In an interview with Italian journalist lacopo De Santis of Pianeta Basket, Luigi Suigo broke down why he decided to withdraw from the NBA Draft, as well as his choice in playing for Villanova in 2026-27.
On his NBA Draft process:
“We started this season at Mega Basket in Serbia thinking we could be very well prepared for this draft. Unfortunately, two or three days before the Combine, I pulled a sprained ankle in practice. I lost some form. I wasn’t able to do the Combine drills, which I think would have helped me improve my picks or my rating. I tried to get back in shape. I came back from Boston this morning. I was in Los Angeles, where my agency’s facility is. I did some workouts. I trained with the Wizards, Spurs and Celtics. They went well. My choice was to stay in the Draft if I had a guarantee of being selected in the first 20 picks. First of all, because knowing I’d have a year of development, and done well, I could be much higher in the 2027 Draft. And also, above all, it’s a question of experience. The money part too, of course, but that’s the least important thing right now. I’m very confident in myself. I know what my qualities are. The important thing is to work hard. Villanova will be a place where I can do that very well.”
This answers why he was not competing in the drills. It seemed odd to sit out when the goal is to improve your stock, but now everything makes sense. There was some concern once Suigo started following Atlanta Hawks’ center Onyeka Okongwu on Instagram, but now we know that they made their acquaintance in Los Angeles. Suigo shares Excel Sports as an agency with Okongwu, who is also from the Los Angeles area.
On where he would have gone in the Draft had he stayed in:
“I could have stayed in the first round, even with Boston (pick 27). The idea of not rushing things, having an extra year of development to be even more ready to make an impact is important, even because of the pick position. The higher you are, the more a team is committed to player development.
It seemed like a long shot that Suigo would get that top-20 guarantee, and this confirms that. Yahoo’s Kevin O’Connor had the 7’3” Italian going at pick 17 to the Oklahoma City Thunder in his latest mock draft, but once the withdrawal became official, O’Connor stated that he had Suigo top-20 on his personal board, but that he “didn’t expect him to stay in though.” Going to college will allow him to improve his stock and contribute more as a rookie once he’s there.
In the same article, Suigo noted that he’s a San Antonio Spurs fan and that it’s been “strange to see” all of the Knicks-related posts on Instagram. That said, Suigo also noted that “it’s nice to know I’m going to a college where I can develop and position myself well in the next draft.”
With Suigo in the fold, Villanova’s roster now stands as such:
Guards – Elijah Crawford, Buddy Simmons II, Carter Fisk, Tyler Perkins, Jake Fiegen and Adam Oumiddoch
Forwards – Kwame Evans Jr., Devin Royal, Matt Hodge, Abdou Samb
Centers – Luigi Suigo, Nico Onyekwere
With 12 players in the fold, Kevin Willard will look to add a bit more frontcourt depth and likely call it an offseason.
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