NBA Draft Scouting Report: BYU Wing Richie Saunders

Evaluating one of college basketball's top scorers.

Jan 17, 2026; Lubbock, Texas, USA; BYU Cougars guard Richie Saunders (15) dribbles the ball against the Texas Tech Red Raiders in the first half at United Supermarkets Arena. Mandatory Credit: Michael C. Johnson-Imagn Images | Michael C. Johnson-Imagn Images

Richie Saunders has seen a steady rise through a four-year career at BYU, emerging as one of college basketball’s best players over the last few seasons. 

He’s stands at 6-foot-5, with a reported wingspan somewhere in the range of 6-8, making him adequate, albeit not lengthy size for an NBA wing. Regardless, Saunders has proved himself one of the better impactors in the country, with versatile, efficient scoring and ancillary skills centered around feel, energy and high-IQ play.

Saunders, even at nearly 25-years-old on draft night, is likely to garner second-round looks in the upcoming 2026 NBA Draft, largely due to his elite off-ball scoring, shooting versatility, and connective skillset. 

Strengths:

Off-Ball Scoring

Saunders’ top projectable skill is certain to be his off-ball scoring, which could likely be plugged into NBA systems tomorrow, due to the naturalness with which he plays. 

In his last two seasons, Saunders has emerged as one of BYU’s top scoring options, leading the Cougars as a junior and only ranking second to AJ Dybantsa in his senior season. Across 53 games spanning those two seasons, he’s scored 17.5 points on 51% shooting overall, hitting on 42% of his nearly six threes attempted per game.

Saunders does the vast majority of his scoring off the ball, spotting up, getting out in transition, coming off-screen and more — all things that should translate seamlessly to the NBA. 

He is among the best spot-up players in the country, able to simply knock down triples, though his affinity reading and attacking closeouts stands out. He’s quick and decisive in these situations, able to process the right play to make quickly and limit mistakes.

Saunders’ inside-the-arc scoring is highlighted by his well-utilized pump-fake, his ability to catch-and-rip, attack space with quickness, craft or physicality, and finish despite not being able to play above it. He’s shown premier touch, shooting 64% at the rim as a junior and senior, with a float game he can rely on against taller rim-protectors.

He’s boosted his free throw rate through the early part of his senior season, shooting five attempts per game at a 83% clip.

Saunders functions similarly in transition, getting out quick and gravitating toward space, with these two play-types leading to the bulk of his production. He’s averaged in the ball-park of 1.3 points per possession in both spot-up and transition situations over the last two seasons, projecting real pro impact.

Saunders is also an effective scorer off-screen, though we’ll touch on that more in the next section.

Shooting

Shooting obviously fits into off-ball scoring, though Saunders’ 3-point shooting journey warrants its own section here as one of its strengths. 

Saunders has seen a steady incline in each of his four seasons, shooting just 33% on two attempts as a freshman, and finally landing at around 40% on nearly seven attempts as a senior. His 3-point shooting has emerged as one BYU’s top weapons, and is obviously a big determining factor in just how effective he can be within the arc. He’s seen nine games of five or more threes since the start of his junior season, pointing to real confidence in that shot.

Like most, Saunders is at his best catching and shooting, doing so unguarded at a 55% clip as a junior and 50% as a senior. Though he’s added more versatile pathways toward threes in his career. He has great feel for simply shooting in spot-up situations and is a proven blistering shooter in transition, both stationary and on the move in both.

Saunders has the capability to shoot threes off-screen, though he shades toward taking the three only slightly more than driving the ball in these situations. This certainly isn’t his most effective play-type, but it’s not out of the question.

All in all, Saunders has all the makings of an effective NBA floor-spacer: great mechanics, confidence, the ability to simply hit open shots, be a transition weapon and branch out to off-screen and dribble work when needed.

Connective Play-Making

Saunders adds offensive value beyond just scoring the rock with some connective play-making, able to create for others based off advantages usually created spotting up or in transition.

He’s averaged 1.8 assists per game to 1.4 turnovers per game across his junior and senior seasons, solid marks given just how little he’s truly operating with the ball. He’s a fine floor-reader, able to assess and deliver crisp passes with accuracy, though his handle can limit him to pretty simplistic angles.

Saunders is mostly creating opportunities for others in the in-between areas, the few dribbles after a spot-up drive, fast transition play, after offensive rebounds and more. Though he’s consistently effective at doing so.

Saunders isn’t going to wow with flashy passes or big assist numbers often, but NBA teams can at least take solace Saunders’ ball-moving prowess as a scorer, and his ability to parlay his own scoring gravity into chances for others on occasion. His optionality within spotting up and transition play, especially, should help NBA teams.

Areas of Improvement:

Defensive Upside

For the first and biggest area of improvement for Richie Saunders we’ve gone with defensive upside, notably because his defense, as it stands right now, is workable. Though the chances of him blossoming into a major plus are small.

Size limits Saunders’ ability to really thrive as a defender, though his feel for the game, and ability to put himself in the right place at the right time carry over here. He offers a great defensive baseline with instincts, anticipation, toughness, energy and high-IQ.

He’ll be capable of guarding a few different positions at the NBA, most generally two-guards and smaller wings. 

Saunders’ is a good off-ball defender, with attentiveness, fast hands and the ability to process how the offense is moving. He doesn’t have great lateral quickness, but is serviceable and reactive enough. He has good feel within team defense, doubling and switching, and is competitive fighting through screens.

Saunders’ lack of elite size, length and agility make defending on the ball tougher, though several of the same principals carry over in terms of his court awareness, hands and more. He can be prone to letting really adept handlers slip by or overpower him, and that’ll likely be exacerbated by NBA talent.

Overall, the upside of a defensive stopper isn’t there, but NBA teams aren’t likely to too perturbed by Saunders’ defensive profile.

Creation

Creating clean offensive looks himself has been a struggle for Saunders, relegating him to a pretty specific offensive skillset centered around spotting up in the half court. 

He’s run five isolation attempts total in his last 53 games with BYU, without the combination of A-to-B athleticism, handling ability or jump-shooting prowess to really create often.

Saunders’ role won’t be handling the reigns of an offense, though even minimal creation would really help to round out his offensive profile and give him a little more optionality as a scorer on the wing. He’s shown the ability to function as the pick-and-roll handler, though these reps are a bit too few and far between to warrant real upside at the NBA level, accounting for just 9% of his offensive possessions over the last two years.

Saunders is likely to be reliant on clean spacing and the offensive creation of others to really thrive, which will be fine for most NBA systems. Though it is a ceiling limiter, especially given his age. 

Outlook:

Saunders has carved out a clear NBA case through four years at BYU: a fine-sized floor-spacer who can thrive in both the full and half-court, make a difference inside the arc, and thrive in ancillary ways with motor, feel, high-IQ play and competitiveness.

Saunders feels like a player destined to be aided by NBA spacing, offering more breathing room to hit threes, drive after the catch and pump-fakes, and do other, gluey things.

Saunders being nearly 25-years-old on draft night, along with a lack of creation ability or S-tier defensive upside, obviously limits his ceiling. But NBA teams in search of a smart off-wing ready to contribute are certain to give him a look. 

His range is likely to start around the middle of the second round, moving to the late-second round if teams are that averse to his being 24. Some landing spots I like for Saunders include the Raptors, Heat and Bucks.

Range: Middle to late-second

Role: Off-Ball Wing

Impact: Rotation

Swing Skills: Defense, Creation