UCLA Bruin Tyler Bilodeau knows his new home. The forward began his NBA career on Wednesday by getting selected by the Brooklyn Nets with the No. 43 overall pick of the 2026 NBA Draft.
Bilodeau is the first, and very likely only, Bruin to get taken in this year’s NBA draft. Bilodeau becomes the first UCLA player taken since Adem Bona in 2024. Aday Mara was taken in the first round on Tuesday, but Bona ended his NCAA career with Michigan after spending two years with the Bruins.
The Nets are still in a rebuild, meaning that Bilodeau will have every opportunity to earn his way into some playing time. Brooklyn selected Louisville guard Mikel Brown Jr. but the Nets have plenty of other young players. Brooklyn snagged four first round picks in last year’s draft, adding onto their young core.
Bilodeau will be competing for backup minutes behind the newly-acquired Julius Randle. Randle was traded from the Minnesota Timberwolves in a cap-clearing move for Minnesota but Randle is still a three-time All-Star who’s coming off of averaging 21.1 points-per-game last year.
With the Bruins last year, Bilodeau averaged 17.6 points per game with 5.6 rebounds while shooting an impressive 46% from three. Bilodeau’s ability to be physical while stretching the floor from deep is highly sought after in today’s NBA.
Bilodeau has been an anchor for UCLA over the past two seasons, leading the Bruins to a pair of NCAA tournament appearances to begin the school’s tenure in the Big Ten Conference.
This article originally appeared on UCLA Wire: UCLA’s Tyler Bilodeau goes No. 43 overall to the Brooklyn Nets
Reporting by Dylan McNeill, UCLA Wire / UCLA Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Dylan McNeill, UCLA Wire | USA TODAY Network
