{"id":1189,"date":"2026-06-08T06:05:59","date_gmt":"2026-06-08T06:05:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=1189"},"modified":"2026-06-08T06:05:59","modified_gmt":"2026-06-08T06:05:59","slug":"where-could-richie-saunders-be-selected-in-the-nba-draft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=1189","title":{"rendered":"Where could Richie Saunders be selected in the NBA draft?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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BYU\u2019s visit to Kansas on Jan. 31 was expected to be a memorable duel between AJ Dybantsa and Darryn Peterson.<\/p>\n

Read more Remote Utah mill aims to reduce U.S. dependence on China in this critical industry<\/a><\/p>\n

But it was Richie Saunders who ended up stealing the show.<\/p>\n

With the eyes of the basketball world upon him, Saunders led all scorers with a game-high 33 points. He drained six 3-pointers, grabbed 10 rebounds and added two steals and a block on the historic Allen Fieldhouse hardwood.<\/p>\n

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Monster 33 + 10 from Richie Saunders at Kansas, nearly dragging BYU all the way back from a 20-point halftime hole. Legit All-American candidate \u2014 one of the best shooter\/scorers in college basketball. pic.twitter.com\/DpYGyfr8w3<\/p>\n

\u2014 Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) February 1, 2026<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

In a contest featuring the likely No. 1 and 2 overall picks in June\u2019s NBA draft, Saunders was \u201cthe best player on the floor,\u201d his head coach Kevin Young said postgame.<\/p>\n

By that point in the season, Saunders was already viewed as a lock for the NBA, and his masterpiece against Kansas vaulted the senior sharpshooter into first round discussion.<\/p>\n

Two weeks later, however, his NBA future appeared to be in potential jeopardy. <\/p>\n

Saunders tore his ACL less than a minute into BYU\u2019s Feb. 14 matchup with Colorado, ending his college career after 128 games and well before he could get one final crack at the NCAA Tournament.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy story has never been one of ease, and while I didn\u2019t plan for this, my career is not over,\u201d Saunders wrote in an Instagram post announcing his ACL tear. \u201cI will return with more fight and more grit than before. My goals haven\u2019t changed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fortunately for Saunders, those goals are still very much on the table. His ACL recovery is \u201cahead of schedule,\u201d and plenty of NBA teams are interested in his services, according to Young. <\/p>\n

While his injury knocked him down from potential first round consideration, it\u2019s a safe bet that Saunders will hear his name called in the second round on June 24.<\/p>\n

\u201cI still think Richie healthy had a late first round grade, which means in this draft in particular, he would have been drafted somewhere between probably 22 and 30. I think that\u2019s a very realistic spot that you could have seen Richie Saunders in had he not been hurt,\u201d ESPN analyst Sean Farnham said this past week on \u2018BYU Sports Nation.\u2019<\/p>\n

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According to @SeanFarnham NBA general managers and scouts are very high up on Richie Saunders pic.twitter.com\/RYYY13uuaj<\/p>\n

\u2014 BYUtv Sports Nation (@BYUSportsNation) June 4, 2026<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\u201c… But now it sounds like he\u2019s going to be picked in the second round, which is unbelievable for a guy who\u2019s a four-year guy, older and coming off an ACL … It says a ton about his value as a player and a person.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 25 games during the 2025-26 season, Saunders averaged career bests in points (18.0), rebounds (5.4), assists (2.1) and steals (1.7), while shooting 37.6% from 3-point range. He received All-Big 12 Second Team honors, having been named to the league\u2019s First Team as a junior.<\/p>\n

During BYU\u2019s Sweet 16 run in 2025, Saunders became a household name in college basketball by averaging 22.0 points with 5.7 rebounds and 2.0 steals while making 42% of his triples across three tournament games.<\/p>\n

\u201cA high scoring guard who can get hot from outside,\u201d reads Saunders\u2019 NBA Draft Room scouting report. \u201cHas really nice shooting form and gets good elevation on his jumper. (Has) a quick release. Plays with a lot of passion and fire. Is a leader on the court and brings great energy on both ends.\u201d<\/p>\n

Saunders first found his way in BYU\u2019s rotation as a freshman due to his scrappiness, defensive tenacity and \u201cuncommon motor,\u201d to borrow Young\u2019s words, ultimately becoming an especially valuable glue guy for the Cougars.<\/p>\n

The Riverton native took a major leap in his junior campaign to emerge as a legitimate top scoring option, yet never lost his \u201chair on fire\u201d hustle that made him so hard to take off the floor in the first place.<\/p>\n

Read more Opinion: Helping young couples with the challenging choice to start families<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cI think that a lot of teams are impressed as they continue to go back and watch the film and see his motor, his IQ, his energy, his leadership, all the intangibles outside of the fact that he can actually stroke the ball,\u201d Farnham said.<\/p>\n

