Former UCLA forward Tyler Bilodeau is a wild card going into the 2026 NBA Draft. Some mock drafts predict he will be drafted as early as the second round while others project he will not be drafted at all.
Regardless of what those mock drafts predict, Bilodeau is not focused on the outside noise.
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“They’re always changing, and what those say really never happen in the draft, right?” Bilodeau said in an exclusive interview with Ben Bolch of the California Post on Wednesday. “Like, it’s always changing, so I’m just trying to get a little bit better every day, just focus on the day to day, but yeah, I think I definitely have a chip on my shoulder.
“I mean, ever since high school and like I wasn’t ranked in high school or anything like that, I’ve always been overlooked a little bit, so just keeping that chip on my shoulder and I think it helps me quite a bit with motivation, so it’s good.”
Coming out of Kamiakin High School in Washington, Bilodeau was the 2021-22 Gatorade Boys Basketball Player of the Year, the Mid-Columbia Conference Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year. But he did not receive a lot of attention from college recruiters.
Bilodeau played the first two seasons of his career at Oregon State, where he earned a spot in the starting five for 13 of 32 games as a freshman. As a sophomore, he was a full-time starter for the Beavers.
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Then, he transferred to UCLA and took on a full-time starting role for the Bruins. He led UCLA to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances and led the team in scoring in both of those seasons.
Feb 21, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA forward Tyler Bilodeau (34) runs back on defense after scoring a three-point basket during the second half against the Illinois Fighting Illini at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images
Bilodeau said he is ready to put that same work in to make his NBA dreams a reality.
“If I don’t get drafted,” Bilodeau said to the California Post, “hopefully I get picked up [as a free agent]; I think there would be a good chance of getting picked up by a team and just go from there — keep grinding, keep working toward my dream. No Plan Bs.”
The NBA Draft will take place from June 23-24 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Photo Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images
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