The 2006-born guard from Berlin, Germany, was selected 39th by the Houston Rockets, but was sent to the New York Knicks, along with a 2029 second-round pick.
With Ghanaian roots, Jack Freeman Kayil started playing basketball in the youth ranks of TuS Neukölln before joining the academy of Alba Berlin, with which he won the German U19 title in 2023 and was voted best rookie of the Nachwuchs-Basketball-Bundesliga.
At 6’3” and 174 lb, Kayil has been one of the best young guards in Europe after a sensational 2025 season, where he won the Bundesliga Best Young Player and FIBA Champions League Best Young Player awards, becoming one of the youngest players ever to win the Best Young Player of the Bundesliga honors, along with Franz Wagner and Dennis Schröder.
He was also named to the All-FIBA Champions League Second Team and helped Germany win the silver medal at the 2025 FIBA U19 World Cup, averaging 11.1 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 6.6 assists per game.
NBA scouts have compared him to Andrew Nembhard, Jalen Suggs, and Jrue Holiday, noting his ability to direct the tempo of the game, his court vision, and his ability to finish plays off the dribble despite his guard size.
Having committed to Gonzaga prior to the draft, Kayil surprised many by declaring for the 2026 draft and is now set to back up the Knicks’ young guard tandem of Jalen Hood-Schifino and Quentin Grimes.
