Yesterday morning, Louisville basketball fans got to hear Mikel Brown Jr. for the first time, and while he sent many fiery messages to the fans, the biggest thing that caught many fans' eyes was his jaw-dropping comparison to Aly Khalifa.
The Cardinals' projected starting center is expected to be a crucial addition to Louisville's roster after missing the entire 2023-24 season with a knee injury. Khalifa recently won his appeal and will be eligible for the 2025-26 season, and Brown made it clear he can't wait to share the court with the now 7-foot center.
Brown took the stage for questions Wednesday morning with Khalifa, and when he was asked about Khalifa's ability to pass, he gave a jaw-dropping comparison that has Louisville fans thinking they are about to dominate the 2025-26 season.
Related: Louisville basketball's projected starting five after Aly Khalifa ruled eligible
Mikel Brown Jr. just compared Aly Khalifa to 3-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokić
The 5-star point guard spoke about what Khalifa brings to the table, and didn't just give the 7-foot, 250-pound center high praise; he even went as far as to compare him to a Denver Nuggets all-time great, three-time MVP, and future Hall of Famer, Nikola Jokić.
"I haven't seen it before besides Jokić," Brown stated on Khalifa's ability to pass. "I mean he is the closest thing to Jokić when it comes to passing. It is so easy to play with him. Just to be able to hit him at the top of the key, and you know he is going to make the right play every single time. It is truly a blessing to play with him."
Khalifa is destined to be a player who becomes a walking nightmare to Louisville's opponents. Brown isn't wrong for this comparison. When revisiting Khalifa's highlight tapes from BYU and Charlotte, fans will quickly be impressed by his ability to pass.
The 7-foot center can make ridiculous passes to cutting players, whether it is over the defender's head or a jaw-dropping bounce pass past the entire defense. Similar to Jokic, he receives the ball with his back to the basket and acts as if he will back the defender down, but a player will quickly cut through the lane, and Khalifa will make a beautiful pass that thins the needle and makes its way to the cutter.
The potential with Khalifa and the Cardinals' guards is going to be through the roof. The thought of having Khalifa out on the perimeter with a player like Brown cutting and him either making the read to get the ball to Brown or finding one of Kelsey's sharpshooters open has Louisville becoming nearly unstoppable.
Louisville is going to be much better next season than last year, and a big reason will be because of the addition of Khalifa. He has the potential to be the next season's college basketball Jokic, and if he can shoot and pass like he did with Charlotte, then Louisville fans have a good chance of seeing a new banner hanging in KFC Yum! Center.
Related: Aly Khalifa just became the piece that could unlock Louisville’s entire season
For all the latest on Louisville basketball's offseason and recruiting, stay tuned.