This is the second part of an ongoing summer basketball series, with a spotlight on the UCLA men’s basketball program. The first portion of the summer series (available here) highlighted UCLA’s roster construction heading into the fall of 2026. Stay tuned to uclabruins.com this summer for additional chapters about the Bruins.
Bilodeau Heads to Brooklyn
An impact player for UCLA over the past two seasons, Tyler Bilodeau’s steady development was rewarded when he was selected in the second round of the 2026 NBA Draft. Chosen No. 43 overall by the Brooklyn Nets, Bilodeau competed earlier this month in the NBA Summer League in Sacramento and Las Vegas.
Bilodeau’s path to the NBA was built on consistent improvement, hard work, humility and a team-first mentality. After earning Washington's Gatorade Boys Basketball Player of the Year honors at Kamiakin High School in 2021-22, he began his college career at Oregon State.
The 6-foot-9 forward enjoyed two productive seasons with the Beavers before transferring to UCLA in the summer of 2024. During his sophomore campaign (2023-24), Bilodeau grabbed a then-career-high 14 rebounds in Oregon State’s home loss to the Bruins on Dec. 28, 2023.
As UCLA pursued Bilodeau in the transfer portal, head coach Mick Cronin still remembers his early conversations with the talented forward and the qualities that immediately stood out.
“Jaime Jaquez had graduated from our team a year prior,” Cronin said. “We were coming off a tough year, and we really needed Tyler’s scoring. I just saw some things that he had done while at Oregon State, and I thought he could become a great shooter. The Brooklyn Nets in the NBA obviously believed that, as he was one of the best shooters in the country as a senior at UCLA. He represented this program with class and integrity, and he was a great teammate every day.”
Coming off a strong junior campaign, where Bilodeau led UCLA in scoring (13.5 ppg), the proud Tri-Cities Washington product took his game to another level last season. He led the Big Ten in 3-point percentage (46.4%, 64-for-138) and finished the year as UCLA’s leading scorer again. He averaged 17.6 points and 5.6 rebounds per game, scoring at least 10 points in 27 of 31 games.
Adversity hit in a major way at the Big Ten Tournament. In the first half of UCLA’s quarterfinal showdown against No. 8 Michigan State, Bilodeau went down with a knee injury. He was unable to play in the remainder of the Big Ten Tournament and missed the Bruins’ two NCAA Tournament contests in Philadelphia the next week.
“We were broken-hearted for him, that he got hurt in the Big Ten Tournament,” Cronin said. “He couldn’t help lead us to a Big Ten Tournament title in Chicago, and obviously he didn’t get to play in the NCAA Tournament,” Cronin said. “But his development is something we are proud of. We believe in player development. We believe our record with development has been strong, from Tyler Bilodeau to Jaime Jaquez to Adem Bona and Jaylen Clark, all guys who are in the NBA. I believe that Tyler really embodies that. He is everything that you would like to see in a young man who plays for you.”
Bilodeau, along with former teammate Kobe Johnson (Atlanta Hawks), played this summer in the NBA Summer League. In his first game, played as part of the California Classic at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, Bilodeau netted nine points and six rebounds on July 4. Two days later, he knocked in 6 of 12 shots (shooting 6-of-9 from 3-point distance) and scored 18 points in a summer league showdown with Golden State.
Working primarily with UCLA’s frontcourt players, Bruins’ associate head coach Darren Savino has seen first-hand the work ethic that Bilodeau developed.
“I’m not surprised that he’s in this spot because of his work ethic, his desire and his determination,” Savino said. “He’s such a good guy. Certain players just really take it to heart and work hard, and push themselves and do extra. Tyler did all that stuff. He deserves all of the success that he’s having.”
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Stay tuned for upcoming chapters of the Bruins’ summer series, including thoughts from returning players Eric Dailey Jr. and Trent Perry.