As the NBA gears up for the 2026 draft, a number of big-name talents are set to change the landscape of the league in what is considered one of the deeper drafts in recent memory.
The Washington Wizards, Utah Jazz and Memphis Grizzlies are all in a position to land a franchise-altering star with AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson and Cameron Boozer, respectively, projecting to be All-Star-caliber talents at the next level of competition.
The Phoenix Suns, meanwhile, won’t select until Wednesday’s second round at pick No. 47 overall. The league has a lengthy track record of second-round talents becoming All-Star or even MVP-caliber talents despite their draft position. And while it’s unrealistic to think the Suns can find a diamond in the rough akin to a Nikola Jokic in Round 2, there’s a potential sleeper who’s already proven himself as a winner overseas.
International standout Jack Kayil could be sleeper pick for Suns
Among the plethora of NBA mock drafts — many that have the Suns taking University of Arizona guard Jaden Bradley or a prospect with a familiar surname — Sporting News has the Suns taking Jack Kayil.
Kayil is a 20-year-old combo guard who most recently played for Alba Berlin, the German team that came back from a 20-point deficit against Bayern Munich to win its league’s championship for the first time in four years.
Kayil was not an insignificant part of that title run. He averaged 12.2 points, 3.5 assists and 2.8 rebounds for the season and was a primary engine making the team a title contender.
As Rafael Barlowe of the NBA Draft Junkies podcast notes, “Kayil goes to Alba Berlin, and it’s his team, and he leads them to the championship — they win the German league.”
Barlowe said that he watched every Alba Berlin game and saw Kayil play in person several times as well. He explained that his shooting percentages for Alba Berlin can be misleading because he was forced to shoot several “grenades,” as he describes — forced shots at the end of the shot clock brought on by teammates getting him the ball in bad situations. He notes that Kayil was the team’s playmaker, so when he wasn’t the one creating shots, teammates looked to him to make something happen on offense.
Barlowe also notes that Kayil played through a calf strain for stretches during the season and that while “you could tell he wasn’t right” he was “tough and he made the right passes.”
“Kayil has kind of been in the shadows. … He has one year where he’s featured, and (Alba Berlin) wins the championship,” he said.
While Barlowe notes that Kayil has the intangibles scouts look for, he still feels he’s been underrated throughout his young career. He explained that he doesn’t know many players who could slot into Kayil's situation at Alba Berlin and have the same level of success.
“He’s a guy that’s a winner,” Barlowe said.
That track record of success goes beyond the German league.
Kayil won the U16 Division B European Championship back in 2022 with the Germany U16 national team.
In August 2024, Kayil won the gold medal with the Germany U18 national team at the European Championship.
In 2025 while playing with Germany’s national team during the FIBA U19 World Cup, Kayil and his Germany teammates reached the finals where they lost to the United States. Kayil averaged 11.1 points, 6.6 assists and 3.6 rebounds during the tournament.
You’d be hard-pressed to find another prospect as young as Kayil with a similar track record of success. He’s a proven winner who plays with a maturity well beyond his years.
NBA Draft Junkies tabbed him as “the winner nobody is talking about.” Perhaps that sleeper status ahead of the draft will be Phoenix’s gain at No. 47 overall. He wouldn’t need to be a star for the Suns, but he can bring his winning knowhow and grit to a team that needs a floor general. Maybe he’d be the diamond in the rough Phoenix is hoping to find in Round 2.
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