statesman
Former Texas basketball star Dailyn Swain will likely get his name called by NBA commissioner Adam Silver in the first round of Tuesdays NBA Draft in New York City.
But where is the 6-foot-6 wing expected to go? And are any other Longhorns expected to join Swain in this years NBA Draft? Here are five things to know about Swain, the Texas basketball team, and Longhorns in the NBA draft.
MORE: Mikey Lewis becomes 5th transfer to join Texas basketball as Sean Miller continues rebuild 1.
Dailyn Swain developed into first-round pick in one season at Texas Swain made the most of his one season at Texas after transferring into the program following two years at Xavier.
The All-SEC pick averaged career-highs with 17.3 points and 7.5 rebounds while helping the Longhorns reach the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament behind first-year coach Sean Miller, who also coached Swain at Xavier.
Swain measured in at the NBA Combine in May with an official height of 6 feet, 612 inches and 211 pounds, an inch-and-a-half shorter than his listed height at Texas.
He boasted an impressive wingspan of 6-10, and his max vertical leap of 3612 inches tied for 15th of 31 participants.
He fared well in the combines shooting drills by testing among the top-10 players in percentage of field goals made in the spot-up shooting (56.0%, eighth), shooting off the dribble (73.3%, fourth) and side-mid-side drills (70.8%, third).
In the three-point star drill, he tied for 14th, hitting 48.0% of his shots.
However, Swain may have dinged his value in the scrimmage part of the combine and chose to sit out the second day of the two-part scrimmage.
2.
San Antonio Spurs could target Dailyn Swain in round one While Swain may not go in the lottery as one of the top 14 picks, he seems like a first-round lock.
ESPNs Jeremy Woo projected on Monday that the San Antonio Spurs will take Swain with the 2oth pick, writing Swain is one of the most physically gifted wings in this class and has built a solid first-round case after putting together his most complete college season.
He is a strong slasher and projects as a plus perimeter defender but is still coming into his own on the offensive end.
Teams will be curious to further assess his inconsistent shooting (34.8% from 3, but an encouraging 81.3% from the line) in workouts, a key long-term area for growth that gives him room to rise up the board.
But why would Swain be a good fit for the Spurs? Coming off losing in the finals, San Antonio's biggest need appears to be frontcourt help, with Chris Cenac Jr.
and Jayden Quaintance drawing consideration, Woo wrote.
While Swain doesn't directly address that, nor is he a great perimeter shooter, he has good length and is a solid enough rebounder and defender to shore up the margins of their rotation.
Yahoo Sports Kevin OConnor projects Swain going to the Los Angeles Lakers with the 25th overall pick, writing Swain is relentless getting to the rim, creative as a finisher, and active enough defensively to project as a switchable wing.
But the reason he lives at the rim is because his jump shot is genuinely terrible.
He has stiff mechanics, bad percentages, and a reluctance to even attempt it that goes all the way back to high school.
He made improvements at Texas, though, so theres hope his soft touch at the line and from the paint will eventually translate.
CBS Sports Adam Finkelstein projects Swain to the Charlotte Hornets with the 18th overall pick.
MORE: Texas basketball: Bo Ogden, 2026 freshman and Austin native, a finalist for US U18 team 3.
Tramon Mark: Other Longhorns not projected as draft picks Guards Tramon Mark, Chendall Weaver and Jordan Pope all played critical roles for Texas basketball this past season while using up their collegiate eligibility.
None will get picked in either of the two rounds of the NBA draft, based on ESPNs projections.
However, former Texas forward Dillon Mitchell who started two seasons for the Longhorns from 2022-24 is projected as a second-round pick.
He played one year at Cincinnati and one season at St.
Johns after leaving Texas.
4.
Texas basketball seeks second straight round-one pick If Swain gets picked in the first round, hell become the second consecutive Texas basketball player to get selected in round one.
In 2025, guard Tre Johnson went with the sixth overall pick to the Washington Wizards and averaged 12.2 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.0 assists a game despite battling some injuries in the second half of the season.
5.
Longhorns among nations best in producing NBA talent While Texas may not carry the same championship clout as some of its collegiate peers, the Longhorns are among the top programs in the country when it comes to producing NBA talent.
Since 2000, Texas has produced 10 lottery picks and 16 first-round selections.
Those 10 lottery picks include LaMarcus Aldridge (No.
2 pick in 2006), Kevin Durant (No.
2 pick in 2007), Tristan Thompson (No.
4 pick in 2011), Tre Johnson (No.
6 pick in 2025), Mohamed Bamba (No.
6 pick in 2018), Chris Mihm (No.
7 pick in 2000), T.J.
Ford (No.
8 pick in 2003), Jaxson Hayes (No.
8 pick in 2019), D.J.
Augustin (No.
9 pick in 2008) and Myles Turner (No.
11 pick in 2015).
Only six collegiate programs Duke (25), Kentucky (24), Kansas (16), UConn (14), Arizona (12) and North Carolina (12) have produced more lottery picks that Texas this century.
Since the NBA Draft began in 1947, a total of 50 Longhorns have been drafted.
Texas has produced a total of 20 first-round selections and 13 second-round picks in program history.
The Longhorns have had 19 players drafted in the last 20 NBA Drafts, dating back to the 2006 Draft.
2026 NBA Draft: How to watch When: Round one Tuesday and round two Wednesday, 7 p.m.
TV/streaming: Round one, ABC and ESPN.
Round two, ESPN.