Gonzaga's Massamba Diop cracks top 15 of early 2027 NBA Draft big board

Mark Few and the Gonzaga Bulldogs have a quartet of sophomores projected to start for the team in 2026-27, and they all already have serious NBA draft buzz around them.

While it is way too early to take mock drafts or even big boards very seriously, it's a good snapshot of how certain players are being perceived a few months before the season gets underway.

Gonzaga has not had a player selected in each of the past two NBA drafts, a streak that many feel could come to an end in 2027 - although there is no consensus on which player, or players, will be the ones to end it.

All four of Gonzaga's projected sophomore starters - Massamba Diop, Davis Fogle, Isiah Harwell, and Mario Saint-Supery - have shown on published mock drafts or big boards over the last two weeks since the 2026 draft concluded.

The latest comes from college basketball content creator Ant Wright, who included Diop at No. 12 in his way-too-early 2027 NBA Draft Big Board.

2027 Early NBA Draft Big Board pic.twitter.com/NAEgz2R8yP
— ᗩᑎT ᗯᖇIGᕼT (@itsAntWright) July 2, 2026

Diop in the lottery?

Wright stressed that big boards are not the same as mock drafts, and that team fit would play a role in where these players end up. But it's certainly notable to see Diop getting lottery attention - as most of Gonzaga's 2027 NBA draft buzz has been in the mid-to-late second round, where it's far more likely the players will return to school and make guaranteed money rather than risk getting a two-way contract.

If Diop - who is an older sophomore - is getting anywhere close to lottery attention after the 2026-27 season, it would not be at all a surprise to see him depart Spokane after just one year.

Of course, for Diop to get that kind of attention, he'd have to perform extremely well for the Zags - so it wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing.

The 7'1 center from Senegal was a revelation for Arizona State as a freshman last year, averaging 13.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks for coach Bobby Hurley in the Big 12. His imposing size, rim protection, screen setting, and finishing at the rim make him a near-perfect-complement to senior Braden Huff in Gonzaga's big-man-heavy system, and he is the program's best rim protector since Chet Holmgren wreaked havoc back in 2021-22.

Diop and Huff will be counted on to dominate the new-look Pac-12 on the interior, while 21-year-old Real Madrid big man Izan Almansa offers the Zags a very high-quality third big.

Assuming breakout seasons for Saint-Supery, Harwell, and Fogle - or at least two of the three - Gonzaga will end up in the mix as a top two seed in the NCAA Tournament, while making them favorites to win the Pac-12 in 2027.

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