on a defense each time you see him.
While Mingo currently has a stronghold on the point guard position in the 2026 recruiting cycle, Rippey and Kinney are coming out of June and entering the July shoe circuit championships playing with a lot of confidence and an upward trend.
Where do Alozie + Sadler fit in with the point gaurd landscape?
With Mingo at the top of the point guard class, and Rippy and Kinney making their push, Miles Sadler and Ikenna Alozie are each solidly carving out their reputations. Sadler has been injured off and on since the end of the high school season, able to play here and there, but sitting for the majority of the time. Over the past season, he has proven to be an ultimate winner. He is a proven shot maker and someone who is never afraid of the moment.On Nike’s EYBL Scholastic Circuit last season, the 5-foot-10 point guard averaged 16.1 points and 4.7 assists on 36.0 percent shooting from three. Starting at point guard for the Canadian National Team, Sadler averaged 13.9 points, 4.0 assists, and 2.7 steals during last summer’s U17 FIBA World Championships.
Over the past 12 months, Sadler has shown a consistent ability to raise the floor of his team. Another player who has been consistent with his outputs has been Ikenna Alozie. The explosion is what pops for him. His twitchy burst gets him in the lane consistently, and his explosive athleticism propels him to the rim, through contact for finishes.
While he is still learning pace and reads, Alozie’s physical tools are toward the top of the class when it comes to natural athleticism. And with that, the 6-foot-1 guard is averaging 17.6 points on 47.7 percent shooting this summer on Nike’s EYBL Circuit. Again, he will need to continue working through the jump shot and in setting up teammates, but he was also the MVP of the NBA’s Basketball Without Borders event over the All-Star break.
While there is still a long way to go with this class, it seems that the point guard position is shaping up to be a strong one. Even with the strength of the position in this class, there is still some movement at the top. Dylan Mingo has done his share to establish himself as the lead candidate of the group. However, Deron Rippey, Tay Kinney, Miles Sadler, and Ikenna Alozie each continue to produce and develop. This position group should be fun to contiue to follow over the next year.
