Jack Kayil Intends to Stay in NBA Draft, Leaving Hole in Gonzaga's Backcourt
Receiving first-round feedback in the NBA Draft process, Gonzaga commit Jack Kayil has decided to stay in the draft, his agents first told Jonathan Givoy of DraftExpress.
But since the initial reports, in an interview with basketball-world.news, Kayil’s agent Milan Nikolic said that “Jack definitely won’t go to college – for any number in the world. This is final.”
Because the German guard is an international player, he technically has until June 13 to withdraw from the draft, but based on Kayil’s sentiments about college basketball, suiting up for the Zags is firmly off the table for him even if he is not on an NBA roster next season. The situation is a tough break for GU, which never got to deploy the talented 20-year-old in its system after he officially signed with the program last November.
Kayil’s absence delivers a big blow to the Bulldogs’ backcourt for next season, as he was the likely starter alongside returning point guard Mario Saint-Supéry. The decision places Gonzaga in an interesting position, as it can choose to rely on players already in the building to fill Kayil’s role or go back out on the market to add someone who can compete for a starting spot.
It’s not particularly uncommon for players to keep their names in the draft for an extended period of time to gauge what areas scouts and NBA organizations suggest they can improve on to heighten their stock, but Kayil has yet to play in a collegiate game. According to the article, he never had a great interest in college basketball and had a strong preference to stay in Europe, but planned to use a year with Gonzaga as a fallback option if he didn’t get favorable feedback during the draft process. Nikolic went on to say that college basketball isn’t something Kayil enjoys from afar, nor did he believe it was the best path for his development.
The 6-5 guard is still wrapping up his season with Alba Berlin, now competing in the Bundesliga playoffs. Due to his commitments overseas, Kayil wasn’t even able to attend the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago a few weeks ago after receiving an invite to the event.
As far as public mock drafts go, the earliest Kayil is projected to be selected is late in the first round, but most published simulations have him being taken in the middle to late portion of the second round. ESPN’s Jeremy Woo has Kayil going to the Boston Celtics at pick 40, while Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo! placed him 10 spots earlier as the final pick of the first round, picked by the Dallas Mavericks.
Clearly, there’s a moderately sized range of possibilities where Kayil could be drafted. Being a lottery pick is definitely a long shot for him, but some teams could pounce on him once the first 20 names or so come off the board, banking on the combination of his youth, skillset, and upside. The benefit of playing in America collegiately for at least one year is to compete against other aspiring prospects, like Saint-Supéry did last year in Spokane and will again in 2026-27. But Kayil might have already shown that’s he ready for the NBA to evaluators, with the rest of the seasoning he needs in his game only being provided at the highest level of basketball in the world.
With Alba Berlin, Kayil averaged 12.1 points, 3.5 assists, and 2.8 rebounds, shooting 40% from the floor and 34.4% from deep over 20.9 minutes a game during the regular season. Winning the Bundesliga’s U-22 Player of the Year, he was recognized as the best young player in the league, earning 93.8% of the total vote. He joined a pretty prestigious group of players to win the award, including NBA players Franz Wagner, Dennis Schröder, and Daniel Theis.
Alba Berlin defeated Vechta in five games during the first round of the postseason, where Kayil posted 14.4 points, 3.2 assists, and 2.4 rebounds per contest. He also competed in the Basketball Champions League, putting up totals of 11.9 points, 4.1 assists, and 2.9 rebounds a game while hitting 37.4% of his shots from the field and just 26.6% of his tries from three-point range.
Primarily utilized as a combo guard, Kayil has already showcased himself as a strong facilitator and shot creator for an offense. There is believed to be growth in his shooting efficiency both overall and from three-point territory, as well as his shot selection on drives. Although young, Kayil’s feel for the game has been evident through how he plays without the ball in his hands and in the physicality and effort he brings on the defensive end.
This situation enlarges the significance of the acquisition of Houston transfer Isiah Harwell, who officially signed with Gonzaga a few days ago after verbally committing in April. Because of his sporadic usage with the Cougars and it being just his first season in Spokane, Harwell could’ve initially been seen as a versatile depth player who flashes offensively. At this moment, he seems like a leading candidate to be the Zags’ starting two guard in the fall. The continued development of Davis Fogle also seems key, after he came on strong for GU down the stretch last season, and should be penciled in as a starter for his sophomore campaign.
Already looking to add more offensive options in the portal, the Bulldogs’ offseason was far from over even before the recent Kayil news. But at this point, they need to kick the tires on as many high-upside players in the portal as possible who can bring similar dynamic abilities on the offensive side of the basketball.
