Pair of San Diego State stars selected in ESPN's latest NBA mock draft

The two Aztecs were the lone draft picks from the Mountain West

Dec 20, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; San Diego State Aztecs guard Miles Byrd (21) against the Arizona Wildcats during the Hall of Fame Series at Mortgage Matchup Center. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

One of the big offseason storylines for Brian Dutcher and the San Diego State Aztecs was the return of two projected NBA draft picks: guard Miles Byrd and center Magoon Gwath.

Both players entered the NBA draft process last spring, while Gwath also entered his name into the transfer portal, but ultimately, the pair decided to stay in San Diego and run it back alongside BJ Davis, Pharaoh Compton, and a healthy Reese Waters. That group, along with freshman Elzie Harrington and transfers Jeremiah Oden and Sean Newman, made up a squad that many projected would win the Mountain West and could make another deep run in March.

While SDSU has not looked as dominant as expected, the Aztecs turned a corner recently with a 5-0 start to conference play after a 3OT win over Boise State at home and a nice road win over Nevada.

The play of both Gwath and Byrd has been a big reason for the team's recent success - and NBA scouts are still very much paying attention to Dutcher's dynamic duo.

The latest 2026 NBA mock draft from ESPN's Jeremy Woo was published on Tuesday, and both Byrd and Gwath were among the second round selections - the only two players selected from the Mountain West.

Byrd was mocked first, coming in at No. 44 to the Brooklyn Nets. The 6'7 redshirt junior is not scoring the ball as often this year, with his points per game dropping from a career-high 12.3 in 2024-25 to just 9.9 this season, but his efficiency has improved, particularly around the rim - going from an overall field goal percentage of 38.1% to 41.7% through the first 15 games of the campaign.

However, the native of Stockton, CA, is not being drafted for his offense, but rather his tireless work on the other end of the floor. Byrd uses tremendous length and elite anticipation to generate takeaways in Dutcher's system, averaging 1.9 steals and 0.7 blocks on the year while posting some of the better advanced defensive stats in the league. His age and limited three-point shot will hurt his upside, but if a team believes he can develop into at least a competent shooter, he has the makings of the kind of three-and-D wing NBA teams crave these days.

Dec 20, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; San Diego State Aztecs forward Magoon Gwath (0). | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Gwath was mocked ten spots later at No. 54 overall to the Atlanta Hawks. The 7'0 sophomore exploded as a true freshman last year, averaging 8.5 points, 5.2 rebounds, and a league-leading 2.6 blocks while drawing all sorts of national attention before opting to stay in San Diego.

Injuries have limited the Texan to just 13 games and 19 minutes per contest, but he's showcased increased scoring both around the rim and from the perimeter - shooting 58.8% on twos as well as from three - although the sample size on three-point shots is tiny as he's just 10-17 from beyond the arc.

Still, Gwath is averaging 9.9 points and 1.6 blocks in under 20 minutes per game, and is coming off a great performance against Fresno State, where he posted 18 points on 8-12 shooting, along with eight rebounds, two blocks, and a steal.

The 7'0 big man is very much a project at the NBA level, but it's not hard to see why an NBA team would take a flyer on him, considering his size, length, natural ability on defense, and his career 43.5% clip from three that - even on a small volume - is noteworthy.

Byrd, Gwath, and the rest of the Aztecs will head to Laramie to take on Wyoming on Wednesday, Jan. 14. The game will tip off at 5:00 PM PT and will be broadcast on the CBS Sports Network.