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Jaylen Brown NBA Draft profile. The former California Golden Bear is projected to go as high as No. 3.
May 20, 2016Jaylen Brown NBA Draft profile. The former Cal Bear is projected to go as high as No. 3.
Jaylen Brown’s career at California was short-lived, but the 6-foot-7 wing player certainly made his presence felt during his one year on campus in Berkeley. Amassing 14.6 points per game to go with over 5 rebounds, Brown earned himself the title of Pac-12 Freshman of the Year.
Along with fellow super-freshman Ivan Rabb – who recently announced he would be returning to school for his sophomore season – Brown led the Golden Bears to a 23-11 record, combined with Rabb for over 27 points a game, and helped the Bears attain a four seed in the NCAA Tournament. It was the Bears’ highest seed in the tournament in 37 years.
As the NBA Draft approaches, pro teams and analysts are split in their opinions of Brown. Some focus on his enormous upside – his high-flying athleticism, NBA-ready and prototypical wing body at 6-foot-7 and 225 pounds, and his ability to guard positions 1 through 4. At times, he even showed a nice three-point stroke. His game is multi-faceted. For executives and analysts who hone in on these details, they project Brown to go extremely high in this year’s draft. Some have Brown slotted as high as No. 3 overall. There is a fair amount of uncertainty as to how the draft will play out after the first two picks, though Providence’s Kris Dunn has emerged as a trendy favorite for the third pick.
But others look at some troubling trends from Brown and see him going closer towards the middle of the first round. Brown really struggled down the stretch of the season, shooting just 20.8 percent (10-48) in Cal’s final five games. During the Bears’ upset loss to Hawaii in the NCAA Tournament, Brown shot just 1-6 and scored only 4 points. This led many to question his motivation and work ethic.
Critics also wonder about his shooting ability. Brown shot a mere 29.4 percent from the three-point line and just over 65 percent from the free-throw line this past season.
But Brown’s late-season struggles should also be put in context. Not only did the Bears have trouble scoring last year, finishing eighth in the conference in points per game, the team did not have a go-to scorer. All five starters averaged over 10 points per game and none of them were particularly great shooters. Within their offense, it should be noted that Brown carried a big responsibility to score, even more so in the NCAA Tournament. Cal played its NCAA Tournament game without its leading scorer Tyrone Wallace and starting guard Jabari Bird.
Brown scored most in transition and spotting up to shoot this year. He showed an ability to score as a slasher, but wasn’t a consistent ball handler or finisher.
Still, he’s just 19. He’s drawn comparisons to fellow Pac-12 alum Stanley Johnson, both in body type and raw, unrefined skillset. Where he ends up going in the draft will come down to whether teams dwell on his upside or downside, but you will almost assuredly see Brown go in the lottery.
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