BYU's Kennard Davis Jr. has officially entered the NBA Draft, and I'm not quite sure how to feel about that.
As the NBA released the names of all 71 players who have filed as early entry candidates, one name stood out for BYU fans, and it wasn't the likely number-one overall pick, AJ Dybantsa. It wasn't Robert Wright III, who enjoyed an All-Big 12 season as a sophomore. It wasn't a projected draft pick at all. It was Kennard Davis Jr., who just completed his junior season at BYU and is exploring his options through the NBA Draft process.
The National Basketball Association (NBA) announced today that 71 players have filed as early entry candidates for NBA Draft 2026, which will be held Tuesday, June 23 (First Round) and Wednesday June 24 (Second Round) at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. pic.twitter.com/GfV338yqsz
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) April 27, 2026
I know that it's every little boy's dream to one day play professional basketball in the NBA, but if you're BYU hoops transfer Kennard Davis Jr., the day to plead your NBA case is not today.
Now, the fact that his name is in the NBA Draft does not mean that his collegiate career is over. With recent changes over the years, athletes do not have to retain "amateur" status to earn their universities and television networks millions of dollars -- thank goodness for sanity's triumph -- and and use the NBA Draft as something of a reconnaisance mission to gather information and gauge interest from the teams in the pros.
If you're a player teetering on the edge of being picked in the second round and going undrafted altogether, it's a well-measured option to explore the draft process.
If you're a player like Kennard Davis, who by any stretch was a significant disappointment in his only year of power conference play, asking the league if they want to draft you is like asking a rock if it's going to lie down for a while. You already know the answer, so why are you asking?
Davis was an excellent player for the Southern Illinois Salukis as a sophomore, where he averaged over 20 points as the team's leader and primary offensive option, with excellent defense at the other end. Adding to his palette a three-point jumper that connected on 37.6% of his attempts, he seemed an ideal 3-and-D compliment to the Cougars' "Big 3".
But after hovering below the 30% mark from three-point land for the majority of the season, Davis' production left plenty to be desired. He needed a change of scenery, and the transfer portal was a natural step. Plus, with an impressive list of interested programs at his disposal, he wouldn't have to settle for a non-power conference school to play out his final season of eligibility.
That is, unless he really goes through with this whole NBA Draft thing.
At 6'6" and with the play style of a potential professional contributor, Davis could find his groove as a senior and boost his draft stock just in time. But as his resume appears today, he'd be throwing away his basketball future by forgoing his final year of eligibility to go undrafted.
Don't make that mistake, Davis. Give yourself a chance.
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