The 2026 NBA draft is just hours away, and Louisville basketball's Mikel Brown Jr. is trending as a potential top pick in this year's draft. The draft is set to take place Tuesday at 8 p.m. local time, and for the first time since 2017, Louisville fans will see a Cardinals player selected in the first round.
NBA executives hint Mikel Brown Jr. might snap a 37-year Louisville drought
Brown is going to snap a lot of NBA draft droughts this evening for the Cardinals, including a top ten pick. Louisville hasn't had a top-10 pick since 1996, and the Cards' star point guard is looking like a lock in this year's draft.
NBA and Louisville fans don't know where the star guard will go just yet, but it is looking like anywhere between No. 5 and No. 10. So, with the draft only hours away, we wanted to break down the top three most realistic landing spots for Mikel Brown Jr.
Los Angeles Clippers
Coming in at No. 3 is Brown's ceiling, the Los Angeles Clippers. The 5-star guard has heard his name rise in many mock drafts leading up to the NBA Draft, and it appears he has a better chance of being selected at No. 5 overall than later in the draft, like No. 8, No. 9, or No. 10.
Jeff Goodman recently surveyed NBA executives, and Brown earned the most votes as the draft's best point guard. With a survey like that and other mock drafts slowly putting him higher and higher, the Cards' star guard has a real chance of being the first Cardinal drafted in the top five since 1989.
Sacramento Kings
The next team Brown is trending with leading up to the draft is the Sacramento Kings at No. 7 overall. Brown continues to trend around the No. 5-8 range, and with the Kings needing nearly any position, they might take the best available.
At No. 7, many would begin to think Brown is the best available, which is why they are ranked at No. 2 on the list. The 5-star freshman continues to rise in these mock drafts, and very few have him falling past No. 7 at this point, which gives us and many others confidence he will likely go before the Hawks, Mavs, and Bucks.
Brooklyn Nets
Finally, the last team on the list and the team we believe he will get drafted to is the Brooklyn Nets. With Brown and the Nets meeting multiple times before the draft, it feels like this is tending toward the potential top landing spot for the Cardinal.
The Nets need some offensive star power, and with Brown being an explosive guard who has limitless range from beyond the arc, it feels like a perfect match. If Brown does go to the Nets at No. 6, it would be the highest Cardinal drafted in the NBA Draft since Felton Spencer in the 1990 draft.
Also read:Â Pat Kelsey gives NBA teams a reason to think twice about passing on Mikel Brown Jr.
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