BYU basketball may have one of the most talented rosters in the entire country, and it's because of that fact that I'm keeping my finger firmly on the pulse of the NBA mock drafts this season.
AJ Dybantsa is the natural fit to the NBA; he's a player who entered the ranks of college hoops for the sole purpose of preparing for the next level (and maybe a hint of national championship aspiration), and has a tool kit so versatile and dynamic that even Batman would blush at the sight of it.
But then there's Richie Saunders, a senior with All-Conference accolades and the motor of a Maserati, along with Rob Wright, a point guard with possibly the gnarliest dribbling package to ever appear on the floor of the Marriott Center. Both of which are beginning to transmit ripples into NBA circles.
This is the Kevin Young effect. When he first arrived in Provo, BYU's new head coach made it clear that his goal was to make BYU the premier location in college basketball for players to develop into professionals and aspire for the ultimate goal of the NBA.
If you ask ESPN, he's doing that job tremendously, as their most recent mock draft lists two of the Cougars' big three to be drafted this summer.
BYU Cougars in the ESPN NBA Mock Draft
AJ Dybantsa: 2nd overall to Sacramento
There hasn't been a moment all season that didn't feature Dybantsa in the top three of every single mock draft. Often finding himself a notch or two behind Kansas' Darryn Peterson, Dybantsa is part of an undisputed top three of himself, Peterson, and Duke's Cameron Boozer.
Dybantsa leads the Big 12 in scoring, has already posted a 33-point triple-double (BYU's first since Kyle Collinsworth), and radiates more star power than, well, a literal star. Some view him as the future of basketball as a sport, others aren't quite sold, but no matter who you ask, there isn't a soul that wouldn't take Dybantsa out of the 2026 class.
Richie Saunders: 51st overall to Cleveland
Saunders is a home-grown success story. A player who's reached the heights of All-Big 12 First Team honors as a junior, he's developed his skill set and physical tools to pair with his undying hustle, and now stands as one of the most deadly, versatile weapons in the nation.
Kevin Young believed that Saunders held professional upside when he took over the program last season, and it's clear ESPN agrees.