BYU basketball currently has three representatives entered in the 2026 NBA Draft class. Everybody knows about AJ Dybantsa, the likely number-one overall selection and consensus All-American during his freshman season in Provo. Most are also familiar with Richie Saunders, the prototypical glue-guy who transformed his game to an All-Big 12 level in his last two college seasons with Kevin Young. But even for players like Kennard Davis Jr, who are likely better off staying in school for another year before dipping his toe into the draft waters, this might just be the perfect year to take a chance on a career in the pros.
Why is this the perfect year to declare for the draft, you ask? Well, even the smallest fish look bigger when plucked from the ocean and dropped in a puddle.
This year's NBA class boasts the fewest number of early-entrants since the 2003 class, with only 71 players jumping to the pros before their eligibility runs out.
From 363 early entrants in 2021 to 71 in 2026, it's clear that the arrival of NIL and increased freedom through the transfer portal are giving budding stars reason to stay in school. After all, why would you leave school a year or two early for a fighter's chance at a two-way contract, when you could stick around and make even more money in the NCAA?
The number of early entrants has been dropping year over year, from 2021's 363 entrants, to 283, to 242, to 195, then down to 106 before this year's low of 71. It's an undeniable trend, and this is fantastic for the level of star power in college basketball.
The fewest NBA Draft early-entrants since 2003 👀
— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) April 27, 2026
College basketball stars are STAYING in school 👏
🎥: https://t.co/XXds1rSvBE pic.twitter.com/VXgnbflUQ1
But this holds even greater implications for the players who still opted to enter the draft pool. Players who wouldn't have even sniffed interest in free agency are now -- by default -- fringe draftees.
This is a major reason why BYU's ACL-nursing 25-year-old guard, Richie Saunders, is climbing up draft boards at an alarming rate. Just a few months ago, he was out of the second round entirely, but now he's been spotted as high as 42 and 45 in very reputable intel-driven mock drafts.
So what does this mean for Kennard Davis Jr., a player who struggled in his only year at BYU before prematurely entering his name in the draft? Well, it actually should be encouraging for his chances of getting an NBA opportunity. He has good size for an NBA shooting guard at 6'6", and his 3-and-D archetype -- if actualized at the next level -- could be very attractive for GMs and head coaches looking for high production, low-waste prospects.
Still, Davis' name has been absent from any mock drafts, and a return to college basketball is still on the table if his phone doesn't start ringing. Though the chances aren't good of third BYU Cougar coming off the board on draft night, the plummeting number of early entrants should bode well for a player on the outside looking in.
Add us as a preferred source on Google