\u201c… Anytime you watch Richie when he\u2019s on the floor, it\u2019s really hard for you not to know that Richie Saunders is on the floor … Richie doesn\u2019t even have to score for you to know that he\u2019s out on the court. He\u2019s going to make some plays somewhere that you\u2019re going to know that he\u2019s out there. I think a lot of teams are starting to see that, and they understand the value of having somebody like that on your roster.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yahoo Sports currently lists Saunders at No. 31 on its NBA draft big board, with ESPN ranking him as the No. 41 prospect in his class.<\/p>\n

Every major mock draft includes Saunders as a second round pick, ranging from Tankathon slotting him at No. 35 (to the San Antonio Spurs) to ESPN putting him at No. 52 (to the Los Angeles Clippers). <\/p>\n

In between those, The Athletic predicts Saunders to the Boston Celtics at No. 40 overall, and both Yahoo and Bleacher Report believe he\u2019ll land with the Miami Heat as the No. 41 selection. <\/p>\n

Considering how many previously projected non-lottery players are now returning to college, it feels more likely to see Saunders drafted in the first half of the second round than between No. 46-60.<\/p>\n

\u201cSaunders is a hard-nosed, two-way wing who plays with manic energy, hustling around the floor hunting for steals on defense and jumpers on offense,\u201d wrote Kevin O\u2019Connor of Yahoo. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe team that gets him knows exactly what they\u2019re gonna get out of him. He\u2019s also skilled, though, with a quick-trigger jumper, soft touch on floaters, and a feel for moving the ball. With less than ideal size and athleticism, he more likely projects as a solid role player.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sam Vecenie of The Athletic shared on O\u2019Connor\u2019s podcast that he graded Saunders as a first round talent, comparing him to a pair of Cleveland Cavaliers guards in Max Strus and Sam Merrill, the latter being a Utah native and Latter-day Saint returned missionary just like Saunders.<\/p>\n

Strus averaged 11.2 points and 5.0 rebounds this season as a 40% 3-point shooter, while Merrill scored 12.8 points per night, shot 42% from long distance and even dropped 23 points in a do-or-die Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.<\/p>\n

\u201c(Saunders is) not quite as athletic as Strus, and a little bit bigger than Merrill,\u201d Vecenie said. \u201cAwesome shooter. I think he does a way better job defensively than what people seem to give him credit for. He cares on that end.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Are we sure Richie Saunders isn\u2019t a first round pick in the 2026 NBA draft? Well, @sam_vecenie has a first round grade on the product of @BYUMBB. https:\/\/t.co\/m2uEmr5xVp pic.twitter.com\/5Lb8JgccnF<\/p>\n

\u2014 Kevin O’Connor (@KevinOConnor) May 27, 2026<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

O\u2019Connor agreed with Vecenie\u2019s assessment and sang his own praises for Saunders.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like with the connective passing and the defensive effort, I\u2019d be shocked if he\u2019s not a longtime pro in the NBA,\u201d O\u2019Connor said. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe torn ACL, unfortunately, ended his career at BYU, just a heartbreaking ending. Hopefully it ends up a blessing in disguise for him, and he lands in the perfect situation, because I love Richie Saunders\u2019 game.\u201d<\/p>\n

Amid all the different possibilities for his initial NBA fate, Saunders is choosing to have faith and believe wherever he lands will be God\u2019s plan for him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m going to trust in God and that He is in charge,\u201d Saunders told the Daily Universe. \u201cI often feel like if I can just do more and more, then I\u2019ll get what I want. But in this case, it\u2019s a different lesson. I\u2019ve had to learn to accept the path that God needs me to be on and stop trying to control everything.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Opinion: Maybe a minister of happiness wouldn\u2019t be a bad idea after all<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The scrappy BYU sharpshooter, who suffered a torn ACL in February, is considered a lock to hear his name called in June\u2019s draft.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1188,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1189","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"\nWhere could Richie Saunders be selected in the NBA draft? - American Movers Hub<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=1189\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Where could Richie Saunders be selected in the NBA draft? - American Movers Hub\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The scrappy BYU sharpshooter, who suffered a torn ACL in February, is considered a lock to hear his name called in June\u2019s draft.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=1189\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"American Movers Hub\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-08T06:05:59+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/?p=1189#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/?p=1189\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/b68c8483906c0d2987f271455f0177af\"},\"headline\":\"Where could Richie Saunders be selected in the NBA draft?\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-08T06:05:59+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/?p=1189\"},\"wordCount\":1384,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/?p=1189#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/64ce9891d6641e09b66ae20487a9bf9b.avif\",\"articleSection\":[\"Sports\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/?p=1189#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/?p=1189\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/?p=1189\",\"name\":\"Where could Richie Saunders be selected in the NBA draft? 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