Texas Longhorns New Best Player After Dailyn Swain Picked No. 15 Overall in NBA Draft

Former Texas Longhorns forward Dailyn Swain is officially beginning his NBA dream.

Swain was selected by the Chicago Bulls with the No. 15 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft on Tuesday night.

Following just one year at Texas in which he won the SEC's Newcomer of the Year after leading the Longhorns in points, rebounds, assists, steals and minutes, Swain is now set to continue what's been a massive individual rise over the past two seasons. He started off as a under-recruited high school player before heading to Xavier, but it was his one year at Texas that changed how NBA teams viewed him.

Dailyn Swain Had a Season to Remember at Texas

Texas Longhorns forward Dailyn Swain (3) dribbles the ball against the Purdue Boilermakers in the second half during a Sweet Sixteen game of the West Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at SAP Center. | Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

Swain was seen as an intriguing future NBA prospect headed into his first year at Texas but no one expexted what would happen next.

Swain quickly showed that he was going to be playing his way into the first round, a projection that stuck as his individual dominance continued. He finished the season averaging 17.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1. 6 steals on 54.2 percent from the field while starting all 36 games for the Longhorns.

He failed to score in double figures just three times while having 12 games of 20+ points, which featured a career-best performance against Mississippi State in January when he had 34 points and 14 rebounds.

But with Swain now gone, who becomes the best player on Sean Miller's roster for next season? There's a few candidates, but as things stand, the choice is obvious.

Matas Vokietaitis Expected to Step Up as Texas' Best Player

Texas Longhorns center Matas Vokietaitis (8) addresses the media in a press conference during a practice session ahead of the west regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at SAP Center. | Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

The Longhorns landed some talented transfers this offseason, but Vokietaitis will start the year as the focal point in Texas' offense.

Vokietaitis showed impressive growth throughout the season and was Texas' clear second-best player behind Swain. He had a dominant game in the first round of the NCAA Tournament against BYU with 23 points and 16 rebounds where he showed why he was one of the more underrated big men in the country during the season.

Vokietaitis finished last season averaging 15.6 points and 7.1 rebounds on 61.9 percent shooting while starting all 36 games for Texas.

He will be surrounded by incoming transfers like guards Isaiah Johnson and Elyjah Freeman alogn with forward David Punch. These three will certainly have their big scoring nights throughout the season, but Vokietaitis will be viewed as the best player on the roster until proven otherwise.

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