ESPN’s first mock draft for the 2027 NBA Draft places both Italian prospects — Duke’s Dame Sarr and Villanova freshman Luigi Suigo — inside the top 30, a projection that, roughly nine months before the draft, puts the two Azzurri firmly on NBA scouts’ radar, Sky Sport reported.
The projection matters for Italian basketball because Simone Fontecchio is currently the only Italian player in the league, and the mock draft suggests he could soon have company.
Sarr slotted 19th, Suigo 29th in ESPN’s debut 2027 board
According to ESPN’s initial 2027 mock draft, Sarr — in his second season at Duke — is projected as the No. 19 pick, making him the first of the two Italians off the board. Suigo, who arrived at Villanova over the summer and has just begun his college career, is projected at No. 29.
At the top of the board, ESPN projects a two-horse race between Kansas guard Tyran Stokes and Slovenian talent Stefan Joksimovic, who is playing in the EuroLeague with Baskonia.
Why the projections could climb with strong college seasons
Sky Sport noted that Sarr and Suigo could further boost their draft stock with important seasons, and that playing at two first-tier programs — Duke and Villanova — could help them gain visibility with NBA scouts.
The projection arrives as Sarr opens his second year at Duke following a strong freshman campaign, while Suigo begins his college basketball journey at Villanova.
From NCAA to the NBA: what the mock draft signals for Italian basketball
It was already known that both players’ NCAA seasons were viewed with the NBA in mind. What the ESPN mock draft adds is a concrete early benchmark: nine months before the 2027 draft, both are already on the proverbial notebook of NBA scouts.
If the projections hold, Fontecchio would no longer be the only Italian representing the country in the world’s premier basketball league.
The next checkpoint is the college season itself: Sarr’s second year at Duke and Suigo’s debut at Villanova will determine whether the early ESPN projections hold, improve, or slip as the 2027 draft approaches.
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