The NBA Draft is under two weeks away, and the draft stock for Louisville basketball’s star point guard, Mikel Brown Jr., has been relatively fluid. The 5-star freshman is coming off an All-ACC year despite missing 14 games with a back injury, and now, leading up to the NBA draft, most NBA draft experts are projecting him to go in the 5-9 range.
Louisville's Mikel Brown Jr. receives eye-opening NBA comparison as draft approaches
Depending on which NBA draft expert you ask, some view Brown as high as the No. 5 overall pick to the Los Angeles Clippers, while others think he might go as low as No. 9 overall to the Dallas Mavericks. But not many think he will fall past the Mavs, and there hasn’t been a mock draft that has him fall outside the top 10.
Brown is an elite guard who can score in multiple ways. He has limitless range, showing he can catch fire when he dropped a historic 45 points against North Carolina State after splashing 10 3’s, but he also showed against Arkansas that he can attack downhill, rise up, and finish with a monster slam.
There is an incredible ceiling for Brown, and if he hits the high-end ceiling that Sports Illustrated's Kevin Sweeney has for him, then whoever drafts him is getting a future NBA All-Star.
Louisville's Mikel Brown Jr. draws NBA champion comparison before draft
Sweeney gave his projected NBA lottery picks high-end and low-end player comparisons, and while Brown’s low-end was Anfernee Simons, his high-end is NBA All-Star and NBA Champion, Jamal Murray.
"Brown has comparable measurements and production throughout his career to date to Murray, and Brown certainly has an All-NBA ceiling. Like Murray, he’s an electric shotmaker when at his best, taking over games as an off-dribble shooter while still being unselfish enough to make others better in the process. "Kevin Sweeney
Sweeney appears very high on Brown, believing he has the potential to be an All-NBA player. Hearing Brown’s ceiling could be Murray is high praise, as the former Kentucky star has made the NBA All-Star Game once, won the NBA championship, and has been a consistent starting point guard for the Denver Nuggets for eight seasons.
Murray has averaged 16 points or more in every season and 20 points or more in the last five seasons, including this past season, when he averaged a career-high 25.4 points and made the All-NBA Third Team. Brown has a similar ability to catch fire as Murray, and the two guards are unselfish, running the offense.
Murray is coming off a year in which he averaged a career-high 7.1 assists per game and has averaged 6.0 assists or more per game over the last four seasons.
The 19-year-old has NBA range, is mature for his age, and, as Sweeney said, he has All-NBA potential. The NBA draft is June 23, and Brown will have the potential to make an immediate impact with whatever franchise drafts him.
Also read: Louisville’s Mikel Brown Jr. is climbing NBA Draft boards right before the NBA draft
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