When BYU basketball hired head coach Kevin Young away from the NBA, in his debut press conference coach, Young shared his vision of turning BYU into an NBA factory. After two years in Provo, he has done just that.
There are currently four former BYU Cougars on NBA rosters in Egor Demin, AJ Dybantsa, Keba Keita, and Richie Saunders. While Saunders is still recovering from his ACL injury, the other three former Cougs are showing well in Summer League. Here’s a quick recap of what we’ve seen so far.
Egor Demin, Brooklyn Nets
After a solid rookie season last year in which he averaged 10.3 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game while shooting 38.5% from the three-point line, Egor is getting a tune-up in Summer League this year. Last year's No. 8 overall pick in the NBA Draft was slowed for much of the season due to plantar fasciitis. He ended up appearing in only 52 games with his final appearance coming in late February in order to manage the lingering condition.
So far in Summer League he looks like he’s ready to make the sophomore leap.
In Brooklyn’s first game Egor scored 23 points on 8-of-15 shooting with seven rebounds and an assist. In his second game he scored 23 on 7-of-12 shooting with eight rebounds, five assists, and two steals. Get ready for a breakout season this year from Egor.
AJ Dybantsa, Washington Wizards
The NBA debut of this year's No. 1 overall pick couldn’t have come with more fanfare for a Summer League game. AJ and his Washington Wizards faced off against No. 2 overall pick Darryn Peterson and the Utah Jazz.
AJ quickly showed why he was the first pick in the draft.
After an electric first half he finished the game with 27 points on 7-of-18 shooting, and he did this despite missing all five of his three-point attempts. He also chipped in seven rebounds, two assists, two steals, and a block. In my somewhat biased opinion, he was far and away the best player on the floor.
His ability to get to the rim and play through contact made him look like an eight-year NBA veteran and not a 19-year-old teenager. Now, I didn’t love some of AJ's head snapping and trying to accentuate contact to try to draw fouls. His foul hunting wasn't anywhere near Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, thankfully, but I do hope Dybantsa dials that back and just plays ethical basketball.
The sky's the limit for this prodigious talent, and we could be witnessing the beginning of a 20-year career full of more All-Star teams and awards than we can imagine.
Keba Keita, Indiana Pacers
One of the more delightfully unexpected developments with the BYU to the NBA pipeline is the emergence of Keba Keita. While he went undrafted this year, the undersized big man was quickly signed as a free agent by the Indiana Pacers. Reports coming from camp are that he has impressed Indiana’s coaching staff with his all-around game, including rumors of offensive skills that were rarely on display at BYU.
Keba seems to bring a skill set that fits Indiana’s philosophy. In his first Summer League action he played just eight minutes but managed to score five points with two rebounds and one block on a perfect 2-for-2 shooting and 1-for-1 from the free-throw line. He followed that up with a second game with six more points and a rebound on 2-of-2 shooting.
It would be surprising if he made Indiana’s roster right out of the gate, but Keba is showing enough upside that either Indiana or another NBA team might retain him in the G League this year and see how he develops. This is great for Keita and for BYU basketball.
Richie Saunders, Memphis Grizzlies
Richie will always be a legend in Provo. He will be a favorite son at BYU for years to come after his legendary career with the Cougars highlighted by his stellar play and his grit and toughness.
His ACL tear in the middle of the Big 12 season last year was one of the biggest disappointments in recent BYU hoops history because of the impact it had on the team as a whole and on him individually.
But despite the injury and his "older" age as a returned missionary, Richie was still taken at No. 32 overall in this year‘s NBA Draft by the Memphis Grizzlies. His recovery and rehab appear to be on schedule and BYU fans can't wait to see Richie suit up in the NBA when he's healthy.
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