The NBA Draft is coming up quickly, as the 2026 draft is set to start on June 23, which means it is just 18 days away. Louisville basketball fans are excited for the 2026 NBA Draft for a couple of reasons, as the Cardinals are trending to have two players drafted for the first time since 2015, when Terry Rozier and Montrezl Harrell were selected.
Ryan Conwell gives Louisville's Mikel Brown Jr. massive praise leading up to 2026 NBA Draft
This draft is looking like Mikel Brown Jr. and Ryan Conwell are going to be selected, and Brown is trending as a lock as a top 10 pick. The former 5-star point guard is trying to snap multiple NBA Draft droughts for the Cardinals, as Louisville hasn’t had a Cardinal drafted in the first round since Donovan Mitchell in the 2017 draft.
Well, it appears to be a sure thing that Brown will go in the first round, and now, in the latest The Field of 68 2026 NBA Mock Draft, they have Brown etching his name in Louisville history and going in the top five.
Mikel Brown Jr. projected to make Louisville basketball history in latest mock draft
Many NBA mock drafts have Brown going No. 9 overall to the Dallas Mavericks, but in the latest mock draft, they have the former Cardinal going No. 5 overall to the Los Angeles Clippers.
🚨 @TheFieldOf68’s LATEST MOCK DRAFT 🚨
— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) June 5, 2026
The lottery is LOADED 🔥
Which pick would be the best fit? 🤔⬇️ pic.twitter.com/K2HtL5pylJ
With Brown going No. 5 overall, that would mean he is the first Cardinal selected in the first five overall picks since the 1989 draft, when Pervis Ellison was selected No. 1 overall by the Sacramento Kings. If Brown does go in the first five picks, that means he would be the seventh Louisville Cardinal to be selected in the top five.
Brown is coming off an All-ACC Third-team season with Louisville in his true freshman season. The former 5-star freshman is the second-highest-rated commitment in program history, ranking No. 6 overall and No. 1 among point guards in the 2025 recruiting class, with a rating of .9969.
The 6-foot-5 point guard averaged 18.2 points, 4.7 assists, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game while shooting 41.0 percent from the field and 34.4 percent from beyond the arc. Brown played in only 21 games, missing 14 due to a back injury that kept him out of the ACC Tournament and the Cardinals' two NCAA Tournament games.
Brown is trending as a likely top-ten pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, which would mean he would be the first Cardinal drafted in the top ten since Samaki Walker in the 1996 draft. However, The Field of 68 appears to be even higher on Brown than many other mock drafts, with him being the first point guard selected in the 2026 NBA Draft.
Also read: Louisville's Mikel Brown Jr. receives eye-opening NBA comparison as draft approaches
For all the latest news and updates on Louisville basketball's offseason and recruiting, stay tuned.
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