Cal freshman swingman Jaylen Brown will enter this year’s NBA draft, he announced in a press conference today, the school relays via Twitter. The 6’7″ 19-year-old is the fourth-best prospect in Jonathan Givony’s DraftExpress rankings and No. 9 with Chad Ford of ESPN.com. It’s not immediately clear whether he’ll hire an agent right away, a move that would prevent him from returning to college ball if he were to withdraw from the draft by May 25th.
Brown is a slasher on offense and a long, skilled defender, according to Ford. His wingspan is more than 7 feet, according to the latest measurement Givony shows. The Georgia native didn’t put up flashy numbers, playing just 27.6 minutes per game, but his 6.4 free throws per contest show his ability to get to the rim. He averaged 14.6 points and 5.4 rebounds a night, though his 29.4% 3-point shooting and 3.1 turnovers per contest are troublesome. His final game of the season was a four-point, seven-turnover nightmare in Cal’s first-round NCAA Tournament loss to Hawaii.
Still, he was already an elite prospect by the time he entered college. The Recruiting Services Consensus Index pegged him third, with only Ben Simmons and Skal Labissiere in front of him. Brown was a mainstay in competitions involving elite high school talent, and he had nine points in 21 minutes at the 2015 McDonald’s All-American game, the most well-known showcase.
Rodney Carney