The Brooklyn Nets used the 43rd pick in the 2026 NBA Draft on Tyler Bilodeau, closing out a draft class that started with Mikel Brown Jr. at No. 6 and Joshua Jefferson at No. 28. The 22-year-old forward is expected to begin the season in Long Island with the Nets G League club, at least for now.
That is the kind of selection teams make when they want shooting with some structure around it. Bilodeau spent his first two NCAA seasons at Oregon State and his last two at UCLA, then finished his senior year with 17.6 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.1 assists a game while shooting 46.4% from 3-point range on 5.4 attempts per game. He also led his team in scoring, a useful sign for a player whose best trait is easy to identify.
Bilodeau measured 6 feet 7.25 inches in bare feet at the combine and posted a 7 feet 0.75 inches wingspan, enough size to make the shot translate into a real role if the rest holds. He said, “First things first, I think I’m a winner,” and added, “I like to shoot the ball.” In the same pre-draft interview, he described himself as someone who can score at all three levels but will do whatever is needed to win, whether that is defense, rebounding, passing or shooting, and said he models parts of his game after Cam Johnson.
That profile explains why the Nets may have been drawn to him. A 3-point mark of 46.4% on that volume is not an accident, and it fits the idea of a sizable floor-spacer who can make life easier for other creators. The catch is the one that follows many shooters into the draft: scouts had questions about his handle as a playmaker and his defense in the frontcourt, which is why Long Island looks like the likely first stop.
For the Nets, the choice makes sense as a bet on a skill that already plays. For Bilodeau, it sets the next test in plain view: turn one clear NBA trait into enough all-around reliability to move past the G League and into a larger role.
