When it comes to NBA Mock Drafts, what's good for Luigi Suigo is bad for BYU basketball.
The Cougars have been in talks with the 7-foot-3 Italian big man since well before he entered his name in the 2026 NBA Draft, but with the June 13th deadline for international entrants to withdraw from the draft rapidly approaching, sweat is beginning to bead on the temple of head coach Kevin Young.
That mist becomes a downpour when taking into account the Cougars' top center target -- a position the team has yet to fill since the end of the NCAA Tournament in April -- is climbing up draft boards.
Yahoo Sports, in particular, just updated its mock draft order, and it includes Suigo being selected 17th overall by the Oklahoma City Thunder. If Suigo is a lock for the first round -- especially the mid-to-early first round -- BYU hoops can kiss their chances arrivederci.
That, plus the snowballing buzz that Suigo would be Villanova-bound were he to enter the college ranks, suggests the Cougars might just be better off continuing their search elsewhere. Still, a report shared that BYU would be Suigo's destination if not 'Nova.
But Kevin O'Connor's blurb on Suigo surprised me when he stated that Suigo is better off spending a year in college, despite coming off the board just three spots outside of the lottery range.
"Suigo has until June 13 to decide if he's going to stay in this year's draft or commit to a college — likely Villanova. In all likelihood, he's heading to school. But there's still some chatter around the league about him sneaking into the first round. To play with that idea in this mock, let's put Suigo on the Thunder, a team in need of a giant center."
"Suigo has said he wants to be the Italian Wemby and, at 7-3 with passing feel and shooting touch, you can see why a teenager might put that out into the universe. Suigo lacks the handle and self-creation chops to ever be the best player on a team, but his dynamic skills as a passer, shooter, and lob threat layer cleanly on top of baseline center duties as a screener, finisher, and rim protector. Becoming the Italian Marc Gasol is a more realistic goal and would still be an excellent outcome."
No, that's not a promising message for BYU basketball. I've stated this on repeat over the offseason, but BYU's chances of competing in 2026-27 go straight out the window if you're forced to rely on 6'9" Khadim Mboup to be your starting center -- all due respect to the Cougars' X-factor from last season.
It seems O'Connor is reaching a bit with Suigo's value in the draft, as 17th would be a major leap from an OKC team with more draft picks than they know what to do with. He remains convinced that Suigo will head to school before going pro, and that give BYU basketball a chance, if still a minor one.
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