Jaylen Brown, California
Age: 20 years old Size: 6’7, 225 pounds
Last Season’s Stats: 14.6 points; 5.4 rebounds; 2 assists per game
Shooting Percentages: 43.1% from the field; 29.4% from three-point; 65.4% from the free throw line
Jaylen Brown brings every physical and mental edge you could want in a prospect. He is a monstrous 6-foot-7, 225 pounds at 20 years old. He has an NBA ready body to produce immediately at the next level. He brings with him the mental strength to be a high level student at University of California Berkley and still be one of the most scrutinized players in college basketball. He has hops that allow him to effortless glide to the rim off of either foot. The quickness, in combination with his athleticism, allows him to guard 1-3 from day one on an NBA floor.
But it has all been so easy for him so far. All of his strengths and mental fortitude have become his downfall. This is the issue that could take him from the third pick and fall all the way to the Denver Nuggets at seventh. Can he take the turn and become a tireless worker to reach his unbelievably high ceiling?
Last week he was quoted saying the following:
“They say Kobe Bryant wakes up at 5:30 every morning. So I’m trying to do the same thing to catch up to him,” Brown said on Thursday at the NBA pre-draft combine. “If that’s what it takes to be him, then I’ll try to do that, too.”
If the Nuggets have Brown fall into their lap, they would be just as lucky as they were in last year’s NBA Draft getting to select Emmanuel Mudiay. Adding elite athleticism and a potential All-Star caliber player to the already high upside roster Tim Connelly has created would be a massive step toward contending in a few years.
