Projecting the Rotation for the BYU Basketball Program

Kevin Young and his staff are putting the finishing touches on the 2025-2026 BYU basketball roster. On Wednesday, BYU picked up a commitment from UC Riverside guard Nate Pickens. With Davis on board, BYU has very few spots remaining for next season. Today, we're projecting the starting lineup and the rotation for the second year under Kevin Young.

The Starting Lineup

BYU's starting lineup will feature a lot of new faces. As of this writing, we're projecting three of the five starters to be newcomers.

1. Rob Wright III
2. Kennard Davis Jr.
3. AJ Dybansta
4. Richie Saunders
5. Keba Keita

First and foremost, First-Team All Big 12 performer Richie Saunders is back for his senior season. Getting Saunders back might be the most important news for the BYU roster next season. Saunders is the most proven scorer on the team at the Big 12 level, and he can efficienctly score without requiring too many shot attempts. Saunders could cement himself as one of the best to ever do it at BYU in 2025-2026.

Five-star Baylor transfer Rob Wright is a lock to start at the point guard spot. Wright scored 11.5 points per game as a true freshman at Baylor. He will be a critical piece on BYU's roster.

AJ Dybansta, the projected top pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, is also a lock to start. You don't bring in the nation's top prospect and not start him. Dybansta will start and he has the potential to be one of the best scorers in college basketball.

Unsurprisingly, Keba Keita will start at center. Keita got better and better as the season progressed and he was a critical part of BYU's rise at the end of last season. Keita will be the beneficiary of many lobs around the rim as opposing defenses focus their attention on Dybansta, Saunders, and Wright.

Kennard Davis Jr. fills the final spot in the starting lineup. Kennard had a breakout season as a sophomore in 2024-2025. He averaged 16.3 points per game, 4.9 rebounds per game, 2.6 assists per game, and 1.3 steals per game. He was named the most improved player in the Missouri Valley Conference and he was a second team All-Conference selection. He could also be the best on-ball defender in BYU's starting lineup.

The Rotation

Suddenly, BYU looks like a really deep team. Last season proved that Kevin Young is willing to play a 10-man rotation while he optimizes lineups. For the purpose of this writing, we will assume a 10-man rotation. The bench contributors will consist of Dawson Baker, Mihailo Boskovic, Nate Pickens, and Dominique Diomande.

1. Nate Pickens
2. Dawson Baker
3. Mihailo Boskovic
4. Dominique Diomande
5. Tyler Mrus

Tyler Mrus will be a shooting specialist. On a team that will feature a lot of playmakers, Mrus could benefit from a lot of open looks from three.

Nate Pickens could play the backup point guard spot when Rob Wright is on the bench, and he will be able to provide three point shooting in his own right. Pickens shot 39% from three last season.

Miahilo Boskovic is going to play a critical role for BYU next season. He is currently the only big with experience behind Keba Keita. If there's one area of concern on BYU's roster right now, it would be the depth of the front court. BYU needs Keita to stay healthy.

Dawson Baker will give BYU a scoring punch with his ability to create and get to the rim.

There are three talented young players that are not included in our initial projections: Xavion Stanton, Khadim Mboup, and Brody Kozlowski. Stanton is one of the nation's top centers in the 2025 recruiting class, and Kozlowski is a former four-star recruit. No matter the rotation, there will be some very talented players on the outside looking in.